Story: "Hairpins" Part 15
Mar. 24th, 2014 12:08 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," "Happy Hour," and "Green Eggs and Hulk."
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, JARVIS, Clint Barton, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanova, Bruce Banner.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: This story is mostly fluff, but it has some intense scenes in the middle. Highlight for details. These include dubious consent as Phil and JARVIS discuss what really happened when Agent Coulson hacked his way into Stark Tower, over which Phil has something between a flashback and a panic attack. They also discuss some of the bad things that have happened to Avengers in the past, including various flavors of abuse. If these are sensitive topics for you, please think carefully before deciding whether to read onward.
Summary: Uncle Phil needs to pick out pajamas for game night. He gets help from an unexpected direction.
Notes: Service. Shopping. Gifts. Artificial intelligence. Computers. Teamwork. Team as family. Friendship. Communication. Hope. Apologies. Forgiveness. Nonsexual ageplay. Nonsexual intimacy. Love. Tony Stark needs a hug. Bruce Banner needs a hug. #coulsonlives.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14. Skip to Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20.
"Hairpins" Part 15
Phil sighed. He picked out a handful of least-unlikely botanical patterns and saved them. Then he cleared the page again. "How about ordinary kiddie things," he said.
JARVIS obliged by calling up a fresh set of images. Unfortunately the selections here tended to be overly gendered, something that annoyed Phil in general when shopping for his littles. The prevailing blue palette was fine, but not the endless array of soldiers, cowboys, and knights. The subtle implication of conflict undercut the desired sense of comfort. Phil did not think that Bruce would like pajamas decorated with trains or backhoes any better. Judging from the sluggish rate of suggestions, neither did JARVIS.
"This doesn't feel right," Phil admitted. "Bruce doesn't have many positive memories of childhood. I'm not sure reprising that would help."
"It may be that we are approaching this from the wrong angle," JARVIS said. "What does Bruce get out of game night?"
"Safety," Phil said at once. "It helps him feel more secure about his place in the team. He's learning to express his emotions, now that people respect them. He likes being allowed to hide if that's what he needs."
"Protective camouflage," JARVIS murmured.
Phil shook his head. "No, Bruce hates the Army. We can't put him in camo."
"I was referring to cryptic coloration as it appears in nature, allowing animals to blend into their environment," JARVIS clarified. "For example, female birds often have drab plumage to disguise themselves while nesting."
"Bruce likes to blend in," Phil said. "He dresses to deflect attention from himself. Sometimes he acts as if he wants to sink into the carpet and disappear."
"He also avoids observation as much as possible -- not just on a physical level, as with shying away from cameras, but also on a psychological level," JARVIS said. "Bruce dislikes it when people try to read him. Sir is the only person who seems able to coax him out of his shell."
"At least they have Candyland," Phil said. Not long after the team moved into the tower, Tony had redesigned part of the lab space so that he and Bruce could share it. He also printed out an enormous sign with the title in classic candycane font, which he hung above the main door. It dated all the way back to some in-joke that Tony and Bruce had shared on the Helicarrier.
Phil flipped back to the collection of images he had of Bruce's clothes. Most were solids, but there were some with subtle patterns of stripes or dots, along with several soft plaids.
"Plaid is a traditional pattern for sleepwear," JARVIS remarked. "Children tend to dress in bright colors, but Bruce would probably prefer something quieter. The lines of a neutral plaid would blend into an indoor environment rather well."
"Good idea," Phil said. "Pull me some samples." The screen filled with fabric swatches in shades of brown and tan, similar to clothes that Bruce had worn in the past. Soon Phil found a nice mellow caramel. "Given Bruce's tendency to go through clothes quickly, we should probably pick more than one."
* * *
Notes:
Gendered clothes for children are a fairly recent phenomenon. This can restrict gender fluidity and cause problems for children. At this stage, Phil does not know what potential landmines he just avoided, but Bruce has some serious and deeply buried gender issues thanks to Brian Banner's A+ parenting, as seen in "Dolls and Guys" Part 10. Several of the Avengers are a little gender-variant in certain regards.
Gendered toys raise similar issues, hence Uncle Phil's resentment. They illustrate and enforce gender roles, causing difficulties for boys and girls alike. Note that Uncle Phil stocks the toy cabinet primarily with gender-neutral toys such as blocks and board games. Where there are gender-associated toys like dolls and trains, he encourages everyone to play with all of them, not split up by gender. There are only two girls in the group, and Natka isn't very girly; Betty is more likely to wind up playing girl things with Steve, Bruce, or Tony who all have different feminine aspects. Browse some good choices in gender-neutral toys.
Blending into a crowd is a useful skill for travel and survival. There are tips for blending in, avoiding attention, and not getting picked out of a crowd. (Notice the repeated advice on wearing drab, plain clothes.) This is what allows Bruce to thrive in foreign lands, as well as locally, and to elude capture most of the time.
Camouflage lets creatures to fade into their environment using multiple techniques. Here are some examples of protective camouflage in animals. Birds can adapt their camouflage, and often the females have dull colors for nesting safety.
Candyland is a game with editions in 1949, 1978, and other years. This box for the 1978 game shows the candycane font. Tony and Bruce would probably recognize this version, hence Tony's reference to it in The Avengers.
Plaid is a popular pajama pattern for children and adults.
Read about the symbolism for the color brown.
[To be continued in Part 16 ...]
Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, JARVIS, Clint Barton, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanova, Bruce Banner.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: This story is mostly fluff, but it has some intense scenes in the middle. Highlight for details. These include dubious consent as Phil and JARVIS discuss what really happened when Agent Coulson hacked his way into Stark Tower, over which Phil has something between a flashback and a panic attack. They also discuss some of the bad things that have happened to Avengers in the past, including various flavors of abuse. If these are sensitive topics for you, please think carefully before deciding whether to read onward.
Summary: Uncle Phil needs to pick out pajamas for game night. He gets help from an unexpected direction.
Notes: Service. Shopping. Gifts. Artificial intelligence. Computers. Teamwork. Team as family. Friendship. Communication. Hope. Apologies. Forgiveness. Nonsexual ageplay. Nonsexual intimacy. Love. Tony Stark needs a hug. Bruce Banner needs a hug. #coulsonlives.
Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14. Skip to Part 17, Part 18, Part 19, Part 20.
"Hairpins" Part 15
Phil sighed. He picked out a handful of least-unlikely botanical patterns and saved them. Then he cleared the page again. "How about ordinary kiddie things," he said.
JARVIS obliged by calling up a fresh set of images. Unfortunately the selections here tended to be overly gendered, something that annoyed Phil in general when shopping for his littles. The prevailing blue palette was fine, but not the endless array of soldiers, cowboys, and knights. The subtle implication of conflict undercut the desired sense of comfort. Phil did not think that Bruce would like pajamas decorated with trains or backhoes any better. Judging from the sluggish rate of suggestions, neither did JARVIS.
"This doesn't feel right," Phil admitted. "Bruce doesn't have many positive memories of childhood. I'm not sure reprising that would help."
"It may be that we are approaching this from the wrong angle," JARVIS said. "What does Bruce get out of game night?"
"Safety," Phil said at once. "It helps him feel more secure about his place in the team. He's learning to express his emotions, now that people respect them. He likes being allowed to hide if that's what he needs."
"Protective camouflage," JARVIS murmured.
Phil shook his head. "No, Bruce hates the Army. We can't put him in camo."
"I was referring to cryptic coloration as it appears in nature, allowing animals to blend into their environment," JARVIS clarified. "For example, female birds often have drab plumage to disguise themselves while nesting."
"Bruce likes to blend in," Phil said. "He dresses to deflect attention from himself. Sometimes he acts as if he wants to sink into the carpet and disappear."
"He also avoids observation as much as possible -- not just on a physical level, as with shying away from cameras, but also on a psychological level," JARVIS said. "Bruce dislikes it when people try to read him. Sir is the only person who seems able to coax him out of his shell."
"At least they have Candyland," Phil said. Not long after the team moved into the tower, Tony had redesigned part of the lab space so that he and Bruce could share it. He also printed out an enormous sign with the title in classic candycane font, which he hung above the main door. It dated all the way back to some in-joke that Tony and Bruce had shared on the Helicarrier.
Phil flipped back to the collection of images he had of Bruce's clothes. Most were solids, but there were some with subtle patterns of stripes or dots, along with several soft plaids.
"Plaid is a traditional pattern for sleepwear," JARVIS remarked. "Children tend to dress in bright colors, but Bruce would probably prefer something quieter. The lines of a neutral plaid would blend into an indoor environment rather well."
"Good idea," Phil said. "Pull me some samples." The screen filled with fabric swatches in shades of brown and tan, similar to clothes that Bruce had worn in the past. Soon Phil found a nice mellow caramel. "Given Bruce's tendency to go through clothes quickly, we should probably pick more than one."
* * *
Notes:
Gendered clothes for children are a fairly recent phenomenon. This can restrict gender fluidity and cause problems for children. At this stage, Phil does not know what potential landmines he just avoided, but Bruce has some serious and deeply buried gender issues thanks to Brian Banner's A+ parenting, as seen in "Dolls and Guys" Part 10. Several of the Avengers are a little gender-variant in certain regards.
Gendered toys raise similar issues, hence Uncle Phil's resentment. They illustrate and enforce gender roles, causing difficulties for boys and girls alike. Note that Uncle Phil stocks the toy cabinet primarily with gender-neutral toys such as blocks and board games. Where there are gender-associated toys like dolls and trains, he encourages everyone to play with all of them, not split up by gender. There are only two girls in the group, and Natka isn't very girly; Betty is more likely to wind up playing girl things with Steve, Bruce, or Tony who all have different feminine aspects. Browse some good choices in gender-neutral toys.
Blending into a crowd is a useful skill for travel and survival. There are tips for blending in, avoiding attention, and not getting picked out of a crowd. (Notice the repeated advice on wearing drab, plain clothes.) This is what allows Bruce to thrive in foreign lands, as well as locally, and to elude capture most of the time.
Camouflage lets creatures to fade into their environment using multiple techniques. Here are some examples of protective camouflage in animals. Birds can adapt their camouflage, and often the females have dull colors for nesting safety.
Candyland is a game with editions in 1949, 1978, and other years. This box for the 1978 game shows the candycane font. Tony and Bruce would probably recognize this version, hence Tony's reference to it in The Avengers.
Plaid is a popular pajama pattern for children and adults.
Read about the symbolism for the color brown.
[To be continued in Part 16 ...]
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-03-25 07:18 pm (UTC)Yay! I'm happy to hear that.
>> I tend to treat your version as a mostly-OC character with very strong implied connections to the original, because the Hulk movies are nearly as contradictory as the comic books. <<
Hulk canon is so diverse than any character has to be a subset interpreted from the most useful pieces. Remember that I've seen multiple onscreen adaptations and some parts of the comics; this is by far the most character saturation I have. So my Betty is a conglomeration of that, along with Bruce-and-Hulk. But I love the Mark Ruffalo version, so that's the salient imprint for them.
>> She becomes an outlier, but is definitely a more feminine counterpoint of Phil. <<
Yes, exactly. She doesn't seem like a frontline hero to me, and frankly neither is Bruce; that is Hulk's thing. So I write Betty as a handler, based on things she does in canon trying to help Bruce. That meshes neatly with Phil and is why he gives her training materials for SHIELD handlers.
>> I think of your scenes with Betty as those the movie directors left on the cutting room floor, and think the directors are therefore the weaker storytellers. <<
I am flattered!
>> And then there's Bruce. Sheesh, on the topic of touch starvation, he needs his own volume! <<
He does, and Hulk all the more so.
>> In canon his clothing is very drab, but also very SMOOTH. Cotton and cotton blends, knit tee shirts, smooth woven shirts, the least textured beige slacks, et cetera, et cetera. Even the purple "mas... stretchy?" pants are that way. <<
Good point. For me, one of the crucial pieces of characterization for both Bruce and Hulk was the line, "I'm exposed, like a nerve. It's a nightmare." I've always suspected sensory processing disorder for them, but that nailed it down. So Bruce needs to be careful about textures, because sometimes he dissociates and can't feel his body much (which makes snags a hazard) and other times he's hypersensitive (so coarse things can be painful). If you look at how Tony decorated Bruce's apartment, it's all full of gentle curves, soothing colors, and soft textures. Because Tony goes back and forth too, craving intense stimulation sometimes and being overwhelmed at others.
>> He doesn't work with highly tactile media, and in fact when he is in the lab, tends to do things which require either single glove or double-glove safety precautions. <<
Often true, at least until Bruce got into third-world countries.
>> (At least Tony gets into the engines of his cars, which is a tactile FEAST compared to his holographic computer interface!) <<
Yes, that's an example of Tony's eclectic manifestation.
>> I'm extremely glad that your Bruce set his age at game night as low as he did, but my gut feeling is that he didn't set it as low as he wanted to out of (multiple kinds of) fear. <<
I'm not sure he'd know how to take it lower, or that it would work in this context. I do know that Bruce tried multiple ages, probably because he didn't know himself well enough to pin it on the first try. He had to grope his way through it. I suspect, left to his own devices, he would've been at the low end of toddler age; being with Tony pushes him toward the higher end of it. But it really needs to be toddler for Hulk-and-Bruce because of their family background. They kind of got 'stuck' at that age.
>> When he finally learns that not all hands are going to hurt him, he can open up a bit and cuddle, and LEARN which kinds of touch he prefers. <<
Yes, exactly. For all his tendency to live in his head, what Bruce needs most is a sublingual, subconscious kind of reassurance. I think that's why Hulk bonded with Tony so fast and hard: because almost the first thing Tony did was offer food.
>> Hulk is separate from Bruce in a lot of ways. <<
I see them as two distinct people, joined at the root. They share a body and some of their memories. But their feelings and skills are different, along with many of their memories. Two who are one, and yet still two.
>> He has far less experience, far less cerebral reactions and interpretations, and far more directly emotional responses. <<
They live in different parts of the brain, primarily.
>> Like your "Green Eggs and Hulk", I see Hulk as between two and three years old (emotionally)... frankly, "older" than Bruce's default avoid-avoid-avoid-startle! reactions. <<
Yes. Hulk has more emotional maturity than Bruce, because Hulk is the emotional genius of the two. As soon as he gets good examples, he can grow as fast emotionally as Bruce can intellectually. So while Hulk will always have a certain primal simplicity, he's already picking up subtle emotional nuances that most of the other adults haven't.
>> Bruce's reactions make me think of descriptions of infants so neglected they've developed flat spots in their skulls from being left lying unattended for extremely long periods. <<
Too true. I think neglect was a major part of the abuse. It plays into his avoidance of people; he's used to being alone. Bruce associates attention with abuse. That's why he spent months hiding in his lab after he moved into the tower.
>> He's SO starved for touch that he doesn't even recognize the NEED yet. He needs something, something, something... That confusion is one of the many things that fuels the Hulk. <<
Often true. Bruce is disconnected from his body, and therefore his physical and emotional needs. Those are Hulk's territory. But because Bruce keeps Hulk imprisoned almost all the time, that makes it hard for Hulk to do his job. Bruce has a very dim view of Hulk's survival-oriented approach; he thinks that smash-eat-sleep is a brutish way of life. He has utterly no clue that Hulk is trying to take care of him. Which is another thing Tony clocked almost instantly, and we saw how resistant Bruce was to that in the movie.
The touch starvation has hit Hulk really hard and made emotional regulation difficult for him. For years, capitalizing on an emotional overload was the only way he could ever get out and feel the world for himself. It makes people crazy, and it's worse for people with a strong tactile need. But this clicked with Clint hard and fast, which is why Clint plastered himself on Hulk like a big sock when that realization hit. Clint has been an enormous help in getting Hulk some healthy touch, and Bruce too. Clint at least is far enough along to recognize the need and take steps to address it.
>> Finding ways to show Bruce and Hulk different kinds of nurturing without resorting to the tropes of a "de-aging fic" or "physical split" is a dance I'll very much enjoy watching someone else (you) do. <<
It is a challenge, but a fun one. Ageplay allows most of the advantages of de-aging without most of the disadvantages. I have some ideas for getting Bruce and Hulk to interact without splitting them apart, too. Some of the nurturing that they need is the same stuff, others different.
>> You can't even fall back on the "sick fic" trope, as Bruce/Hulk don't GET sick any longer. <<
Trust me, I know what I'm doing. Look at "Coming Around" and you'll see inklings of what I can do with that. Just because they can't get germs doesn't rule out chances for them to be physically incapacitated in ways similar enough to serve the same narrative effect. Phil is very adroit about using such opportunities for personal growth, and Bruce-and-Hulk won't be the only ones who benefit from that experience.
>> (Me, I just get to the scene where a physically split off, kid-size Hulk calls Fury a "meanie", crosses his arms and stamps a very bare, very green foot, and am laughing too much to actually WRITE any of it.) <<
*chuckle* Yeah. Hulk can put a wrecking ball through people's reality tunnels in the same way ordinary toddlers can, because he doesn't not-say the things adults have learned to shut up about. Plus he's an emotional genius, so he notices things. This can be painfully awkward if one is an obnoxious spy whose secrets have secrets.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-03-26 05:46 am (UTC)Tony has offered, in order, food, a "place to stay"-- coming from Tony, that meant more than some marriage proposals, given how protective he is of his personal places!-- mental challenge and acceptance in the same breath (re- Candyland), and a somewhat startling poke in the side... in short, Tony stepped into the role of "BIG BROTHER" without even realizing he'd done it.
I'm so glad to see them meet their needs for family in more open and direct ways, rather than glimpses and implications in between explosions and fist fights with villains. As a writer, do you find it more challenging to write the non-verbal aspects of a scene? Is it difficult to highlight the physical contact, physical needs, et cetera without relying on the characters discussing it?
-Sarah-
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-03-26 06:47 am (UTC)Yes, exactly. Offering lab space is right up there with popping a diamond ring into a lady's champagne flute. And Tony probably spent more on the lab. Intimacy and commitment, all in one go.
>> mental challenge and acceptance in the same breath (re- Candyland), and a somewhat startling poke in the side... <<
Information, too, in terms of Tony coaxing Bruce to believe that it's possible to learn control of challenging gifts -- from someone who's already done that. Precious stuff. Poor Bruce was so freaked out by the idea, though, he couldn't handle it. Aaaaaand this is why you need teambuilding and trustbuilding in slow steps before you send your troop into the field.
>> in short, Tony stepped into the role of "BIG BROTHER" without even realizing he'd done it. <<
Exactly. I think it's ironic that Tony and Bruce, who are as tightly bonded as Clint and Natasha or Bucky and Steve, are unable to name their relationship explicitly. They're so locked into the brotherhood dynamic, it's specific to age to the point that they can't reverse. Bruce is completely fixated on Tony as his big brother.
And don't forget protection. It's pretty clear that anyone who wants to hurt Bruce-and-Hulk would have to go through Tony Stark (money, lawyers, favors, and all), JARVIS (alllll the firewalls), and Iron Man (nice little army you have there, shame if something happened to it).
>> I'm so glad to see them meet their needs for family in more open and direct ways, rather than glimpses and implications in between explosions and fist fights with villains. <<
I'm glad that works for you. It's vital for them. If you don't patch up the damage and get some healthy experiences, then you burn out.
>> As a writer, do you find it more challenging to write the non-verbal aspects of a scene? Is it difficult to highlight the physical contact, physical needs, et cetera without relying on the characters discussing it? <<
Depends on content. Some things are easier to convey via body language, others via speech. I like the subtlety of nonverbal communication, and the delicate precision of word choice. I'm comfortable with both.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-03-27 05:52 pm (UTC)Some of my favorite fan fictions are a result of exactly this situation. They tend to take more direct, violent confrontations, but one of my favorites involves JARVIS (acronym necessary here, as he isn't personified the same ways as your Jarvis) playing a serious psychological game with Nick Fury. Not only does JARVIS win, without any open threats, but he makes Fury look utterly irrelevant to the actual solution.
Specifically to Tony Stark, though, I keep thinking of the line from the first movie (paraphrased), "The best weapon is one you only have to fire... once." Wow, think about that mindset coupled with his extreme protectiveness of both his team and the otherwise innocent bystanders/tools who would be involved in a threat against the Tower or its residents. I doubt he'd do more than incapacitate foot soldiers sent to attack the building or any of the people directly, but boy, would he make CERTAIN that those responsible for the attack paid DEARLY, and that anyone else in a position of equal power or access would never want to consider repeating their mistake.
I think that was Vanko's major, hysterically stupid mistake. He had PROOF and EVIDENCE of Howard Stark's crimes, spent time in prison as a result of Howard's cover-up, yet he couldn't find a criminal powerful enough or connected enough to mount a "legitimate" challenge to the revisionist story? Within OBIE'S lifetime, if not Howard's? Come on. Make a deal with someone who wants some of the MONEY from a successful challenge/international lawsuit, but doesn't want to control the invention itself.
Then again, I'm petty enough that MY reaction to "you stole hundreds of thousands of my work hours and my creativity and you're making boatloads of money from it" (prison time would be an entirely separate, more serious urge for revenge)-- would be to post the plans... Everywhere. Photocopies stapled to phone poles, mail copies to anybody I felt like after getting a foreign city's phone book. Because, as long as Howard Stark "owned" the plans, HE OWNED THE RESPONSIBILITY for what was done WITH them.
-Sarah-
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-04-13 09:58 pm (UTC)Agreed.
>> but one of my favorites involves JARVIS (acronym necessary here, as he isn't personified the same ways as your Jarvis) playing a serious psychological game with Nick Fury. Not only does JARVIS win, without any open threats, but he makes Fury look utterly irrelevant to the actual solution. <<
I'd enjoy seeing that, if you have a link.
>> Specifically to Tony Stark, though, I keep thinking of the line from the first movie (paraphrased), "The best weapon is one you only have to fire... once." <<
I love that, hence its appearance in "No Winter Lasts Forever."
>> Wow, think about that mindset coupled with his extreme protectiveness of both his team and the otherwise innocent bystanders/tools who would be involved in a threat against the Tower or its residents. <<
Yeah, talk about picking the wrong victims to assault. Bend over and kiss your ass goodbye.
>> I doubt he'd do more than incapacitate foot soldiers sent to attack the building or any of the people directly, but boy, would he make CERTAIN that those responsible for the attack paid DEARLY, and that anyone else in a position of equal power or access would never want to consider repeating their mistake. <<
Tony and JARVIS have a pretty good idea of appropriate force, and variable measures. I think it would depend on how credible the threat level was, and how culpable the people involved. Random troops would probably just get stunned unconscious, and later lectured on how to refuse unlawful orders. But Thunderbolt's handpicked bullies? Serious injuries would ensue, and a lot of the survivors would wind up with a medical discharge ... or a court-martial.
>> I think that was Vanko's major, hysterically stupid mistake. <<
Yeah, the best explanation of that was Evil Is Stupid.
>> He had PROOF and EVIDENCE of Howard Stark's crimes, spent time in prison as a result of Howard's cover-up, yet he couldn't find a criminal powerful enough or connected enough to mount a "legitimate" challenge to the revisionist story? Within OBIE'S lifetime, if not Howard's? Come on. Make a deal with someone who wants some of the MONEY from a successful challenge/international lawsuit, but doesn't want to control the invention itself. <<
That would've been a better idea. Better still, take it to Tony after he divested himself of the weaponry aspects.
Now that would be some fascinating fic. I could see Tony and Vanko commiserating with each other over a bottle of vodka, maybe even falling into bed.
>> Then again, I'm petty enough that MY reaction to "you stole hundreds of thousands of my work hours and my creativity and you're making boatloads of money from it" (prison time would be an entirely separate, more serious urge for revenge)-- would be to post the plans... Everywhere. Photocopies stapled to phone poles, mail copies to anybody I felt like after getting a foreign city's phone book. <<
That's exactly the kind of thing I'd do too. Never get into a blurting contest with a bard. You will lose, oh so very badly.
>> Because, as long as Howard Stark "owned" the plans, HE OWNED THE RESPONSIBILITY for what was done WITH them. <<
Yeah, that would've pwned Howard. He felt bad enough about the stuff he did on purpose, like the atomic bomb.
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-03-26 05:54 am (UTC)>> I see them as two distinct people, joined at the root. They share a body and some of their memories. But their feelings and skills are different, along with many of their memories. Two who are one, and yet still two.<<
I don't want to direct your writing, but I do have a suggestion-- yoga! Their best chance at internal communication may be through the meditation AND physical movements involved.
I do, however, imagine that it'll cause one massive, stratospheric emotional meltdown when BRUCE picks up on what's going on, sadly. One flickering instant of direct communication in ways Bruce can't slough off or attribute to the switching process would probably result in a fic as long as "Love is for Children".
-Sarah-
Re: Thank you!
Date: 2014-04-13 09:35 pm (UTC)Bruce-and-Hulk have been doing yoga and getting a lot out of it. There are glimpses of the results in "No Winter Lasts Forever" and "Hide and Seek." But Bruce isn't ready yet for some of the things they could be doing.
>> I do, however, imagine that it'll cause one massive, stratospheric emotional meltdown when BRUCE picks up on what's going on, sadly. <<
Not one, several, some of them with collateral damage to innocent bystanders on the team.
>> One flickering instant of direct communication in ways Bruce can't slough off or attribute to the switching process would probably result in a fic as long as "Love is for Children". <<
The story about Bruce-and-Hulk getting their act together is liable to match "No Winter Lasts Forever" in size, if I have time to carry the series that far. The notes I have already are copious. I've been setting this up all along.