The Personal Blog of Dr. Bruce Banner

Make a blog, Tony said. It will be fun, he said. Hi, I'm Dr. Bruce Banner: physicist, scientist, and part-time green rage monster. I apologize in advance if the other guy shows up every now and then...

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((Hiatus for who knows how long. Sorry I'm unreliable.))

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((I've been simultaneously away visiting friends and having sad feels about the upcoming school year. Sorry for my absences and also hello to my new followers~))

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((I keep forgetting to check both accounts now that I switch back and forth on one browser DX))

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chattylittleina started following you

Hello there

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Bruce rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He usually didn’t enjoy talking about his “alter ego” with anyone, let alone strangers, but Etch deserved to know the truth now that it had been brought up. He just hoped she would understand and not judge him too harshly.

“Well… I’m sort of the Hulk. On my off-days.” He shrugged before lamely adding, “Ta-dah.” No going back now, then. He waited, watching her for a reaction and mentally mapping the restaurant in case she freaked out and he needed to run.

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Etch looked straight at him. “Those must be quite some off-days,” she remarked, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not going to run away or anything,” she added hastily. “I’ve come into contact with rather a lot of unusual people in my time, you know.” There was a long pause as she finished her coffee. She ran a hand through her hair until it was slightly ruffled, and smiled slightly ruefully.

“I’m afraid I haven’t been entirely honest with you, Doctor. I’m sure you understand that it isn’t always safe to… spill your secrets to people, especially when they’re strangers you meet in a cafe at five o’ clock in the morning. I’ve had some difficulties before, so I try to be cautious.”

There was another pause. She was pretty sure that, being who he was, he wouldn’t freak out either, but so many people felt threatened by abilities that could affect their minds- it seemed sometimes even more so than those that could physically hurt them- that there was still an element of uncertainty, that made her very nervous indeed. “I’m a mutant. I have an eidetic memory, which means that I can’t forget anything, and I can transfer information from person to person. So. Yes.”

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Bruce had to keep himself from breathing a sigh of relief and instead chuckled at her remark. He relaxed nevertheless, thankful that the girl was understanding and even unconcerned at the fact that he was the Hulk. "Haha, yeah, unusual is a good word to describe it." 

He frowned a bit but gave her his attention as she mentioned having secrets of her own. Bruce wasn't too surprised that he had run into another super; God knows New York was like the most populated area for their kind. 

"Huh," he replied after a moment. He hadn't actually met that many mutants in his travels and the ones he had met weren't exactly all that kind. But he gave her a warm smile and nodded. "That's... quite an interesting power. And now you will forever remember me as the guy you met in a cafe at 5 in the morning who turned out to be the Hulk."

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Bruce smiled earnestly. “You’re very welcome. Glad to help out a fellow science geek.” He though he heard a twinge of British slip into her speech, but he was probably just tired. He should probably head back to the tower soon, but it was kind of refreshing talking to someone who actually understood him for once.

He nodded, relieved that she wasn’t in over her head as he had once been. That fiasco ended badly for everyone involved. Bruce tried not to grimace as he recalled the weeks of preparation and research and how it had all ended with a misfire of gamma radiation and the Army now permanently on his back. “I, uh… I was sort of trying to play God, I guess you could say.” He removed his glasses and studied them absently as he tried to explain. “And it was something ‘big’, but no, I’m not without injury. You just can’t see it right now.” He stared out the window. Surely there was a better way to explain. 

“Have you ever heard of the Hulk?”

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“Believe me, it’s very appreciated indeed. I missed out on going to university after coming under some very… irregular circumstances,” Etch remarked, delighting in talking to someone who actually seemed to care. She took a sip of her coffee and turned to him as he replied, her pale fingers wrapping around its handle.

He seemed to be reminiscing about something- she knew the look well, of course. An awful lot of people like her had something in their past, and she was getting used to it. As he spoke, she started putting the pieces together in her head- she hit on just what it must be the second he asked her if she knew of the Hulk. Etch slowly put the mug down, watching him carefully. 

“Yes,” she said quietly, eyes trained on him. “Yes, I have. I won’t claim to know much about the background, but the matter has been difficult to miss, I suppose.” She left it at that, not wanting to pry but desperate to know more.

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Bruce rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He usually didn't enjoy talking about his "alter ego" with anyone, let alone strangers, but Etch deserved to know the truth now that it had been brought up. He just hoped she would understand and not judge him too harshly.

"Well... I'm sort of the Hulk. On my off-days." He shrugged before lamely adding, "Ta-dah." No going back now, then. He waited, watching her for a reaction and mentally mapping the restaurant in case she freaked out and he needed to run.

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Geez, Bruce. Just because you’re jealous.

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Bruce kept a polite interest as the girl described herself to him. He hadn’t found someone this interested in radiation physics since… well, since college. “I’m glad you find it all so interesting. Not many people your age would give science a second glance nowadays.” He recalled the countless hours he himself had spent pouring over notes and books, trying to absorb as much detail about the effects and benefits of gamma radiation. He’d absorbed a lot more than knowledge, but there was no point in bringing that up. “This might sound weird, but I have a lot of notes and stuff about radiation - gamma in particular. If you’d like, I could lend them to you?” He hoped his offer didn’t sound too weird. Honestly, he was just glad to meet a fellow enthusiast, even if it was 5 in the morning.

Bruce saw her demeanor change when she mentioned her reasoning. He gave a sad smile and adjusted his glasses. “It’s okay, I know all too well about testing one’s limits. I learned that the hard way.” He looked up suddenly, meeting her eyes. “Just… be careful in your ‘experimenting’, okay? I know that sounds scary, coming from someone you’ve only just met, but… trust me, okay? It might not be worth it in the end.”

At his offer, Etch grinned. “That would be incredible. I usually study mostly English Literature, so I’ve never really had the chance to be around scientists doing proper research before, so this is really fantastic-” she broke off, going slightly red when she realised that her English accent was slipping back into her speech as it usually did when she was nervous or excited. “I mean, thank you so, so much, Doctor Banner.”

Etch took a sip of her coffee, incredibly curious but wary of overstepping boundaries. “I will be,” she said. “I don’t think what I’m doing could actually put me in any danger, but I’ll be careful. If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to you? Clearly it was something big, but you seem to be uninjured.”

Bruce smiled earnestly. "You're very welcome. Glad to help out a fellow science geek." He though he heard a twinge of British slip into her speech, but he was probably just tired. He should probably head back to the tower soon, but it was kind of refreshing talking to someone who actually understood him for once.

He nodded, relieved that she wasn't in over her head as he had once been. That fiasco ended badly for everyone involved. Bruce tried not to grimace as he recalled the weeks of preparation and research and how it had all ended with a misfire of gamma radiation and the Army now permanently on his back. "I, uh... I was sort of trying to play God, I guess you could say." He removed his glasses and studied them absently as he tried to explain. "And it was something 'big', but no, I'm not without injury. You just can't see it right now." He stared out the window. Surely there was a better way to explain. 

"Have you ever heard of the Hulk?"

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Bruce & Natasha: Dinner and a Show

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Bruce smiled but decided it would be best not to push the subject. She would tell him however much she felt comfortable telling. “I’m sure it was an adventure. Too bad your cat couldn’t appreciate the beauty of France.” The waiter approached and they gave him their orders. After he left, the physicist was at a loss as to what to talk about.

“So…. anything interesting happen in Paris? Did you scale the Eiffel Tower or something like that?” 

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The woman laughed softly, shaking her head. “I was staying in a flat right off the Seine. I had a wonderful view of the tower but I can’t say I took time to go up. It was mostly me just trying to lay low. Loki got into my head and I…” She looked down, darkened hair falling forward as a veil. “… I needed some time to piece myself back together.” She admitted softly. For whatever reason, she felt— oddly comfortable with Bruce. At least, enough to tell him the truth.

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Bruce had to resist the urge to take her hand and tell her it was alright, because he honestly didn't know if it was. So he managed a sympathetic look and a crooked smile. "I bet it was beautiful though. I'm sorry the circumstances weren't better." He looked up at her suddenly, his expression serious. "We were worried, Natasha. We--I was worried about you."

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((Sorry))

((I meant to reply today, but I just undid all of my crochet I worked on today because I suck and somehow fucked up the entire thing, so now I'm depressed.))

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((Also I spent all my time watching Arrested Development and flipping out over Simon Helberg, so I'll reply in the morning~~))

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((Cries at how extraordinarily well-though-out-yet-boringly-simple my blog page is. Did anyone notice that the text links turn green if you hover over them?))

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((I'm home))

((I'm working on a reply for you, Tasha. Anyone else need me for anything, I'll be here all night.))

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Bruce & Natasha: Dinner and a Show

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Bruce blushes slightly at the gentleman comment, but doesn’t let Natasha see. Once at the table, he picks up a menu despite already knowing that he wants lobster bisque.

“Oh yeah, you were going to tell me. How was Paris?” The physicist had no clue why she had fled to France, but it must have been for a good reason. He was usually the only one who ran away on a weekly basis.

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“Beautiful. Lonely, though. Never thought I’d miss my— …friends.” She hummed slightly, deciding to try the lobster bisque. She looked up to him. “…The circumstances surrounding my department were… unprecedented at best.” A soft sigh, followed by the shake of her head. “And I’ll tell you, the cat hated it.”

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Bruce smiled but decided it would be best not to push the subject. She would tell him however much she felt comfortable telling. "I'm sure it was an adventure. Too bad your cat couldn't appreciate the beauty of France." The waiter approached and they gave him their orders. After he left, the physicist was at a loss as to what to talk about.

"So.... anything interesting happen in Paris? Did you scale the Eiffel Tower or something like that?" 

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Bruce, for some odd reason, did what he was told and sat down. He hoped he hadn’t disturbed the girl from whatever it was she was reading about. A quick glance at her books told him it was science. Maybe studying for exams then?

He turned to where she stood at the counter, waiting for her cup of coffee. “Um, I’m sorry, if you’re busy I can go. I just thought I recognized you from somewhere.” Perhaps he should’ve just kept walking.

Etch turned when he spoke, reaching blindly for her cup of coffee and nearly knocking it over. “Oh- no, I’m not busy at all, no- I was just catching up on some reading,” she said hurriedly. “I don’t at all mean to drive you away or anything; it’s just a surprise seeing someone else at this time of night.” 

She slid into the seat next to the stranger and pushed away a few of the textbooks in her way. “I don’t have exams coming up, if that’s what you think- I just do a lot of reading, that’s all.” She fumbled for something to say for a while, then continued, “Do you have any interest in science? Actually, scratch that- I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced.” She held out her hand. “I’m Elisabeth Fenton, but you can call me Etch. And you are?”

Bruce wondered how this girl could be so chatty and lively at nearly 5 in the morning. Surely the coffee here wasn’t that effective. He smiled nonetheless and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you, Etch. My name is Dr. Bruce Banner.”

He glanced once again at her books. “Actually I have a great deal of interest in science,” he replied with a chuckle. “I’m a physicist with a focus in radiation and— sorry, did you say you’re reading all these for fun?” He picked up one of the books, hoping she wouldn’t mind. Its subject matter was well beyond a high school reading level, not to mention a fun read. Even he disliked reading textbooks in school. Why would anyone do it just because?

“Good to meet you, Doctor Banner,” Etch replied, smiling. She noticed his surprise at how animated she was, and explained- “This is my-” (she paused to count) “eleventh cup of the evening. Well, morning, now, really.”

When he said that he was a physicist, she brightened. “Oh. Well, yes. I mean, I’ve been reading textbooks for a while now, as quickly as I can get them. I read really rather quickly, actually, so I’ve been flying through them somewhat. And radiation? Really? Coincidentally, that’s exactly the chapter I’m at. I’ve been trying to find a textbook specific to it; it’s so relevant in today’s climate, don’t you think?” She paused for breath, realising that she had started rambling again. 

“Anyway- my main motivation for reading the textbooks is, aside from my interest in the subject, probably that I’m sort of testing the limits of my own mind, somewhat. As an experiment, you see.” Once she had said this, Etch clammed up, realising that she was treading onto dangerous territory, especially with someone whom she had never met before.

Bruce kept a polite interest as the girl described herself to him. He hadn't found someone this interested in radiation physics since... well, since college. "I'm glad you find it all so interesting. Not many people your age would give science a second glance nowadays." He recalled the countless hours he himself had spent pouring over notes and books, trying to absorb as much detail about the effects and benefits of gamma radiation. He'd absorbed a lot more than knowledge, but there was no point in bringing that up. "This might sound weird, but I have a lot of notes and stuff about radiation - gamma in particular. If you'd like, I could lend them to you?" He hoped his offer didn't sound too weird. Honestly, he was just glad to meet a fellow enthusiast, even if it was 5 in the morning.

Bruce saw her demeanor change when she mentioned her reasoning. He gave a sad smile and adjusted his glasses. "It's okay, I know all too well about testing one's limits. I learned that the hard way." He looked up suddenly, meeting her eyes. "Just... be careful in your 'experimenting', okay? I know that sounds scary, coming from someone you've only just met, but... trust me, okay? It might not be worth it in the end."

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((On a different note, I found my white wing earrings~ I'm wearing them with my Captain America shirt because adorable irony <3))

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((Possible Hiatus this week?))

((Figured I'd post this again since I forgot to tag it properly: I'm going on my family's vacation this week. I'll be gone from this Sunday to next Sunday, but I will try to get online and check for things every night. Knowing my family, that's a slim chance, but I'll try to keep in touch. Have a great week, everyone~))