Story: "Birthday Girl" (Part 5 of 18)

This story is a sequel to "Love Is for Children," "Eggshells," "Dolls and Guys," "Turnabout Is Fair Play," and "Touching Moments," "Splash," and "Coming Around."

Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Hulk, Steve Rogers, Betty Ross, JARVIS.
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Inferences of past child abuse. Current environment is safe.
Summary: Doombots crash a beautiful spring day in the park. The Avengers clean up the mess. This includes Natasha's rather confused longing for something she never had: a birthday party.
Notes: Asexual character (Clint). Aromantic character (Natasha). Asexual relationship. Teamwork. Canon-typical violence. Friendship. Confusion. Hulk is a genius too. Fluff. Making up for lost time. Birthday. Cultural traditions. Games. Gifts. Cake. The cake is never a lie! Tickling. Trust issues. Safety and security. Non-sexual touching and intimacy. Personal growth. Family of choice.

Begin with Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.  Skip to Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18.

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Primates Need Touch

As part of the three_weeks_for_dw project (running April 25-May 15), I'm posting some content just to Dreamwidth. This is a good opportunity to seek new readers for your blog and new blogs to read, and to recommend stuff you enjoy on other people's blogs to help them make new connections too. Previously we discussed "Skin Hunger" and "Touch Aversion."  Skip ahead to "Self-Soothing and Self-Control," "Compassion and Gentleness," "Creating Safe Space," "Building Trust," "Healthy Vulnerability," "Coping with Emotional Drop."


Primates Need Touch

As established in the previous two posts, the human species has a need for physical contact ranging from high to low. Some people even straddle the ends of the bell curve, experiencing both skin hunger and touch aversion. Touch is a prevailing factor in human development and interaction, as is the case for most other primates and many animals in general. This means a majority of people need it, and depriving them of it is not okay, any more than starving them to death is okay. Remember that this involves healthy touch; unwanted or inappropriate touch is not helpful and can do serious damage. The type and frequency of contact will influence how a person interprets touch, often with lifelong effects.

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Photography

 Cathedral.

Alternative Limbs

I was fascinated by this example of prosthetic artwork.  If someone wants to approach a missing limb as an opportunity to sport some eye-catching personal sculpture, more power to 'em.  Though I will say, most of those still resemble human appendages rather closely.  I don't see anyone wearing, say, a horse leg or a tentacle -- and I know people who would do that.