Story: "Birthday Girl" (Part 3 of 18)
Apr. 25th, 2013 12:01 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," "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. Skip to Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18.
"Birthday Girl" Part 3
Hulk did look sad, Coulson realized, but also concerned. So did Hawkeye. Black Widow is worrying everyone and doesn't even see it, Coulson thought.
"Not cry for Hulk. Cry for Red," Hulk said.
She snatched the ribbon out of his hand. "Nobody cries over me," said Black Widow.
"Okay, so Banner's not the only one around here working with some seriously outdated information," Hawkeye said, looking at his sister.
"Want birthday?" Hulk asked her, his voice a velvet rumble.
"I don't know," said Black Widow. She looked around, her face still blank, eyes shimmering. "I don't know how to want such things!"
"Would you like to try anyway?" Coulson offered. In some ways she was the least flexible of them, and he didn't want to break her by pushing her out of character too far or too hard. It was difficult to coax her into exploring anything new; she had been trained to harsh routines. But Hulk was clearly onto something, and Coulson was beginning to trust the big guy's grasp of emotional matters.
"I'm no good at this!" she burst out, flinging up her hands. "I can't even want the right kind of cake."
Well, that's a complete non sequitur, Coulson thought. "As it's traditional for the recipient to choose, all kinds of cake appear at birthday parties."
"It's a wedding cake," she said in a small voice. "Made of black walnut flour. With whipped cream icing."
"Whatever you want will be fine," Coulson assured her.
"Birthday girl," Hulk said, lifting one thick finger to stroke the coppery riot of her hair.
Black Widow turned and stalked away toward the waiting quinjet.
"It's not your fault, Jolly Green," Hawkeye said with a sigh, hugging him close. "She just stiffens up like that sometimes. Been that way ever since I've known her." The Red Room had tried to turn her into an automaton, and nearly succeeded. It left her with a lot of emotional scar tissue.
"Hulk know," he said. His emerald gaze followed her as she disappeared. He draped a massive arm around Hawkeye. "Not Red fault. Bad people fault."
"Thank you, Hulk," said Coulson. "I don't think she would have talked even as much as she did without your help. I couldn't have gotten through to her alone." It had never stopped him from trying, though.
"If we got through," Hawkeye muttered. "It's like talking to a wall."
"Give it a little time. I'll speak with her again later," Coulson said.
Just then, Iron Man arrived with a rush of thrusters. "Good to see you, Hulk," he said. "It looks like I'm your ride home today. Cap's gonna be fine, but he's stuck in medical for a few hours. We can pick him up after debriefing."
Agent Coulson appropriated an abandoned blanket to drape over Hulk for the transformation. The shift went fast -- it was getting easier every time -- and then Iron Man bundled a woozy Banner into his arms.
Hawkeye was still carrying the purple balloon as they trooped into the quinjet.
* * *
Notes:
Resistance to new ideas is called neophobia. Once people adopt a stance, they tend to stick with it; ideology functions as a kind of mental immune system. This can be helpful if the base system is healthy, or harmful if it's flawed. Some organizations train people not to question customs or try new things, as a means of control. Mind control itself is a form of emotional abuse. Opportunities open the way for novelty or resistance. It's important to try new things, and there are tips for doing that safely.
People who come from a deprived environment may show indifference to positive stimuli. They just don't react to things that folks usually find enjoyable. The deprivation can damage brain development, especially in children but also in adults. Survivors may have apathy, a general disinterest and lack of motivation; and/or anhedonia, an inability to experience pleasure. This can overlap the emotional flatline effect of depression.
Trauma, abuse, and deprivation can create emotional scar tissue. This affects behavior later in life. Like the physical equivalent, emotional scar tissue forms to protect injured areas and is usually less sensitive than the original. People may deal with their own emotional scars differently than those of other people. There are tips for healing.
The Russian wedding cake is real. Unfortunately I got the recipe out of a hardcopy book, many years ago; I no longer have it and can't find it online. But you can read about black walnuts, which it used instead of wheat flour, and a similar whipped cream frosting. One of my readers found this recipe for a cake with lots of finely chopped black walnuts; not identical, but enough to carry the flavor.paraprosdokia found a recipe for Hungarian flourless hazelnut cake, which is exactly the same approach just using a different nut to grind for flour; substitute black walnuts and it should work. This recipe doesn't specify black walnuts, and there shouldn't be coffee in the whipped cream, but otherwise it sounds right. Woohoo, this recipe is almost exactly like what I remember, although I don't think mine had filling.
[To be continued in Part 4 ...]
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. Skip to Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17, Part 18.
"Birthday Girl" Part 3
Hulk did look sad, Coulson realized, but also concerned. So did Hawkeye. Black Widow is worrying everyone and doesn't even see it, Coulson thought.
"Not cry for Hulk. Cry for Red," Hulk said.
She snatched the ribbon out of his hand. "Nobody cries over me," said Black Widow.
"Okay, so Banner's not the only one around here working with some seriously outdated information," Hawkeye said, looking at his sister.
"Want birthday?" Hulk asked her, his voice a velvet rumble.
"I don't know," said Black Widow. She looked around, her face still blank, eyes shimmering. "I don't know how to want such things!"
"Would you like to try anyway?" Coulson offered. In some ways she was the least flexible of them, and he didn't want to break her by pushing her out of character too far or too hard. It was difficult to coax her into exploring anything new; she had been trained to harsh routines. But Hulk was clearly onto something, and Coulson was beginning to trust the big guy's grasp of emotional matters.
"I'm no good at this!" she burst out, flinging up her hands. "I can't even want the right kind of cake."
Well, that's a complete non sequitur, Coulson thought. "As it's traditional for the recipient to choose, all kinds of cake appear at birthday parties."
"It's a wedding cake," she said in a small voice. "Made of black walnut flour. With whipped cream icing."
"Whatever you want will be fine," Coulson assured her.
"Birthday girl," Hulk said, lifting one thick finger to stroke the coppery riot of her hair.
Black Widow turned and stalked away toward the waiting quinjet.
"It's not your fault, Jolly Green," Hawkeye said with a sigh, hugging him close. "She just stiffens up like that sometimes. Been that way ever since I've known her." The Red Room had tried to turn her into an automaton, and nearly succeeded. It left her with a lot of emotional scar tissue.
"Hulk know," he said. His emerald gaze followed her as she disappeared. He draped a massive arm around Hawkeye. "Not Red fault. Bad people fault."
"Thank you, Hulk," said Coulson. "I don't think she would have talked even as much as she did without your help. I couldn't have gotten through to her alone." It had never stopped him from trying, though.
"If we got through," Hawkeye muttered. "It's like talking to a wall."
"Give it a little time. I'll speak with her again later," Coulson said.
Just then, Iron Man arrived with a rush of thrusters. "Good to see you, Hulk," he said. "It looks like I'm your ride home today. Cap's gonna be fine, but he's stuck in medical for a few hours. We can pick him up after debriefing."
Agent Coulson appropriated an abandoned blanket to drape over Hulk for the transformation. The shift went fast -- it was getting easier every time -- and then Iron Man bundled a woozy Banner into his arms.
Hawkeye was still carrying the purple balloon as they trooped into the quinjet.
* * *
Notes:
Resistance to new ideas is called neophobia. Once people adopt a stance, they tend to stick with it; ideology functions as a kind of mental immune system. This can be helpful if the base system is healthy, or harmful if it's flawed. Some organizations train people not to question customs or try new things, as a means of control. Mind control itself is a form of emotional abuse. Opportunities open the way for novelty or resistance. It's important to try new things, and there are tips for doing that safely.
People who come from a deprived environment may show indifference to positive stimuli. They just don't react to things that folks usually find enjoyable. The deprivation can damage brain development, especially in children but also in adults. Survivors may have apathy, a general disinterest and lack of motivation; and/or anhedonia, an inability to experience pleasure. This can overlap the emotional flatline effect of depression.
Trauma, abuse, and deprivation can create emotional scar tissue. This affects behavior later in life. Like the physical equivalent, emotional scar tissue forms to protect injured areas and is usually less sensitive than the original. People may deal with their own emotional scars differently than those of other people. There are tips for healing.
The Russian wedding cake is real. Unfortunately I got the recipe out of a hardcopy book, many years ago; I no longer have it and can't find it online. But you can read about black walnuts, which it used instead of wheat flour, and a similar whipped cream frosting. One of my readers found this recipe for a cake with lots of finely chopped black walnuts; not identical, but enough to carry the flavor.
paraprosdokia found a recipe for Hungarian flourless hazelnut cake, which is exactly the same approach just using a different nut to grind for flour; substitute black walnuts and it should work. This recipe doesn't specify black walnuts, and there shouldn't be coffee in the whipped cream, but otherwise it sounds right. Woohoo, this recipe is almost exactly like what I remember, although I don't think mine had filling.[To be continued in Part 4 ...]
Re: Survivors
Date: 2013-12-26 07:56 pm (UTC)This article has the emotional abuse scale.
>> And I think Natasha is secretly jealous of Tony.
Why do you think she feels that way? <<
Because Tony engineered his own escape and killed the people who held him captive in Afghanistan, and it only took him a couple of months to do that. Natasha considers that an excellent success. She does not grasp that Tony considers it largely a failure on account of losing Yinsen in the process.
>> Because Tony did sustain crippling injuries and so is hurt "on the outside?" Leaving aside Tony's tendency to hide in plain sight and mask what really troubles him, is Natasha thinking that at least nobody will look at Tony oddly if he throws up a roadblock of some kind, or reacts to a trigger, because he wears at least some of his scars on his skin? <<
There might be an aspect of that, given that her own damage is invisible while his is visible. Often being able to hide weakness is an advantage, but there are time when the invisibility causes problems.
>>I could be way off; hope I haven't made myself look dumb here. But your comment intrigued me.<<
If you're deep-reading, you will never look dumb, because it's just not something that unintelligent people tend to do. Doesn't matter if you see the same things that I meant or not. You're looking for evidence and possibilities in the writing to clue things that haven't been said explicitly. That's cool. I love hearing what people are thinking, because sometimes those are ideas I can use in the future, or in another piece of writing -- and sometimes they do hit exactly what I was thinking, or even something that is true but I hadn't noticed yet.