>> I'm supposed to be editing, but this makes me wanna play with fic. <<
Go for it!
>> The "Love is for Children" 'verse story I've been working on is Uncle Phil/Steve corporal punishment. I twisted my brain into all sorts of pretzels debating whether cp would work in your 'verse. <<
That's interesting.
>> The reader in me with a serious 'thing' for discipline spanking really wished it would. <<
"Write what you want to read" is generally a good rule.
>> The writer, on the other hand, values characterization and established 'verse "cannon". <<
This is important too. I tend to look for overlaps and try to imagine how something might work.
>>Tony, Bruce, Clint, Natka, and Betty were all obviously out of the question.<<
Definitely, because they are abuse survivors. I'd rule out Bucky due to his violation from HYDRA and Department X; while it's not exactly the same, his nerves are raw meat right now.
>> Steve, on the other hand, reads more as neglect and bullying than physical abuse, and he comes from a time where corporal punishment was common. It was, in fact, still legal in the military through about 1944. <<
Yes, if it's going to be anyone, it could only be Steve. Insofar as I know the Marvel canon, he was never abused by anyone he trusted, only harmed by enemies. That can make a big difference. And while bullying does cause trauma for some people, it doesn't for everyone, and it obviously didn't for Steve. He didn't feel helpless, just frustrated and angry. I think what Steve focuses on is more a matter of power imbalance and immorality rather than the physical actions. That's important for your purposes.
>> Whether I can actually make it work remains to be seen. <<
I asked myself what would convince Phil to provide corporal punishment. The rationale that leapt to mind is: if someone needed it. Now, that might come in the form of a lesson, if Phil felt that was the most effective mnemonic. But that tends to wash out when children grow out of the toddler stage. A two-year-old can't understand "don't run into the road because a car could kill you" but can understand one brisk swat on the butt. An older child can process an explanation for a rule.
This leads to another aspect of need: when someone feels that they have done wrong and their brain gets trapped in a blame-loop. The right kind of physical pain can break the cycle with expiation and forgiveness. (This is a popular theme in disciplinary spankings; I don't know if it's part of your kink or not.) Now Phil does not seem to me like someone inclined to spank freely; he has all kinds of other ideas for educational purposes. But he won't leave someone suffering, and we know he tolerates some requirement for pain because he grudgingly permits Clint's self-harm under certain circumstances. Steve definitely seems like the kind of person who could tangle himself up in blame and not be able to get out, whose mindset would be receptive to corporal punishment as a resolution. I think, if nothing else helped, Phil would be willing to accommodate Steve's need for punishment rather than just let him stew indefinitely.
We are then left with the puzzle of what would create that kind of tangle in Steve's mind. It would have to be something significant, not trivial -- but also not so major as to take it outside the realm of what a spanking would reasonably cover. In this series I use childhood imagery a great deal, not just in the ageplay scenes, but in the mature scenes too. I look for things that are touchstones of childhood, things that connect with that energy. The offense wouldn't necessarily need to occur during a game night, but it's likely to involve a teammate. Steve is particularly sensitive to hurting other people, so it might be an incident of rough handling or hurt feelings. There have been some great moments of tension between characters in this series; I think I'd enjoy seeing what another author would do with this.
Let me know what if anything you come up with. I'd like to link it as "inspired by" my work, whether it winds up feeling like canon or AU to me. AU is okay; let your story take its own shape.
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dancing_serpent
Re: Distractions
Date: 2013-06-12 07:31 am (UTC)Go for it!
>> The "Love is for Children" 'verse story I've been working on is Uncle Phil/Steve corporal punishment. I twisted my brain into all sorts of pretzels debating whether cp would work in your 'verse. <<
That's interesting.
>> The reader in me with a serious 'thing' for discipline spanking really wished it would. <<
"Write what you want to read" is generally a good rule.
>> The writer, on the other hand, values characterization and established 'verse "cannon". <<
This is important too. I tend to look for overlaps and try to imagine how something might work.
>>Tony, Bruce, Clint, Natka, and Betty were all obviously out of the question.<<
Definitely, because they are abuse survivors. I'd rule out Bucky due to his violation from HYDRA and Department X; while it's not exactly the same, his nerves are raw meat right now.
>> Steve, on the other hand, reads more as neglect and bullying than physical abuse, and he comes from a time where corporal punishment was common. It was, in fact, still legal in the military through about 1944. <<
Yes, if it's going to be anyone, it could only be Steve. Insofar as I know the Marvel canon, he was never abused by anyone he trusted, only harmed by enemies. That can make a big difference. And while bullying does cause trauma for some people, it doesn't for everyone, and it obviously didn't for Steve. He didn't feel helpless, just frustrated and angry. I think what Steve focuses on is more a matter of power imbalance and immorality rather than the physical actions. That's important for your purposes.
>> Whether I can actually make it work remains to be seen. <<
I asked myself what would convince Phil to provide corporal punishment. The rationale that leapt to mind is: if someone needed it. Now, that might come in the form of a lesson, if Phil felt that was the most effective mnemonic. But that tends to wash out when children grow out of the toddler stage. A two-year-old can't understand "don't run into the road because a car could kill you" but can understand one brisk swat on the butt. An older child can process an explanation for a rule.
This leads to another aspect of need: when someone feels that they have done wrong and their brain gets trapped in a blame-loop. The right kind of physical pain can break the cycle with expiation and forgiveness. (This is a popular theme in disciplinary spankings; I don't know if it's part of your kink or not.) Now Phil does not seem to me like someone inclined to spank freely; he has all kinds of other ideas for educational purposes. But he won't leave someone suffering, and we know he tolerates some requirement for pain because he grudgingly permits Clint's self-harm under certain circumstances. Steve definitely seems like the kind of person who could tangle himself up in blame and not be able to get out, whose mindset would be receptive to corporal punishment as a resolution. I think, if nothing else helped, Phil would be willing to accommodate Steve's need for punishment rather than just let him stew indefinitely.
We are then left with the puzzle of what would create that kind of tangle in Steve's mind. It would have to be something significant, not trivial -- but also not so major as to take it outside the realm of what a spanking would reasonably cover. In this series I use childhood imagery a great deal, not just in the ageplay scenes, but in the mature scenes too. I look for things that are touchstones of childhood, things that connect with that energy. The offense wouldn't necessarily need to occur during a game night, but it's likely to involve a teammate. Steve is particularly sensitive to hurting other people, so it might be an incident of rough handling or hurt feelings. There have been some great moments of tension between characters in this series; I think I'd enjoy seeing what another author would do with this.
Let me know what if anything you come up with. I'd like to link it as "inspired by" my work, whether it winds up feeling like canon or AU to me. AU is okay; let your story take its own shape.