what you fear in the night in the day comes to call anyway
Stuff, a list:
= 12/13:
majoline asked for favorite Steve headcanons. Huh. I don't really carry much head canon from one story to the next, because so much depends on what I need to happen in a given story. I can tell you things that I believe are true about canon!Steve, though I might choose to bend them as fic needs me to - I honestly think the whole through-line of Steve and Peggy's conversation really was about sex and that he is a virgin when his plane goes down, because he says, "I still don't know how to dance." No argument has yet convinced me that "dance" doesn't equal "sex" in this equation. So even though I can and have written him as having sex (with Bucky, with Peggy, with USO girls), even pre-serum, I don't really believe that that's true of canon!Steve in the MCU.
Otoh, there is no universe in which Bucky is not one of the most important and influential people in Steve's life, so I guess that is my favorite Steve headcanon, because Bucky, in his presence and his absence, shapes a lot of who Steve is. (I never get tired of Steve's adamant "NO TEENAGE HEROES" schtick in the comics [excluding Ultimates of course] - I mean, I think he's wrong? But he always looks so SAD and you know it's because of Bucky, even though Bucky was ~20 when he actually "died." I also love the panel in the Avengers/JLA crossover where Batman takes him to the Batcave and he gazes mournfully at Jason's memorial case and is all "You lost a partner, too?" And Bruce is like, "Yes. CAN WE NOT TALK ABOUT MY ROBIN FEELS. There is work to do!" (One of the things I am trying to figure out how to work into the DCU/MCU crossover I'm writing is how Steve reacts to getting Bucky back v. how Bruce reacted to Jason's return, and how Jason interprets that, since the story is in his POV, and in a scene that will probably never be written but which is inscribed on my heart, the part where Steve lectures Bruce on welcoming back dead sidekicks with HUGS NOT SCOLDINGS. and Bruce is all NO HUGS ONLY JUSTICE.))
I believe that he was raised Catholic - I like the idea of an orphanage run by nuns rather than a more secular foundling home, because it gives it the right "Dead End Kids"/"Little Rascals" vibe - that he won't ever turn down food and that he'll clean his plate regardless of how something tastes, because he grew up during a time when he didn't know where his next meal would be coming from sometimes, and to not eat it all would be a waste and a sin (luckily, his souped up metabolism requires a lot of fuel so he can pack it away), though he's learning that he doesn't have to eat burnt things or things he doesn't like the taste of if he doesn't want to.
I think 'head canon' is an interesting construct, because how much of that is just characterization we extrapolate from canon details, and how much of it is made up out of whole cloth because it suits our story's needs/our preferences etc.?
= Speaking of Batman and the Avengers, some ridiculous Batman fan on tumblr claimed that there's no way a "girl" like Black Widow could beat Batman. Which is just WRONG on EVERY LEVEL. Look, I love Batman. I do! I know it doesn't seem like I do, but I have a soft spot for Bruce Wayne and Batman that is probably not the same as other people's but I do have it. Mostly it's for socially awkward/emotionally repressed/real!Bruce as opposed to Brucie or Batman or whatever. ANYWAY. Natasha has just as much (if not more) combat training as Bruce and, at least in the comics (we don't know about the movies yet), many, MANY more years of experience in fighting in many different kinds of circumstances.
But the thing that struck me as I thought about it was Bruce's no-kill policy and how Natasha now attempts not to kill people, but she knows she won't be destroyed if she has to/does. Because she's done it, as a tool of the Red Room/the state, and as a villain, and as an Avenger. She doesn't like having to do it, necessarily, but she won't shy away from it. Whereas Bruce is still afraid of that part of himself, of what he could/will become if he begins killing his rogues instead of sending them back to Arkham. (I think the no-kill policy has some smart advantages for a vigilante such as Batman - most importantly, it's mainly the thing that keeps Gordon from having to arrest him - but I think the way he makes it this commandment, even for those who might not have the same issues he does, and how he treats people who have killed in the line of duty [e.g., Diana, Helena {i'm not even going to touch on Jason here, because that is a special case}] is some straight-up bullshit.)
Anyway! in JLA/Avengers, Batman and Cap don't fight because they realize they would just keep fighting to a draw (which I still don't know if I really believe, given that Cap is enhanced and Bruce is not) so they go back to the cave to get their detective on, but I still think Black Widow v. Batman would not be as simple as some Batman fanboys believe. I think it's like football - in any given fight, you can't tell who's going to win; so much would depend on context and circumstance, and certainly Natasha would come out on top some number of times in a series of fights. But it's so much more fun to wind up really hardcore Bat fans just to see them go. (NB: I did not get involved. I just ate metaphorical popcorn and enjoyed the fireworks that resulted.)
= It looks like I'm staying home this weekend due to weather, which means I can hopefully get my yuletide story done and then work on catching up on comments, and maybe other stories. And maybe finally go see "Catching Fire." Who knows? I feel like I haven't had a weekend at home since my mom died.
= Today is our office holiday potluck. I made sticky orange cake. It's not the most attractive cake I've ever baked, but it smells great. And I added a dash of cinnamon to the orange marmalade glaze so my whole apartment smelled like Christmas. Sigh.
= God bless the holiday season: a Chris Evans Advent calendar.
= I'm still unsure how I feel about the last two episodes of Elementary. I liked them but there is totally a but, or several, about them and about this half-season as a whole. As it were. When I do my 2013 TV Roundup post, I will probably talk about it more.
And now it's time for lunch so I'm going to sign off! TTFN!
****
This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/622940.html.
people have commented there.
= 12/13:
majoline asked for favorite Steve headcanons. Huh. I don't really carry much head canon from one story to the next, because so much depends on what I need to happen in a given story. I can tell you things that I believe are true about canon!Steve, though I might choose to bend them as fic needs me to - I honestly think the whole through-line of Steve and Peggy's conversation really was about sex and that he is a virgin when his plane goes down, because he says, "I still don't know how to dance." No argument has yet convinced me that "dance" doesn't equal "sex" in this equation. So even though I can and have written him as having sex (with Bucky, with Peggy, with USO girls), even pre-serum, I don't really believe that that's true of canon!Steve in the MCU.
Otoh, there is no universe in which Bucky is not one of the most important and influential people in Steve's life, so I guess that is my favorite Steve headcanon, because Bucky, in his presence and his absence, shapes a lot of who Steve is. (I never get tired of Steve's adamant "NO TEENAGE HEROES" schtick in the comics [excluding Ultimates of course] - I mean, I think he's wrong? But he always looks so SAD and you know it's because of Bucky, even though Bucky was ~20 when he actually "died." I also love the panel in the Avengers/JLA crossover where Batman takes him to the Batcave and he gazes mournfully at Jason's memorial case and is all "You lost a partner, too?" And Bruce is like, "Yes. CAN WE NOT TALK ABOUT MY ROBIN FEELS. There is work to do!" (One of the things I am trying to figure out how to work into the DCU/MCU crossover I'm writing is how Steve reacts to getting Bucky back v. how Bruce reacted to Jason's return, and how Jason interprets that, since the story is in his POV, and in a scene that will probably never be written but which is inscribed on my heart, the part where Steve lectures Bruce on welcoming back dead sidekicks with HUGS NOT SCOLDINGS. and Bruce is all NO HUGS ONLY JUSTICE.))
I believe that he was raised Catholic - I like the idea of an orphanage run by nuns rather than a more secular foundling home, because it gives it the right "Dead End Kids"/"Little Rascals" vibe - that he won't ever turn down food and that he'll clean his plate regardless of how something tastes, because he grew up during a time when he didn't know where his next meal would be coming from sometimes, and to not eat it all would be a waste and a sin (luckily, his souped up metabolism requires a lot of fuel so he can pack it away), though he's learning that he doesn't have to eat burnt things or things he doesn't like the taste of if he doesn't want to.
I think 'head canon' is an interesting construct, because how much of that is just characterization we extrapolate from canon details, and how much of it is made up out of whole cloth because it suits our story's needs/our preferences etc.?
= Speaking of Batman and the Avengers, some ridiculous Batman fan on tumblr claimed that there's no way a "girl" like Black Widow could beat Batman. Which is just WRONG on EVERY LEVEL. Look, I love Batman. I do! I know it doesn't seem like I do, but I have a soft spot for Bruce Wayne and Batman that is probably not the same as other people's but I do have it. Mostly it's for socially awkward/emotionally repressed/real!Bruce as opposed to Brucie or Batman or whatever. ANYWAY. Natasha has just as much (if not more) combat training as Bruce and, at least in the comics (we don't know about the movies yet), many, MANY more years of experience in fighting in many different kinds of circumstances.
But the thing that struck me as I thought about it was Bruce's no-kill policy and how Natasha now attempts not to kill people, but she knows she won't be destroyed if she has to/does. Because she's done it, as a tool of the Red Room/the state, and as a villain, and as an Avenger. She doesn't like having to do it, necessarily, but she won't shy away from it. Whereas Bruce is still afraid of that part of himself, of what he could/will become if he begins killing his rogues instead of sending them back to Arkham. (I think the no-kill policy has some smart advantages for a vigilante such as Batman - most importantly, it's mainly the thing that keeps Gordon from having to arrest him - but I think the way he makes it this commandment, even for those who might not have the same issues he does, and how he treats people who have killed in the line of duty [e.g., Diana, Helena {i'm not even going to touch on Jason here, because that is a special case}] is some straight-up bullshit.)
Anyway! in JLA/Avengers, Batman and Cap don't fight because they realize they would just keep fighting to a draw (which I still don't know if I really believe, given that Cap is enhanced and Bruce is not) so they go back to the cave to get their detective on, but I still think Black Widow v. Batman would not be as simple as some Batman fanboys believe. I think it's like football - in any given fight, you can't tell who's going to win; so much would depend on context and circumstance, and certainly Natasha would come out on top some number of times in a series of fights. But it's so much more fun to wind up really hardcore Bat fans just to see them go. (NB: I did not get involved. I just ate metaphorical popcorn and enjoyed the fireworks that resulted.)
= It looks like I'm staying home this weekend due to weather, which means I can hopefully get my yuletide story done and then work on catching up on comments, and maybe other stories. And maybe finally go see "Catching Fire." Who knows? I feel like I haven't had a weekend at home since my mom died.
= Today is our office holiday potluck. I made sticky orange cake. It's not the most attractive cake I've ever baked, but it smells great. And I added a dash of cinnamon to the orange marmalade glaze so my whole apartment smelled like Christmas. Sigh.
= God bless the holiday season: a Chris Evans Advent calendar.
= I'm still unsure how I feel about the last two episodes of Elementary. I liked them but there is totally a but, or several, about them and about this half-season as a whole. As it were. When I do my 2013 TV Roundup post, I will probably talk about it more.
And now it's time for lunch so I'm going to sign off! TTFN!
****
This entry at DW: http://musesfool.dreamwidth.org/622940.html.
people have commented there.