Also, more loose headcanon, but I think a big part of why she understands violence more than hugs is because of her mom. Her mom probably gave her hugs when she was little and kissed her scrapes like mothers are supposed to, but since her mom left her and said to her face she didn't want her, those signals got mixed up. If her mom didn't love her, why did she touch her in the first place?
CAROL has the strangest ideas when it comes to touches. She's a violent person and prides herself on her fighting skills and being a warrior, so that means she's probably more likely to hit someone than she is hug someone. Also she and her Air Force buddies were probably more likely to do things like sock each other in the shoulder or play wrestle than they were to hug or casually touch each other, because they were badass motherfuckers.
That said, she knows not everyone an differentiate between physical violence as in a fight, and physical violence as in affection, so she doesn't do it much. She's playfully punched Steve in the arm at least once, but it's not something she does often. Also, superstrength. When it comes to other sorts of physical affection, she does do things like hug people and kiss them on the cheek. We mostly see her do this with the handful of people that she trusts a lot, though she does things like hold Hank when he cries after Jan's funeral and she hugs Anya after the whole thing with Julia. She also prefers to initiate contact with people. Tony, Steve, Logan, the Jessicas and, in the City, Peter are pretty much the only people who can casually touch her without her stiffening and going on alert. There used to be more people on that list, but. Things happen.
Also, when it comes to things more than just hugs, she's generally okay with it. She's done the kissing someone for reasons other than romance and she's okay with casual sex. Even casual sex when it's a Bad Idea. (Hello, Simon.) Sex is fun and she likes it, but she would definitely prefer to have sex with people she cares about. Carol will do things like kiss someone and put out on the first date if she feels like she really clicks with someone. She used to be a lot more comfortable with casual touches? Like, she used to just randomly kiss Mar-Vell for the hell of it and she had a married couple she was friends with, John and Nancy, and she kissed John at least once. But after the whole Marcus thing she's a lot less giving with more intimate touches.
ALSO WITH CAROL I think words mean a lot more to her than touches? Like, she's very well-versed in saying one thing and meaning another, so being able to say something in a way that's truthful means a lot more to her than, say, a kiss or a hug could. She needs to be able to use her words for her to really feel like she's getting her point across.
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CAROL has the strangest ideas when it comes to touches. She's a violent person and prides herself on her fighting skills and being a warrior, so that means she's probably more likely to hit someone than she is hug someone. Also she and her Air Force buddies were probably more likely to do things like sock each other in the shoulder or play wrestle than they were to hug or casually touch each other, because they were badass motherfuckers.
That said, she knows not everyone an differentiate between physical violence as in a fight, and physical violence as in affection, so she doesn't do it much. She's playfully punched Steve in the arm at least once, but it's not something she does often. Also, superstrength. When it comes to other sorts of physical affection, she does do things like hug people and kiss them on the cheek. We mostly see her do this with the handful of people that she trusts a lot, though she does things like hold Hank when he cries after Jan's funeral and she hugs Anya after the whole thing with Julia. She also prefers to initiate contact with people. Tony, Steve, Logan, the Jessicas and, in the City, Peter are pretty much the only people who can casually touch her without her stiffening and going on alert. There used to be more people on that list, but. Things happen.
Also, when it comes to things more than just hugs, she's generally okay with it. She's done the kissing someone for reasons other than romance and she's okay with casual sex. Even casual sex when it's a Bad Idea. (Hello, Simon.) Sex is fun and she likes it, but she would definitely prefer to have sex with people she cares about. Carol will do things like kiss someone and put out on the first date if she feels like she really clicks with someone. She used to be a lot more comfortable with casual touches? Like, she used to just randomly kiss Mar-Vell for the hell of it and she had a married couple she was friends with, John and Nancy, and she kissed John at least once. But after the whole Marcus thing she's a lot less giving with more intimate touches.
ALSO WITH CAROL I think words mean a lot more to her than touches? Like, she's very well-versed in saying one thing and meaning another, so being able to say something in a way that's truthful means a lot more to her than, say, a kiss or a hug could. She needs to be able to use her words for her to really feel like she's getting her point across.