I’m not a fan of rules. Generally. Rules suck all the fun out of practically everything. I like to think outside the box, color outside the lines, forge my own path — just because. Do people like that drive you completely insane?
A while ago I was challenged to learn my Myers-Briggs classification (it’s ISFP if you want to know). The idea that I could be put in a box really irritated me, I mean – I’m more unique, more individual than that, right? Turns out about 10% of the population are rule breaking, puddle-jumping crazy people who like to be alone and thrive on individuality even if it makes them feel like a freak. Who knew!
Being an individual, bushwhacking your own path all the time — not all it’s cracked up to be. It’s lonely, and hard, and exhausting, and I’m constantly barraged with self-doubt, guilt, and told I can’t do x or y or won’t succeed if I don’t do this or that. But you know what? I don’t know how to live any other way. Anything else is constricting, suffocating, creative-juice-killing bad juju.
“Unheard-of combinations of circumstances demand unheard-of rules.”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
My cowriter and I seem to baffle people. How do you two work together? I’m the Tony Stark/Iron Man to her Captain America (you remember how well those two got along, right?). Everybody loves Captain America. He’s polite, analytical, practical, obeys the rules, gets things done in his own time, he’s the guy you bring home to meet the parents.
“Some rules are nothing but old habits that people are afraid to change.”
― Therese Anne Fowler, Souvenir
Iron Man offends people, he’s abrasive, spouts politically incorrect opinions, breaks rules all the time, and he’s not the best team player. He’s moody and hard to get along with. He’s a perfectionist, finds creative solutions to problems, and he’s deeply flawed — I think that’s why people love him.
But he gets things done — albeit in his own way. The flaws are what make Tony Stark relate-able, what generates empathy in fans.
And I’ve decided to stop berating myself for being an Iron Man in a Captain America world. Kudos to those who are genetically programmed to be the Captain Americas, the heroes who play by the rules – we need those people, but I think we need the Iron Mans too, and I think it’s time for the Iron Mans to stop trying to be Captain America.
If it looks like a duck…
Sometimes you need to ruffle a few feathers, not care what others think, try something new and fail, take a few hits for being different, be a target for the pitch-fork crew because you don’t fit into a mold. My social filter has holes in it – big ones 
and I think my family is now afraid to read my blog. hehehe. But this is who I am. Just imagine how much fun I’d be if I had Stark’s fortune to go with it? Mind boggling 
If you were a character from The Avengers – who would you be? Black Widow? Hawkeye? The Hulk? Captain America? Thor? Iron Man? Fess up.
Lisa
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Melinda VanLone says:
Hmmm, who am I most like, or who would I LIKE to be? I’d love to be IronMan…I’d love that genius and those gadgets and I’d especially love living in that house. But I’m not sure I’d call myself a rule breaker. Willing to try new things, yes, but…I’d say half of me wants to break the rules and the other half is afraid of punishment. Now there’s something to talk about with a therapist! lol
So I just went and took the Meyer’s briggs test again because it’d been awhile, and it says I’m still INTJ. When I read the description, it sorta fits IronMan (who I guess they say is ENTJ), so maybe that’s me without the overwhelming “E” part? lol. I ride the fence between I and E, with only a “slight preference” for introversion. So that’s probably why I like IronMan so much. All this to say I’m with you, I wanna be IronMan! lol
Melinda VanLone recently posted..Book Review: Mindjack Trilogy by Susan Kaye Quinn
Lisa Hall-Wilson says:
I think I’m most like Iron Man, but if I got to pick I’d be Black Widow. She’s bad a$$, doesn’t take crap from anybody, and is super smart. (Being able to wear that ridiculous pleather outfit wouldn’t be a bad perk either
)
Melinda VanLone says:
I almost said that too! lol. Because what girl wouldn’t want to be able to kick a$$ like that?
Then I figured if I was IronMan I could also kick butt but with fun gadgets 
Melinda VanLone recently posted..Have You Ventured Out Lately?
Marcy Kennedy says:
No surprise I most identified with and admired Captain America, eh? Remember, he breaks rules when he sees that doing so serves a greater purpose, but he doesn’t break them for the sake of breaking them
Marcy Kennedy recently posted..What Does Your Behavior Say About Who You Are?
Amber West says:
Oh, I don’t know who I am – but this post makes me want to figure it out.
For now, I’ll go with The Hulk.
(I do know that I’m an INFP)
Amber West recently posted..You Can Go Your Own Way
Andi-Roo (@theworld4realz) says:
I’m either INFP or INTP, depending on the day. There is virtually no distinction for me between Feeling and Thinking, or between Judging and Perceiving. Regardless, I’m definitely an introvert who relies on my intuition, and I’m NOT a good team player, so I guess that would make me most like… Hawkeye? He is sure able to get those arrows where they need to be, sometimes before he even realizes himself that an arrow needed to be shot. Also, he did leave Fury’s team to figure crap out on his own… and while he definitely fights for what’s right and chooses the moral high ground, he doesn’t always take the path of the straight and narrow.
But dang! I would love to play with Iron Man’s… “gadgets”… LMAO! Or wear the Black Widow’s outfit (and be able to get away with it!)!
Andi-Roo (@theworld4realz) recently posted..Xmas Tree, O Xmas Tree
Kristy K. James...Living, Loving, Laughing says:
I don’t know if I took the same test, but I got an ISTJ (introvert/sensing/thinking/judging). I’m not sure how accurate it was because not everything is black and white, yes or no. A lot of the answers really would depend on the situation, but there it is. I’m also not sure which Avenger I would be most like, but if I chose based on who I relate to, it would be Tony Stark. Except for the fact that I’m not a genius, my memory often leaves a lot to be desired, and I hated science in school.
Kristy K. James…Living, Loving, Laughing recently posted..The Joys of Sleep Deprivation
Feliza Casano says:
Huh. I thought everybody loved Iron Man, actually – I don’t know anyone (besides myself) who identifies with Captain America: old-fashioned values and general niceness. Most people these days are Iron Man identifiers the same way they identify with Batman instead of Superman. Alas.
But — yeah, I’d be Captain America. Although I might be Captain Marvel. They’re friends.
Feliza Casano recently posted..Editor’s Letter: Woman Warrior