#i should post it on ao3 hoh

[withacapitalp]

So I wrote a first draft chapter idea for the no upside down au fic idea I had ages ago. Fair warning this is kinda long.....sorry. Also here's the link to the ao3 instead of reading here

Eddie was no stranger to tall tales. 

He practically built his entire school career on tall tales. He was a legend- The ‘Freak’ of Hawkins High, a psycho who was on his third round of senior year with no signs of ever leaving. He was the scary satanic metalhead who sold drugs in the woods behind the school and would happily indoctrinate any lost souls into his cult of the supernatural. 

Eddie was an enigma, and he liked it that way. He liked the stories people told, rumors that were beyond crazy, things he wouldn’t even dream of doing. It was funny. 

But the story that the Freshman kept telling was just ridiculous. 

Eddie liked all four of the boys, he really did. Dustin was a smartass, but the emphasis was on the smart. He had never met someone who thought as quickly as Dustin did, and that made him a great player. Lucas was so open and expressive that he was awesome to have as a part of a Party. He could always be counted on to react in the best ways to any twists or turns Eddie threw into a campaign. Mike was a little brat sometimes, but his strategic expertise was through the roof, and Will was just all around one of the nicest people Eddie had ever met. 

All in all, they were great. Sweet, fiercely loyal, and way too good for a shitty little town like Hawkins. They were definitely going to get out of here and make it big if they managed to live through high school. 

There was just one big fat problem- the boys kept lying about knowing Steve Harrington. 

And not even just knowing him. According to Dustin, Steve was their babysitter. 

Their goddamn Babysitter. 

Well, not really our babysitter anymore. We’re fourteen, we don’t need a sitter. We’re just friends now. Best friends!

Best friends with Steve Harrington. King Steve, the apex predator of the Hawkins High food chain back in his hayday. According to the boys, Steve let them hang out at his house whenever they wanted, gave them rides everywhere, and apparently lived his entire life just to take care of six weird teenagers. The four nerds, Maxine ‘Mad Max’ Mayfield, and some unknown other girl that they were incredibly tight lipped about. 

It would be quite the story if the kids were telling the truth. A legend that rivaled Eddie’s own mythos. 

But they were 100% lying. 

Barring the fact that Max barely even looked at any of them when they passed her in the hallway, and ignoring that Eddie had never even so much as seen a picture of this other girl Elle they kept hinting at, Eddie knew Steve Harrington. They often got lumped in the same stupid kid classes, and he had spent many a class watching the infamous King Steve. 

Never once had Eddie ever seen him so much as look at anyone below his social class. 

His friends would terrorize Eddie and the other losers of the school, but Steve wouldn’t even look at him in the hallway. He was above it all, too good to even deign sparing anyone like Eddie a passing glance. Even when Steve had ditched his jerk friends a year or so back, he had still kept his King status, still stayed on a pedestal. 

He still hadn’t looked at Eddie. 

He didn’t know which one was objectively worse, being beaten on or being ignored, but Eddie did know that Steve refusing to even acknowledge his existence had always pissed him off more than the bruises did. 

There was no way an uppity asshole like that was friends with kids like Dustin Henderson and Will Byers. He knew Steve had stayed in town after graduating for some unknown reason, but there was no way he had stayed to babysit. 

Still, if this lie made the boys feel like they had some sort of cool factor, then it was mostly harmless. Being a freshman was hard, being a weird freshman was even harder. Better to let them have their fantasy and hope with enough time they would get comfortable with who they were and drop it. 

Except that didn’t happen. 

Eddie had bravely put up with the constant Steve talk for over three months. Steve said this, or we did that with Steve this weekend. We should do this on our next turn, Steve would do it (That one always pissed Eddie off the most, because usually they would manage to evade death every time by using that tactic). On and on, like he was their freaking imaginary friend. 

But now Imaginary Steve was making them leave early from Hellfire, and that was a slight Eddie could not put up with.

“I’m sorry, Eddie, but we told you we could only stay until eight this time,” Will apologized for the fourth time as he started to pack up his bag, pointing at the clock and giving the other boys a look to get them up and moving, “Steve has the late shift today, and he’s taking his break to pick us up, so we can’t make him late,”

Eddie pursed his lips and stared down at the carefully crafted board he had painstakingly put together. Here they were. Right at the edge of defeating Kyuss, the Worm that Walks. It was a campaign they had been working on for weeks, a campaign Eddie had been planning for months. They were right at the point of no return, and half of the club was leaving because fake Steve Harrington didn’t want to be patient. 

Enough was enough. 

“Guys, I don’t know why you feel like pretending to know Steve Harrington is earning you points, but it really isn’t. He doesn’t even go here anymore, his name has zero clout,” Eddie growled, completely fed up with having to hear about a boy he had finally gotten rid of. Gareth and Jeff immediately nodded along, also done with having to hear the made up stories. 

“Pretending?” Lucas questioned, sharing a confused look with Will. 

“Dude, we already told you this. Steve’s been watching us for years now. He dated my sister for a bit, but when they broke up he kept babysitting us and the girls. Hopper needed someone to watch El when he was at work, and we were always over anyway, so it just became a thing,” Mike explained in a matter of fact tone, rolling his eyes. 

Oh, Eddie had been told. Eddie had been told plenty. He was just finally calling bullshit. 

Yeah, Steve and Nancy Wheeler had dated, but the entire school knew that relationship had exploded and shattered into a thousand pieces. She had cheated with Jonathan Byers, a fellow freak of the school. It was impressive to watch, and Eddie had taken great satisfaction in finally seeing Steve get knocked down a peg.

Why on Earth would a guy like Steve Harrington keep watching the kid brothers of both her ex and the guy who helped her cheat?

“Richie Rich King Steve needs babysitting money?” Gareth asked sarcastically, derision dripping from every word. 

“He never took any money,” Dustin protested, growing frustrated when he realized that the older boys were serious about not believing them, “He didn’t like being paid for hanging out with us, he said it felt weird.” 

The rest of Hellfire shared haughty looks, unable to help themselves. Now it was getting ridiculous. It was already impossible to believe that Steve Harrington was babysitting, but babysitting for free? 

“Okay, jokes over. Let’s finish the campaign,” Eddie said, giving the boys an out. He knew what it was like to double down when you were afraid of being called out. He put on his best DM voice and perched on his throne, dropping his head low between his shoulders, “Kyuss is waiting to demolish you all,”

“Regardless of whether you believe us or not, we have to go,” Lucas grumbled, crossing his arms. 

Fine, if they wanted to play this game, then Eddie would play. He hated humiliating the kids, but at some point they needed to learn. 

“If you’re telling the truth, then let’s see if Steve shows up. You said he hates waiting, so if he actually is here to drive you, then he’ll come in, right?” Eddie challenged, throwing down the gauntlet. The boys exchanged annoyed eye rolls, but sat back down, letting the silence stand tense and awkward between them all. 

The clock continued to tick along the wall of the drama room.

8:04. 

8:05. 

8:06. 

8:07.

“Look guys,” Eddie finally sighed at 8:08, intending to take mercy on his stupid little sheep, “I know it can be hard coming into high school, but-“

“Hey! Dipshits!”

The whole club turned towards the source of the shouting, and, to Eddie’s complete and utter shock, Steve Harrington came barging in through the door, eyes flashing in anger. 

His hair was longer, and he was wearing a dorky green vest that totally clashed with his preppy clothes, but there was no denying those big brown eyes that Eddie had never managed to capture in his gaze. 

He looked completely ticked off, and the boys scrambled out of their seats, surrounding him and all starting to talk at once, trying to explain what had happened. It was like looking at a pack of puppies with a single lonely wolf surveying them. Steve let them talk over each other for a second more, but the moment he held a hand up, all four immediately went silent. 

Part of Eddie was desperate to learn whatever dark magic Harrington was using to hold the boys still and silent. The rest of him was blanking out. 

“Guys, I might be deaf, but I’m almost 99% sure I was beeping the horn. And I know for a fact I told you that you were supposed to be out by 8:00 sharp,” Steve said with an impatient sigh, his fingers flying as he spoke. 

Eddie watched dumbly as the boys began to respond in kind, their hands moving alongside their fingers. Unlike their usual talking over each other and finishing one another’s sentences, they did a quick back and forth, choosing one person to speak at a time. 

“We were coming out on time, but Eddie and the others didn’t believe us when we said you were giving us a ride home!” Dustin explained with a shout, moving his hands nearly as fast as Steve had. Steve looked around his horde of fourteen year olds, and for the very first time in their lives, he made eye contact with Eddie. 

There they were. Big and brown. Eyes that Eddie had always secretly longed to see, even if it was just so he could properly flip Steve off and make sure he saw it. He had always expected Steve to glare at him, or roll his eyes, but he was just looking at Eddie. Just looking.

Like Eddie was nothing especially interesting or grotesque. Not a legend, not a monster. Just another person Steve had no attachment to. 

It was infuriating. 

“You know, you all might be the smartest people I know, but you can be really fricken stupid sometimes,” Steve said with a shake of his head. Eddie wanted to laugh, because Harrington was a hundred percent right, but he refused to even chuckle on principle. 

“It’s not our fault we had to…to….how do you say prove?” Mike interrupted himself with an angry sigh, throwing his hands up as he did. His movements were a lot slower than Dustin’s, and a bit more clumsy, but he was still trying. 

“Prove,” Steve stated, holding his left palm out and smacking the back of his right hand sharply enough that it bounced back just a bit. All of the boys copied the motion, like the most deranged group of ducklings Eddie had ever seen, “You don’t have to sign, Mike. I’m right next to you,”   

Oh. That’s what they were. Signs. 

They were using sign language. 

Which meant Steve wasn’t joking around when he used the word ‘deaf’. 

Eddie’s brain was exploding. 

“I just messed up one word,” Mike muttered under his breath, throwing his hair over one shoulder and picking his hands back up, once again making movements as he spoke, “We had to prove that we knew you.”

“Well, here’s the proof. I’m already late, so let’s go,” Steve turned to go, and the boys shared a quick glance behind his back. Will caught the arm of Steve’s jacket and waited until the other teen was fully facing him before speaking with stilted slow signs. 

“If you’re already late, then maybe we can have five more minutes?” 

They had chosen well. Will was easily the softest of the four, and Eddie knew firsthand just how dangerous those puppy eyes could be. 

“You’re pushing your luck, Byers,” Steve sighed with a soft grin. It was bizarre. Steve was obviously inordinately fond of Eddie’s little sheep, and all of their stories that he had previously disregarded were now at the forefront of his mind. Steve was acting sweet, gentle, completely not like Eddie had ever seen him. 

He was acting like, well, like their babysitter. 

Or someone who had once been their babysitter, if Dustin was to be believed. 

But it still couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t. Steve Harrington wasn’t that kind of guy, and Eddie needed to be right on that. If he wasn’t, then he didn’t know what he would do. 

“Wouldn’t want to waste the royalty’s time with a freak game, would we?” Eddie called out, purposefully pitching his voice low. The simplest thing to call out here was the weird pretending Steve was deaf. Before tonight he had never even heard a whisper of a rumor that Steve Harrington had any kind of flaw, so if he pulled on that lie, then the rest would fall like a house of cards. 

The boys all startled like they had forgotten he was there, but Steve didn’t react until they turned around to look at Eddie. His eyes were back on Eddie, but not meeting his gaze. Not exactly. 

“Too eager to get back to whatever girl you’re keeping waiting, King Steve?” Eddie continued to keep his voice quieter than normal, everyone but Steve seeming to catch exactly what he was doing. The boys were shooting him warning looks, but he ignored them all in favor of staring Steve down. 

The other boy’s eyes were narrow now, but not in a glare. He looked almost confused, like he was trying to parse out exactly what was going on.

Because he couldn’t fucking understand Eddie if he actually was deaf. 

Because Eddie was being a supreme giant asshole if this was true. 

But Steve Harrington wasn’t deaf, and the act was annoying as shit. If anyone was insulting deaf people right now, it was Steve, not Eddie. There was a tiny smart voice in the back of Eddie’s mind telling him that no one would take a joke this far, but the nasty needling voice right up at the front was overshadowing it, and there was no stopping him now. 

“What? Didn’t catch what I said? I think that this might be the first time you’ve ever bothered to care about what I have to say. Kind of ironic that now the King wants to hear me, and he can’t.”  

The rest of the club exploded into laughter, and Steve’s jaw set in a tight line. Now he was glaring, but there was an underlying hurt there that Eddie hadn’t been expecting. 

All this time acting completely above it all, and he was showing his soft underbelly now? Over a fakeout joke? Eddie scoffed and ignored the way his heart was starting to race at an uncomfortable clip. 

Steve jerked his head towards Dustin, and without any hesitation the boy’s fingers started rapidly moving, clearly translating what Eddie had just said. While they did that, the rest of the boys looked at Eddie with varying amounts of horror. 

“What is the matter with you?!” Lucas demanded, looking like he would love nothing more than to walk over and punch Eddie’s lights out. Will’s eyes were wet and shiny, and Mike looked positively murderous. Steve brought their attention back to him with a soft click of his tongue. 

“No girls today, just not too eager to not lose my job, Munson,” Steve shot back, voice impossibly cold and hands staying loose and limp by his sides. The soft set of his shoulders was gone, replaced by a harsh straight back and guarded expression. He completely ignored the second part of what Eddie said, turning around and striding towards the door, “I’m leaving now, with or without you guys. I only have three minutes left of my break, and Robin is going to be pissy if I’m late.” 

The four teens hurried after him, pausing only briefly to shoot Eddie betrayed hurt-filled glares that took all of the fun out of the joke. The rest of Hellfire continued to chuckling, making snide remarks back and forth between each other, and a pit started to form in Eddie’s gut. A pit he knew well enough. 

Guilt. Shame. The knowledge that he had done something cruel when he didn’t really have to. 

It was an awful feeling and it was completely unfair. Steve and his cronies had spent years making Eddie’s life hell. These were just desserts. It wasn’t even like he had said anything that bad. Even if Steve actually was deaf, which was still up for debate, then this was a fair turnabout for over a decade of mistreatment from Steve and people like Steve. 

Never mind that Steve had never done a thing to Eddie himself. Harrington wasn’t an actual person, just an idea of one. A symbol of the small town jock. 

So why did Eddie feel so fucking bad right now? 

“What the hell just happened,” Eddie muttered, hating the way the guilt was gnawing a deep black hole into his chest. 

[practicecourts]

Opening Lines

Thanks for the tag, @mppmaraudergirl, @missgryffin & @nodirectionhome-ao3

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (or however many you have) posted fics and see if there's a pattern!

Do You Want To Build A Snowman?

In an unlit corridor, one of many that run through the large house, a boy sits on the floor, his legs crossed.

Midwinter Magic

Green eyes stare into the night. 

Head Over Handlebars For You

As Lily clicked through her emails about her sister's hen-do, she checked her calendar, something was very wrong.

Silent Night

It’s the dead of night, yet Hope lies awake in her bed. 

An Idiot In Love

James slipped his Invisibility Cape off as the portrait closed behind him. 

Sunrise, Sunset

Padded feet galloped along the path, up the hill. 

Jockey

“Oi, what’s that jockey think he’s doing, pushing so hard? With half a mile to go, that horse will fade for sure,” James said, shaking his head at the display of stupidity on the racetrack.

Here Comes The Sun

“Lily, could you please pick some cards?” Mary asked from where she sat on the comfortable couch in the Gryffindor Common Room.

Summer Time

“I think I just set some sort of record,” he says, stretching his arms above his head. 

Shall We Shag Now Or Later? (adding this one bc it's a proper OPENING line ... I couldn't stop thinking about pick-up lines at first when I read this ;-)

“Why didn’t we ever shag, Evans? It feels like a wrong we should set right,” James Potter says as he sets his empty glass on the bar.

Hmm, I remember doing this a long time back and then I felt most of these were some kind of ... trouble or problem (like the HOH beginning) > these seem more of a dive into either scene/setting and or action (dialogue or real action)

Anyone else feel that once you start looking at these they feel very ... underwhelming? No? just me then ;-)

tagging (sorry if you were already tagged and zero pressure) @jamesunderwater @charmsandtealeaves @annabtg @petals2fish @mabelexclamationpoint @welsh-green @eastwindmlk @fiendishfyre @blitheringmcgonagall @maraudersftw @corinnesamuels @kay-elle-cee @wearingaberetinparis @abihastastybeans @joyseuphoria

[schnoogles]

@jonsadrabbles Day 1 Campfire/Linger

“Walking like a one man army Fighting with the shadows in your head Living out the same old moment Knowing you'd be better off instead, If you could only”

With a deep breath, Jon stared at himself for just a moment longer in the looking glass. Black fur cloak, shaggy hair, the tired longing expression.“The world will always need a home for bastards and broken men.” It’s as if the last several years hadn’t changed him at all. But it did, very much so. No longer a bastard, but a broken man.

“Hurry up, Snow. Your ship awaits.” Passing the nameless guard, Jon heads out towards the docks, two crows following behind. Passes by the smallfolk, the Dothraki, the Unsullied, makes uncomfortable eye contact with Grey Worm. And then he sees them. Sees her.

He thought saying goodbye to the Starks the first time was the hardest thing he had to do. Saying goodbye to them a second was harder. Saying goodbye to her was harder. She asks for his forgiveness. Silly girl, don’t you know? I should be asking you for yours.

“The North is free thanks to you. Ned Stark’s daughter will speak for them.” There’s so much more he wants to say. So much more he needs her to hear. But he can’t find the words, so he pours all of his thoughts, all of his emotions, into her embrace. He holds on to her tightly, swaying for just a moment, memorising her smell, her softness.

Their goodbyes are sweet and short. Too short for his liking. He knows they’ll be safe though. Happy. Bran is a King and Arya will have her own adventures now. They’ll be fine. They’ll thrive. And Sansa. Sansa will flourish. The first reigning Queen in the North. His heart may be aching with bittersweetness, but it also swells with pride, joy, love. With one last lingering glance at Sansa, Jon finally forces himself to turn away. Ten days, ten weeks, or ten years, he knows in his soul he’ll see her again one day. 

[thejudgingtrash]

Annabeth is a good person,but not a nice or pleasant one,IMO.

YES.

That’s it. That’s the post. Pack it up everybody, we just cracked the case and cleared up one of the most compelling fights in the PJO fandom since forever. Good job everybody, clap it out and there’s the door! Don’t forget ordering the drinks at Starbucks, Mitch! They’re on me!

Okay, but on a more serious note: YES. YES EXACTLY.

And before some of you roll your eyes or grab your pitchforks – put your biases aside and hear me out for once. I like Annabeth. She’s my in my top three characters only second to Percy himself. I love Percabeth. It’s my favorite ship in the entire series and to be frank, the only ship that I care about PJO wise. Hell, I spend my time creating my own headcanons or writing my own fanfics with Percabeth being the star in them.

But that is not to say that I’m unable to see how certain things have developed over the years or where they stand now in regard to Annabeth. I’m not here to ignore things that have been said and/or done due to or in the name of Annabeth and I’m not here to vilify anyone that doesn’t like her. And I’m here to admit that I’m guilty of some of the things that may be addressed in this meta essay that you will read in just a second. However, I try my best to assure you, that I’m for once able to recognize my own bias.

Warning: a monster essay lies right upon you.

This should count as a paper of its own.

Back to the statement on top: I would go out even further to reframe your claim, anon:

Annabeth Chase is a good character but not a nice or pleasant person.

Annabeth is a wonderful character but she isn’t a nice one. Or at least not nice to everyone. She is (construction wise if I dare say) the best character out of the series. She has her positive traits (she’s caring, she’s emotional, she’s encouraged and volunteers, she fights for what she believes in, she forgives (even if doing so begrudgingly)) but she also has her negative traits (she’s stubborn, she’s brash, changing her mind takes forever, she is prejudiced, she baits others). That balances things out. She is branded as the intelligent kid but does irrational things (like I’ve just said a) she’s a kid and b) she’s not a robot). She should probably know better, but we all make mistakes and hopefully grow and learn from them. The clouds in the sky do blur and cover our visions sometimes.

Annabeth had clashes with other characters or was about to have fights due to her stubbornness or jealousy (Rachel, Reyna, etc.) and has of course her problems with the mortal world and her family but she also found new friends, some things cleared up throughout the narration and she was/is quite popular in Camp Half-Blood.

The thing is: she doesn’t have to be nice or pleasant (as a character). Or at least not all the time. Her character is humanized. That is what or who she is. Human. She does stand out as a character, not just because she’s the (future) love interest. She feels like someone you could meet in real life and either adore from the top to the bottom or declare as your biggest enemy. And that’s totally okay if you lean either way – liking or disliking her. Or even feeling indifferent about her. Also great!

To say that she has been the best character that Riordan has crafted is easy to say, because she has been sculpted after Riordan’s wife. He had a model he could rub some of real-life events or traits on. That’s not the problem. The problem truly doesn’t lie on Riordan’s side for the most part for once.

The problem is inherently on the fandom’s side. What the fandom does, how it acts and how it treats Annabeth as a character is the problem. The problems vary but it’s mostly the mischaracterization of Annabeth, starting fights and fan/ship wars, internalized misogyny (in some cases) and how some of the Annabeth stans lash out (ha, got firsthand experience in that field among many of my friends and mutuals!). There is a reason why many people are wary of people that have Annabeth or Percabeth related URLs.

The fact that we see Annabeth mostly through Percy’s lens and (until the Heroes of Olympus saga hits) we never really see her in chill everyday situations is essentially Riordan leaving the back door of the house open, ready for all of you asshats to rob his mansion in Boston. Because a frame on a character means that we don’t get to see the character in its entirety (unlike we do with Percy in PJO for the most part). That means a bunch of stuff is left open for interpretation which is the reason why Annabeth gets so many polarized headcanon and opinions tossed around. I think that is one of the true appeals of Annabeth. You can add on stuff and it necessarily doesn’t have to contradict itself.

We have people calling her abusive due to a (n admittedly stupid and unnecessary) judo flip and we have people that act like she’s never done anything wrong. People sorta use this excuse to form and shape Annabeth however they want and distort her characterization.

People in the fandom act like Annabeth is some weird prized possession. We perceive Annabeth mostly through the eyes of others (Percy, Apollo, etc.) and when we had some sort of insight in her ways (MOA, HOH) it felt… weird? Somewhat? Like Riordan left two bullet points of her characterization and told the ghostwriter: aight, fuck it up, gringo, see you on Tuesday and greet Fred the next time you see him for me. 

There have been many posts lately (by Tharini, Simi, Sawasawako, Jewishpercy and Annie I believe?) that HOO Percabeth felt weird. That they felt weirdly constructed, that there was no conflict, no growth. It felt stagnating, like we’re turning back. We had five books prior where we had Annabeth and Percy slowly shifting from disliking to liking and crushing each other. True development. And when we finally got the cake it felt… dissatisfying. Like the cheap box stuff and not the delicious exquisite taste that we were promised.

I said it previously in my Percabeth ship roast, but let me repeat myself: many Percabeth related things are straight up fanon. Some of it is very old fanon so that’s been unable to distinguish unless you’ve read the books recently and subtract nearly 99,9% of things you see on Tumblr (and occasionally the other shitty parts of the fandom like Reddit, IG, Twitter. Although they mostly steal and recycle tumblr stuff oh well. But back to the topic).

The way people treat Annabeth is so strange. She’s either an innocent fluffy smush baby that’s never harmed a fly and all that she wants for Christmas is being Percy’s lapdog or she’s the devil incarnate, broke into your house, killed your parents Batman style, kicked your puppy and didn’t flush the toilet on the way out. I think this is what mostly makes people hate her or the ship Percabeth. And both extremes are wrong and right at the same time? She is multifaceted so both stereotypes are true and untrue and sorta cancel each other out in the same way.

The true reason why people dislike Annabeth is because the stans are doing the most. (The haters as well, don’t get me wrong, but oh boy. Piss of a stan and you’ll know what I mean). That isn’t inherently new. Are you guys old enough to remember the ship wars that have happened cross platform? Perachel vs. Percabeth? Oh boy, oh boy. I saw some kids on tumblr a few months ago trying to infiltrate both tags and start shit (and also fail). The fact that Rachel still gets used as the bitchy (ex) girlfriend in fanfics? It’s 2020 guys. I know this apocalyptic year is far from perfect and over but I think we can let this trope die, right? Right? I thought we’ve established that Rachel is a pretty chill charcter by now… right?

If you posted your stuff on FFN back in 2010-2013 and it wasn’t the typical cutesy Percabeth story (Goode High, the gods read TLT, punk/prep Percabeth, college AU, etc.) people would’ve come for your fucking throat. Not because the story or the narration was shit. But because the pairing wasn’t Annabeth and Percy (in the sense that Annabeth had to be paired with Percy. I mean Percy gets shipped with everyone and their mother but for Annabeth it was strictly Percy. As annoying as this whole Connabeth thing is – the people behind it actually had a point. She never had a different love interest unless it’s a Percy centered story and he goes off dating Athena, Artemis and Zoe at the same time for some odd reason. Yeah, FFN Percy ships are something). Or it wasn’t the action filled canon compliant story or it wasn’t an AU that was popular.

People were really stubborn, snobbish and wanted their stuff in the four five boxes that were the most popular ones and that’s it. People have been bullied off the site in many fandoms, so it’s not a PJO-only thing but it’s still sad that it happened. (Off-note: most of these FFN tropes are still alive and well and thriving on AO3. Don’t be so snobbish and pretend that every piece you’d find there is a holy grail. There’s a lot of trash you have to waddle through. Same with Wattpad, Tumblr or anywhere else where fanfics get posted. Also had this discussion with Annabeth stans. Sigh).

And Tumblr back then? Forget it, wasn’t much better.

That view has sorta changed (at least for people that have been in the fandom for several years or have managed to find a way to navigate through it) but some of the negative sentiment from back in the day has survived. Be it by new fans coming in or from old fans that never let their stance die. The aggression feels differently and somewhat not. (I don’t know if the anon function had been abused that much back in the day. I was an observer not a participant in the fandom).

Crack a joke at Annabeth’s expense (Kal’s famous “Annabeth is a Republican” post or Dee Dee’s and many others “Annabeth has the education of a second grader, chill with the college plans, girlie” stance) and you have people insulting you, making callout posts, unfollowing and blocking you (based on only that? Okay, honey), making aggressive counter-posts, etc. in a minute. If you respond with “It’s a joke, it’s not real” you have a 50/50 chance of either getting blown off or embarrassing them so that they apologize for once.

This isn’t just about jokes. You can make a headcanon that’s not the cozy cute convenient mainstream saga and people would react the same way. Or art piece (no, not including the whole Tannabeth Blackchase shtick done by Viria and others) or fanfics.

People project so much onto the unfinished canvas that is Annabeth Chase that any form of negative sentiment as little as someone not liking her to straight up criticism, regardless of how tiny it may be, seems like an affront. Like an invitation to a fight. Like an insult to them, their character, everything they believe in. Let me state something:

You are NOT Annabeth Chase. Annabeth Chase IS NOT you. Annabeth Chase is NOT real. Her feeling cannot be hurt. Someone criticizing, disliking, joking about her or even insulting her will not bother her. Someone making a statement about her is not an insult to YOU.

Let me repeat that:

Annabeth Chase isn’t real. Annabeth Chase isn’t you.

So think a little before you act? I get it when you’re a kid and new to fandoms or haven’t been up with fan cultures in the past and are back in the scene. But if you’re in your late teens or even older as an adult and you’re unable to understand that you aren’t what you like – you aren’t the extension of a fictional character – I feel incredibly sorry for you. Because that’s just incredibly sad. Someone disliking something you like isn’t an attack of your character. It shows you that you are you and the other person is a human just like you. That they just have different taste. Disliking something you like isn’t a crime, you know? But me feeling sorry for the way some of y’all act won’t mean that that’s even remotely okay. Especially if you’re no longer in the intended audience for PJO age wise and should know better.

This isn’t a “white stans” only thing. I’ve seen and witnessed firsthand how people of color, mainly women of color, act the same or not even worse when it comes to her character. People have projected their problems and real-life occurring events into her character (I’m sure that she isn’t the only character nor that this is the only fandom where this is happening) and in some cases like I’ve said cannot separate their own personality from the fictional world. Fights with woc happened because of Annabeth fucking Chase. So many things have happened in the fandom the past few months, mostly due to people being forced staying at home because of the quarantine but I’d say it’s 10% on quarantine and 90% on people for acting up like this.

So here’s a little story: There was the act of Riordan blowing the fandom up because of his own stupidity and being unable to apologize for his mischaracterization and lack of research (the whole Piper fiasco) back in June (?) and admits the upset fandom, people on Twitter, Tumblr and Discord legit thought that none of that mattered and that the outcry was destroying Annabeth Chase’s birthday. That’s right. People thought that Annabeth Chase’s non-existing birthday because she’s a fictional character had a higher priority than the rupture and prevalent racism in the fandom. Okay. This isn’t a great look, Annabeth stans. And this of course pissed a lot of people off. I made a post about it and someone not only berated three other people on said post but no, we had a mighty argument which had disrupted many friendships in our circle which haven’t recovered until this very day. We both had our parts in it and no one is innocent. But the cause of this still remains Annabeth Chase or how people prioritize her non-existing well-being. Anyway. I’m getting agitated just thinking about it.

Let’s go back to the characterization thing with Annabeth. Let me remind you:

Annabeth Chase is an asshole. There I’ve said it in a post ages ago (too lazy to look it up, sorry) and I’ll say it again. And that’s not me insulting her. That’s me actually loving that about her. Annabeth is one of the very few unapologetic female characters that really showed all young readers across the world that you can be a girl, a badass, smart, strong, standing up for yourself and what you believe in. You don’t have to be nice. You don’t have to hide your feelings. You don’t need a man in all cases but it’s also okay to accept help and defeat.

A large reason why I think she’s an incredibly important character in children’s literature/YA because many other novels (mostly (sadly)) have the “Oh, I’m a white skinny dark-haired girl that likes unconventional things like READING. I’m not like the other girls, that take care of themselves and pamper themselves by enjoying shopping and wearing make-up. No, I’d rather be one of the boys but a sweet cute little boy and not the jock fuck that drank vodka shots out of a filthy shoe once. Despite me calling myself hideous every man in a 10-kilometer radius falls in love with me and tells me I’m oh so sexy and by the way I’m only 16 years old” shit going on for no goddamn reason.

Yes, I do blame Twilight for this mostly in recent years, but this trope isn’t by any means knew. Pretty sure that you could even use classics as Pride and Prejudice and dissect them in the same manner (Bold statement: Lizzy Bennet is the OG Bella Swan. There. Go fight somewhere in the corner, people). The new wave of YA focuses on girls belittling themselves and only starting to believe in themselves because someone else (mostly the male love interest) tells them they’re worth it. And these books hit the mainstream because they’re incredibly bland and picture perfect white.

With Annabeth it’s different. She shows up for the job and is done with it. (Brie Larson would probably be the perfect in real life version of her. You either like or dislike her. Or you really don’t care). That is what is so refreshing about her. Her unapologetic nature. Can it be off-putting? Yes. Is it annoying? Yes! Hell, every time I read The Lightning Thief, I want to rip her goddamn head off. And it’s just so well written. Her shift from mistrusting Percy but secretly still believing in him to her opening up. Wow, Riordan did something right there.

Annabeth Chase isn’t a young character. She has existed along with PJO for 15 years. She’s on her way to the second decade. I’m pretty sure that with the success of Percy Jackson (and Harry Potter) many lives have been warped and shaped.

But when I say the problem lies mostly in the fandom, it doesn’t mean that Riordan’s completely innocent. The only problem that I have with Annabeth lies not truly with her but the fact that Riordan is only able to produce three variations of female characters:

The sweetheart (Hazel, Silena, Calypso, Hestia)

The strong feminist (Annabeth, Piper, Thalia, Reyna, Artemis)

The bitch (Drew, nearly every female goddess in the goddamn Riordanverse next to every female monster)

And these female characters only know three endings:

End up married with a mortgage, three kids, two dogs and a cat somewhere in Connecticut by the age of twelve

Get dumped into the hunt

Chill on Mount Olympus and only come down to be a nuisance and/or give a cryptic message before going back and doing a godly rave party or something

We know Annabeth as the badass strong female first (or the bitchy character we’re supposed to actually like. Choose your approach), the blueprint so to speak, so some of the other characters feel almost pale in comparison and almost not needed? Doesn’t mean that other characters can’t behave similarly, but it feels kind of redundant especially if their character arcs end in a rather anticlimactic way (Thalia, Reyna). The new additions are the much needed woc as the main story with PJO was inherently white (anyway stan black!Percy and Grover, folks). So it’s not to bash on the new characters, it’s more Riordan’s fault more than anything.

Since Riordan only knows three female character arcs it feels like he tried to copy the formula several ways with different nuances. Some more or less successful. This is where fandom actually comes in handy and helps create more distinguished and fleshed out characters in form of headcanons or fanfiction.

But even in these cases people still make it about Annabeth when it’s time for characters of colors to shine. Remember that whole spiel and discussion that broke out when people (Kal, diver-up, Caitlyn, Bee, reynaisalesbian, etc.) joked about or criticized that Annabeth thinks that she’s having it harder because she’s a blonde? In front of Hazel and Piper? If she would’ve been a real person that’s an invitation for getting decked. And then all hell broke loose because Annabeth stans couldn’t accept the fact that in the real world and/or in fictional worlds the woc/coc have it harder? That the white woman wasn’t the victim that needed the coddling? Yeah, that was mad pathetic.

I hope you people get my point?

Well fuck. I wrote so many things and have the feeling I’ve said nothing. Anyway, I hope I made sense. This is way too long.

TLDR: Chill about Annabeth please. She’s an important character but that doesn’t mean that everyone has to like her, regardless of being a character in the books or a reader/fan of PJO in real life. She isn’t nice or a sweetheart all the time. She also isn’t the monstrous asshole that some try to make out of her.

Peace out.

[trans-mando]

do you want to read an ATLA fic with any of the following attributes?

Trans Zuko written by a trans author

Gay Zuko

HoH Zuko written by an author who is probably also HoH idk i’ve never been to an audiologist all i know is i can’t fuckin understand people when they talk and i’ve got that tinnitus thing going on. I was going to go but now there’s, like, a fuckin pandemic so nah.

He uses sign language as his preferred form of communication

Zuko joining the Gaang early

100% oxford comma and correct dialogue tag punctuation guarantee or your money back

A fic that cannot be abandoned because it has all been written in advance

Culture shock

Found family

Touch-starved Zuko

Gratuitous use of firebenders as a heat source (read: cuddle piles)

Bending & fighting written by a martial artist im just a purple belt but shhhh i know some things okay

The world-saving power of queer friendships

The Zuko-Mai Gay-Lesbian Solidarity Alliance

if so, you should consider reading Firebird Rising, which is my fic that I wrote including all of these things!!

rated T for swearing, war, et cetera, slightly-more-than-canon-typical violence, the actual tags and notes will tell you everything you need to know, 122k in total (4k posted as of 7/21)

catch it on ao3 here, my handle’s ninjalanternshark

(reblogs much appreciated!)

[dauntlessdiva]

3,4 and 12 for the fanfic ask game?

3. What are your most used/most popular additional tags on Ao3? (You can find them under the filters on your works/bookmarks.)

I haven't checked yet, but I bet it's #swearing, because I'm used to dropping f-bombs in casual conversation and I can never seem to catch it when it slips into my fics so I started to tag them just in case, but then I stopped because I honestly don't give a fuck if someone is offended by my swearing. There's far worse words I could choose to say.

I checked! It's swearing. I got to 7 and then promptly gave up on tagging it.

4. What is your comfort trope?

I answered this question more in depth in my previous ask, but it's friends/enemies/rivals to lovers. I am a sucker for character development and personal growth.

12. Which fic are you the most proud of and why?

I always become obsessed with whatever fic I've most recently posted because it's fresh in my mind. But honestly I think I'm most proud of Screaming Silence, and not because it's my biggest and most popular Kingsman fic.

Screaming Silence is so much fun for me to write, because I get to tell people about all this information I have about deaf/hoh people and the deaf community and how deaf and hard of hearing people communicate. I grew up with a best friend who's mom is deaf, and I remember watching cartoons with captions on the tv, I remember having to almost yell while playing with barbies because her mom was cleaning the house and had decided to listen to music while doing so (and yes, the music was far louder than the vacuum).

But I also love it because I've learned a lot about myself while writing it. I've poured a lot of myself into this fic and had some revelations about myself and my life through brain storming plot points.

It's helped me figure out my own issues. It helped me realize that I should ask for help when I'm in pain, or at the very least find ways to help myself reduce my pain. I've learned that you can't let your impostor syndrome drive you to push yourself in order to prove that you really are worthy of saying you have a disability.

Screaming Silence is a labour of love. It's an homage to my childhood, and an homage to me as I am today. And I love seeing it resonate with so many people.

[writers-stand-united]

How to Title Your Stories (Fanfics or Otherwise)

I've noticed that many of y'all on AO3 and FFN seem to suck at making titles for fanfics. I've seen… some very unoriginal schist. It ranges from directly plomping your ship focus into the title, the summary of the fic in the title (e.g. XXX goes to/at Hogwarts, something along the lines of Reading the Books), to something that makes your plot twists super blatant (any child of Artemis fic, I am calling you out here, hell, I'm even calling out Rick himself for originally titling TLT “Son of the Sea God” or something along those lines). Also, crossover fics should not be titled in a not-so-subtle way like with the word “collide” or a title containing elements from both worlds, e.g. wands for HP.

Yes, I know, some of my own titles aren't necessarily the best either, cases in point, Children of War, Bauhinia, Globe and Trolling the Racists, Escape the Night Hunger Games, etc.

I know that straightforward titles can get people's attention, but at the same time, it's not necessarily the best unless it has a non-fiction element, like my Personal Analyses series, which mostly analyzes the Trope usage, psychology, plot holes in canon and how to patch them up, AU scenarios, etc.

Here's a few ideas on how to title your fics:

Song titles or lyrics, or a play on them - they're one of my favourite types, and something I utilize personally - e.g. Partners in Crime (PJO), Into the Night (ETN), The Hanging Tree (PJO), There, Right There! (APH), The Flower of Freedom (APH), etc.

A memorable phrase/theme/quote in the fic, or a play on it - e.g. The Demigods Agreed (PJO/HP), Everybody's Darling (THG), The Thirty Day Roomates (APH), Fate Withstands (PJO), The Ghosts of Millennia (PJO/HP), Do You Have a Time Machine? (APH/BTTF), The Europenor Party (APH), Every Generation (APH), Just Friends (APH), etc.

One-word titles that encompass the point of the fic - e.g. Remembrance (PJO), Instinct (APH), Sassgods (PJO), Claustrophobic (PJO), Approval (PJO), Family (PJO), Fluffernutter (APH), Scars (PJO)

Subtle symbolism as opposed to direct, foreign language usage included (the symbolism can be explained in the summary) - e.g. The End (APH), The Rainbow (APH)

(Common) phrases, sometimes with a twist - e.g. Mutually Attractive Devotion (APH, based on Mutually Assured Destruction and the ship name derived from it, Mutually Assured Devotion)

A place/time/setting/aim/character/item, especially one important to the plot - e.g. Sol Invictus (PJO), Atlantis (APH, actually a bit of an Atlantis: The Lost Empire crossover), Zero (PJO/APH, refers to ground zero), Laika (Zootopia), The Other Champion (HP), Dash Cam (APH), Roaring Twenties (APH)

A mix of the above - e.g. Flawed Heroes (PJO), Daisy Chains (APH), Arriverderci (PJO), Rainbows and Gumdrops (APH)

Sometimes, a short, sweet, straightforward title IS good, but it's best for one-shots and short fics. The Mockingjay Patronus (HP/THG) is a good title for the fic I read - a short one-shot - but not very good if the fic had been a long novel-length work.

Also, don't forget to title your chapters! It makes the reader be able to easily recognize their favourite chapters on sight. For example, one particularly memorable chapter from The Ghosts of Millennia is Chapter 23, That Awkward Moment When You Almost Call Your Boyfriend a Fascist. It's long, sure, but it's funny and memorable. Kudos to the author of that fic, that chapter is the one I always go back to. And for a “real world” example, no one knows which chapter I'm talking about when referring to HoO chapter titles by their chapter titles - I usually have to point out what happened for them to know, e.g. the Cupid Incident (i.e. HoH Chapter 36). This is why I started the HoO Chapter Title Project in the first place.

Conclusion of the post? I read too many fanfics and ramble too much for my own good. Also, use better titles.

[winterhawkwonderland]

Hello, fandom! Sorry that it’s taken a while, but here it is: our 2019 Winterhawk Wonderland wrap-up post! That’s right, here are all of the works from the AO3 collection, shared here on Tumblr for us all to read and enjoy. They’re listed simply in alphabetical order by title, so that you can find your favorites on this post easily. Feel free to reblog as necessary!

Please note -- I'm not perfect, and AO3 isn't perfect, so if you ee an error or - OMG - if I somehow went past you, please @sevdrag and I will fix the post as soon as I can!

PLEASE NOTE that cuts don't necessarily work on tumblr mobile like they do on a PC and I'm having trouble formatting this bad boy anyway. I'm mad sorry if this causes trouble to you -- tumblr is what it is.

Marvel 616/Cyberpunk AU.

--- All I Want for Christmas… (6604 words) by FadedSepia Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel (Comics), Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes & Clint Barton, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Simone (Hawkeye) Additional Tags: Christmas Fluff, Christmas Decorations, Christmas Cookies, Christmas Carols, Sweet Seasonal Stalker, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Human Disaster Clint Barton, Airvent Bucky Barnes, Bucky loves Christmas, Going Overboard, Seasonal Stalkers, Cookies Implying Background Fratt, How the Bake Friends and Gingerbread People, Nai's Right - It Probably Was Simone, So Damn Much Gingerbread, I Made Myself Hungry Writing This Series: Part 7 of Clint Barton Bingo Lines Summary:

Summary: Clint Barton is many things: Spy, Avenger, Landlord. Guy who enjoys Christmas isn’t one he counts among his list of titles. Nor, until recently, was guy who has a seasonal stalker. But now someone is heaping holiday cheer all over him, and Clint’s not sure what he’s going to do about it.

A cutesy-wootsy Christmas fic for Nana_Evans for WinterHawk Wonderland 2019.

--- And They Were Roommates (Oh My God They Were Roommates) (2015 words) by spookyleo Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel) Additional Tags: discussion of trauma, PTSD, Morning Cuddles, Music in the Evening, baby photos, Deaf Clint Barton, Canon Disabled Character, Disabled Bucky Barnes, Alcohol, POV First Person, Dancing, Trans Steve Rogers, Bi Clint Barton, Gay Bucky Barnes, Fluff Summary:

In the morning, I will wake up and stretch and gaze at the lids of his eyes, watch his lashes flutter open and smile. I will kiss the freckles on his belly and lay my head there and feel the way his diaphragm moves when he speaks, the way the low tone of his voice vibrates soundlessly through my broken ear drums. I will not have to read his lips, because I know that he will be confessing his love again through three simple words. Good Morning, Clint.

--- Baby, It's Cold Outside (The Solar System) (4265 words) by flawedamythyst Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Additional Tags: Sharing Body Heat, Clint is a dumbass, Aliens, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Motherhen Bucky, Diplomacy, Babelfish Thor Summary:

Bucky didn't realise how dumb Clint could be until he didn't bother wearing a coat on a visit to a frozen iceplanet.

He also didn't realise how important it was to him to try and keep the moron from freezing his ass off. Well, it was a nice ass, after all.

--- Baths and Bubbles and Boys, oh my! - An Artwork (0 words) by Lasenby_Heathcote Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton Additional Tags: Art Summary:

Bucky and Clint relax in a bubble bath together.

--- Behind Blue Eyes (5272 words) by pherryt Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Winterhawk Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes, Mentioned others Additional Tags: deaf!Clint, touch starved, Soulmates, Music, cuddle piles, Nightmares, soft touches, Angst and Fluff, tower fic, post winter soldier, Canon Divergent, Found Family, Guitar, Clint singing Summary:

Bucky thought when he gave in to Steve's pleading to leave Wakanda and live in Avengers Tower, the immense loneliness he felt would recede, but it only got stronger.

--- bone-fide winter (3836 words) by VerdantMoth Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James “Bucky” Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes Additional Tags: Winter, Christmas, Christmas Decorations, Post-Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Alternate Universe, puppy, DIY, Christmas Decorations, Katie-Dog - Freeform, clint gets a dog, Happy Ending, Found Family, Questionable Things Used as Decoration, Bucky Barnes Feels, Deaf Clint Barton, HOH Clint Barton, Established Relationship --- catapult around the sun (1589 words) by halfwheeze Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff/Natasha Romanov, Loki/Victor von Doom Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Marvel Comics Ensemble Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Wings, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Doombots Summary:

Clint Barton has been binding his wings for his entire life. Maybe he shouldn't have done that.

--- Catching a Hawk (3807 words) by NekoTiara Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Maria Hill Additional Tags: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Gift Fic, Gift Exchange, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Clint is not an avenger, Criminal!Clint Barton, that should be a tag, Fluff, I don't know what I'm doing, I'm Sorry, Boys Kissing, secret friends, Assassin Clint Barton, Team as Family, Or I tried at least Summary:

Bucky received a package. Then a mission. He caught the hawk even if he lost him again. Though it wasn't a lost.

--- Christmas in Colour (12250 words) by mariana_oconnor Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, Background Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Background Maria Hill/Natasha Romanov Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Maria Hill, Pietro Maximoff, Wanda Maximoff Additional Tags: Christmas, Christmas Lights, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmates see in colour, Fluff, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Christmas Fluff, unsafe christmas antics, don't ask me where Clint's arrows go, the answer is probably into a plothole, Steve is overcompetitive, So is Clint Summary:

With his parents having Christmas on the west coast to meet Becca's new soulmate, Bucky's looking forward to spending the holiday season with Steve and Peggy - at least no one's going to be telling him how sad it is he hasn't found his own soulmate yet. He's not expecting to become embroiled in The War of the Christmas Lights. Nor is he expecting to get the best Christmas present ever.

--- Don't Want A Lot For Christmas (2600 words) by Nny Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Additional Tags: Mistletoe, Sharing Clothes, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Christmas, unrepentant sap Summary:

“I figured you should have nice things for Christmas,” Bucky said, and Clint had to look away from the expression on his face when he spoke again. “It’s the time everyone’s supposed to get what they want, right?”

--- Everything I Brew, I Brew it for You (4459 words) by Kangofu_CB Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Steve Rogers, Pepper Potts, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Tony Stark Additional Tags: Gift Fic, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Nurse Bucky Barnes, Barista Clint Barton, Meet-Cute, Coffee Puns Summary:

It’s Christmas in the hospital, and Bucky’s going to need a lot of coffee to make it through.

Luckily, there’s a hot barista who knows exactly what he needs working at the coffee shop downstairs.

--- everything i wanted. (1619 words) by romanoffrights Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes, Natasha Romanov (Marvel) Additional Tags: this is so bad im sorry, Winterhawk Wonderland Gift Exchange, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Undercover as a Couple, Light Angst, it's barely there, Protective Bucky Barnes, Jealous Bucky Barnes, Oblivious Clint Barton, Deaf Clint Barton, Pet Names, Idiots in Love, Misunderstandings, Minor Sharon Carter/Natasha Romanov, POV Clint Barton Summary:

clint doesn't know when they stopped pretending, when this whole dating thing stopped being fake. all he knows is he doesn't care, as long as it means bucky will keep on kissing him like this.

--- Fifth Time's A Charm (5225 words) by ElloPoppet Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Marvel Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Other Avengers, Other Marvel Characters Additional Tags: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hate Sex, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Shower Sex, Mistletoe, Developing Relationship, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, Comfort, Bottom Bucky Barnes, Top Clint Barton, A lot of sex, but also a lot of feelings, Kissing, Slow Romance Summary:

The first time they tumbled into bed together, it was less of a tumble and more a matter of Bucky pushing Clint against the nearest surface (which also wasn’t a bed and was actually more of a wall, but that’s neither here nor there).

OR

A peek into how Bucky and Clint go from hating each other to, well...not.

--- Finally Safe (5023 words) by LoonyLoopyLisa Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Steve Rogers Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Not Canon Compliant, body switch, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, Assassin Clint Barton Summary:

Clint woke with a start, looking at the unfamiliar room around him. Had he been kidnapped again? The last thing he remembered was going to sleep in a safe house in New York, so why was he waking up in what looked like a bunker?

He stood to check the door but something felt off with his balance, like he was listing to the left. Man, he really needed some coffee. It wasn’t until Clint approached the door, reaching for it with his--what the fuck, is that metal?--hand that he understood what was happening.

It must be his 21st birthday.

Shit.

***

Everyone wakes up on their 21st birthday in the body of their soulmate.

--- Finding you, between Christmas and Grinch by VerdantMoth Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Alpine the Cat, Lucky (Hawkeye) Additional Tags: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Getting Together, lucky the matchmaker, Alpine the Cat, Pet Store Summary:

Bucky sighs, hot air coasting over his fingers, condensing on the metal before turning to ice. He pauses, trying to find the coffee shop he’s been to all of once, before a water stained sign catches his eye. Bucky grips the paper, nose wrinkling at the grime on it.

Merry Catmas, Happy Pawnika!

Looking for a last minute gift that’ll keep on giving?

Bucky snorts, because the puns are horrible. And borderline offensive.

--- a glorified babysitting job (paid for by shield) (3342 words) by capomerica Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Original Male Character(s) Additional Tags: Fluff, Slow Burn, Romance, SHIELD, SHIELD Husbands, accidental dads, Accidental Relationship, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Fluff and Humor, Bisexual Clint Barton, Human Disaster Clint Barton, bisexual disaster clint barton, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Protective Bucky Barnes Summary:

Clint Barton was no newbie to the circus, but what S.H.I.E.L.D was putting him through was exactly that.

Here he was, in the middle of God knows where, in a safehouse with the hottest assassin he had ever seen (not counting Natasha), and a literal child.

A simple hostage rescue with Natasha had spiraled into an all out protection program with the ex-winter soldier, although Clint wasn't sure why.

--- Gotta Have Some Hot Stuff, Gotta Have Some Love Tonight (5968 words) by OriginalCeenote Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Captain America - All Media Types, Hawkeye (Comics) Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, former Steve Rogers/James "Bucky" Barnes, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov, Sam Wilson Additional Tags: winterhawk - Freeform, Firefighter Clint Barton, Firefighter Natasha Romanov, Paramedic Bucky Barnes, paramedic steve rogers, Surgical Technician Sam Wilson, Lucky the pizza dog - Freeform, Winterhawk Wonderland AU, Gift Exchange, Gift for Hawksonfire, Fluff, moderate smut, Pining, Meet-Cute, We keep meeting at the same rescue calls because of our jobs, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Matchmaker Natasha, Tall Clint Barton, dunk tank Summary:

“We’ve got another call, Barton.”

“Huh?”

“Get back in the rig. Stop staring at Barnes’ ass.” Nat’s voice sounded more amused than impatient, and Clint realized that he was staring. Wasn’t his damned fault that Barnes was wearing those khaki Dickies pants, was it?

--- i don't have a choice (but i still choose you) (8809 words) by 1000_directions Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton Additional Tags: Kissing, Soulmates, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Demisexual Bucky Barnes Summary:

For some people, finding a soulmate is the only goal, the only path forward. They need it, and Bucky just...doesn’t. He supposes it would be nice to have someone like that, but he doesn’t crave it like some people do. It doesn’t define him. He has a job that he likes well enough, and he has a great apartment, and he loves his family and his friends, and he has Clint, the best thing in his life since coming home from Afghanistan. It would be selfish to want anything more. He appreciates what he has, and he isn’t going to pretend that he’s incomplete just because no one’s ever blown his mind with a kiss.

--- I Would Pull Apart Time for You (2304 words) by kjdradcliffe Chapters: 2/3 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes Additional Tags: Time Travel, supervillians are the worst, Secret Relationship, Poor Bucky, Poor Clint Summary:

Clint can't figure out what Bucky's problem is him. After taking a shot meant for Bucky, Clint finds out it's more of Past Bucky has an issue with Future Him. It's all confusing and he knows he'll get blamed for breaking the time space continuum .

Written for endof_theline for the Winterhawk Wonderland Exchange. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for the wonderful prompts!

--- Icebound (29706 words) by FadedSepia Chapters: 3/3 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: Mature Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, Clint Barton & Kate Bishop, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton & Peter Parker Characters: Clint Barton, Barney Barton, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Kate Bishop, Phil Coulson, Logan (X-Men), Peter Parker, Richard Parker, Mary Parker, Wanda Maximoff, Pietro Maximoff, James "Bucky" Barnes, Wade Wilson, Shuri (Marvel), Alpine the Cat (Marvel) Additional Tags: modern fairytale, circus AU, Manic Pixie Dream Boy, Fairytale ending, Minor Character Death, Death By Freezing, death by car crash, History of Physical Abuse, Unhealthy Relationships, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Magic, Graphic Description of Corpses, Blood in the Snow, Pining, Miscommunication, on the road, Sorry Not Sorry, Old World Fae Shit, Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Childhood Friends, Romantic Horror, Fairy Tale Style, Dark Fairy Tale Elements, Longer Than My Dissertation, Found Family, chosen family Series: Part 2 of WinterHawk Bingo Summary:

Clint has never been alone, not really. He’s always had his friends – his family – at least for a time, but never a particularly long one. He keeps wishing somebody – anybody! – would stay, just once. Just once.

Bucky might not be able to stay – not always – but at least he seems willing to come back.

A modern winter fairytale, written for Dr. Girlfriend for WinterHawk Wonderland 2019.

--- Kiss-Proof (2116 words) by Narcotic_Dollie Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton Additional Tags: Boys is Makeup, Bucky Barnes in Lipstick, First Kiss, Bucky Barnes is a thirst trap, fight me, Highlighter Palette Hawkeye Merch, It's as ridiculous as it sounds Summary:

"Barton." Bucky doesn't let go of Clint. Mostly because he doesn't trust him to keep his hands to himself. Mostly. "You're gonna have to use your words, pal. Why're you hell bent on gettin' me out of my clothes all of a sudden?"

Clint frowns. "What? No, you can keep your clothes on. Unless you want to lose them, because hey, I'm not gonna say no to that. Have you seen your thighs? 'Cause I've seen them in skinny jeans and I'd sure like to see them without--,"

"Clint," Bucky says, and if it comes out as a laugh, well, he can't help it. The guy's funny. "Why do you want to see my abs?"

"Oh." Clint brightens, lips quirking at an uneven slope and huh, would you look at that, Hawkeye's kinda cute. Y'know, when he's not being a huge pest. "Katie-Kate needs help with her highlighter palette. We're doing a thirst trap guerilla marketing campaign."

----

Or the one where Clint needs help and Bucky has the abs for the job.

--- Let It Go (4492 words) by Flowerparrish Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Hawkeye (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers Additional Tags: Frozen AU, Clint Barton POV, Angst with a Happy Ending, Steve is a Reindeer, the trolls are a weirdly big part of this Summary:

Clint’s halfway done scaling his way down the side of the palace wall by the time he bothers to wonder what the fuck he’s doing.

AKA

A Frozen au

--- let's meet one more time (1010 words) by avengersincamphalfbloodstardis Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Additional Tags: Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Soulmates, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, Meet-Cute, Light Angst, Holiday Fic Exchange Summary:

It's difficult to meet someone for the first time when you aren't really you.

--- The Mind Killer (3898 words) by USSFriendship Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Sam Wilson (Marvel) Additional Tags: Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Light Angst, Litany against fear, Happy Ending Summary:

Soulmates exist, but are very, very rare. Bucky is one of the lucky few, though he is convinced his soulmate must be long gone. Then he meets Clint Barton.

--- More Than a Sims Family (5260 words) by allyouneedissleep Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hawkeye (Comics), Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers Additional Tags: Millennial Bucky, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Getting Together, Misunderstandings Summary:

In hindsight, Bucky probably shouldn’t have made a fucking wedding registry at work for a multitude of reasons. One, everyone there was a nosy little shit and would somehow find out what he was doing. Two, this would then start a rumor that he was getting married. Three, people would be offended they weren’t invited to said wedding. Four, the guy he actually had a crush on and started his whole dream family with on the Sims worked at the cubicle next to his. Five, well he was doing it anyways.

--- Most wonderful time of the year (1294 words) by Nana_Evans Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Background & Cameo Characters, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Bobbi Morse, Melinda May Additional Tags: Cold Weather, Stranded, Huddling For Warmth, Fluff, Established Relationship, No angst at all Summary:

Clint really liked Christmas. He really did. But why, oh why, did it have to be so cold during it?

--- A Murmur in the Trees (7006 words) by dr_girlfriend Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Captain America (Movies), Marvel (Comics) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson (Marvel) Additional Tags: Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, Deaf Clint Barton, Deaf Character, Recovery, Mind Control Aftermath & Recovery, Brief Mention of Suicidal Intent, Soulmates, Soulbonds Summary:

The target follows the same route every day and the Asset stopped following him on it after the first three days.

Now he waits here, comfortably ensconced in a tree with a clear line of sight into the apartment’s living room.

Steve Rogers peers down at his tablet as the television plays in the background. The show appears to be somewhat puzzlingly about dogs who are also police officers, and the Asset finds himself drawn into the plot against his will. He frowns at the screen as one of them is injured stopping a bank robbery.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a flesh wound,” a voice says, startlingly close.

--- Nock Nock (1659 words) by the_problem_with_stardust Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Steve Rogers, Maria Hill Additional Tags: Team as Family, Bad Puns, Puns & Word Play, Spies & Secret Agents, Alternate Universe, Deaf Clint Barton, BAMF Clint Barton, Bucky Barnes Feels, Avengers Family, Archery, Ceiling Vent Clint Barton, Lucky the pizza dog - Freeform, Don’t copy to another site Summary:

Bucky Barnes, formerly known as the Winter Soldier, is just trying to fit in as an agent of SHIELD. Too bad Agent Barton, codenamed Hawkeye, seems to have made it his personal mission to keep Bucky distracted.

--- noticeable (1176 words) by hawksonfire Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov (Marvel) Additional Tags: Winterhawk Wonderland Gift Exchange, Fluff, Humor, competent clint barton, Soft Boys Summary:

In which Clint notices Bucky. A lot.

--- Nowhere You Can Be (26754 words) by jstabe Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, Minor or Background Relationship(s) Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers, Background & Cameo Characters Additional Tags: Bucky Barnes Recovering, Amputee Bucky Barnes, Deaf Clint Barton, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, References to Depression, Happy Ending, Alternate Universe - No Powers Summary:

Sometimes fate gets a little help from FedEx.

--- Okay, this doesn't look so bad [art] (0 words) by GWH Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes Additional Tags: Digital Art, And they were soulmates, Omg they were soulmates, Winterhawk Wonderland Gift Exchange Summary:

Aw, fanart, no!

--- The Past is our Present (3651 words) by hawkguyandthewinterdude Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Marvel 616, Marvel Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, Steve Rogers/Phil Coulson (mentioned), James "Bucky" Barnes & Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Lucky (Hawkeye), Barney Barton Additional Tags: Circus Performer Clint Barton, Insecurity, Idiots in Love, Christmas, Meeting the Parents, kind of, Flashbacks, Cliffhangers, Winterhawkwonderland Series: Part 1 of Meeting the Barnes family Summary:

Clint and Bucky knew each other since they were kids, but life kept pulling them apart. After finally finding each other again a couple of years ago, they get ready to visit Bucky's family for the holidays.

--- Phases of the Moon (9600 words) by Teeelsie Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes, The rest of the Avengers make an appearance Additional Tags: Soul Bond, Secret relationship (of a sort), Some angst, Clint Barton Needs a Hug, fraction!hawkeye, my attempt at it anyway, winterhawk - Freeform Summary:

It’s Clint’s 8th soul mark Flare and, to be honest, he’s kinda done with the whole thing. That’s what he tries to tell himself anyway. He might actually be able to convince himself it's true, if this time he didn't have Bucky Barnes' red star over his heart.

--- Poppies & Pearls (2933 words) by shatteredhourglass Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel, Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Amora (Marvel) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Modern Bucky Barnes, Avenger Clint Barton, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Inadvisable Magical Contracts, POV Bucky Barnes, Bucky Barnes Feels, Fae Magic, Flirting, Canon Disabled Character Summary:

The woman leans over the counter and this close, Bucky can see the slitted pupils. He struggles not to recoil at the thin forked tongue as she parts her green-painted lips to speak. “You look a little… lost, perhaps, coming to my store. Are you lost, my dear boy?”

“I was told you could help me,” Bucky manages to get out.

--- Purple Heart of Leather (2711 words) by HogwartsToAlexandria Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton Additional Tags: Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, Master/Slave, 24/7 D/s Relationship, Suspension Bondage, Fucking Machines, Face-Fucking, Deepthroating, Spanking, Crying, Dacryphilia, Daddy Kink, Collars, Stockings, Crossdressing, Offscreen Flogging, Biting, Spitroasting, Spider-Gags, Spreader Bars, Nipple Piercings, Boot Worship, Leather Daddy Dom Bucky, Assless Leather Pants, Praise Kink, Consensual Name-Calling, Slut-Shaming Kink, Cock Rings, Orgasm Delay, Slapping kink, Dirty Talk, Gagging Kink, Oral Sex, gaping, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Rough Sex, Cum Eating, Pet Names, Aftercare, Safe Sane and Consensual, Winterhawk Wonderland Holiday Exchange Summary:

James Buchanan Barnes did not exactly anticipate the scale to which his relationship with Clint Barton would evolve when he first met him. Now though, he wouldn't want to change it for the world. They complement each other in their every needs, push each other into giving the other exactly what they want, exactly what they crave. Being Clint's Master is all he's ever wanted, and if he trusts the way Clint is looking at him through glazed eyes right now, Clint isn't wishing he was anywhere else either.

A scene.

--- Seven Year Plan (5635 words) by Lissadiane Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov (Marvel) Additional Tags: hostage video, Kidnapping, pre-existing relationship (sort of), Clint Barton's tragic self esteem, Graphic Violence, Lots of Murdering, Is it murder if they're bad guys?, Temporary Blindness, assholes in love, Winterhawk Wonderland Gift Exchange Summary:

In Bucky’s day, he wouldn’t have bothered to film an interrogation. Hell, in Bucky’s day, he wouldn’t have had the tech for filming, let alone live streaming.

And he certainly wouldn’t have been ballsy enough to do it unless he was damn sure he’d pull it off. These assholes, the ones who took Clint, they’ve got no idea what they’re in for, but Clint’s been profiting off other people underestimating him since he was a kid.

And Bucky’s lookin’ forward to seeing Clint show these assholes what he can do.

--- Since We've No Place To Go (1681 words) by Nny Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Steve Rogers Additional Tags: Snowed In, Road Trips, Fluff Summary:

“Sorry you’re stuck with me,” Clint said, “but if Christmases past are any indication Tony’s gonna make sure to make up for it.”

--- Stardust (5977 words) by ClaraxBarton Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov/Sam Wilson Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Rebecca Barnes Proctor, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Wanda Maximoff, Scott Lang Additional Tags: winterhawk - Freeform, Past Bucky Barnes/Natasha Romanov, Past Bucky Barnes/Sam Wilson, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Soulmates, sex worker!Clint, camboy Clint, Disaster Boys, blind dates, Hand Jobs, Anal Sex, Twink Clint, safe sex Summary:

Soul Meet claims they can find your soul mate and give you happily ever after. That hasn't been Bucky's experience so far.

--- Starve a fever, feed a cold (2693 words) by Mado Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Hawkeye (Comics), Winter Soldier (Comics) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton Additional Tags: Winterhawk Wonderland Gift Exchange Summary:

Clint's sick. Bucky's mother hen instincts kick in.

--- A Stupid Idea (3633 words) by GeekTriangle Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Hawkeye (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes, The Avengers - Character Additional Tags: Winterhawk Wonderland Gift Exchange, Sharing Clothes, (but actually clothes stealing), Oblivious Clint Barton, Deaf Clint Barton, Bucky Barnes doesn't know how to flirt so he does stupid shit instead, Clint responds with doing more stupid shit, Insecure Clint Barton Summary:

‘That’s my hoodie.’ he said.

Idly Natasha looked up from her phone.

‘Oh, now you notice.’

‘I- what?’

‘Clint, he has been breaking into your room and stealing clothes for what must be weeks now. That you still have clothes left is honestly a miracle.'

--- Summer Fruit (2502 words) by onecent Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov (Marvel) Additional Tags: Fluff, Small Towns, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Meet-Cute --- Tender Gravity (8942 words) by weepingnaiad Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Marvel (Comics) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes, Simone (Hawkeye), Lucky (Hawkeye), Original Characters Additional Tags: POV Clint Barton, Roadtrip, Schmoop, Fluff, Acts of Kindness, Declarations Of Love, Injured Clint Barton, Established Relationship Series: Part 2 of Post Endgame Summary:

It's the first Christmas Clint's looked forward to in years, so of course Laura and the kids come down with the flu and Barney's ill-equipped to handle the farm, let alone play nursemaid as well. Clint might have been looking forward to a quiet holiday, just him and Bucky, but he's not going to leave the kids or Laura to Barney's ineptitude. Well, that's the plan anyway.

--- This Old Routine (1892 words) by Kidd_you_not Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom, Hawkeye (Comics) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes, Nick Fury, Sam Wilson (Marvel), mentions of other characters Additional Tags: Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, winterhawk wonderland gift exchange 2019, brief misunderstanding, it was hilarious in my head, people try to use unique greetings when meeting for the first time Summary:

Clint used to have fun looking for his soulmate, now not so much anymore. Figures that he'd find the one by putting his foot in it anyway.

--- when the truth hunts you down (10513 words) by rainbowshoes Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Stephen Strange Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Pining, Mutual Pining, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst, Hopeful Ending, implied happy ending, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Good Intentions Summary:

for the WinterhawkWonderland2019 exchange

my prompt was:

Bucky is Clint's soulmate. Clint isn't Bucky's... Or is he?

--- Winter hawk gift exchange (1246 words) by Coal_burningbright Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov (Marvel) Additional Tags: High School AU Summary:

Clint Barton is just that weird foster kid who spends too much time by himself. Bucky is a dramatic gay kid who does theatre and is friends with a while group. When Clint and Bucky bond they fall in love. This sucks and I procrastinated way to much but, yeah.

--- Worth the Wait (3785 words) by Nny Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov (Marvel) Additional Tags: School Reunion, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Enemies to Lovers, Exes, Alternate Universe - High School Summary:

The first time Bucky ever saw Clint Barton, he thought he was an asshole. Apparently that wasn't enough to keep him safe.

Clint and Bucky met in high school. Maybe it's time to try that again.

--- You Understand (Me) (3160 words) by endof_theline Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Captain America (Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: James "Bucky" Barnes, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Wanda Maximoff, Vision (Marvel), Shuri (Marvel) Additional Tags: Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Past Brainwashing, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Trauma, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Recovering Summary:

Bucky is recovering and wanted his space, Clint just wants to make sure... and maybe he also wants to escape from Steve's looks of pity.

--- Your hands on my body (1459 words) by Mor-Mor Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Hawkeye (Comics), Winter Soldier (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton Characters: Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes Additional Tags: Not Canon Compliant, Fluff, Christmas, Protective Bucky Barnes, Deaf Clint Barton, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Clint Barton Needs a Hug, Christmas Presents, Candy Canes, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Feels, Massage Summary:

Clint needs Christmas break, SHIELD ruins it, but Bucky knows how to make it all better.

[smoloof]

Welp I did it

My first contribution to this amazing fandom is a story! I honestly just wrote this out of the blue and after a few days thought, “Screw it might as well post the first chapter!” Me at 3am is a brave soul. Brave, stupid and tired. I also posted this by the same title on ao3 so heck, if you wanna drop by there too or not that is perfectly a-okay~

Alright enough of me rambling about my life and I’ll ramble a bit about the story:

Basically it’s Hosuh being dared to go into an abandoned house on Halloween night by his friends and he accepts the dare (why you ask? Don’t we all make some weird decisions every now and then? This is the same). Of course it’s going to involve ghosts and the supernatural and Hosuh’s going to have a bad time at first but it gets better! I think...I hope. It should. 

This story isn’t going to contain any ships whatsoever (because why write romance when I can write friendship oh hoh) but if you want to scream about ships I’m all ears. And any other types of feedback or screaming is welcome! I’m not going to stop you. Thank you for joining me in this wreck if you choose to do so! Chapter 1 is under the cut which I hope works! 

Next Chapter: Chapter 2

Halloween Night

Chapter 1

    Perhaps he really shouldn’t have taken the dare. It would have been a much better – much safer – choice to say he didn’t want to do it. After all, his friends aren’t monsters. They wouldn’t pressure him into doing anything he doesn’t want to do like any good decent friend. As to why he still agreed to visit the old, slightly dilapidated house at the end of the street is a question that probably has no sane logical explanation.

    Hosuh looks up at the house in question. With the night settling in with dark clouds looming in the sky, it only adds to the unsettling feeling building in his gut. The house itself is made entirely of wood with a few missing planks here and there like the iconic haunted houses seen in movies and children’s stories.

    Despite the sorry state the house is in, no one has ever thought to tear it down. Perhaps whoever owns the property doesn’t want to bring it down…whoever that is. Hosuh bites his lip as he takes his phone out to check the time. 8:04. His friends say if he doesn’t message the group chat that he's out of the house by 9:30 they’ll come check on him. He has great friends.

    Not wanting to drag this on longer than he has to, the silver-haired man pockets his phone and walks up to the doorway. The old doormat with faded letters spelling out “WELCOME” does not make him feel welcomed in the slightest. Hosuh grasps the doorknob and after softly counting down from three he turns the knob. It doesn’t budge. He opens his eyes which he doesn’t remember closing and notices a small circular button for what he presumes to be the doorbell off to the side on the wall. It looks pretty out of place now that he thinks about it. Maybe he should press it? Would the ghosts even care?

    A part of him feels like this is ridiculous as he continues to stare at the doorbell. But after a moment of hesitation, he presses the button. The silence continues on. Of course it wouldn’t work! The power’s been off in this house for years! It probably doesn’t have electricity running to it anymore. This is quite an old house after all…

    For a brief second a feeling of relief washes over him. The door is locked so there’s no way he can get in! Yes there might be windows, but he isn’t interested in breaking and entering any time soon in his career. Even if it is into an abandoned house no one lives in anymore. With that thought in mind he turns around, fully intent on leaving and never coming back for the rest of his life.

    He doesn’t finish taking the first step away when he hears a deafening ‘click’ sound coming from the door behind him. His body tenses and he stops breathing as a single resounding thought screaming, “No!” blares in his mind like an alarm. Hosuh closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in and out before slowly turning around to face the door again. His eyes narrow as he gazes at the doorknob with an accusatory stare.

    “This really has to be some kind of joke.” Hosuh mutters to himself. Maybe his friends are pranking him and are actually in the house coming up with other ways to scare him. He takes a few steps towards the window and tries to peer into the house. Even with the moon providing some light for him to see, he can’t make anything out through the glass. There’s only a screen of pitch black. It wouldn’t be too surprising if the house uses black curtains to prevent anyone from seeing inside he guesses. Although robberies aren’t too common in the neighbourhood, the owner wouldn’t want to take any chances.

    Hosuh goes back to the front door and grasps the doorknob. His fingers must be ice cold for the metal to feel slightly warm in his grasp. A few seconds go by before he decides that it’s now or never and he turns the knob. It twists and he pushes the door open slowly. Surprisingly it doesn’t let out a high pitched creak he was expecting it to.

    The inside of the house looks just as old and broken as the outside. Hosuh looks left and right, up and down. Nothing really seems out of the ordinary he supposes. The room on the left has a short and small circular coffee table being illuminated by the moonlight coming in from the window. What looks like a half-finished board game is set up on top of it along with three cups resting off to the side. He takes a tentative step into the house, hand still gripping the doorknob in case he needs to make a quick getaway.

    He knows it’s probably a stupid idea but at this point the whole trip is a stupid idea and when – if – he comes back from this he’ll make sure his friends will never hear the end of it.

    “H-hello?” He calls out. “Is anyone here?”

    When no one responds Hosuh takes that as a good sign. He’s sure if someone replied he would have booked it then and there. He knows better than to stick around when a disembodied voice starts talking. Then, a particularly strong gust of wind blows through the doorway, sending shivers down his spine and nearly topples him over. Along with the wind an uncomfortable sensation of static running up his hand makes him let go of the doorknob.

    "Whoa!" He cries out as he stumbles farther into the house to prevent himself from face planting onto the ground. And like any other classic horror story, the door slams shut which is then followed by another ‘click’ sound for the lock turning. Everything happened so fast that Hosuh doesn’t register what had happened at first. The only thing that is registering is the sound of his heartbeat in his ears. After a few seconds of him just staring at the door he quickly goes over and tries to turn the lock. It doesn’t budge in the slightest.

    “Of course it’s stuck.” Hosuh hisses as he tries again and again to no avail. He bets when he checks his phone it’ll have no signal so contacting anyone would be impossible as well – just like in every other horror story. He reaches into his pocket to get his phone only to find that it’s not there.

    Another wave of adrenaline rushes through his body as he frantically pats himself down. No phone. He checks the ground around him. No phone. What if it somehow fell out from that gust of wind earlier? While it sounds highly unlikely it might not be impossible. But now his phone is just lying on the ground outside for anyone to pick up. Does anyone walk down this street on Halloween anyway? What if someone steals his phone? It’s going to be a mess if he loses it now of all times!

    Something moves from the corner of his eye, bringing him out of his panicked thoughts. Startled, Hosuh looks over in the direction of the coffee table. His blood turns to ice and it feels like his heart has stopped beating altogether. It shouldn’t be possible. Why is it all the way on the table?

    It’s his phone.

[sonofsallyjackson]

I may fail you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try (Chapter 1/?)

I was having lots of feelings, and I may have translated that into a mountain of pink post-it notes for a very angsty HoH/BoO rewrite. The basic premise is that Percy is left in Tartarus. For my sanity, it’ll be formatted as a collection of little scenes that illustrate how things have changed from the books.  You can read it on AO3 here. 

Chapter 1: Annabeth enters the elevator alone.   Warnings: Survivor’s Guilt, Death, Self-Sacrifice, War

Annabeth always hated that she couldn’t control her crying.  It was hard to get anyone to take you seriously when you could start crying at the drop of a hat. The tears just seemed to sneak out of her at every strong emotion.  For gods’ sake,  she cried when she was twelve and realized no one played fetch with Cerberus, despite the fact the dog had previously tried to kill her.  But she felt fully justified now.

The only thing that kept her strong enough to hold the doors, the literal border between life and death,  shut was that she couldn’t let Percy’s sacrifice be in vain.  She could barely keep herself upright.  Her hair was singed, and her body was completely covered in scratches.  

They had so close to home.  Her foot was wedged in the elevator doors that were a twisted copy of the ones she’d seen roughly once a year since she was eight, the ones she had gone up nearly every day for a month as she redesigned Olympus.  They’d just needed a few more minutes.    

When she first heard Dameson’s voice, Annabeth thanked every god she could imagine even if it was unlikely they could hear her from here in Tartarus.   He was willing to fight an impossible battle, just to keep them safe, to give them a chance to save the world.  Percy left her holding the door open to give Bob a little extra cover as he ran from battle.  The monster army was swarming closer, their momentary shock at the giant’s arrival gone.   Annabeth could only watch helplessly as Percy burst the blood vessels in the ground, showering the nearby monsters in the Underworld’s deadly waters.  

Bob collapsed feet from the elevator’s doors.  His janitor’s uniform outfit hung in tatters and completely soaked through with ichor.  Percy knelt at the Titan’s side, letting Little Bob handle the few monsters closest to them so that he can get his friend’s dying words.

Annabeth couldn’t hear Bob’s whispers, but she could hear Percy.   His voice was almost unnaturally calm.

“No, Bob.  You have nothing to apologize for.  You were the best friend anyone can ask for and the best Titan.”  

The Titan faded into dust, and Percy rose.  He had the look on his face that meant he had already made a decision, and she wouldn’t like it.  “I love you.”

“No. We leave together or not at all.”

“I’m not just going to let you die.”

Her voice was slightly hysterical. “And you think I will? I can’t do this without you.”  They were so close to getting home.  This couldn’t be happening.  They’d only survived long because they had each other.  Because he had risked everything just to stay together.    

He slid the door further open so he could get her inside and carried her across the elevator’s threshold, careful not to jostle the deep gash near her hip or her reinjured ankle.

Annabeth wasn’t sure if she wanted to push him away and escape from his arms so they can take their last stand together in Tartarus, or pull him closer, so he’s forced into the elevator with her, even if it means they won’t make it to the surface.  They’re dead either way.

“You’ve already done this without me.  I was gone for nearly a year.  You kept Camp running and found me. The team needs you.”  

“Percy, no.  You have to come-  We can’t- I can’t”   Her words were a garbled mess, and she hoped he understood her.  She’s desperate for him to realize that this is the worst idea he’s ever had.

Percy squeezed her tightly, before reaching one hand up to pull off his beaded necklace. “You’ll need this more than I do.  Tell my mom I love her.  Tell her how hard I tried to come home.” His voice cracked, and she felt her tears worsen.     

“You promised we’d never be separated.”

“I should have known I would have jinxed it.  You taught me better than that on our first quest.  Thinking in absolutes is just asking for trouble.”  His broken smile let her know he’s trying to make a joke, trying to give her one last happy memory of him even as she leaves him to die.

“I’ll see you in Elysium one day, Annabeth.”  He gave her hand one last squeeze before resolutely holding down the button.

“Percy!” She screamed even as the doors close.

Annabeth couldn’t see him anymore, but she could still hear him, his last shouts barely audible over the roar of battle and shake of the elevator as it began to move.  

“I love you!  Tell the others I’m proud of them!”

Annabeth wasn’t sure if her broken “I love you!” reached him before the panels slid shut.

[spectralarchers]

On the subject of MCU!Clint vs Fraction!Clint...

Avengers: Age of Ultron filmed between February 11th, 2014 and August 6th 2014, and went into post-production after that, for a scheduled May 2015 release. 

This means the script, table reads and more took place late 2013, perhaps early 2014 at the latest.

Matt Fraction's Hawkeye #15 (”Fun & Games) was released on December 26th, 2013 and ended with the Clown stabbing Clint’s ears with the arrows, effectively deafening him to a degree.  

Issues #16, #17 and #18 follow Kate Bishop (David Aja, the main penciller delayed the released of #19, which was supposed to be #16), and the next issue with Clint, Hawkeye #19, where Clint’s deafeness is introduced fully to the comics, was released on July 30th, 2014. 

This means that there was never, at any point in time, a chance that Whedon, Feige, or Alonso - or the executives at Marvel - could have done a u-turn in terms of character development for Clint and introduce his deafness, because it hadn’t been a thing in (modern) popular culture since January 01st, 1998, when the Heroes Reborn retconned his status as HoH (Heroes Reborn: The Return, #4):

(the rest under the cut)

A status which had been forgotten for the sake of plot more or less since 1984.

If we look at the “Deaf Clint Barton” tag on Ao3, we can see that the first fanfiction published containing that tag is from June 2012 - which is right after Marvel’s The Avengers premiered.

If we count the number of fanfictions written up until the release of Hawkeye #19, we find that there were 146 fanfictions published under the Deaf Clint Barton tag, out of 20,611 total fanfictions in the “Clint Barton” tag in the same time-period.

So, right up until Hawkeye #19 came out, less than 1% of all Clint Barton fanfictions on Archive of Our Own had him as deaf, Deaf or HoH.

Here is the graph I made for a paper where I discuss these issues deeper for University but will spare you from here (also, it’s in Danish, so... bit hard for you guys to understand): 

“MCU!Clint isn’t my character!” is a valid thing to say and I would rather have him be any sort of funny, witty and fun character than the 30 minutes’ screentime we’ve gotten in total, but to shit on a character choice (Whedon/Feige picking Ultimates instead of 616) because of a book that came out after the movie had been shot is still something that manages to get my blood boiling.

“MCU!Clint is a skrull because he isn’t deaf, doesn’t have a dog and isn’t in a romantic relationship with Jessica Drew” is another argument, but somehow, it pisses me the hell off.

I love incorporating aspects of the Fraction books into fanfictions, headcanons and gifsets, but whenever I see a post that claims Marvel should have known / should have done better / any other form of variation of that statement, in order to include Clint’s deafness: Clint hadn’t been deaf in Marvel Comics since January 1998, which was one of the last times his deafness had been even mentioned.

Jeremy Renner said back in August 2012 that “in the Avengers, Hawkeye is “not the character [he] signed on to play” (brainwashing, and whatnot). 

So please, step the fuck up and stop being a cry-baby because a piece of fiction didn’t follow your heart’s own wishes.

For further readings on Clint Barton’s status as a Comic Book character, I suggest “Crippled Crusaders: Disability Representation in the Superhero Genre”, a thesis by C.M. Nicol; “Hawkeye’s Magic Ears” by Courtney Bliss and “Not Superhero Accessible: The Temporal Stickiness of Disability in Superhero Comics” by Casey M. Ratto. 

[practicecourts]

20 questions

thanks @charmsandtealeaves & @wearingaberetinparis for the tag. I'm not sure how interesting the answers will be so I'm cutting the post here ;-)

How many works do you have on AO3? 20

2. What's your total A03 words count? 215,620

3. What fandoms do you write for? HP

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

a) Not the Doctor Crazy texting Muggle AU, oneshot, meet-awkward ridiculousness ;-) b) Head Over Handlebars For You Muggle meet ugly, Amsterdam, bicycles, Geese, the WIP that got out of control, only 1 more real chapter and 1 epilogue to go... c) It Was A Clear Black Night, A Clear White Moon - Hogwarts, oneshot roaming outside the castles on a Full Moon. I do love this story a lot myself, so I'm happy to see it here! I like to combine something serious and with something lighter. d) Shall We Shag Now Or Later? Rated M, Not inspired by Austin Powers BUT I did have a great time looking up those ridiculous scenes and dialogues. Classic crazy movie! Order Mission gone wrong, Jily forced to go under cover (wriggles eyebrows) e) When it Tastes so Damn Good another @jilychallenge oneshot, prompt along the lines of melting icecream - let's share... 5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

YES!!! I LOVE comments, incredible to have evidence someone read something I thought up and wrote and then left a comment telling me what it made them feel or just to say they liked it. IT IS AMAZING !! all caps worthy amazing. I do turn of notifications now for those because I became too addicted, so now I try to check once every so often. I do intend to answer all of them.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angtiest ending? My saddest ending is probably Silent Night (it's not Jily but a series of moments in the life of Hope Lupin) There's quite some bits that I've written for it, but I'm not sure if they are coherent as chapters, so there's only 2 currently posted. Angst versus sad, I'd have to say my microfic Jockey has the angstiest ending, but mostly because I know what is going on) and I promise the end of the whole fic (if I ever get to writing it, won't be angsty)

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I love happy endings... I'm hoping to succeed with bringing HOH to a satisfactory happy end. I think I will. Most of my one-shots also have a happy or hopeful ending.

8. Do you get hate on fics? No

9. Do you write smut. If so what kind? Ha, I thought I'd never... but for a writing challenge I wanted to join due to severe FOMO (i'm only human) I did, and I rewrote that into Shall we Shag Now or Later (Idk if anyone wants to know but I literally took almost all the time available thinking of REASONS why my jily would end up in smut pall position and in the end joked I'd just start of with *low voice* "Hey, Evans, we should shag," and take it from there... This turned into M-rated smut (I'm a little foggy on the difference between E and M still) also not sure what constitutes *kinds* of smut, but that 2 shot was more Smut with little plot. By now my wip Jily who really suffered from a lot of sexual unreleased tension finally got some release, so there's some Smut with plot as well, these days (HOHFY)

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? Nope, I don't think I will (unless a certain type of AU would count as a cross over)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope, not that I'm aware of, I'd be appalled and also absolutely flabbergasted if someone would go to the trouble, tbh.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope again, I might translate my own fic in Dutch (although that would be so incredibly weird that I don't actually mean this)

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before? No, but it sounds fun. I am soon adding my 3 line to the express.... there's that ;-)

14. What's your all-time favourite ship? Jily, lames, Limes. 15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Life's a beach and then you dive. I want to rewrite it. I've again not outlined this fic very much, but I've so many plans... Maybe, I should ideally have a time turner to add a few hours to my days. bc I now realise how much work it would need to write it up how I want it to be lol. But there's some very personal stuff in there so who knows. I do like to finish stuff that I've started so... I hope i will, i'm not sure of it.

16. What are your writing strengths? Ok, disclaimer as I'm Dutch I'm very bad at this. BUT ... channeling inner Sirius Black: I'm good at making characters feel realistic, I'm good a little plot twist at the end, at humour (which is of course entirely personal) , I'm good at sneaky throwbacks to canon, I'm relatively good at looking at my own work with a critical eye and improving myself, as well as letting go of things that are * good enough* as they are, as this is * a fun hobby* (anyone want to share what they like about my writing - or what they think I could improve on, tell me in the comments )

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Thinking I'll do more in the time I have... and not outlining, I've tried honestly, but I've not found a way that really works yet, but still I have these huge fic ideas creep up on me, so Ideally I'd like to get way better at following some sort of outline instead of discovering my way through it.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? As I'm not a native English speaker and my fic HOHFY is set partly in Amsterdam there's some Dutch dialogues * i never even bothered to translate them, I'm so sorry. I'm currently also putting some French in my secret finish before posting fic, that will take a while though and it's only tiny bits as it's more the odd word here and there.

19. First fandom you wrote for? I never posted anything for it, but my first fanfic ideas were set in Tortall (Tamora Pierce) who knows, one day I might venture over there.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written? Here Comes The Sun I've recently got a lot of lovely comments on fics that weren't less than a week old (yeah!) and reread this one for Myster May because of it & enjoyed it a lot (idk, I don't do favourites, not really.) But I can see quite a few of my own strengths in this one so I'm putting it up here as a fave.

Tagging if you're not already been asked a million times and feel like doing this, no pressure at all, xx @chierafied @chiechie97 @tiffanytoms @oneofthesirens @suzyq31 @ohmygodshesinsane @jfleamont @uncertainwallflower

[leveragebigbang]

Hello, all! As you can see, we are back for the 2019 Leverage Bang. This time, we’ll be doing a reverse bang, where artists provide art and authors provide fics for said art!

How do I sign up?

The link to the sign-up form will be made available on 5 May, 2019. Authors and artists alike will fill out the same form and just choose the option they want to participate as ー you can also choose to be both if you’d like!

Dates and Deadlines:

5 May - Sign-ups open 12 May - Sign-ups close 15 June - First Check-in (artists only) 29 June - Drafts/Summaries due (artists only) 19 July - Art due 21 July - Claims open 25 July - Claims close 28 September - Second check-in (authors only) 25-26 October - Final drafts/summaries due (authors only) 17-23 November - Posting

Dates/deadlines can also be found here.

Basic Rules:

1. Check-ins are mandatory. If you miss a check-in, you have 48 hours to email the mods, or you will be disqualified.

2. Works cannot be posted before the official posting date. This means they must be new (previously unpublished) works and that they cannot be released early.

3. Any (or no) pairing is acceptable so long as the main focus of the story revolves around canon Leverage characters ー even if the characters aren’t the main 5!

4. Any rating is acceptable as long as you tag appropriately.

5. All appropriate warnings and tags must be used for art and fic summary/draft submissions and the final post.

I want to write more than one bang? I want to participate as both a writer and an artist? What now?

It is up to you to decide how much you can handle. We only ask that you seriously consider what you are committing to and try not to overload yourself.

Oops, I did accidentally overload myself, what now?

We understand that things don’t always go according to plan. If something comes up, please contact the mod ASAP, and we will do everything we can to assist you. We understand that life happens, and we want this to be a fun, successful event for everyone.

Where do I post?

Works can be posted on AO3, tumblr, dreamwidth, or wherever else you like to post. A masterlist of all of the works will be compiled on the bang tumblr. Works posted to AO3 will be gathered there in an AO3 collection, but the AO3 collection will be linked back to the tumblr so that any fics not posted to AO3 can still be found.

Accommodations:

If you require any accommodations, including but not limited to: d/Deaf/HoH and need only visual art, blind and need only audio art, cannot view flashing gifs, or any major triggers not covered by basic archive warnings please contact the mods.

If you have any other questions, concerns, or comments please contact the mods either by email at leveragebigbangjob@gmail.com or via tumblr ask at https://leveragebigbang.tumblr.com or on the Discord here.

Sequels, Crossovers, and AUs?

Are all welcome, however:

Sequels must be able to stand on their own.

Crossovers and AUs must keep the main focus on the Leverage crew.

Keep in mind that some crossovers and AUs may limit the people interested in your work when it comes time for claims.

Check-ins:

Check-ins are mandatory and will be done via email. The mods will send out an email reminder the morning of the scheduled check-in and will follow up within 48 hours if the check-in has not been received. The purpose of check-ins is to ensure that all writers and artists are on track. You do not need to actually show us anything, just give us a little update on how you’re doing, if you have any questions or concerns, or anything else you may want/need to share with the mods ー do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Claims:

Titles, summaries, descriptions, and warnings will be posted through Google Drive. The art will be numbered on Slides to retain anonymity (and to prevent any favouritism leaking through), and authors should choose 5 pieces from the list that they would be okay with writing fic for (with 1 being the first-choice, obviously). Claims will be first come, first serve, and, if by chance none of your picks is available by the time you submit your claims, you will receive an email asking you to find another selection from the works still available. I will try to keep the claims Slides updated as much as possible, but it is only one person this go ‘round, so things might run a little slow. Once claims have closed, you will be put in contact with your new partner, and collaboration will begin!

Betas and Pinch hitters:

If you are interested in offering your services as either a beta or a pitch hitter, please fill out a sign-up form, marking the Other section and inputting whether you want to be a beta and/or pinch hitter! You don’t have to participate in the bang if you only want to be a beta.

Please be sure to check out the FAQ, Rules, and Dates tabs! They’ll have more information about this bang.

As always, if you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact the mods, either through email (leveragebigbangjob@gmail.com) or an ask here on tumblr or through the Discord server (if you’d like the conversation to be anonymous, feel free to just say “Hey, can a mod DM me?” and we will.)

[audliminal]

Hi Deaf, I’m Dad!

So!!! I have an actual fic for you, courtesy of the signing-verse. It’s about Virgil and Patton’s first meeting, but before you read it I really wanna point an (extremely grateful) finger to @all-da-fandoms for bringing up the idea of mute!roman to me in the first place. They’re an extremely awesome person, and if I had had any idea how popular that post was gonna get, I would have made sure to credit them much earlier than this!

And now, without further ado; the fic!

Word count: 1433          (Also on Ao3)

Nothing makes Virgil dread getting up more than the first day of a new school year. A new year means new teachers, and being deaf, that can never be a good thing. First, there are the assholes who decide that his deafness is a personal attack on them and do their damnedest to get in the way of every little accommodation he needs. Worse than that, though, are the teachers who stare at him as if they’re on the verge of crying. Those ones manifest their concern for his supposed wellbeing by inflating his grades on homework and tests, and constantly trying “improve” on his accommodations. Virgil hates both kinds of teachers equally.

His overhead light flashes on and then off again. He blinks and rolls over with a groan. The vibrations feel strange in his throat with no sound to accompany them, so he cuts himself off and stares at the doorway, where his mother is standing. She smiles, waves at him and begins to sign.

Breakfast’s ready when you’re ready. Okay? Virgil frowns and nods in response, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

I’ll be there soon. Virgil signs back, once his hands are free.

Light on? She asks, and at his nod, his mother flips the light switch once more and leaves Virgil to lean over and check his phone. The time blinks back at him, 6:30 am. Far too early to be even thinking about getting up, but alas, he has to leave for school in twenty-five minutes. So, he gets up, grabs a pair of jeans from his floor, and once he’s dressed, he pads into the kitchen, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Good morning. His mother signs, pressing a gentle hand to his shoulder as he walks past her to sit in front of the plate of food she’s left on the table for him. He eats the eggs silently and watches as his mother runs around, getting ready for work. Eventually, she comes back into the kitchen and waves over at him before signing goodbye. Virgil waves back, and then stares down at the rest of his breakfast. He keeps a careful eye on the time as he eats, and as soon as it reads 6:50, he dumps his plate in the sink and goes to get his stuff for school.

Keys in hand, Virgil finally leaves his apartment and heads down the street. Not for the first time, he thinks about how grateful he is that they live so close to the school. It’s a bit of a walk, but at least he doesn’t have to take a bus- that had been the worst kind of hell when he had started mainstream school in eighth grade. Nothing could ever hope to beat that first morning, getting on the bus all high hopes and ready to make friends, only to be surrounded by a bunch of kids who didn’t even notice him, as they all chatted away with voices he couldn’t hear. Virgil had tried turning on his implants, but it had been too loud, and he hadn’t been able to make out any words amidst the chatter. After that, he had quickly given up on the idea of making any friends.

He was still grateful for the transition year- it had definitely taken a long time for Virgil to even begin to get the hang of learning in a mainstream environment, and the year of eighth grade had allowed him the time he needed to figure out (mostly through trial and error) how to keep his grades afloat. Now, three years later, he’s managing fairly well- his grades are far from perfect, but he survives, even when the teachers are especially stupid and act like his deafness isn’t their problem. Virgil arrives at the high school with ten minutes to spare, and he immediately heads for his first-period class. He opens the door, and with a sigh, he slides into a desk at the front of the room to wait.

Five minutes later, he catches movement in the corner of his eye and looks over. A kid he’s never seen before is sitting at the desk next to him, but his head is turned away, to look at another kid who’s sitting nearby, so he can’t tell what the boy is saying. Luckily, a moment later, the other kid starts to talk, and he frowns when he catches the word ‘deaf’ in their lip movements. A moment later, the new boy turns back to him, and Virgil nearly falls out of his chair when the boy starts to sign.

Hello! This kid knows sign language?! Virgil helplessly responds with a half-hearted wave of his own, feeling like the entire world has turned upside-down in a split second.

My name is Patton, the boy signs, practically bouncing in his seat. What’s yours? Virgil quickly fumbles to spell out his own name in response.

Nice to meet you! Patton’s grin gets even wider, as he leans forward in his seat. I can’t believe I got lucky enough to have a class with someone else who knows sign language!

Are you deaf too? Virgil asks, trying to sign through his complete shock. He immediately winces at his phrasing, though, wondering if that came off as rude

No, but my father is. Patton replies. So I use a lot of sign language at home. Virgil nods absently at the response and glances away. Looking down at his arm, he tries to surreptitiously pinch himself. It hurts.Virgil looks back up, and Patton immediately starts signing again.

Where’s your interpreter? Virgil grimaces and shrugs.

Don’t have one. He signs back. I’m pretty good at lip reading, so we didn’t think it was worth it. Besides, I’m not sure all the teachers would let me. Patton frowns at Virgil’s last comment, but he doesn’t argue, and a moment later, a girl walks up to them. Virgil is preparing to read her lips when Patton’s hands start moving again.

Are you deaf too? Patton’s hands spell out, in time with the girl’s moving face. Virgil stares in wonder, as Patton answers her with still moving hands. Is this kid interpreting for him?

No, I’m not deaf. Virgil catches the frown forming on Patton’s face, and glances over at the girl. Why do you ask?

Then why are you using sign language? Oh, Virgil knows this chick. She’s the daughter of Mr. Gelman, his absolute worst nightmare from last year. He had been convinced that Virgil was just using his deafness to get away with being lazy, and had behaved accordingly all year. Every little accommodation had been a struggle, and Mr. Gelman had taken great joy in forcing Virgil to use his cochlear implants, discomfort be damned.

He has cochlear implants; you don’t need to sign. Patton’s hands falter momentarily, and Virgil glances up to see the surprise on the other boy’s face. You shouldn’t encourage him to disrupt the class.

The words are pretty much exactly what her father had told him last year, so it’s clear where she got the notion from. Virgil is about to formulate a response, but Patton beats him to it.

Who said we were signing because he needed it? Patton is still translating, but Virgil takes a moment to examine his face. Patton’s expression has gone from a somewhat childish excitement to the most intense frown.

Since you asked so nicely, Patton is still talking, and Virgil makes a split second decision to start lip reading because he has a feeling that whatever Patton says next isn’t going to be quite so easily translated into ASL.

We happen to be using sign language because we want to, Patton is saying. It’s comfortable and easier for both of us, and anyways class hasn’t even started yet, so I think you should butt your face out of our business. Virgil snickers at her stunned look, and knows that Patton delivered that with every ounce of force it looked like he was. He waves a friendly goodbye as Kayla retreats back to her desk, and then turns back towards Patton. Thanks. He doesn’t really know what to say past that. Patton has just done something that nobody else has ever done for him. Don’t mention it. Then, after a pause, do you get that a lot? Patton’s frown deepens even more when Virgil nods, but Virgil can’t exactly offer much more explanation because at that exact moment, Patton’s attention is caught by what must have been the first-period bell, and the teacher starts class.

**Okay, so there we have it! I know this isn’t super long, but I’m still kind of figuring out how to write these characters. And if any of you are deaf (or hoh) I’d love any pointers or corrections you have. I’m not deaf or mute, so it stands to reason that I’ll probably make some mistakes.

(There’s also a sequel now, featuring Logan, if you’re interested!)

[thestuckylibrary-bigbang]

Welcome to the Stucky Big Bang Challenge!

FAQ

What is a Big Bang?

A Big Bang is a fan challenge which asks artists and writers join forces to create beautiful transformative works for their fandom. Writers pitch an idea for a fanfiction and artists claim fics that they are interested in. Then the writer and artist work together to post a completed fanfiction that is accompanied by custom artwork by a set deadline. Everybody benefits, especially the fandom.

What are the bare bones expectations?

We will require an email you check reliably often to send information through.

We will require you to check this blog regularly for updates

The word count minimum for this years big bang is 20K words. Authors are expected to meet this requirement and publish their work by the deadline.

Each fanfiction must have at least one art piece accompanying it. Artists are expected to finish and publish each artwork by the deadline.

Is my idea eligible?

Does your idea include Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes as a main pairing? Then your fic is eligible! We allow poly, provided Steve and Bucky are part of the relationship. Crossovers are permitted as long as Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes are still in there. It’s fine if your idea isn’t overtly romantic, as long as Steve and Bucky’s relationship is a part of the fic we’re happy. However, works with Steve/Bucky as a side pairing will not be accepted.

No kinkshaming is permitted; however, all kinks must be tagged when published, as well as any major content warnings. Basically anything within the context of stucky is good to go as long as it’s tagged appropriately. 

2017 Schedule

March 20: Sign ups open 

April 25: Author Sign Ups close 11PM MST

May 20: Author’s Summaries and 5000 word draft due 12:00 Midnight MST

May 28: Summaries available to view

June 7: Artist Sign ups Close 12:00 Midnight MST

June 8: Claims Open 11:00pm MST What time is that for me?

July 15: Mandatory Check in for Everyone

August 12: Due Date (tweaks and editing can still be done)

August 18: Posting Begins

Weekend August 18-21: Everything is Posted (hard deadline. Both Fics and Art MUST be complete and posted by 12 Midnight MST August 21) 

The times are what they are. They’re what we could make work for everyone involved in running the bang as we’re scattered in different time zones. They are non negotiable.

Rules for Authors

Authors write a fanfic and pitch the summary to artists who will make art for the fic. The minimum word count expected is 20 000 words. We’ll require a 5000 word draft by 12 Midnight MST May 20, This is ¼ of the expected minimum word count. Authors may either: start writing after you sign up or continue working on something they are already writing provided it isn’t published. After the sign up close, Authors will have three and a half months to complete their fic. We’ll also require each over 20 000 word fic submitted to us by 12 Midnight MST August 12. Authors can do some minor editing if needed between then and the posting date, but the fic must be ready to publish on August 18.

You can write more than one fic if you wish, but do not submit more than one summary unless you are certain you can complete all works by the due date.

Communication with your artist is not only recommended, but required. You at least need to make your current draft available by the July 15 check in so the artist can begin working on their piece.

Works cannot be published until August 18 arrives and must be fully published by end of day August 21. When published, any major archive warnings must be added if applicable.Tags must include any and all common triggers and squicks that may occur in your fic. There will also be a AO3 collection open for the Big Bang. You can submit more than one fic if you really want to and you know both will be finished. Your fic must be submitted to us by 12 Midnight MST August 12 or it will not be included in the masterlist or AO3 collection. 

Summary and Draft Submission

Summaries and drafts will both be submitted through email to stuckybigbangsubmissions@gmail.com. Drafts should either be through a link to a google dog or an attached word file. Summary information will follow this format:

Username:

Profile URL:

Email:

Title:

Rating: (G/ PG/ M/ E)

Archive Warnings: (None, Graphic Violence, Rape/Noncon, Major Character Death, Underage)

Important Tags: (any additional warnings/type of au/important things to know. please limit yourself to 8 tags max)

Summary: (keep it to a 8 sentence max, one paragraph)

You may submit each as soon as you are certain of what you’re writing. Summaries and Drafts must be submitted by May 20 at 12 Midnight MST.

Final submission on August 12 will also be done through email. 

Rules for Artists

You will need a minimum of one finished piece per fic you claim. Art can be a drawing, painting (either traditional or digital), gifsets, graphics, fanvids, fanmixes, manips, songwriting provided it can be recorded and posted, 3D art including fibre, sculpture, bookmaking, craft, provided it can be photographed. 

Fanvids must be at least 1 minute and 30 seconds. Fanmixes must be at least 10 tracks and have a front and back cover. Gifsets must include at least eight gifs.

Consult the author on any squicks/triggers they may have before making your piece. Art pieces are not to be posted until August 18 and must be complete aside from small edits by August 12. Your art must be submitted to us by 12 Midnight MST August 12 or it will not be included in the masterlist or AO3 collection. EDIT JULY 24: Artists will NOT be required tosubmit their works for the 12th. Works cannot be published before August 18 and must be published by the end of August 21st.

Sign Ups

Sign ups will be available through a google from at 9:00 AM MST on March 20. We will post the links at that time.

Sign ups are now open!

Claims

Claims will be through a timestamped google form. Artists will need to submit their url, email as well as  the number and title of the summary/ies they wish to claim. Each artist will be allowed to claim a total of up to 4 fics total. In the first round, which will last for 6 hours, each artist will be allowed to claim one fic. In the second round, each artist will be able to claim more. This round will last until each fic has at one claim on it. After that, when the third round is announced each artist will be able to claim more fics if they so wish. each fic will be allowed a total of 3 artists working on it. All notifications of the results of claims will be done through email.

More detailed information will be given in an upcoming claims info post.

Check Ins

Check ins will be done through google forms, one for authors and one for artists. We will send out an email reminder in addition to posting on this blog about check ins, but it your responsibility to check in with us. There will be separate check in forms for authors and artists. 

Posting

Each team will need to make a post containing links to all the fanworks produced by them. A link post to the fic with links to the art added in is basically what we’re looking for. Each post will be reblogged here as to provide as much exposure as possible. In addition, a masterpost of all the fics will be posted here and reblogged to thestuckylibrary.

There will also be a tag on tumblr for all content posted here (#sbb2017)

We will post examples to make posting clear closer to the posting date.

Accommodations

If you require an accommodation in any way, for example if you are d/Deaf/HOH and need visual only art or are blind and need audio only art, if you cannot view flashing gifs, if you have a trigger that does not fall under archive warnings and so on, please let us know and we will ensure your needs are met.

Other Misc. Rules

We will not allow underage sex in any big bang submissions. This means no sex scenes if the characters are under 16.

We also request that participants do not bring bang related questions to thestuckylibrary as not all the mods there are mods for the bang. It will also keep everything much more organized if conversations about the bang remain on this url.

We trust all participants to be responsible for the content they create and engage with.

At this time, any questions can be directed to our askbox or stuckybigbangsubmissions@gmail.com, although we will likely get back to you faster from the askbox.

[helly-watermelonsmellinfellon]

Is there a nice way to point out typos and stuff? Because sometimes I see them and I want to tell the author but I don't want to seem mean. I figured that since you're an author you would be able to answer better than most people. Thanks.

Actually show where the typos are. So many people claim they saw errors but conveniently can’t remember where or just don’t want to go through the trouble of listing them, despiting going through the trouble of commenting on them. Authors take that as lying. Meaning trolling/flaming.

Also make sure that the author asked for con-crit. Not all authors want criticism and some are just writing to have fun and not get better. A lot of people make the mistake of assuming that every writer wants to become a better writer. A lot of them simply want to make their stories. If they were really worried about all those nit-picking errors, they’d publish novels and take classes, not write fanfic once a month.

If the person in question asked for people’s opinions and con-crit, then word it as kindly as possible, and provide the proof that something is messed up. On AO3 you can actually copy and paste the messed up text to show the authors.

Now, if it is about a fact you’re unsure of, do not try to correct the author until you’ve educated yourself on the matter. Someone once railed into me for stating that Hogwarts has around 1,000 students at any given time, and called me all manner of rude names. I sent them a message with links to JK Rowling’s admittance to such a fact and they tried to kiss my ass. I blocked them.

Do not make a comment if the subject is something you aren’t aware of or know anything about! I wrote a Deaf character. A Hearing person will never truly understand the full extent of what the D/deaf and HoH Community goes through. That was why I needed help from such people to make the character realistic. It stands to reason that only a person who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing, can truly determine whether or not the character is realistic and if my depiction of their Deafness is truth. Meaning the criticism and complaints from Hearing readers who’ve never experienced hearing loss and the issues that come with it, won’t mean shit. It’ll just be uneducated whining.

Finally, Grammar errors. I have shit Grammar. My English class consisted of Grammar & Punctuation, Spelling, Vocabulary, Poetry, and Literature. All crammed into one class. Each day of the week was dedicated to one subject for those 45 minutes. I know I have shit Grammar. While every other part of the class was filled with a straight A+, Grammar always came out to a C-. I had to do extra credit to level up my overall grade so Grammar didn’t drag me down. I am aware of my faults. 

Fact is, not everyone is a Grammar nerd and when 1/5 of my readers don’t speak English as their first language, they probably aren’t going to realize them when they read. Also, I state very clearly that I have no beta and have mentioned my shit Grammar dozens of times before. I am well aware of it by now. 

If an author is aware of their faults and even mentions them at the beginning of every chapter like I do, then they don’t need to be reminded. Instead of going, ‘you’re grammar sucks’ or ‘You need to work on your Grammar.’, actually give examples on what to fix, or suggest a website to help them. Telling someone to just ‘get a beta’ doesn’t actually work. You’re telling them to place their trust in someone they most likely don’t know. To give this person access to their works and to trust that it won’t be stolen? Not everyone is comfortable with that and not everyone can get a friend or family member to beta because generally RL friends and family don’t understand fanfiction and think it’s a waste of time.

FACT: Even though someone asks for con-crit, half of the time, they will get defensive and attack you for daring to point out their faults. You will simply have to point out that they asked for con-crit and that the note is obviously for everyone to see, and then wash your hands of them.

P.S. When pointing out something, don’t just go on and on about mistakes only. Actually make an effort to leave a review on the work before pointing out problems.

Ex:

One time I posted a fic on AO3. It was a angsty/fluffy/AU 3-shot. Someone proceeded to copy and paste everything they thought was wrong with it, but never once told me what they thought of the fic. Just pointed out dozens of supposed ‘errors’. Well, someone else read those comments and railed into them on the last chapter, demanding to know why the hell they did nothing but be a condescending ass the whole time. Why not just add their opinion instead of being a ‘grammar nazi’? The excuse, “I kept reading, didn’t I?”. Which should prove that they liked it apparently.

Fact is, the responder was an English Major and proceeded to tear apart their format, structure, and Grammar, and pointed out that more than half of the issues they claimed I had, were wrong. That just because the person thought the word ‘hanged’ sounded wrong, didn’t mean it was actually wrong. ‘Hung’ is not a word despite people using it a lot, and if you used it in an English class, you’ll get points off, because God forbid it just be official.

The original commenter edited their comments on every chapter, adding their opinions on the actual fic and apologizing for their mistake and the misunderstanding.

It was an interesting event I will admit.

Anyway, that’s what I’ve got for you. Hope it helps! ^-^