So james was commenting that they weren't doing any New Year's post things because it didn't actually feel like a change to them, because they didn't get a break or any time off after Christmas. This year, despite having much less Christmas than usual (usually I have four or five Christmases) I have much more of a break than usual, as I'm under mandatory quarantine until the 11th (not a cause for concern, everyone's healthy so far). Which is also the first day of online classes, the schedule having been delayed a week.

So I could use this time for ... I don't know, something, but on the other hand lots of empty time does not in fact lend itself to productivity. I have now done most of my standard New Year's bookkeeping - end-of-month budget file, end-of-term things, shifting work schedules, book list statistics. I'm just thinking that I could use this time for snowflake_challenge or something.

I love you all, and I enjoy having online friendships, but in my head they need a level of continued interaction to remain "active" that I don't usually have the energy for unless I have basically no other social outlet.

So I will go read the snowflake_challenge guidelines and then think about it while I go walk around the backyard, that being the maximum exercise I am permitted at this time. (I am enormously grateful for the privilege of having a backyard right now, I have to say.)

So we are done! And man, this week just keeps on going, doesn't it. Maybe not for you, I hope yours has been better than mine.

Title: Growing Seasons
Rating: E
Universe: Marvel
Characters: Clint Barton, Bucky Barnes, Natasha Romanov
Warnings/Enticements: Historical AU, Post-American Civil War, Farming, Domestic Chores, Blizzards, Slow Burn, Sharing a Bed, Angst, PTSD, Polyamory, Past MCD, Past Steve/Bucky, Background Dark Themes, Period Typical Attitudes, Explicit Sexual Content
Summary: “I’m sorry for imposing on you like this,” the stranger said, pulling his scarf down to reveal dark stubble and a surprisingly pretty mouth. “But the storm came up sudden, and I got no idea where the nearest town is. Could you point me in the right direction?”
“You won’t make it in this storm,” said Clint. “Stay until it blows over, it’s no trouble.”
Word Count: 20,294

On AO3

So. Cadillac-Fairview malls use digital information kiosks to show you store locations, which are poor design compared to just using a goddamn map. Only one person can use them at a time, they require you to touch the screen, they take longer, you can't see the whole mall at a glance, etc. I have been generally annoyed by them for the past year or so as I go to job locations in various malls that I haven't visited before. But they were just annoying, and poor design, and a bad idea during a pandemic. Fine. Pretty much everything is these days.

Turns out they can also be used to nonconsensually collect biometric information. Which CF was then storing in a third-party database. Or, CF claims, the third party was continuing to store them without their knowledge. That's not a defense.

The cameras were deactivated in 2018 when the government started investigating. Cadillac Fairview refused to "commit to ensuring express, meaningful consent is obtained from shoppers should it choose to redeploy the technology in the future."

So for MFDE I wrote genderswap Clint/Nat mission fic.

And here is the thing I have been working on for forever:

Title: Growing Seasons
Rating: E
Universe: Marvel
Characters: Clint Barton, Bucky Barnes, Natasha Romanov
Warnings/Enticements: Historical AU, Post-American Civil War, Farming, Domestic Chores, Blizzards, Slow Burn, Sharing a Bed, Angst, PTSD, Polyamory, Past MCD, Past Steve/Bucky, Background Dark Themes, Period Typical Attitudes, Future Explicit Sexual Content
Summary: “I’m sorry for imposing on you like this,” the stranger said, pulling his scarf down to reveal dark stubble and a surprisingly pretty mouth. “But the storm came up sudden, and I got no idea where the nearest town is. Could you point me in the right direction?”
“You won’t make it in this storm,” said Clint. “Stay until it blows over, it’s no trouble.”
Word Count: 2787 this chapter; 20k total

On AO3

Marvel Femslash Drabble Exchange is open.

Mostly unrelated to that:

Title: Girls Like You
Rating: T
Universe: Marvel
Characters: Natasha Romanov
Summary: Strong female role models build and reinforce young women’s capacity to achieve their dreams.
Warnings/Enticements: Red Room, Backstory, Various Dark Themes
Word Count: 337

On AO3

Hi! Thanks so much for writing for me, and congratulations on your evident good taste!

I am requesting fic for Agent Carter and Original Works, and fic or art for Alternate Universe Works and The Old Guard (2020). You may ignore my fic/art and trick/treat preferences for extra gifts.

A large and random list of things I like in general: worldbuilding, hurt/comfort, huddling for warmth, teamwork, adventure, ethical dilemmas, loyalty conflicts, people being clever, twisty plots, gender, sibling or sibling-like relationships, backstory, pining, physical affection, queerness, philosophy, romance, feminism, UST, found families, mythological allusions, polyamory, slash, het, femslash, hidden worlds, cities, banter, complicated plans, beautiful landscapes, angst, puns, magical realism, history, social class issues, passionate platonic friendships, older women with major roles, case fic, period accuracy, gen, smut, pwp, diversity, secret identities, historical clothes, fairy tales, specific sense of place... Feel free to use any of these.

I am happy with absolutely any fic rating or length. I don't mind seasonal works, I like fall, but it's not a requirement. For Tricks, I prefer angst and the supernatural rather than actively-trying-to-freak/gross-you-out horror.

Dislikes: I do not want child- or pregnancy-focused fic, or fic focused on high school. I have a major embarrassment squick, I don't like incest, and I'm not interested in graphic depictions of rape or gore or torture (note a couple specific fandom exceptions to this last below).

Agent Carter
( Agent Carter )

Alternate Universe Works
Characters:
( Kate Bishop replaces Clint Barton (AU-MCU) )
( Winter Soldier Peggy Carter (AU-MCU) )

The Old Guard
( The Old Guard )

Original Works
( Original Works )

( Battle of the Bands )

Title: too bad about my brain ’cause I’d like to make friends
Rating: T
Universe: Marvel
Characters: Clint Barton, Bucky Barnes
Summary: It’s the worst place for a panic attack.
Warnings/Enticements: Panic Attacks, Suicidal Ideation, PTSD, Memories, Loss, Fluffier Than It Sounds, Pre-Slash
Word Count: 809

On AO3

I also have an extension on an Old Guard drabble.

winterwidowhawkfest is happening on Tumblr.

Oh, and I'm available for Remix Madness.

Marvel Femslash Drabble Exchange sign ups (and nominations) are open until the 12th.

femslashex nominations are open until the 13th.

yuletide_admin nominations open on the 22nd.

This post is mostly to remind myself that the latter date is my self-imposed deadline for finishing editing this damn fic, so I can spend the fall doing exchanges.

Okay, so I have two Old Guard ficlets up on AO3 now. And thinking about another one is making me wonder about Andromache's past, so here is some wild timeline speculation.

This is not about Amazon culture, sorry. The Greek idea of Amazons is partially based on the fact that their contemporaries in Scythia (north of the Black Sea) did in fact have female warriors (lots of kurgans contemporary with classical Athens have female burials with weapons), and partially the standard misogynist ideas that strong women hate men and besides no normal man would want to live with them anyway, and partially about how imaginary societies that are the opposite of your own are fascinating.

But the comic apparently (I have not finished reading them yet) says she's over 6000 years old.* In which case she would not techinically be a Scythian, though she may have hung out with them for a while. If she's 6000 years old I don't know why she's calling herself Andromache and not, I don't know, WiHrogʷʰen. She's definitely not Greek.

However, AFAICT, while individual cultures moved around and changed, basically the Eurasian steppe was pretty consistently inhabited by various nomadic pastoralists from the domestication of the horse (c. 3500 BCE) until about ... now. They're still there. So she could very easily have spent thousands of years just riding horses and fighting and drinking koumiss.

And honestly I bet Andy spends a lot of time wishing she'd never left. ( Wild Timeline Speculation )

I have just remembered that I could put this up on AO3; but then I would have to figure out how footnote anchors work and I think I'm too tired for that right now. [Next day: Here it is.]

...If I actually write a fic it will almost definitely be shorter than this. *facepalms*

-----
( Footnotes )

Good cat.

Photos here.