Arguing myself out of the MCU AU ficathon

[feng_shui_house]

I did it last year, but my fic went over like a lead balloon* (even the person I wrote it for didn't comment or kudo it- and yes, I checked, they were active on AO3 and a few weeks later had commented and kudoed on other fic gifts other folks had done for them) & my request got defaulted at the last minute (I had done the maximum number of requests & only asked that the story not be a 'downer' so I had hoped I wasn't a difficult assignment). The pinch hitter did their best, but they had little time to work.

I love AUs so I have to talk myself out of trying again. The result is likely to be the same, or worse. I prefer plotty romantic builds over PWPs which seemed to be the community gold standard last year, and I can't do most of the 181 AUs offered. There's a lot of very specific stuff most of which I either couldn't do, or didn't want to do (fusions with fandoms I don't know, specific character specific AU, real life setting I don't know, stuff I just felt no desire to do.)

And then there's the 96 pairings and triplings and *quadruplings*. Hardly any gen, lots of characters I don't know, and among the few characters I'd be willing to write nookie for, most of them are in triplets with characters I don't want to write nookie for. I'm not a random bodies orgy writer, it's just not my thing.

Yeah, ok. There's so close to zero possibility of me getting paired with someone who likes what I write, and about the same possibility of pleasing anyone in the community, and about the same chance I'll get a fic I really like in return.

Ok, good, going back to the RBB which I like so far, and so does Z, and the artist, so right off the bat, that's THREE WHOLE people who will be pleased if i get this baby delivered on time. Instead of thinking about a failathon I shouldn't look at.

BUT IT'S AU.

Quiet down there. Tell you what, keep the list of AUs and later you can choose to write the ones that appeal to you- maybe to fill some of the BINGO you signed up for and HAVE NOT begun. Right? Ok. Heck, combine them... Oh, Circus Werewolf... that would be a COOL AU.

*AFTER the ficathon, a lot of folks who weren't in the MCU AU kudoed the fic, so it's not a bad fic, it's just not what the community was looking for.

(if you're curious it's 'The Heart is for Hearing' a 20,000 word Stony fic with a happy ending)
http://archiveofourown.org/works/4177983

Comments

[aralias]

i like fests - and the way that it forces me to write. and to write stuff that i wouldn't normally have written (i dont think i have ever written something for a fest prompt at a later date) - on the other hand, i've also been really pleased not to have signed up for popular fests like yuletide where i just wasn't that interested. the problem with not focusing in on a specific type of interest i.e. this is the steve/tony fest etc (oh! that's ok, because everyone here loves stony) is, yes, that few people share the same common ground - i am surprised that yuletide is as popular as it is, to be honest.

anyway - hope whichever choice you make the right one! a circus werewolf DOES sound cool ;)

[feng_shui_house]

I love prompts, but things where you get auto-matched up with other people has never worked out well for me. I need to cherrypick prompts to do a decent job.

I always assumed people who liked Yuletide just loved a challenge, but it was too much like work, for me.

Circus Werewolf Avengers fic! That could be such fun.

[aralias]

no - i think they really like it! ah well.

[feng_shui_house]

Well, that's what I meant, they like the challenge aspect of it. If they just wanted to write for a favorite small fandom they don't need to go through Yuletide.