So.

As you might imagine, my inboxes have been flooded over the last few days. My fic represents, for a lot of people, either their start in Avengers fandom, or the safe place they retreat to when the angst and infighting and shipwars got too intense. Which I get, and I appreciate, and I’m so glad if my old fics can give people a little happiness, even after all this time.

But there’s a thread I keep picking up in comments, that kind of worries me.

That things that happened in the MCU have taken the fandom away from them. That the way things happened in Endgame have left people distraught, or angry, or just grieving. And a lot of people have worried that they’ve ‘lost’ these characters.

And look.

Look.

I say this as a fandom old. I say this as someone who reads comics. Who came from the Trek fandom. Who’s lived through bad movie adaptations and subpar ghostwriters and writing staff changes that have destroyed tv shows before they had a chance to really fly.

Don’t let canon take anything away from you.

You can be disappointed in a thing. You can have your heart broken by a writer. You can hope against hope that something that means the world to you will be ‘true,’ but don’t let a corporation take your heroes away from you.

Every one of us has to pick and choose what we keep and what we leave behind. But every single version of Captain America has been fanfiction since Jack Kirby and Joe Simon put their pens down. He’s owned by a corporation, and they can decide what’s on screen, who gets paid to write him, who gets the big platform. They get to decide canon.

But canon is meaningless.

Canon is a way to win an argument in a bar or in a schoolyard. It’s knowing publication dates and issue numbers and who wrote what arc and when the reboots happened. It exists.

But when I think of Hawkeye, canon is only part of the picture. I do think of Matt Fraction’s run on the comics. I do think of those early years, sneaking my brother’s issues of West Coast Avengers. I think of the weird, wild, off beat run of Secret Avengers. But I also think of @dr-kara’s art of him. I think of fanfic long since deleted, that introduced me to the fandom tropes of Clint living in the vents. I think of the Tumblr posts, diving deep into the psychology of trauma, into his place as the most human and the most pointless of the original six, into a thousand stupid memes. Caw-caw, motherfucker. I think of the comments I got, telling me he was OOC. I think of the Hawkeye cosplayers I’ve met, including the one guy who was in full gear at Star Wars Celebration in Florida. I asked him why, and he shrugged and said, ‘Clint would’ve.’ I agree with him.

I think of the first time a friend put a bow in my hands, and showed me how to shoot, wobbly and uneven, at a straw target all the way across the yard.

I think of the bruises that dotted my arms afterwards.

So canon can add new things. Take bits away. Make me think. Make me hurt.

But nothing canon does will ever cause him to be different, not on any fundamental level. Clint Barton started forming in my head when I was eight years old. He belongs to Marvel, but the version I carry with me has a lot more sources than that.

Guys, this is a long way of saying: find your own version of the character. Find what you need in a fandom. And think of canon like that one fic that has a million kudos on AO3 and you just. Don’t. Know. Why. That one fic, that everyone talks about, that you just can’t stand.

If canon doesn’t work for you, then discard it. And move on.

But don’t let a corporation take a character you love away from you.

Don’t ever let that happen.

The Fic Writer’s Beatitudes

Blessed are the readers, for theirs is the archive.

Blessed are the betas: for they help us write the stories we see in our hearts. Blessed are they that kudo, for they reassure us that someone likes what we’ve done. Blessed are the rebloggers and reccers, for they help the readers find our work. Blessed are they which leave comments on a WIP that say something other than “write more please”: for they comfort us when we feel taken for granted. Blessed are the commenters; for their words bring us joy. Blessed are the loyal fans, for they keep the fandom alive. Blessed are the fan artists, for they bring our worlds to life before our eyes. Blessed are they which read an entire long fic and comment each chapter, for the string of comment notifications fills the writer’s heart with delight. Blessed are ye, who rec our fics in public and tag us, for seeing that we made somebody squee is the light in our days. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in fandom.

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seashellsakura

8 years ago

These Are Alma Classics Editions By Alma Books. I Seriously Can’t Take How Gorgeous These Are. *sigh*

These are Alma Classics editions by Alma Books. I seriously can’t take how gorgeous these are. *sigh* I’ve reached out to Alma Books about sponsoring one of our giveaways, so if you want a chance to win some of these editions, please reblog to help me convince them! :D

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seashellsakura

8 years ago

Giveaway Contest: We’ve partnered with Alma Books to give away five of their beautiful Alma Classics Evergreens editions (pictured above)! Won’t these look lovely on your shelf? :D To win these classics, you must: 1) be following macrolit on Tumblr (yes, we will check. :P), and 2) reblog this post. We will randomly choose a winner on June 4, at which time we’ll start a new giveaway. And yes, Alma Books has agreed to make this an International giveaway! Good luck!

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seashellsakura

8 years ago

Giveaway Contest: We’re giving away ten vintage paperback classics by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jane Austen, Harper Lee, Walt Whitman, George Orwell, and others. Won’t these look lovely on your shelf? :D To win these classics, you must: 1) be following macrolit on Tumblr (yes, we will check. :P), and 2) reblog this post. We will randomly choose a winner on April 22, at which time we’ll start a new giveaway. And yes, we’ll ship to any country. Easy, right? Good luck!

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seashellsakura

2 years ago

Reblog to have something lgbt happen to you this summer

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seashellsakura

7 years ago

So about 3 years ago, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression in my final year of highschool. I got splitting headaches every day, blanked out in the middle of tests, broke down regularly, was extremely suspicious of people, tried to please everyone, the works. It didn't really help that I am really competitive about my studies.

In the short term, I would first recommend going to a doctor - there are medications that can actually reduce the immediate feeling of anxiety, lower your heart rate and calm you in stressful situations. Knowing you're on something that works can make you more confident in your ability to overcome it, too. My psychiatrist also recommended some breathing exercises in those moments - take deep slow breaths, and concentrate on how your tummy moves in and out with each. It takes your mind off the situation. Control your body language - if you have to, imagine you are your favourite cool character in your favourite show or book. No matter how you feel, force yourself to walk confidently into a situation. Tell yourself you can handle it. Trust me, it really works.

In the long run, you will have to work with yourself. Therapy is useful, but you don't really need to go. Figure out which thought processes are telling you that you should conform to other people's expectations, and challenge them every time you start to think that way. Tell yourself that you are amazing, every time. They should be glad they know you. I would say, set a goal for yourself, maybe talk to a new person every month, or join a club for you've never done before. Keep trying, and make an active note of your improvements.

Try to actively avoid things that depress you, even if you like them. Some of my favourite songs and books are depressing, and I have avoided them for a while. If you are going to go to them, focus on other things - how nice the voice sounds or the particular style of writing. Actively find things that pump you up, and pursue them. Listen to deep bass in your music, find books or shows that crack you up. Tell yourself you can and will be happy. Make stupid jokes and laugh at yourself. Try to challenge pessimistic thinking. Try to walk with a spring in your step, even when you're tired. Get excited about things you like.

Remember, it's all up to you. You can choose to wallow in your issues, or try to overcome them. It won't be quick, and it won't be easy, but it's the only real way you can do it. Remember, there are lots of people with the same problems who have gotten over them, who are happy and successful.

All the best. We're all here for you.

Hi i really need advice on how to overcome anxiety. Lately I've been really down because I've recently come to realization that life is moving way to fast and that I'm not really living it like a normal teenager should because I'm letting my anxiety and what other people think get in the way of what I want to do in life. Also because I tend to be skeptical a lot, it causes me to be pessimistic with really bothers be because I really just want to be a happy positive person. Plz help me plz!!!

anyone wanna tackle this one?

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seashellsakura

5 years ago