Story: "The Hawkeye Initiative" (Part 2 of 3)

I wrote this story for the 2013 Asexy Valentines Fest over on asexual_fandom. It's a gift for aceofannwn who wanted some Avengers fanfic.

Fandom: The Avengers
Characters: Clint Barton & Natasha Romanova, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Steve Rogers
Medium: Fiction
Warnings: Dubious consent regarding the use of rude images of women, and Natasha's boundary issues due to her traumatic training. Passing descriptions of canon-typical violence. Mentions of sexual activity involving Clint and Natasha, not with each other, and not in blow-by-blow detail. No other standard warnings apply.
Summary: Someone is passing around lewdly rendered pictures of women. This makes Hawkeye very unhappy, so he decides to do something about it.
Notes: Angst. Objectification. Men being stupid. Friendship. Teamwork. Family of choice. Hawkeye is aromantic sexual. Natasha's innate orientation is obscured by her past; currently she does not pursue either sex or romance out of her own desire. Both of them desire close, long-term bonds of nonsexual nature although they are not always sure how to express that.

This part holds most of the sexual discussion as Clint considers his orientation, and Natasha, and their relationship, and how all that drives his feelings about the current situation. If you dislike reading even oblique discussions of sex, you can skip this, and Part 1 + Part 3 will still mostly make sense as a story about Clint dealing with dirty pictures.

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Poll: Generally Sponsored Poetry Poll for February 5, 2013 Fishbowl

Here is the first poll for the general fund.  You have $21 to spend.  Everyone is eligible to vote in this poll.  I will keep it open until at least Saturday night.  If there's a clear winner then, I'll close it.  Otherwise I may leave it a little longer.  Depending on what you pick, there is likely to be a followup poll later.

( Read and vote! )

Art

 Painting exercise: a vacant face.

Poem: "The Silver Horde"

This poem came out of the February 5, 2013 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by a prompt from siliconshaman.  It has been sponsored by tabard. 

The Silver Horde

somewhere else in time,
another turn of the Wheel,
Genghis Khan lives on

there is no dagger
held by a Tangut princess,
no ignoble death

he tramples onward,
grinding history to dust
under heavy hooves

he unites Asia --
China, Japan, and beyond --
and then keeps it whole

there's no division
of khanates among his sons,
no shrinking power

here there is only
the thundering cavalry
of the Silver Horde

the Khan's men alone
are these, warriors of old,
white-haired and mighty

they do with cunning
what the young men cannot do
with mere strength of arms

"sit down," they order,
when the young noyans stand up,
"sit and wait your turn!"

the younger men sit,
officers at the proud feet
of the Silver Horde

they will have their turn
only after the Wheel rolls
and the Khan is done

Bonus Material Poll for February 2013 Poetry Fishbowl

The February 5, 2013 Poetry Fishbowl reached the $300 goal, so you get a piece of bonus material.  Usually when this happens, I've only got one piece ready to go.  This time, I have two series with unposted goodies, both of which would need some touching up before posting.  So I'll let you pick which one you want. 

Everyone is eligible to vote in this poll.  I will keep it open until at least Sunday afternoon.  If there's a clear winner then, I'll close it.  Otherwise I may leave it open a little longer.

( Read and vote! )

Philosophical Light Bulb Jokes

My partner Doug sent me this set of philosophical light bulb jokes.  I note that the Platonist one is in fact true.

Poem: "The Demon in the Clockwork"

The February 5, 2013 Poetry Fishbowl met the $200 goal for a free epic.  This one was selected in an audience poll.

This poem came out of the October 2, 2012 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by prompts from e_scapism101 and janetmiles.  It also fills the "tyranny / rebellion" square on my Hurt/Comfort Bingo Card.  This poem belongs to the series P.I.E.  You can read more about Judas goat, scratch monkey Tabris and Westminster Quarters online.  And yes, the tree ordination is real.

( Read more... )

Poem: "Things That Get Better With Age"

This poem came out of the February 5, 2013 Poetry Fishbowl.  It was inspired by a prompt from ellenmillion.  It has been selected for general sponsorship via audience poll.

Things That Get Better With Age

* antiques -- what was cheap and trendy
becomes valuable, nostalgic, newly beloved because it is old.

* cheese -- what was bland and smooth
becomes sharp, incisive, honing the razor's edge of flavor.

* scrapbooks -- what was crisp and new
becomes soft, folded into the heart's pages, yellowing into gold.

* wine -- what was simple and sweet
becomes complex, symphonic, sugar transmuted to spirit.

* people -- what was naive and blank
becomes wise, a tablet filled with lines, tale upon tale to be told.

Poll: Choose a $15 Poem

I've closed the first general fund poll.  I posted "Things That Get Better With Age" and added $1 to the tally for "The Mystery of the Worn-Out Slippers."  The Bonus Material Poll is currently open.

The next step is to decide which $15 poem you want.  "The Silver Horde" sold this afternoon and is posted.  That leaves two: "The Fountain of Age" and "The Importance of These Two Things" (Hart's Farm). 

I will leave this poll open until at least Sunday night.  If there is a clear winner then, I'll close it.  Otherwise I may leave it open a little while longer.

[Poll #1895581]