ATTF: Little People!

[jacedesbff]

NOTE: I am going to talk extensively about the fics “Make the World Brand New” by whiskeyinmind and “Only Human” by anuna_81 which shall include huge, whopping spoilers. You’ve been warned! :-)

I was inspired to put forth this topic by two stories that took very different yet equally unique takes on the whole “little people” trope. The first is

Comments

[alphaflyer]

Too tired to say anything coherent or thoughtful right now, but isn't "Only Human" one of anuna_81's? "Head on home" is the community where it was posted. I may be wrong ...

Interesting topic -- I admit to being scared by kid!fic although I do read them (if they don't turn our assassins into OOC woobies, that is). I've read all but the last one you recc'd, and they are certainly top of the line! :-)

[anuna_81]

Yuuuup, Only human is my baby (ehehehehe!). One of my favorite things that I've written :D i'm really happy when i see people remember it, especially because i was pretty much bashed for that fic.

[alphaflyer]

"Pretty much bashed"?? All the comments under that post were gushing praise, as far as I can see ... it is lovely, I must say.

[anuna_81]

Not on that post, sweetie, it was elsewhere, where i and many other people could read why babyfics featuring Natasha shouldn't be written.

[hufflepuffsneak]

My god, I'm pretty sure I have cavities after reading some of those recs.

I've said this before, but I really enjoy stories where Clint and Natasha adopt or foster kids, because they are each other's found family, and to me it makes sense to expand that with a kid who needs them.

[franztastisch]

Adoption yes. I love the idea of them adoping kids. But even more, I love the idea of them adopting older kids - like 13+ or something. Partly because I like the idea of everyone having a choice in the matter and partly because I myself am not so big on little kids.

[hufflepuffsneak]

Yes, and because older kids find it harder to get homes.

ETA And I forgot to self-rec a fic of them adopting a (youngish) kid. Parenthood is Hard: http://archiveofourown.org/works/658645

[shenshen77]

Thank you for putting that self-rec in there, I loved that fic and still want a sequel :)

[frea_o]

I think I called them "Big-Ass Ugly Bugs" because I was writing on Christmas Eve and didn't actually want to put any work into the story, but I'm laughing that this is apparently a draw to read that sucker. Thanks for the rec, and for the other recs! I will give a detailed and thoughtful reply when I have slept and because it is nearly 3 a.m., consumed massive amounts of oversugared coffee.

[jacedesbff]

I LOOOOOVE that fic. Seriously, one of my favorites. :D Because I do think that the Red Room would sterilize their "assets", because they are frakking evil. And I thought that was an incredibly inventive and - within the setting of The Avengers - completely believable manner in which this could come about. Love it!!!

[frea_o]

Yeah, I think you're right. And I could see the pill messing with Natasha's Red-Room wrecked hormones, so she's not on that, and she and Clint are both clean, so why bother using birth control and....oops. FOUNTAIN OF LIFE.

As far as kid!fic goes, I can see them maybe adopting a kid if it comes through comic book circumstances or whatever. And I could see them doing whatever they can to make sure that kid has the best life possible. Personally, I'm not gonna write it. I've got a massive kidfic series going on in another fandom and I'm usually not all that fond of kidfic to start (yeah, I don't get it either) because a lot of the time, the kids usually have looks that come directly from their parents along with the parents' skills, the parents have Dead People Naming Syndrome, or, I don't know, I just feel like too much of it messes with my ability to suspend my disbelief.

But I do enjoy a well-written kidfic, I will admit that. :)

[happilydancing]

Wait, wait...I didn't read this one. Must rectify!

[franztastisch]

I'm not a fan of kid fics personally, but I'll read them occasionally. Mainly I feel that neither would want kids enough to make in a reality - based on their work, their own childhoods and their personalities etc.

However, as I said above, I love the idea of them adopting older kids for some reason. See Not A Day Goes By (Not A Single Day) by _samalander for many of the reasons I like this idea, even though it's AU.

[spyforaday]

Honestly, kids scare me. Really scare me. Even my two gorgeous, sweet, (way too) smart, energized nieces. I give my sister and brother-in-law -- and anyone out there who came to the conclusion that they want kids -- all my respect and admiration. I knew from a young age that that rite of passage was not for me. So that's probably why that genre doesn't appeal to me. BUT, if a story is well-written, generates lots of buzz and gets rec'd on this site -- you better believe I'm giving it at least a peek at the first few 'graphs just to see if it catches my interest.

As for our fav assassins, my puny little mind can't conceive of a situation where, no matter how much they love each other, they would have a baby. Logistics, terrible pasts, unknown futures. It just seems like too much to overlook. However, I love the idea of them secretly being involved in kids-related organizations to help out kids in bad situations. Foster programs, funneling money, getting kids out of abusive homes, kicking the butts of deadbeat dads. THAT makes me happy

[jacedesbff]

I love fics with that approach. And it's probably more ACCURATE. My favorite thing is when an author is able to make them wanting and/or having children come across as believable. I definitely agree that it's a hard sell. When it's done well, I love it. :-)