The Big Bang and What's Possible

[cap_ironman_fe]

We’ve had a few questions recently about fic ideas and whether they fall within the parametres of the Big Bang challenge here at Cap-Ironman, which has given us a great opportunity to talk about the ever so fun subject of AUs and creative limit (or really, the complete lack thereof.). Just as a quick refresher, the guidelines simply state the story must be 25,000 words minimum and it must feature Steve and Tony at the core, or as the major part of the story. But otherwise, the only limit is your creativity and your imagination. Go wild with your favorite tropes. Write the Identity Porn of your dreams, the Fix-It for where canon nobody has provided you with yet, the soul bond fic or coffee shop AU you already have in your head - or attempt to write 25,000 words of kinky unabashed porn. You can stay as close to canon or deviate as for from it as you want and are comfortable with. Any canon universe, and any combination of universes is fair game, as is any form of Alternate Reality, Universe or Setting.

You want to write genderswap? Interdimensional time travel? Historical setting AU? Outer space? A Star Wars or Harry Potter Fusion? If you can think of a scenario that you want to put some iteration of Steve and Tony into, then we want to read it, and so does everyone else. We really do want to emphasise that this challenge gives you a chance to explore new ideas and work with new people to be as creative as you want and develop your ideas in any possible direction to produce more glorious works for the fandom. If you’re still feeling anxious or uncertain, check out the bottom of the post where we’ve linked to some great AUs that people have done for past challenges.

We also want to take a moment to emphasise that this challenge is for everyone who wants to participate and not only the awesome fic writers and artists who have been around for a while. Maybe you’re one of those wonderful people who’s been quietly lurking in the shadows, maybe you’ve been sitting on an idea for a while now but you’re not quite sure how to begin -- now is your chance! Join in on the support posts, come say hi in the chat, mention that you’re new to writing and you’re looking for help to get started, or someone to bounce ideas off of or talk to. There are so many people who are happy to help, and we’re always so excited to see new people being creative. The Big Bang can be a very intimidating challenge, especially for new authors. Long fic isn’t always easy but again, we cannot emphasise this enough -- everyone is here to help. The beautiful thing about a community is that we are just that -- a community of people who share a common interest, who are welcoming and supporting.

So come on, new authors, old authors, dust off your keyboards, turn on your creative brains and let’s what you come up with. Got some new crazy idea that’s totally out there? We want to see it. Want to write your own take on a Coffee Shop AU? We want to see it. If you write it, I promise you, we’re excited to read it.

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