These can also be found by clicking on the FAQ link on the blog.
This is a tough question to answer, because everyone’s definition is a little bit different. Basically, you can change the length, the mood, the POV character, whatever you want. The only two things you have to keep the same are the pairing and basic plotline – otherwise it’s a whole new fic, and not a remix.
For some examples of remixing methods, please see the Fanlore page about them: https://fanlore.org/wiki/Remix
Do I need an AO3 account?
Yep – all remixes will be posted on AO3. If you don’t have an account, send us an ask with your email address and we’ll email you an invite to join.
What if my fic isn’t on AO3 at the moment?
That’s fine! There’s a place on the sign-up to let us know where to find your fic
What counts as an eligible fic?
A fic is eligible if it’s at least 1,000 words long and a completed work, not a WIP. It must also focus on Clint Barton and Bucky Barnes and their relationship.
What’s the difference between submission and posting?
Submission is when all remixes have to be uploaded onto AO3 by. These fic will not be public at this point, so you won’t see them in the tags. They’re essentially wrapped presents – they’re there but you don’t know what they are.
Posting is when all the fic go live, and they all become readable, aka the fun unwrapping of the present. However, all the writers will still be anonymous at this point.
Author reveals is when you find out who the actual writer is.
So how do I post my remixed fic onto AO3 anonymously?
More details on that nearer the time!
The usual format is ‘Original Title (The _____ Remix)’ similar to song remixes. The blank depends entirely on how you changed the story. You can see examples of remix titles here.
What if I need to drop out?
Please tell us ASAP! We can make sure your assigned person still gets a fic by asking if anyone wants to pinch-hit (aka sub in and write something on short notice).
Fandom isn’t the most important thing in the world and we understand that, but if you drop out without telling us, things get a whole lot more messy and you may be excluded from future WinterHawk Remix Challenges.
What do I need to take part?
Because this challenge involves taking someone else’s existing fic and remixing it, you need to have some existing fic. And everyone likes a little choice, so we ask that you have at least five fics of 1000 words or more, OR three fics of 3000 words or more, all focused on Clint Barton and Bucky Barnes and the relationship between them. You can also have a ‘safe’ work, which you nominate, which your remixer cannot remix, the 3/5 fics should be in addition to this fic.
To make things easier for your remixer, you’ll need to have a place - such as your AO3 profile, or a tumblr post - which contains links to all the fic available for this challenge. You will be asked to provide the URL of this list during sign up and one of the mods will check you meet the minimum requirements.
You can nominate one fic of yours that you do not want someone to touch – that fic will not be eligible to be remixed. You still need at least 2/3 other eligible fic to sign up for the remix.
Short answer: yes. Long answer: this challenge is focused on Winterhawk, so ideally Bucky and Clint will be the main characters in your fics and in the fic you write as part of this challenge. However, we want this challenge to be accessible to as many people as possible, so you can enter with polyship fics, as long as that polyship includes Bucky and Clint as major characters and they are the main focus of the remix fic you write. The remix fic you write should only include a poly relationship if the original fic is a polyship fic. If you do not wish to write polyships, you can mention this in the Do Not Wants section of the sign-up form.
How much do I need to write?
This isn’t a big bang, so the minimum word count isn’t huge. All remixes should be a minimum of 1000 words. There is no maximum word count, but bear in mind that there is a deadline.
Important dates for this remix are:
March 27th - sign ups open
April 15th - sign ups close
May 1st - remix assignments go out
June 20th - fic submission to AO3
June 25th - anonymous fic reveal!
June 30th - Author reveals!
That gives you just under 2 months to write your fic!
I don’t like [insert trope here] can I stop my remixer from using it/can I not remix fics with that trope?
The primary focus of this challenge is not a gift exchange, so we’re not as focused on likes/dislikes as other challenges. That said, we don’t want anyone to be triggered or upset by this challenge, so there is a section in the sign-up form so you can indicate any tropes you do not want to write/read. We’ll match you up as best as possible, but it’s possible your remixee might have some fics with tropes you don’t like, they should have enough other fics that you can avoid those.
As far as stopping your remixer from using tropes you don’t like, you can list things you absolutely can’t stand, but remember that we don’t want to limit the remixers too much, so try to keep this as limited as you feel you can. You know your own limits best.
I don’t like any of my remixee’s fics, what do I do?
That sucks. Sorry. But take another look and see if there are any ideas in there that might inspire you. While we hope you find fics you love, a fic doesn’t need to be your favourite thing ever for you to remix, in fact, if it were your favourite fic ever, that might be worse. The whole point of this challenge is to retell someone else’s story in a new and interesting way, so try to find a fic that you can retell in your own way. If you really can’t manage it at all and you want to drop out, then contact the mods at [email protected].
This is so much fun! Can I remix more than one fic?
Sure! As long as they’re finished by the deadline, you can definitely do more than one. You can even sign up as a pinch-hitter to help out if someone needs to drop out (please do, pinch-hitters are the heroes of every fandom challenge). You can remix any of your remixee’s eligible fics apart from the fic they have designated as their 'safe’ fic (if they have one). No one’s going to say no to more fic!
This is a cool idea, where did you get it from?
Well, we’ve taken part in remix challenges before. For a more comprehensive look at the history of the remix in fandom, take a look at the Fanlore page: https://fanlore.org/wiki/Remix
My remixee has fics that aren’t WinterHawk, can I remix one of those/can I make one of those WinterHawk?
We’re glad you found so much fic that inspires you! However, this is a WinterHawk challenge, so we ask that all fics involved have Clint and Bucky as the main focus, and the relationship between them. There are other remix challenges out there that are more general, or if you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, it would be great to start one of your own.
Why are the fics being posted anonymously?
Partly for fun, partly to make sure this challenge isn’t too daunting to people who don’t write much fic or aren’t ‘big names’ in the Winterhawk corner. This seems the fairest way to give every fic a chance to shine, and every author a chance to be seen. We hope you find new authors to love!
No more than fanfic is plagiarism in and of itself. Almost all of Shakespeare’s plays are based on pre-existing stories, but he retold them in his own way. Disney’s Maleficent is a remix of Sleeping Beauty from the antagonist’s perspective and Thor knows how many versions of Cinderella are out there. Mostly a remix is an entirely different fic, although in some cases dialogue might be copied from one to another - for a POV retelling for example. Don’t think of the original fic as a blueprint, think of it as a jumping off point. Don’t copy it, reimagine it. Don’t be afraid to let your imagination loose!
