#one being mcu based and one 616 based

[emdashbitch]

listen if Marvel continues their embracing gay characters streak (which I'm loving btw, Phastos, America, Valkyrie, Loki, Sylvie, Ayo, Aneka, Agatha, Billy, Tommy, Rio, Jennifer, Korg, Jeri, that guy from Ant Man, Nikki, hopefully my aroace queen Yelena and so on... give me more!!), I really hope they fully acknowledge Bucky's Arnie Roth origins and have Bucky come out as gay, I'm not expecting it but I have marginally more hope than I used to. I think it'll have a huge impact on a wider scope of fans, more so than newer character introductions because Bucky's been here, he's been here since Phase 1, he's not so easy for bigot fans to ignore after they've been worshipping the Winter Soldier as the epitome of their straight male power fantasy for the last 13 years

And they can't even say they "made him gay" because Bucky's literally had the same backstory as Arnie Roth since day one, more Arnie than any other Bucky Barnes variant across the comics. Bro's had the same dynamics Arnie has with female characters since the first movie, he acts the exact same with women as Arnie Roth does, yet has none of the same dynamics with women that 616 Bucky has, not a single one.

And Arnie Roth is the FIRST mainstream gay comic character in history. MCU Bucky is a composite of Arnie and 616 Bucky (I don't believe people who say Ultimates Bucky, that fucker was a press photographer the fuck? That's such a reach. A reach that's only being made so they don't have to admit Bucky's actually based on a gay man).

Made him gay?? Bitch he's been gay this whole time, which they'd know if they were a 'rEaL cOmIc BoOk FaN'

[gunsandspaceships]

MCU Tony Stark's Ancestry

Tony's origin is a mystery, isn't it? In both the MCU and the comics, the writers don’t give us enough information about his ancestors and their ethnicity to draw any definitive conclusions on the matter. So fans fill in the blanks themselves, often making them up based on their own desires. Hispanic fans want him to be Hispanic, Jewish fans want him to be Jewish, Italian fans want him to be half-Italian, etc. Where is the truth? Can we even establish it?

Well, we can try. Based on 3 things: the origin and prevalence of the last names (Stark, Carbonell, and Collins), the ethnicity of the towns where his parents were born (Richford and Southampton, New York), and the ancestry of the actors (RDJ, Hope Davis, Dominic Cooper, and John Slattery), I will list possible ethnicities and their likelihood of being connected to Tony.

Note: Why does the origin of the actors matter? Our MCU characters have the faces, voices, and other physical characteristics of the actors who play them. These traits are hereditary. We can’t say, for example, that character A is 100% Chinese if he’s played by a 100% Danish actor, right? So we have to take that into account.

Let's start with the MCU actors:

Maria Stark is portrayed by Hope Davis, an American actress of Welsh descent. Unfortunately, I can't verify the claim that she is 100% Welsh, as there is no family tree of hers online.

Howard Stark is portrayed by three people (Dominic Cooper, John Slattery, and Gerard Sanders), but we'll only use Cooper and Slattery here since Sanders only appeared once in one film (IM1) in a photo and had no actual scenes.

Dominic Cooper is an English actor with English and Scottish roots. Checking his tree on Geni, I also found a long line of Welsh ancestors, so we'll add that.

John Slattery is an American actor of Irish descent. His family tree isn't deep, so I can't add anything to it.

Looks like we've collected the British Isles. Only one actor left.

Robert Downey Jr. is an American actor of mixed heritage: according to official sources such as Finding Your Roots and The Age of A.I., he is about 80% European (Swiss, German, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, possibly some Lithuanian and Russian, but this is likely inaccurate) and ~20% Middle Eastern (Lithuanian Jewish). According to his tree on Geni (if we can trust it; don't look at Marisa Tomei among his listed partners, that's probably someone's dream) he actually has a very long line of French ancestry on his mother's side, as well as long Belgian, Dutch and English lines. Some other admixtures, such as Italian, Austrian and Scandinavian, are also present in small amounts. We'll only include the longest lines here, as the contribution of other ethnic groups is small.

Note: Robert and Dominic actually share common ancestors on their mother's side (the English line).

Next we will look at the places where the characters come from:

According to the MCU and comics, Howard Stark was born and raised in Richford, NY. The most common ancestry of the residents of this place include: German (19.9%), English (16%), Irish (12%), Italian (4.1%), and Polish (3.7%). It is also the area with the highest number of residents with Slovak roots (a whopping 1%!). (Source)

It is unknown where Maria Stark (Collins-Carbonell) came from in the MCU. We know that in the comics (616), she is from Southampton, NY. Since Howard in the MCU and comics has the same place of origin (but the origin itself is different, so we will not apply his father and grandfather in the comics to the MCU), we can assume that Maria has too (at least it does not contradict anything).

Southampton, NY residents are of Irish (11.6%), English (10.7%), Italian (10.1%), German (7.1%), Polish (6.2%), Russian (4.5%), Scottish (3.6%), French (1.7%), Danish (1.1%), and Dutch (1%) ancestry, with <1% other ethnicities. (Source)

As we can see, Germany invaded our British Isles, as it is the only other option that also includes the actors and both birthplaces.

We've reached the last thing we can check, and the most obvious one - last names. In our case, there are three: Stark for Howard, Carbonell and Collins for Maria.

Stark : 1: Scottish (Lanarkshire) and English: nickname from Middle English stark ‘strong sturdy; harsh severe’ (Old English stearc). 2: German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname for a strong bold person from Middle High German stark(e) German stark ‘strong brave’. 3: Czech and Slovak (Štark): of German origin (see 2 above). 4: Swedish: ornamental name or soldier's name a cognate of 2 above. (Source)

If we look at the records and map in the source (before 1900), we see the following:

Matches the description, doesn't it?

Note: I will not include countries that have only one record but no records from centuries before, as they are likely not places of birth or permanent residence.

So, here are the ethnic groups we can find there:

Most of the records: Scottish, English, Irish, Swedish, Finnish, German, Dutch, Swiss, Austrian, French, Romanian, Hungarian, Slovak, Czech, Ukrainian, Serbian, Polish.

Some of the records: Welsh, Danish, Belgian, Russian.

The records of Eastern and Central Europe may include Jews, but this cannot be determined with certainty.

Carbonell : 1: Catalan: from an old personal name Carbonellus in Latin derived from Latin carbo ‘coal charcoal’. This surname is also found in southern France (mainly Pyrénées-Orientales). 2: English (of Norman or Huguenot origin): nickname for a man with dark hair or a swarthy complexion from a diminutive of Anglo-Norman French carbon ‘charcoal’. The name was also reintroduced to Britain by Huguenot refugees in the 17th century. (Source)

Here is a map for this last name (again, before 1900):

Most represented ethnicities in the records: Spanish, French.

Some records are: English, Argentinian, Andorran, Algerian.

Collins : 1: English: variant of Colin with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s. 2: Irish and Manx: shortened Anglicized from Ó Coileáin compare Cullen or in Man or west Ulster shortened from Mac Coileáin compare McQuillan and McCallion. The genitival -s is a local addition to Collin and variants after the surname was Anglicized. 3: Americanized form of French Colin or Collin and also Collette. 4: In some cases an Americanized form of Slovenian Kolenc. (Source)

Most people with the last name were: English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Manx, Belgian, French, Dutch.

Some were: Swedish, German, Canadian, South African, Australian, New Zealanders.

We can now collect all the options into one list (not including the options that were colonies) and categorize them by probability level.

More likely to apply to Tony (matches all three: actor, place, and name):

English (2 actors, both birthplaces and all 3 last names)

Irish (2 actors, both birthplaces and 2 last names)

Scottish (2 actors, 1 birthplace and 2 last names)

German (1 actor, both birthplaces and 2 last names)

French (1 actor, 1 birthplace and all 3 last names)

Dutch (1 actor, 1 birthplace, 2 last names)

Average chances that apply to Tony (matching two out of three indicators):

Polish (both birthplaces, 1 last name)

Slovak (1 birthplace, 1 last name)

Russian (1 birthplace, 1 last name)

Slovene (1 birthplace, 1 last name)

Czech (1 birthplace, 1 last name)

Danish (1 birthplace, 1 last name)

Hungarian (1 birthplace, 1 last name)

Welsh (3 actors, 2 last names)

Belgian (1 actor, 2 last names)

Swiss (1 actor, 1 last name)

Jewish (1 actor, 1 last name)

Low chances, but still exist (only matches one indicator):

Italian (both birthplaces)

Lithuanian (1 birthplace)

Swedish (2 last names)

Spanish (1 last name)

Andorran (1 last name)

Manx (1 last name)

Finnish (1 last name)

Austrian (1 last name)

Romanian (1 last name)

Ukrainian (1 last name)

Serbian (1 last name)

We got 6 ethnicities that have the highest chance of being related to Tony: English, Scottish, Irish, German, French and Dutch.

Now let's narrow it down a bit and do the same thing, but for each parent.

Maria has the following ethnicity options:

Highest chances:

French (one of two actors: Robert; birthplace: Southampton, NY; both last names: Carbonell and Collins)

English (one actor: Robert; birthplace; both last names)

Irish (one actor: Robert; birthplace; one name: Collins)

Scottish (one actor: Robert; birthplace; one name: Collins)

German (one actor: Robert; birthplace; one name: Collins)

Dutch (one actor: Robert; birthplace; one name: Collins)

Average chances:

Welsh (both actors: Hope and Robert; one name: Collins)

Belgian (one actor: Robert; one name: Collins)

Slovene (birthplace; one name: Collins)

Low chances:

Polish (only birthplace)

Russian (only birthplace)

Czech (only birthplace)

Danish (only birthplace)

Hungarian (only birthplace)

Italian (only birthplace)

Lithuanian (only birthplace)

Swedish (only one last name: Collins)

Spanish (only one last name: Carbonell)

Andorran (only one last name: Carbonell)

Manx (only one last name: Collins)

Swiss (only one actor: Robert)

Jewish (only one actor: Robert)

So while the highest odds are still with the same 6 ethnicities, we can assume that she has an even higher chance of being French and/or English due to both of her last names. This also correlates with the fact that Tony speaks French.

Howard has the following ethnicity options:

Highest chances:

English (two of three actors: Dominic and Robert; birthplace: Richford, NY; last name)

Irish (two actors: John and Robert; birthplace; last name)

German (one actor: Robert; birthplace; last name)

Average chances:

Scottish (two actors: Dominic and Robert; last name)

Welsh (two actors: Dominic and Robert; last name)

French (one actor: Robert; last name)

Dutch (one actor: Robert; last name)

Belgian (one actor: Robert; last name)

Swiss (one actor: Robert; last name)

Jewish (one actor: Robert; last name)

Polish (birthplace; last name)

Slovak (birthplace; last name)

Low chances:

Russian (only last name)

Czech (only last name)

Danish (only last name)

Hungarian (only last name)

Swedish (only last name)

Finnish (only last name)

Austrian (only last name)

Romanian (only last name)

Ukrainian (only last name)

Serbian (only last name)

Italian (only birthplace)

We have managed to narrow the possibilities down to three. But we can also add other names to get just one, most likely choice: Howard, Walter, Anthony, and even Almanzo are all names that are of Germanic origin or have been used in Germany for centuries. So we can safely conclude that Howard is mostly of German origin.

Conclusion

After this lengthy analysis, we came up with three most likely main ethnicities for Tony: German (on his father's side), French and/or English (on his mother's side).

Note: This does not mean that he cannot be 50% Finnish, 30% Russian and 20% Andorran with no English, French or German roots. BUT this is unlikely.

[cap-ironman]

2024 Cap-Iron Man Exchange Gifts unveiled on January 4

It’s the eleventh day of reveals! Each day we will be revealing gifts created by 2024 Cap-Iron Man Holiday Exchange and Community Gifts event participants. The gifts will remain anonymous until January 7, giving everyone a chance to enjoy the works and guess the identities of creators. (Remember, if you've got a work in the collection, please remain anonymous until after creator reveals!)

Here are today’s gifts!

★ Already Married for Cap Iron Man Community (MCU, 800 words)

Tony was ready to propose to Steve... too bad Steve's already married!!!

★ any way the wind blows for Cap Iron Man Community (MCU, video: 4:33 minutes])

a stevetony fanvid about expectations versus reality for the cap-ironman community ♥︎

★ Betrothed for Cap Iron Man Community (MCU, 500 words)

Tony hasn't spoken to Steve for over two years... Then he hears the news.

★ Cows are People too for Cap Iron Man Community (MCU, 1571 words)

Human-bovine milk was finally hitting the mainstream and Tony was going to revolutionize the industry. Stark Industries had been a pioneer in the field, supplying their dairy to military bases around the world decades before any company could compete. It had never been their main driver of profit, that had always been weapons, but it had been a steady one for as long as Tony could remember. Now that weapons were out—well, dairy was in, but first—a revolution.

★ A Gift with Breakfast for Cap Iron Man Community (Ults 1610, 300 words)

Jarvis isn't the one to deliver Tony his morning breakfast today.

★ i would stay forever if you say (don't go) for starkparade (616, 10743 words)

Tony never wants to lose Steve, and as far as he's concerned, relationships always end. Usually painfully. It's better to keep Steve as a friend (with benefits), then to risk losing him forever.

★ Imprints of his icy fingers for stellarstarkk (616/MCU, 8916 words)

“A Jaeger — you want me to pilot a Jaeger?” “Of course. You’re a Jaeger pilot. Don’t you want to pilot one? Don’t you want to go out there and kick some Kaiju ass?” Steve thought about it for a moment. The thought of losing another partner…it was almost too much to handle. But the feeling of being in control, of winning…it was too much to forgo. “Yes.”

★ Just Get Some Rest, Steve! (Please) for Cap Iron Man Community (MCU, 500 words)

Tony sits by Steve's bedside in the hospital as he recovers after a difficult mission. Turns out, the meds he and Banner developed for Steve have an unforeseen effect...

★ Lessons in the Multiverse for Cap Iron Man Community (MCU, 100 words)

This is why Strange dislikes working with the Avengers.

★ Mandatory Medical Leave for Cap Iron Man Community (MCU, 500 words)

Tony sits in the lounge, looking through his emails on his phone as he waits for Steve to show up so they can head off to the conference.

★ Military Influence for Cap Iron Man Community (MCU, 500 words)

Rhodey is worried about Tony. Has been for years. What Tony needs is some good old Military Influence in his life. ...Right?

★ New Year's Resolutions for Cap Iron Man Community (Marvel Adventures: Avengers, 2191 words)

Steve rescues tsums from a wet and cold alleyway. What can he learn from the new tsums about asking Tony out?

★ Right in the Ribs for Cap Iron Man Community (MCU, 200 words)

Pregnancy was painful, Tony discovered. It was obvious but ow!

★ Santa Stark for Cap Iron Man Community (Avengers Assemble, 100 words)

Steve is enjoying Christmas with the Avengers, and then Tony arrives...

★ Savage Land Discovery for Cap Iron Man Community (Noir, 1000 words)

Tony takes up traveling again after the war. His first destination is the Savage Lands.

★ Speak and Be Married for Cap Iron Man Community (MCU, 9167 words)

In a fit of rage and wanting to humiliate Prince Tony, King Howard offers Tony’s hand in marriage to the first person who will offer for him. Neither Howard nor Tony expect Steve Rogers, the realm’s most eligible knight, to offer.

★ there's a place (where we break the line) for xWinterDreamsx (MCU, 6293 words)

Steve and Tony's friendship is finally back on track, two years after the snap. Steve should know better than to risk ruining it with a reckless bet—but he’s never been good at holding back when it comes to Tony.

★ Tsum-thing of a Revelation for Cap Iron Man Community (616, 600 words)

Clint finds some Tsums in a dumpster and takes them back to the mansion.

★ Who's a Good Boy? for Cap Iron Man Community (616, art)

For Whomever put Tony/Capwolf Smut on the Community 616 Prompt List cuz I love Stony Capwolf and the world needs more of them 💕

To check out all of this year’s gifts (so far!), head over to the 2024 Captain America/Iron Man Holiday Exchange AO3 Collection.

When your gift is revealed, please be sure to comment and thank your gifter!

If you’re the creator of a gift that’s now been revealed, you can reply to any comments and stay anonymous — AO3 will automatically show you as "Anonymous Author" until the creator reveals.

Finally, you may want to change the publication date of your work to today’s date so that it shows up at the top of AO3's feeds. AO3’s guide is available here and we have a more detailed version here.

Happy holidays, and we hope you enjoy all of the revealed works!

♥ Your 2024 Cap-Iron Man Holiday Exchange and Community Gifts mods

[magnetothemagnificent]

In honour of Bucky Barnes's birthday, here are *some* my Jewish Bucky headcanons....

Comics (616) Bucky:

-His mother was Jewish and when she died, his father, Jim, tried his best to keep him and Becca connected to his heritage, but it was hard given they were always traveling with the army and there was no stable Jewish community for them to be involved in. Bucky would get bullied for being Jewish on the army bases and got involved in a lot of fights because of this.

-Bucky was severely affected mentally by encountering the Holocaust firsthand and held resentment against the rest of the Allies for not doing more to help. He would often go off on unauthorized missions alone or with Toro to infiltrate Nazi bases and camps.

-When the Cosmic Cube returned his memories, the first place Bucky went after Camp Lehigh was his mother's grave.

-His Hebrew name is Yaakov Baruch

-He didn't get a Bar Mitzvah as a kid because his father died before he could make sure he'd have one, and the army didn't care about keeping Bucky connected to his Jewish identity. During the New Avengers era when Bucky had taken up the Captain America mantle, Peter Parker and Billy Kaplan arranged for Bucky to finally have his Bar Mitzvah.

-(This one isn't a headcanon it's just fact) His Hebrew birthday is Purim 5685.

MCU Bucky:

-His parents both immigrated to the United States from Romania and happened to meet each other after they immigrated. He grew up in a moderately observant family and spoke Yiddish at home. He has three younger sisters. He learned how to box after he'd get beaten up for being Jewish, so he could defend himself.

-He was specifically targeted for experimentation and torture at the Kreichsberg Munitions Factory because he was Jewish. Even though he marked "P" on his dog tags for safety, they could still see that he was circumcised. Before he was taken away for experimentation, he helped the other prisoners by translating the German the guards used, by using his Yiddish background.

-His Hebrew name is Yaakov Shimshon. After he was supposedly killed in 1945, his sisters started a tradition of naming their firstborn child after him, either with the name "Yaakov" specifically or a name starting with "J" in English and Yud in Hebrew.

-He is naturally left handed but learned to use his right hand proficiently. Because of this, he didn't have to adjust which arm he put Tefillin on after he lost his left arm.

-When he gets really flustered, anxious, or excited, he starts speaking Yiddish and forgets how to speak English.

-(not a headcanon just fact) His Hebrew birthday is Adar 16, 5677

[sounds-of-some-day]

A lot of people are really upset about this Marvel/RDJ news. And I know a lot of people are just upset with the MCU in general right now.

And like, I wouldn't say that I'm upset with it, but I had definitely gotten to a place where I just didn't care about new MCU. I was in it for the OG6 and once the core of that was gone, I just didn't care anymore.

But this news actually makes me cautiously optimistic, so I'll go ahead and lay out why. This is just me, putting my thoughts out there as someone who once studied screenwriting and very much wanted to go into it. So this is where I think they are potentially going with this, because to me, this is both narratively logical (based on this latest news and rumors) and narratively compelling.

Obviously I don't have any actual inside knowledge and I'm just building this off of scraps of information I've picked up on the internet over the past day/few months. And everything I say here could end up being completely wrong. Or not. Who knows.

Caveat, I feel like I'm very rarely right about these things, but I just can't see any other reason for this casting choice, so here you go:

1. Okay, so the people saying he won't/shouldn't ever take off the mask, sorry that's just not happening. Disney isn't paying rdj-money for RDJ to wear a mask the whole movie*. This idea is absurd. If they were going to do this, they could have literally any actor playing the body and just have RDJ do voiceover work for much cheaper. Not that they would do that anyway, because again, this idea is just not how Hollywood works. It's not happening. The mask is coming off.

*There's a small chance it doesn't come off in the first movie if RDJ ends up being in Secret Wars. I don't actually know much about the plot of Secret Wars, but my very vague understanding is this is what collapsed 616 and 1610, so this is thought to be working as a soft reboot of the MCU. I don't think any of this conflicts with my thoughts, but look, again I have no inside knowledge.

2. The people saying this is going to be a new character not in any way related to Tony Stark are wrong (or in the case of Marvel and Kevin Feige, playing loose with the truth to mislead the audience). We're not talking about Gemma Chan or Alfre Woodard or Laura Haddock being cast in two roles, where one of these roles was so minor it could have been played by anyone. We're talking about RDJ/Iron Man, the cornerstone of the MCU. Yes, I know they said he's playing Victor von Doom - not just Doom. I know that. And yes, RDJ is a great actor, but there is literally zero reason to cast him if it doesn't tie back Tony. Again, Disney isn't paying rdj-money for this to not relate in some way to the most iconic and beloved character of the MCU. If it was just a Victor von Doom casting, then yes, this would be a ridiculous and stupid, and *stupidly expensive* casting choice. It's not.

So what do I think is happening? I think Marvel are *technically* telling the truth about the casting, but they are holding back a lot.

The only way this particular casting makes sense is if it has weight on the narrative, meaning of it relates back to Tony in some way.

Now there is apparently some universe where Doom body swaps with that universe's Tony. There's also a (616?) plot where Doom animates Tony's dead body <- I don't think they'll go this route because this is pretty bleak. Also, while the MCU draws inspiration from the comics, it's not beholden to them.

If they go this route, then technically they didn't lie when they said they cast RDJ as Victor von Doom, since it will be von Doom's brain in Tony's body. But they're also not telling the complete truth.

Why?

Because the thing that makes this casting choice interesting from a narrative standpoint is having the heroes (like, say Peter who's supposedly playing a large part in leading the Avengers moving forward) that loved and respected** Tony, having to fight someone who looks like/is in some way Tony Stark.

So I think that this is von Doom in Tony Stark's body from another universe. And I think that either Doomsday or Secret Wars ends with that universe's Tony back in his own body, and the universes collapse into one, and honestly I'm not really sure where they take Tony's story from there.

This also leaves room for an actual future Doom casting that's a different actor. Because I have no doubt that Doom has a very big role to play.

**Potential unverified rumors/leaks, do not continue reading of you don't want to know.

It's long been rumoured that Chris Evans has already signed on to play Steve Rogers in Secret Wars. And look, I'm obviously both a Steve fan and a Tony fan, so you can call me biased, but I don't think I am. I think a lot of MCU fans would agree that Steve and Tony were the heart of the Avengers and the MCU, and that losing both of them hurt the franchise.

I can absolutely see Marvel setting up a showdown between Steve and a villain that looks just like Tony. I can't imagine how that would fuck with Steve, having to, in a way, relive something he probably deeply regrets.

This is what I think is potentially really narratively interesting and compelling with this casting choice.

But hey, I might be completely wrong about all of this, and that casting rumor could be complete bullshit. 🤷‍♀️

[artbyifer]

~~@symbruary time!!!~~ For day one, xenobiology, please have a diagram I dew for @bakageta for the holidays. I've got another one somewhere on paper but IDK where yet. We'll see if I find it before the month ends.

Anyway! This is how my 4D symbiotes work WRT a host. Symbiote tissue in black, Host tissue in red, other matter in green, and reality/plane/dimension stuff in blue.

The basic thrust of it is that the main symbiote body is in a pocket dimension floating outside another reality. We'll call that the material universe, but insert whatever marvel 616/MCU/etc dimension you want. The symbiote pocket is tethered to an anchor - a part of the host that either thinks (produces VitT) or initiates signals to control the host body, typically a brain or brain-analogue - by the symbiote's hold-fast, an organ that specializes in host-klyntar integration and communication. The graphic doesn't say so, but a symbiote can tether to its own biomass, which is how they don't just sucked out of reality without a host, but it doesn't help with the next part.

Connecting the pocket dimension and material reality via the host is the threshhold, which can be thought of kind of like a hallway/throat/tunnel/meniscus membrane leading from the body of the host into a non-xyzt dimension and ending at the symbiote pocket. Through this, the symbiote can send biomass and have it emerge at any bit of the host's body, or have it hover just out of phase in order to perceive inner processes. Nutrients and resources can be gathered in the material world and transferred through the threshhold. Though passing into the pocket itself will scramble/digest them, they can be instead temporarily stored in the threshold itself to be pulled to either side later.

Parts of the host, or its entirety, can be held out of material reality if cantilevered by equal or greater symbiote mass. When this is done it is safely stored in the threshhold. This is not quite suspended animation, and is both tricky and somewhat taxing to both components, but can temporarily remove the threat of damage to the host. The failure state of this is the host falling back into reality, not being stuck in the threshhold or being drawn into the pocket.

Ease of transfer through the threshhold - the "bandwidth", basically, the amount that can be stored there and the safety of those things is directly correlated to host compatibility, though host size and symbiote health are also a factor. Communication counts towards the bandwidth limit, and that includes between pieces of the symbiote itself.

A hostless symbiote, especially one with very little mass left out in the world, has its mind throttled. This can be somewhat mitigated by hardcoding some memories into its biomass beforehand, or creating structures analogous to a brain, but that is a stopgap at best. The hold-fast itself contains the very minimum that the symbiote needs to be able to reconnect to a host, but it is life support at best, and without that or with the threshhold severed entirely they are essentially dead no matter the amount of resources and life in the pocket, as it has no way to reattach to a reality and will simply drift away and starve.

Similarly, any bits of symbiotic biomass cut off from the main body, whether that's a a chunk taken out of the whole or the other side of the severed threshhold coin, are mindless. They might flop around for a bit based on existing pre-programming and movement structures, but they have no will behind them and will soon die unless reattached to the main mass.

Uhhh... what else is in this picture?

That physics in the material world vs the pocket are different, are the threshhold is less concrete than that (labelled as "physics???"). There is some influence by the pocket, some by the material world, some by whatever dimension the threshhold is tunnelling through (not necessarily stable), and it can also be changed somewhat by choice and will. This is helpful when you've got part of the host in there and only want some biological processes to run and not others, or you want to have raw biomass in the same space as your gameboy, which would normally require incompatible sets of physics; biomass in the material world needs to have some shape and structure and stuff.

They symbiote main body has a bunch of raw biomass and some organs - (digestion, thinking, memory storage, chemical production, etc), some pockets of digested resources (single-type atoms/molecules mostly) [Carbon dioxide, silicone, bone], and indigestible resources (scrambled). Those contrast with the host organs on the host side (the host is depicted as a human), and the host's digestion, as well as the nondigested resources in the threshhold, depicted as a boot, a pencil, a gameboy, and a bone.

[sobeautifullyobsessed]

Hi BeautifullyObsessed,

Having heard the recent news regarding RDJ and who he's going to be play in the MCU in what I am assuming is future films( Avengers???), I guess, I must admit to being beyond infuriated with the MCU at this point. Don't get me wrong, I ADORE RDJ, but why in the HELL does he get play a whole new character, whether said character be a variant/from another universe/whatever, yet Rachel McAdams, who I also adore immensely and utterly despise how Marvel has treated her(ex. attempting to throw away/disgard palmerstrange and Christine like nothing), can't be Clea/ a Christine variant that is Clea? Yet, RDJ gets to do essentially that himself. Why? What's the difference? If he can do so, shouldn't Rachel be able to be a vastly different character as well? It's just so unfair, not to mention makes zero sense to me whatsoever how one person gets to do something, yet someone else doesn't get to do essentially the exact same thing :@ Not the mention, they would have had me automatically invested in that ship had they allowed Rachel to play the character. I seriously loved the idea of her in that role, waaaaaaayyyyyyyyy more than I will ever like the idea of CT in the role( not at all fan of that casting personally).

Thanks for taking the time to give your thoughts xx!

Honestly, when you put the question as you have, Nonny, the first response that came to mind is that there's some not so subtle misogyny at play here (the same sort of misogyny that enabled the Russos to dismiss Natasha Romanoff as being of no future value to the franchise beyond 'Endgame'). Coupled with Feige/Marvel/Disney being both desperate and greedy for a way to return the MCU to its former glory.

RDJ's Ironman was the initial foundation stone of the MCU and remains a huge fan favorite five years after his death. So, of course, his return to Marvel in any form is going to fill theatre seats that have gone vacant in the past several years with films that have well under performed those of the MCU's glory days. That's gotta be a huge win for the financial health and popularity of the franchise. And as for Downey Jr, well, he doesn't need the work in particular, but consider first how playing Tony Stark revitalized his career and gave him a cadre of Actors that became as family to him; who wouldn’t want to work with those folks again? Second, he really treasured being Stark, he was the perfect embodiment of Stark, and he must surely expect the same fulfilling experience as Doom. I wish him all good things--while I hope like hell that Doom turns out to be a Variant of Stark; there's so much fantastic story potential (including adversarial interaction with my man Stephen) they'd be throwing away to not have it so!

But Rachel, though--she's been treated shamefully, and like an afterthought, despite the incredible onscreen chemistry she shared with Benedict. And in 'Multiverse of Madness', 616 Christine got the same brusque treatment courtesy of Waldr🤢n and his enablers Feige & Raimi. First, they put words in her mouth that denied her canon feelings for Stephen--'couldn't love you...', wtf!!!...

...then the last shot we got of her, she was irritated while watching Stephen try to save the city from a Monster, as though he was doing it to interrupt her wedding! You can bet your sweet bippy she would've been treated far better if Scott Derrickson had been at the helm (as would Stephen). But based on 838 Christine,

I would have whole-heartedly embraced Clea as a Christine Variant.

I've said as much about a dozen times. Clea is so much more than a badass queen in the comics. She is not only Stephen's student but fully comfortable in her femininity. Unafraid to be soft despite her toughness and the battles she has had to wage in the Dark Dimension. Frankly, the perfect feminine foil to Stephen's delicious brand of masculinity [my knees go briefly weak at the thought of him🥰❤️‍🔥🥰]. They are true Yin/Yang.

Again, the story potential would've been awesome. Imagine Stephen shocked to encounter a Christine so different than either one he knew. A tough, battle-hardened, brusque, even impatient woman, not at all like the Christine he loved. He doesn't even like this Clea--until he glimpses hints of unexpected yet familiar compassion and softness, which draw him in. Ugh. As a storyteller myself, the waste pisses me off.

Academy Award winner she may be, but what I saw in Charlize's brief appearance as Clea showed me that either Feige/Marvel/Disney doesn't get Clea's beautiful duality or they simply don't care. And surely didn't provide CT with any indication that Clea is way more complex than Badass Woman--and that Stephen DESERVES that so much more in his future wife and partner in the Mystic Arts.

Maybe it's just my perception, but replacing Rachel as they did (and it was very last minute I recall, in December 2021, near the end of photography; they created Charlize's makeup & costume design pretty much on the fly in like 48 hours), feels like they said 'Thanks Rachel, you've been swell, but the foundation we built with you isn't necessary anymore, we got us a statuesque, super duper A++Lister. Ta ta, kiddo.' Which infuriates me.

So yeah, in the end, I'm thinking the reason Rachel isn't playing Clea while RDJ is playing Doom? GREED AND MISOGYNY. And after how abused Stephen was in DS II (ie: ignoring his whole experience in living out 14 freaking million timelines and barely letting him mention Donna's death, the most formative experience of his young life), I'm not even looking forward to DS III (unless Benedict gets significant input, especially in story/writing, as he's said more than once that he wrote things for MoM & No Way Home). Charlize's Clea (thus far) doesn't bode well for what I would have loved to see in Cleaphen.

[lokiinmediasideblog]

Loki + Odin=Marvel!Loki

This is part (2/3) of a series.

This is the most obvious "equation" out of the three, being that all Norse myth adaptations have an Odin and Loki (unlike say, the lesser known Skadi), so they both have high visibility.

Marvel's version of Loki (mostly referring to the comics but some of this applies to the MCU to some extent) is some weird mixture of myth!Loki, myth!Odin, and sometimes the Devil because Christians decided Loki was "the Norse devil" (by this, I mean original Earth-616 Loki being the "God of Evil" and referring to himself as "Satan" in his very first appearance (Venus comics)) that has until fairly recently become more Loki-like (i.e. reincarnation and onwards).

Odin and Loki are quite similar in the myths (They're both SHIFTY BASTARDS and partake in "female interests" to different extents). So it works out especially when Marvel's Loki is raised by Odin.

Marvel!Loki's similarities to Odin:

Myth!Loki is not a master sorcerer (that's myth!Odin) and is merely a shapeshifter. Myth!Loki can shapeshift themselves and others in the myths which is a common ability of the Jotnar. But is not shown to do seidr or seek it out. That's Odin. I am basing it from the Lokasenna where Odin and Loki are arguing over who's more "argr." Basically going "oh yea, well you're gayeyer" at each other. Calling each other slurs. Odin calls Loki argr for giving birth as a woman for "8 winters" and Loki calls Odin argr for practicing seidr and disguising as an old woman. Loki’s shape-shifting is not considered “seidr” and it’s just something Jotnar do all the time. Seidr pertains especifically to clairvoyance magic and rituals, according to Jackson Crawford's video on it.

In the comics, Loki sacrificed himself for himself (to reincarnate and try to break out of predictability). In the mythology, Odin sacrificed himself for himself by spearing himself and hanging from Yggdrassil for 9 days, to gain knowledge (see the runes for Galdr). In the MCU, Loki sacrifices himself for others multiple times to the point where it's a meme. But the thematic elements of self-sacrifice and resurrection are there, and his final sacrifice is associated with a tree.

Loki in the myths is more of a Looney Tunes character sort of schemer. He schemes, cheats, and lies, but it's usually for a short-term goal such as saving his ass from all the wacky situations he ends up in through his fault or by being scapegoated. Not very Machiavellic. He's not plotting to rule take power. Though he may engage in malicious pranks and the occasional murder (Balder). Though aspects of this may still apply to Marvel!Loki.

Marvel comics Loki is associated with corvids. Magpies rather than ravens. But it's interesting his animal that carried a copy of his soul was also a corvid.

However, there are still plenty of similarities with myth!Loki.

Loki is a scapegoat. In mythology, Loki is the only one that receives punishment for misdeeds, and its always disproportionate (mouth sewn shut, horse impregnation, bound by the entrails of his son as a snake drips burning venom on his eyes, etc). This is similar to how the Thor Comics written before 2012-ish expect you not to find Loki sympathetic and add thought bubbles of Loki thinking evil things while being punished to show it was "deserved". He is portrayed as a sympathetic scapegoat and villain within the MCU.

Loki is an outsider. In mythology, he's one of two deities speculated to be associated with the Sámi people, and a Jotnar that was brought into the Aesir fold through a blood oath with Odin ("blood brothers). Some speculate Odin did this to try to prevent Ragnarok, plus Loki was his shifty buddy for a while. In Marvel, he's a Jotun that was adopted into Asgard.

Loki doesn't fit conventional Asgardian gender role standards. Despite Marvel's retcon, it was quite obvious Asgardians had gender expectations (e.g. Thor lashes out at being called "princess" and nearly starts a war over that insult, Sif being a shield maiden being a huge deal, Loki's magic being dismissed as "tricks" and less important than battle in deleted scenes (grain of salt bc deleted scene)).

Loki is closer to his mother. It has been state by John Lindow that Loki's use of a matronymic surname indicates an absent or inadequate father. In the MCU, his adoptive mother taught him magic and is the parent he's closer to. This is not the case in Marvel comics, where Frigga/Freyja (they can't make up their mind how to name her) rejected Loki (*Blood Brothers aka Loki (2004) was so influential to me*). And tried to force them into a villainous role post-reincarnation.

I think the MCU's Sif and Loki dynamic is weirdly similar to Loki and Skadi (and I elaborate on the previous post 1/3).

Loki causes Ragnarok in some way. In Marvel comics, Loki does still kill Balder and cause Ragnarok often. In the MCU, he technically also started Ragnarok, but it was to save the rest of the realms. In the mythology, after escaping his torturous punishment, he leads the armies of Hel against Asgard on a ship made of nails.

Odin and Loki are considered to be similar in both the MCU and the myths. In the mythology, they were considered to be so similar, it was speculated Loki may be a hypostasis of Odin by Folke Strom. In the MCU, Hela remarks how similar Loki is to Odin.

Lazy Citations:

Loki's Wikipedia article (last screenshot)

Jackson Crawford's video on seidr.

Laidoner, Triin. (2012) The Flying Noaidi of the North: Sámi Tradition Reflected in the Figure Loki Laufeyjarson in Old Norse Mythology. SCRIPTA ISLANDICA.

Previous post:

[valyrfia]

i'm so compelled by your steve and tony thesis on the tags under this post https://www.tumblr.com/valyrfia/761331351932829696/exactly-if-i-wanted-best-friends-i-would-be-into?source=share that i (after having spent my teenage years reading stucky) want to try it out. do you have any fic recs to get me started?

Oh boy anon I haven't read stevetony since 2020, but it's such a formative ship to me that a few fics still stand out in my mind. If you're interested I'll leave them and comments on the impressions they left on me below the cut.

Quick disclaimer that Marvel is often treated as a multiverse to differentiate between comics and movie canon. The main comics canon is 616, and the movies are just the MCU. There are other comics canons and multiverses, but 616 is the main one you need to get your head around for a lot of these comics-related fics. The MCU is vaguely based off of 616, but the most important aspect to wrap your head around if you want to delve into fic and don't want to read the comics is that Civil War in 616 ended with Steve almost killing Tony, not able to bring himself to do it and surrendering, Steve getting shot on the way to his trial and dying, Tony becoming director of SHIELD and becoming severely depressed over Steve's death, and then via other plot happenings having to delete his memory INCLUDING the fact that Steve died, and Steve resurrecting via sci-fi shenanigans. This arc along with The Confession and The Oath are what mainly fuel stevetony.

Okay, now that the primer is out of the way without further ado here are some fics I read in my teenage years that irrevocably changed my brain chemistry with regard to how I choose to ship anything ever.

When I Think (Oh It Terrifies Me) by celli - 8k, E

Look, some mornings you wake up and little green men are invading New York City; some mornings you wake up and you can hear Captain America's voice in your head. Tony has been an Avenger long enough that he saves his freakout for important things.

This is the first fic I ever bookmarked on ao3. It's short and snappy and fun and serves as a great little primer, especially since it's MCU!

almeno tu nell'universo by silkspectred - 114k, E

Tony drives off. Well, he wants to. But he can’t. Because. Steve Rogers is in front of his car. Steve fucking Rogers. Is in front of Tony’s fucking car.

Complete change of pace from the one above, but still MCU–this is Steve and Tony locked up together in the Italian countryside after the events of Civil War where Italy herself is as much a character as anything. I had the absolute privilege of reading this as it was released chapter by chapter and just remember it being breathtaking.

The Last Love Song of Anthony E. Stark by jibrailis - 42k, M

After contracting an Asgardian virus, Tony starts forgetting things. And people. And Steve.

All I remember of this is that it was the first fic I ever properly sobbed my little heart out to. I would recommend a thousand times over, I remember the settings and character work especially being really well done. It's also MCU!

wear it like a message by starvels (dinosaur) - 10k, E

Steve and Tony have some negotiations about how to wear rings and dog tags on your person when you’re a superhero badass wearing skin tight body armor. Also, they kiss a lot.

There's a common trope in stevetony that is vaguely described by 'peak battle couple', and I think that's definitely one that you would enjoy especially if you come from a Lestappen background. It's 616, but I seem to remember there's not a lot of actual plot knowledge required.

America Isn't Chicken by Dr_Amuly - 130k, E

After a Civil War, death, rebirth, a takeover by Osborn, brain deletion, and the fall of Asgard, Steve and Tony might just be starting to get back on solid ground with one another. Things aren't perfect, not yet, but they can be in the same room as each other without resorting to violence, and they've even managed to share a smile or two. Seems like the perfect time, then, for Tony to try and fuck it all up with a stupid game of gay chicken. Meanwhile, as if he didn't have enough to worry about, Tony realizes some kind of supervillainous trouble is brewing when increasingly advanced armors start popping up all over Manhattan, looking strangely reminiscent of his tech. On the other side of the world, Steve gets news that Zola is on the move in Russia, with some sort of nefarious plan at work. Which will ruin them first? Will it be this unknown armored villain who is after Tony's tech? Or will it be Zola unleashing his mysterious plan on the world? Or will Steve and Tony prove to be their own worst enemies, destroying the tentative truce they managed to forge with their own stubbornness?

Don't be intimidated by the length of this, or by the fact that it's 616. Amuly was long a famous author of the fandom because they have a real gift for crafting excellent, engaging, and accessible novel-length fics. I would actually say this is the perfect primer for getting to grips with the world and universe of 616 while also being a hot and hilarious fic.

Belief Space by magicasen - 59k, M

The Time Gem appears not when it is wanted, but when it is needed. Steve learns this the hard way. (Or: an Infinity #6 AU where Thane refuses his birthright and the Avengers are doomed - until the Time Gem shows up within Captain America's grasp.)

I would definitely caution that you need to be pretty familiar with 616 canon to enjoy this one, but I gained all my knowledge through fics and context clues so once you've established that return here. THIS is my favourite fic of all time. I can't NOT recommend it. That is all.

[lexxicona]

Things from the Ultimates Comics that made their way to the MCU:

Nick Fury being a black guy based on/looking like Samuel L Jackson (to being played by Samuel L Jackson)

Peter Parker being bit by a genetically altered spider instead of a radioactive one.

Hawkeye having a family

Miles Morales (if the Brand New Day rumors are to be believed and definitely with Homecoming)

Contessa Valentina Allegra De Fontaine being head of/involved with OXE Group (in the main 616 continuity she was a SHIELD agent and Nick Fury’s lover)

[marvelforged]

Logan’s  Verses  List  (to  be  expanded/updated)

A  New  Krakoa  (Modern  616  Verse):  Taking  place  once  Krakoa  has  been  recognized  as  a  sovereign  nation  of  Mutantkind.  This  verse  generally  takes  place  after  ORCHIS  attempts  to  release  the  Master  Mold  and  Logan  dies  in  the  process  of  stopping  them,  only  to  be  resurrected  by  The  Five.  

Mutatis  Mutandis  (Headmaster  Verse):  A  timestamp  verse  that  spans  the  series  of  Wolverine  and  the  X-Men,  where  Logan  is  the  headmaster  of  the  Jean  Grey  Institute  for  Higher  Learning.  In  this  time  period,  he  is  exclusively  dating  Ororo  Munroe. 

On  a  Pale  Horse  (Horseman  of  Death  AU):  A  Timestamp/Alternate  verse  for  the  time  period  where  Logan  was  brainwashed  into  being  one  of  Apocalypse’s  Four  Horsemen,  Death. 

Age  of  Apocalypse  Verse:  What  it  says  on  the  tin.  Logan  in  the  Age  of  Apocalypse  universe.  He’s  missing  one  hand  from  a  fight  (with  Cyclops)  to  free  Jean  Grey  from  Apocalypse’s  citadel.  He  and  Jean  are  in  a  committed  relationship,  both  while  operating  separately  from  the  X-Men  and  later,  once  they  are  reunited  after  Sinister’s  death

Blood  and  Bone  (Fatal  Attractions  Verse):  Timestamp  Verse  that  takes  place  after  the  X-Men  confront  Magneto  on  Asteroid  M  (X-Men  Vol  2,  #25)  and  Magneto  forcibly  rips  the  Adamantium  from  Wolverine’s  bones.  After  Logan  nearly  dies  and  they  return  to  earth,  he  discovers  that  his  claws  are  in  fact  Bone.  Stories  in  this  verse  will  follow  his  difficult  journey  to  manage  his  advancing  mutation  and  the  new  vulnerabilities  of  his  body  without  the  unbreakable  metal.

An  Avenger  Now  (New  Avengers  Verse):  Timestamp  following  when  Logan  joins  the  New  Avengers  at  the  Behest  of  Tony  Stark.  This  verse  serves  as  a  catchall  for  his  interactions  with  other  Avengers  (both  616  and  MCU).

Madripoor  Lowtown  Lights:  Timestamp  Verse  for  the  period  in  which  Logan  spent  undercover  in  Madripoor  as  Patch,  co-owner  of  the  Princess  Bar  and  spy  infiltrating  the  underground  crime  network  run  by  Roche.

Days  of  Future  Past  Verse:  The  Alternate  Future  Verse  for  Wolverine  in  the  Days  of  Future  Past  comics.  North  America  has  been  taken  over  by  Sentinels,  which  keep  mutants  as  prisoners  in  concentration  camps.  Logan  has  evaded  capture  and serves  as  a  colonel  in  the  Canadian  Resistance  Army.  He  aids  a  time  traveling  Kitty  Pryde  in  liberating  his  fellow  X-Men  and  attempting  to  stop  the  reign  of  the  Sentinels.  May  combine  elements  from  the  DOFP  film. 

Old  Man  Logan:  Alternate  Verse  specific  to  Old  Man  Logan,  both  in  his  own  world  and  when  he  crosses  over  into  616  universe

More  than  a  Weapon  (Weapon  X  Verse):  Timestamp  verse  for  the  Early  Days  of  Logan’s  memories,  back  when  he  still  was  known  only  as  Weapon  X  and  struggled  to  grasp  his  humanity.

It's  Adamantium  Tasting  Time;  Boys!  (X-Men  TAS  Verse):  A  verse  specific  to  the  events  of  X-Men:  The  Animated  Series,  as  well  as  X-Men  '92

What’s  a  Magneto?  (Fox/MCU  X-Films  Verse):  A  universe  for  the  blending  of  MCU  and  the  Fox  made  X-Men  Films.  This  verse  is  generally  for  RP  partners  who  are  solely  MCU  or  Fox  Franchise  based.

[thwipsthrown]

oh i guess i should make a lil mobile-friendly rundown of the muses written here + relevant links, huh?

remy "the gambit" lebeau: combo of the comics & x-men 97 & headcanon. professional wifeguy. cat dad. bi, femme-lean. ships exclusively with @hopedefined & @auroradicit. moderate muse. channing tatum + various 97/comics caps. playlist // pinterest

gwen "ghost spider" stacy: e65 or insomniac-inspired or tasm or mcu, depending on the thread, but inspiration from all sources regardless + headcanon. queen of pushing people away. dimensional traveller. what makes this gwen stacy the outlier? she/they. bi. high muse. jesse mei li + various comic/animated sources. playlist // pinterest

peter "spider-man" parker: tasm/insom fusion or tasm + nwh vanilla, + headcanon. king of the guilt complex & losing everyone he cares about. most assuredly not a child. substitute teacher. ethnically and religiously jewish. bi. high muse. andrew garfield. playlist // pinterest

harry osborn: tasm happy ending au, vanilla available on request, + headcanon. rich kid. probably needs to go to rehab. and therapy. oscorp's ceo. gay, demi-romantic. moderate muse. dane dehaan. playlist // pinterest.

harry osborn: mcu insert + headcanon. new money. got dusted, only to return and find out his mother died from the illness they share (and is only just showing itself). definitely needs to go to rehab. college sophomore. oscorp's heir apparent. bi. moderate muse. aidan gallagher. (same playlist/pinterest as tasm harry.)

billy "wiccan" kaplan-maximoff: mcu based with comic influences. died william kaplan, born billy maximoff. product of the westview hex. looking for his brother. estranged from wanda (but still open to interactions!). besties with a ghost, apparently. remembers being william. gay. high muse. joe locke. heavily codependent with @uptospccd // playlist

memphis "scamble" milo: x-men oc. reality straightener -- negates the powers of reality benders & is skeptical of a lot of things, including magic. may or may not be charles's kid. they/them, aroace. colin morgan.

erik magnus "magneto" lehnsherr: headcanon and xmcu based (1st class, dofp, & apocalypse) with influences from the animated series + ‘97 and some comics. bi. ships exclusively with @bettertelepath. michael fassbender.

TEST MUSE(S):

gwyn "spider-man" stacy: entirely headcanon based. literally bewitched by one panel from spider gwen: shadow clones. interpolation from gwen-65 + a little of peter parker-616. fc rudy pankow.

jessica jones: mix of comics and nmcu show. i am not immune to propaganda. by request while i finish the show. fc krysten ritter.

[hollowsart]

Alright - favorite versions of mysterio? (Also I'm curious, it seems like you don't seem to care for the mcu version and that's fair and I have a sneaking suspicion I know why, but - what's the beef there?)

I've talked before about why I'm personally not a fan of the mcu version even despite having never watched the movie

[THIS] is the last ask that I answered related to the mcu version of Mysterio and answers it fairly well. but I am curious what your 'sneaking suspicion' is to why I'm not a fan of the mcu Mysterio, though? please let me know!

As for my favorite versions of Mysterio.. gonna whip this image out again & also list them down below the cut, reminder: these are not in any order:

TSSM: my number 1 brainrot. This one is a given considering he is the one that I based and designed my own Mysterio off of heavily. 1) Debatable Latin, 2) Funny, 3) melodramatic, 4) pathetic, 5) just watch [This]

Shattered Dimensions: [Exhibit A] [Exhibit B] [Exhibit C]

Webspinners: uhm.. uhm have you seen that one panel of him.. when he's first entering his old childhood home? that one panel.. is def the best he's been drawn in that comic, but also.. your honor. I could never in a million years hope to fix that man, but you gotta admit, -gestures vaguely- move over Betsy, I'm about to GET IT-- [my reaction post]

@scoutverse: Does fanmade count? because uhh.. Arcade's Quintin Beck.. he's uhm.. Arcade knows my thoughts and feelings on his ukranian twunk. how dare you make him so appealing in so many ways. I am abnormal for him. <3

Insomniac SM2: ..Listen. His whole side mission is just.. it's a chef kiss from me, okay. [the whole side mission] I am genuinely.. falling for this one. Send help-- sdkjhdsjkf

@lazydaydrawings: ..I am not above being a lover of a good monster okay. And their Mysterio? 10/10 all around. I am very normal about him I swear-- (she is lying through her teeth) I desire to learn more about him and also the entire world that they came up with for their spidersona, too!! It's so cool and just!!! YOU GOTTA CHECK IT OUT. GO!! LOOK!!

Renew Tour Vows: I just like how he looks. there's like literally nothing to his character here. I just like how he looks... his design is..... very appealing.. a shame he was only present for like 0.5 seconds :( [just look at him]

Mooseterio: THIS CREATURE HAS NOTHING BUT [THAT ONE CANON PIECE OF ART] AND [HIS CAMEO IN ATSV]. I AM DEVASTATED. ME AND LIKE 2? OTHER PEOPLE ARE (rarely/occasionally) CREATING CONTENT FOR HIM. He is a goofy funny moose with googly eye cape clasps. Rocky & Bullwinkle wannabe (affectionate) Honestly I prefer this design over the Mysteriape one by a long shot. Same goes for MJ Waterbuffalo over Mary Crane Watsow. It just looks better, more fitting/more personality.

How To Read Comics The Marvel Way: ..Listen. You just have to read it and see him for yourself. [Link to read]

616 Comics: Alright I admit I like the basic 616 comic Mysterio, too. You can't love Mysterio without loving his OG variant. Old man ran an obstacle course marathon so all the others could do a leisurely jaunt. He grew on me the more I fell in deep with liking Mysterio in general :(

Honorable Mentions: @itschr1spy, @spooky-salesman, @masterserris/@neomysterio highly recommend you talk to them about their Mysterios!! They're all really cool and unique and totally worth checking out!!

[bulkyphrase]

Cap-IM Rec Week - Absolute Faves Monday

I'm not on dreamwidth and am not a part of the cap-iroman community, but they do a lot of cool events and I'm always looking for an excuse to compile and post a rec list.

Here are some of my all-time favorite Stony fics and podfics.

Falling Backwards (Till it Turns Me Inside Out) by Aeraneth (@aeranethwrites) (MCU | Teen And Up Audiences | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | 5,706 words)

Summary: It’s Nomad against the Avengers, a Hydra patch on his shoulder, a gun pointed at Iron Man’s head, and a doomsday machine running down the clock behind him. He’s the only one standing in the way of them saving the world. Steve doesn’t know how he got here.

girls can't play guitar by isozyme (@isozyme) (Ults | Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | 4,209 words)

Summary: On nights when Tonia fucked Eve, Eve left her bed sated and woke up with a guilty desire to walk into Tonia’s room, strip off her kevlar uniform, and surrender herself to whatever Tonia wanted to do next. Captain Eve Rogers has a complicated relationship with sex and masculinity. Tonia Stark has a really big strap.

More below the cut!

This Thing of Darkness by MassiveSpaceWren, Mizzy (@mizzy2187) (616 | Teen And Up Audiences | Graphic Depictions Of Violence | 18,525 words)

Summary: X-Factor #231 AU. It's been five years since it happened, but Deathlok has spent every day since M-Day wishing he was less human, so going undercover as a human in order to find more humans to slaughter…? It's tough, but Deathlok agrees to do it. The target is Pandora, a base that Deathlok thought was just a rumor, the biggest undercover human resistance camp in the world. The mission turns out to be tougher than Deathlok expects, though, because the leader of the ragtag resistance camp is Tony Stark. Tony, who always has more than one ace up his sleeve. Tony, who Deathlok used to know. Tony, who refuses to call him anything but by his disgusting human name: Steve.

The Least Difficult of Men by isozyme (@isozyme) (Ults | Explicit | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | 46,153 words)

Summary: It isn’t until Tony watches Steve lean into the punch that he thinks oh, this is going to be a problem. Steve’s taking hits on purpose in the field, so Tony suggests a safer option. It's simple: Tony smacks Steve around, Steve gets the pain fix he’s looking for, everyone leaves happy. Things do not stay simple. The one with repressed masochist Steve and sadist Tony and everyone getting off on pain a whole bunch.

A Real Boy by Sineala (@sineala) (616 | Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | 11,468 words)

Summary: When Steve shows up for the Avengers' team meeting, he quickly discovers that the version of Tony in attendance this week is the artificial intelligence. But Tony is still Tony, the man Steve has loved for years, and him being a hologram doesn't stop the two of them from falling for each other. They just have a few kinks to work out. Also available as a podfic read by M_Samro (@msamro)

Living on Your Breath by Sineala (@sineala) (616 | Explicit | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | 110,343 words)

Summary: The Avengers have faced Onslaught and come home. The team has assembled again. And Steve is finally together with Tony. They're in love. Everything is perfect. But this happiness is all too brief, as Tony is kidnapped by forces unknown. Steve rushes off to rescue Tony, only to find that Tony has been brainwashed and turned against him. Now Steve, captured and tortured by the man he loves, must sacrifice everything he has to stop Tony from becoming a monster. Their relationship will never be the same again... if they both get out of here alive.

Super Villain Dating Tips - Or How Steve Won Over Tony Through The Art of Kidnapping by forgetmenotjimmy (MCU | General Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | 46,265 words)

Summary: Steve isn't evil, he's just trying to do the right thing whilst hiding from an insane General who's out for his blood - literally - but when he is forced to kidnap Tony to help him escape the cops, his plans to take down the Secret Division that experimented on him, well, they get put on the back burner. How does a villain date a hero? More kidnapping of course!

Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree by Annie D (scaramouche) (@no-gorms) (MCU | Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | 21,098 words)

Summary: Steve doesn’t mind that Tony doesn’t return his feelings. He just would've preferred if it didn’t come with the side effect of his coughing up flowers and possibly dying.

Relativistic Heat Conduction by BlossomsintheMist (@blossomsinthemist) (616 | Explicit | Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death | 69,298 words)

Summary: Age of Ultron-based, but not entirely canon compliant. Written for the 2013 Cap-Iron Man Reverse Big Bang. Ultron has attacked, obliterating most of the world's superheroes and resistance in a matter of hours. The remaining heroes band together and share what strength they have to get through it, to survive, and defeat Ultron once and for all. Steve Rogers grieves in the wake of the disaster and the heroes' defeat, and no one knows if he will be able to provide the leadership they need--but Tony Stark isn't about to let him slip away that easily. Also available as a podfic read by Pywren (@phyrrhicvictory)

A Hundred Times, Once by FestiveFerret, SirSapling (@festiveferrets, @sirsapling) (Ults | Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | 24,761 words)

Summary: The shrill tone of his SHIELD beeper pulls Steve out of sleep and into battle. He fights robots, he fights Tony's shameless advances, he fights the exhaustion that threatens to take over him, drown him. And then the next morning, he wakes and does it again. Exactly the same. And again. And again. And again.

Mercy in You by Sineala (@sineala) (616 | Mature | No Archive Warnings Apply | 9,598 words)

Summary: When Tony comes back from a very bad D/s date, in pain and abandoned by his dom, Steve offers to help Tony out and give him all the aftercare he so desperately needs. Also available as a podfic read by Pywren (@phyrrhicvictory)

Straight on till Morning by Sineala (@sineala) (616 | Explicit | No Archive Warnings Apply | 109,848 words)

Summary: Tony Stark resigned his commission in Starfleet five years ago, after a disastrous away mission, and he swore he'd never go back. He just wants to be left alone to build warp engines in peace. But the universe has more in store for him than that, as he discovers when Admiral Fury comes to him with an offer he could never have expected and cannot possibly refuse: first officer and chief engineer aboard the all-new USS Avenger, a starship of Tony's own design. What's more, the Avenger's captain is Steve Rogers, hero of the Earth-Romulan War. Believed dead for over a century, Steve is miraculously alive... and very, very attractive. But nothing is ever easy for Tony. As he wrestles with his secret desire for his new captain and his not-so-dormant fears, another mission starts to go wrong, and Tony becomes aware that Steve has secrets of his own -- and the truth could change everything. Also available as a podfic read by M_Samro (@msamro)

The Prize by sabrecmc (@sabrecmc) (MCU | Explicit | Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con | 318,625 words)

Summary: Steve ends up as a concubine in the royal harem.

I (created from fantasies) exist solely for you by Mizzy (@mizzy2k) (MCU | Teen And Up Audiences | No Archive Warnings Apply | 62,917 words)

Summary: Six years ago, without the Avengers Initiative there to save the day, scientist Dr. Eric Selvig sacrificed himself to save the world, the almighty demi-god Thor was lost to a terrible storm, and vigilante Iron Man – spotted with a nuclear weapon trying to take advantage of the situation – was forever labelled an enemy of SHIELD. This is a comic book office AU, where Steve is defrosted a year too late, Thor has forgotten who he is, and no one knows Tony is Iron Man. Also includes: office pranks, inappropriate post-it notes, and superheroes who like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain. Also available as a podfic read by badfinch (@read-by-badfinch)

[honey-minded-hivemind]

I've talked of a few different variants of bby... so I think it's time I introduced another one. This one is based on a few dreams I've had, where I've ended up in odd situations that feel like I've been hippity-hoppiting through different Marvel worlds and realities, meeting the platonic yans in different settings, and sometimes being chased and/or trying to avoid them throughout the world of the dream... So may I present... the TimeWarp!bby!

This bby is someone who comes from an alternate universe, which is no longer around, so has ended up caught in the other Marvel universes. Now, you can imagine being in any mainstream world, be it 616, the MCU, one of the animated series or anime, or another one, as long as it sticks to the platonic yans being their regular selves in that world (as in, still heroes/villains/etc.). This bby has seen a lot. They've been to a lot of places, and been a part of many events, too. But... that doesn't mean they had it easy. They lost their original world, their birth universe, so they have no set home. With nowhere to go, and no ID or family or housing, they kinda end up wandering around the current universe like a hitchhiker/hobo. The few pieces they have of their previous life are kept in a worn mini backpack they carry, and they wear a satchel containing their phone, what bit of money they have, and a few miscellaneous items. How did they end up like this? Well... they're a mutant, or something, of the sort. Their ability is an odd one, and seems to have no limit. This ability? It's reality-shifting, or a type of it, that allows them to adapt to the world and people around them. They can warp through the fabric of the universes, and take on any mutant ability, as long as they want it and can see it demonstrated.

This causes them trouble. The platonic yans have caused them grief in the past, namely, they're the reason the reader has to move from place to place without stopping. The reader has met a few different versions of the heroes and villains, and have been hunted out of fear of their power. This has led the reader to have severe trust issues, trauma, insomnia, and a disassociation problem. Due to how they have been through enough past worlds and experiences to make them doubt their sanity, and to help stabilize their power, they have to take medication. This medicine could be anything from minor to major. I imagine it is in pill form.

The reader does end up as a mythic figure in some hero and villain circles; even in some cities or nations, where they've been stuck navigating. This has earned them a few ghost stories, mainly saying if someone is lost or needs help, a weary wanderer will come by, when no one is around. They will offer a piece of advice; maybe even a small piece of information, but always odd or cryptic; and then, just like that, they'll leave, back to wherever they go when the area is busy... The heroes and villains have tried numerous ways to capture the reader, from baiting them out to pretending to want to help them to even running them off to the point of near collapse. And then... the reader disappears. No one can figure it out. Where did they go? What are they doing? Is the world in danger?

And the reader just ends up in a small pocket dimension. A place that is solely for them. It is an empty version of their birth world, but it only exists as long as they are alive. They can relax in a little diner attached to a library and school/college, filled with potted plants and a warm atmosphere and food that appears whenever they're hungry. It's... not home, but it's the closest they've had to one in a long time. Finally, they can rest and recover from everything that's happened to them...

After a while, possibly a few months to a year or a few years, the heroes and villains are enjoying the fact they no longer have to fear the threat of the reader. They can all keep doing what what they please, and the looming threat of the reader's power won't hang over them anymore... But then... one or two of the heroes and villains slip through something. A small tear in reality. And they wind up in a misty, quiet world. All is empty, not a noise to be heard or a person to be seen. It's dimly lit, and darkness creeps around the edges. They wander the abandoned world, until they find the only place that seems to be alive: a home of sorts, with a pale bit of light inside. When they enter, they find a worrying sight... the reader. Who seems to be the worse for wear. It leaves them feeling... uneasy. This is their foe? The thing there feared? It's... it's just... a teen.

They feel conflicted, and seem to reach the realization that they've been chasing a child all this time, with the threat to kill them if it was needed. And they feel sick. How could they not? Concern eats at them, and they gently try to wake the reader up. They need to apologize. They need to get them somewhere safe, back to their group, where they can help them. And once they've shaken the reader awake... they recognize them... And run...

The reader ends up escaping from their pocket dimension, ending up back in the Marvel universe/s. The two heroes and villains who found them end up back where they were before the reality tear transported them, and they rush off to tell the heroes and villains that they need to stop and help the poor kid they've been chasing.

This leads to various hero and villain teams trying to help (read: kidnap) the reader to apologize, and to help them recover. The groups fight each other over which one can take the reader, only for the reader to always escape in the chaos. The groups have all tried to entice the reader out, to allow them to help them, only to have a terrified reader dart in the other direction. So, they decide they need to... use a new tactic...

Even if their bby doesn't want their help, they need it. And even if they are apologizing for the rest of their lives, they will make sure their bby feels safe and well, providing anything they need and trying to be the family they should have been from the start. It doesn't matter if their bby can't trust them... they'll keep proving they're sorry and make it up to them... and if they have to forcefully help their bby... they promise they'll be gentle...

[starvels]

SteveTony Reclist: Road-Trips

@stevetonygames 2023 team future. challenge: camouflage. a reclist in the style of the inspiring @carsonian ! (thanks for your fun reclisting haha)

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A Long Road To Share [FANART] by SirSapling

Summary:

After 50 years in the ice and a couple exhausting years leading the Ultimates, Steve realises he isn't quite sure he knows anything about the new modern America he's supposed to represent. Luckily, Tony has an idea how to show him.

Notes:

such a sweet hopeful look at ults in the future! the landscape is warm and so is my heart. this comic encapsulates the road trip vibes in its scenery, colors and soft focus on steve and tony discussing believing in each other.

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After the Devil is Gone by Ironlawyer

Summary:

When Steve leaves to travel the country on his bike, Tony comes with him. But Steve is not ready to face those particular demons yet.

Notes:

CW for noncon offscreen. a super sharp desolate view of steve's 616 roadtrip, this fic aches to its core! the things it doesn't have to say ring so loudly and painfully across the text.

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Are we satellites? by starvels

Summary

In between sunrises on the road, Steve is speaking, eating, stepping into diners to save people like coming back to his childhood home. And Tony, Tony is watching him. Tony is relearning being awake. - A cross country roadtrip where Steve and Tony find the typical American town, a fuckton of trees and finally, finally, find the right questions to ask each other.

Notes: a self rec! this is an ode to winding american roads, the trauma and aches of being a superhero, the longing that comes with being in love with your best friend, and both steve and tony being the little spoon.

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BACK IN BLACK!! Eyes on the road Tony… [FANART] by @shaggybeetle

Summary:

MCU roadtrip featuring sing alongs to blaring music, delicious snacks and a phone ready to topple off the dashboard

Notes:

what a style! what a scene! steve and tony jamming out is so fun and they both look so at peace and ready to dig into vacation. great atmospheric details like trees through the windows!

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Flight of Icarus by Missy_dee811

Summary:

“Tony,” said Kamala, hurried. “I loaded up some music to give you a little boost,” she said. “Oh no,” he said, shaking his head. “Don’t worry,” she added. “It’s not mine.” He smiled. I knew I liked you. She wished him luck. He thanked her, though he didn’t believe in luck. He had one try, one try to get it right. She was counting on him, they all were. It felt good to be needed. It felt good to be useful. All these years, he had wanted nothing more. He couldn’t fail now. Not again. [Written for Lights On Park Ave - Round 13.]

Notes:

a marvel avenger's video game rec! a wistful retrospective of tony dealing with the loss of steve, flipping through memories like a photo album, topped with a reunion cherry!

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the honeymoon suite by CapnShellhead

Summary:

Wade Wilson is getting married and he's assembling a team to get him to Vegas for his bachelor party. Requiring a team with a special set of skills, he asks Wolverine, Spider-Man, Special Agent Preston and Captain America to come along. Steve decides this would be a wonderful opportunity to fix a rift between him and an old friend.

Notes:

a thoroughly enjoyable 30k 616-verse fic based in an oft-overlooked moment in canon featuring delights such as: bed sharing! team fight scenes! wistful conversations! snark! accidentally thinking of your crush while jerking off!

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On the Road We Find the Journey Home by navaan

Summary

In the Aftermath of Secret Empire, Steve goes on his Road Trip to find out who Captain America can be after Hyda!Cap put fear into the hearts' of the people who used to cheer for him. His thoughts trail back to Tony.

Notes:

follows 616 canon for steve's post-hydra road trip gives this fic the opportunity to have steve connect genuinely to things in a way that reminds us all why we love cap. the end pay-off is good and the writing is so very even keel and wonderfully paced.

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somewhere along the oregon coast by Marvellous

Summary:

Tony stared at the door of the coffee shop they’d pulled up to, watching multiple people come and go. He crossed his arms and laughed to himself, “How much do you want to bet he’s having a very in depth conversation right now?” A deep but agreeable woof sounded from the backseat of the car.

Notes:

small and sweet like a little dessert! a tale of a pup and a love so warm it melts your heart to look at it. sometimes, it is that easy.

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ride (with) me [FANART] by wingheads

Summary:

kobik brought steve back. tony woke up from a coma. a road trip seems like a good place to start some reacquaintance. square filled: e1 motorcycle lol i really wanted that stevetony roadtrip in 2018 bc it had been a long time ?? since steve and tony were together where steve isn't old (i love old man steve btw) or evil and tony isn't in a coma or an ai. etc. etc. inspired by steve's road trip.

Notes:

a vibrant scene of steve and tony on their way to reconcile some loving feelings, complete with a gorgeously detailed motorcycle. the vibes here are so picturesque and the pose is so sweet.

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You Go Up Instead of Down [FANART] by MissionCritical

Summary:

This is set in the universe of the 1966 Marvel Superheroes cartoons (Earth-600026). Only two years ago, Iron Man and the original Avengers discovered Steve, frozen and floating in the Arctic Ocean, and rescued him. It's been rough for Steve, adjusting to this new world, but he has a lot of support -- from two people in particular. Tony Stark is brilliant, handsome, and a generous benefactor to the team. He's even given Steve a place to live in his own actual mansion! Steve doesn't really understand why, but it's clear Mr. Stark is good man, devoted to helping the Avengers. And then there's Iron Man, who has quickly become Steve's best friend, Iron Man is brave, and determined, and just a terrific teammate. He's given Steve the thrilling experience of flying into battle by riding on his back! And in that gleaming suit of armor, Iron Man always has Steve's back. Steve is Iron Man's biggest fan.

Note:

a delightful lil glimpse into a fun, small universe, this edit is such a delight to experience! we all need a little more flying steve in our lives, don't we?

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go forth: stevetony beans, greens, potatoes, you name it! and give these treats the resounding kudos/comment/retweet/reblog chomps they deserve!