#I don't like living in a cyberpunk dystopia tbh

[yanavaseva]

Today I went to Lidl and realized that they've replaced the overly cheery voice of the lady that reads the weekly promos with text-to-speech, splicing voiceclips of her. It was most noticeable when she read product prices. (Meanwhile they'd raised said prices again.)

Does this mean they've decided to cut spending by replacing voice actors with ai? I hadn't thought much about the ad reads before but now I'm hyper aware that someone that used to be paid weekly got replaced by a machine, and I didn't like it one bit.

[stevetonyweekly]

SteveTony Weekly - Holiday Special

Happy holidays, my friends! I know a lot of us spend the holidays with more free time than normal, and I thought I’d put together a list of very long fic for you to indulge in during your down time--enjoy and be sure to give your author a comment/kudos if you enjoy it! 

~ 

[Podfic of] When The Lights Go On Again by Dr_Fumbles_McStupid, kalakirya, KD reads (KDHeart), lattice_frames, lavenderfrost, miss_marina95, Opalsong, paraka, Superstitiousme, vassalady

Aliens have invaded earth, and the Avengers are scattered. While Steve leads the resistance, Tony once again finds himself playing captive scientist. In the midst of a violent alien regime, separated by seemingly insurmountable boundaries, Steve and Tony have nothing to keep themselves going but each other.

Note: This was 19hours of FANTASTIC story--highly recommend it if you’ve got a long drive or time off. 

One-Man Army by Captain_Panda

Takes place immediately after the Chitauri attack in Avengers 1.

Steve is running himself into the ground. Tony notices.

Then Steve gets knocked down hard. And Tony intervenes.

Note: I’ve rec’ed this before. It’s delightfully long and nearly perfect--there’s very little downtime in the way of weakness with the pacing and writing, which is a feat in and of itself at over 600k. 

America Isn't Chicken by Amuly 

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?

Note: Just really delightful 616 fic. It’s a comfort read, tbh. 

Data is King by Amuly

In a cyberpunk dystopia, all the wealth is concentrated in New Versailles and the majority live in impoverished ghettos outside. Prosthetics are strictly prohibited, though many of the poor have body modifications to help them live. Steve Rogers is an idealistic young man who raids the storerooms of New Versailles with his best friend Bucky Barnes, to bring food and medicine to the poor. But when tragedy strikes, Steve is inspired by Dr. Erskine to go seek out the notorious slumlord/black market trader Tony Stark. Rumor has it that Tony used to be a member of New Versailles, but left to make his fortune off the backs of the working man... or was he kicked out? Although they don't hit it off at first, Steve and Tony must work together.

They have some help. The Three Fates are women who control information. Steve's friends from his old life are good people on the fringes of society because of their prosthetic enhancements. And there's Tony's network of resources and connections, not to mention his brilliant engineering mind that helped him build his empire.

But when Steve and Tony finally manage to put their differences aside and rise up against New Versailles... not everything is as simple as it seemed.

Note: So I haven’t actually read this one--but it’s on my list for the week I’m off so I’m sharing it with ya’ll now. 

Maybe Tomorrow by scifigrl47

Tony Stark may well be the richest man in America. In the depths of the Great Depression, that's no small claim. When a plot is hatched for him to take in an orphan for a week, everyone knows it's a publicity stunt. No one knows it better than Officer Steve Rogers, but he's got a job to do, and he's going to do it. Doesn't mean he's going to approve.

Yes, it's an Annie AU.

Yes. That Annie.

Note: I’m a huge fan of scifigrl47 and this fic is all of the reasons why--excellent storytelling, relationships and kids interacting and Stevetony being amazing. 

Forty-Seven Flat by geekymoviemom

Steve Rogers was on the top of the world. He was one of the top students in his class, a world-class athlete, and had a man who loved him. Winning an Olympic Gold Medal seemed like the perfect addition to his picture-perfect life.

But only four years later, Steve’s entire world has come crashing down around him, leaving defending his Olympic title the only thing lying between him and utter ruin.

And then, the unthinkable happens.

Note: I really love sports AU, and this one was just a lot of fun. 

Celestial Navigation by sabrecmc 

Celestial Navigation: 18 year old Omega!Tony finds himself Bonded to Captain Steve Rogers. He isn't happy about it until he is.

By request, here is CN in one place without other stories and artwork.

Note: I love this fic. It’s probably one of my top 10 fav stevetony fics, because it’s just so good. The slow burn and Steve’s slow devotion is just--so lovely. 

Where Our Restless Monsters Sleep by Mizzy

Years after Tony Stark saved the universe, the Avengers realize there’s a major problem: his body has gone missing. And he isn’t the only one. Fallen heroes all over the galaxy have had their graves pillaged.

An old foe is stealing the bodies of fallen warriors, but for what nefarious reason? There’s only one solution. To find out why it’s happening, Steve’s gotta die.

He probably shouldn’t be so eager to do that.

Note: I really love the set up of this fic, the way it leans into canon MCU and still gives us Stevetony. Also--worms. 

Deep in the Heart of Me by Finely Honed (jaqen_hgar)

Veteran single dad Steve runs a tattoo shop. Pepper arranges for Tony to get that tattoo he always wanted, and he winds up with the mother of all crushes instead. Jumping out of airplanes is one thing, but love requires real courage. Steve struggles with letting someone into his life. Tony tries to keep his heart intact while Steve works on his issues.

Craving a realistic depiction of a romantic relationship featuring PTSD, mental health issues, and characters who discuss their problems? This might be for you. No magic fixes here but a happy ending is guaranteed!

Note: I love this fic because it’s so realistic--the way Steve protects Peter from his new relationship is the most realistic depiction of good parenting I’ve ever seen in fic, and I ADORE it. Tony’s patience and hurt and sweetness is everything to me. 

A Higher Form of War by sabrecmc 

Tony is a King with a surprising number of people out to kill him. Steve and the rest of the Avengers are fighting for Pierce's rebellion and end up with Tony as their prisoner. Oops.

Basically one of those bodice-ripping romance novels I don't read (ahem) but with far more gay.

Note: It’s amazing. It’s slow and beautiful and I love Steve so much I can’t even. 

[djsherriff-responses]

Che(rri)f, I have a few questions…!

1. Where does Jade reside after being rescued? The usual option after being rescued from DV with nowhere to go to is a shelter, but since her case made headlines… I don’t know if the case is different 🥹

2. I don’t know how to word this… Is this AU more grounded in reality (as in, Dolph is a detective and not Eden’s #1 target, Sam is still alive, the NIJI6 are trolls and not a flamboyant military force, etc…)?

3. Adding on…! Is Eden’s system more loose? Injustice towards hybrids still exist, and Eden is still very bad, but it feels like it’s not as controlling and the system is more compotent. It seems like the events leading up to the main event have been changed?!

4. Since Ray is a newly graduate and not Eden’s mascot… Is he much younger or was he just pursuing other things before deciding to get into law?

5. Of course, Dolph has still been groomed by Alex, but I’m wondering if the plot line where Dolph was taken away from his mum was changed…

6. Does the cybernetic enhancement program still exist, or was Dolph just in a bad accident (it can also just be a headpiece rather than something directly placed into him… I don’t know how to explain the arm lolol)?

I have more questions in my head that I need to untangle, so these are my questions for now! ⠒̫⃝

I'm still thinking of that TBH along with other details of the AU. I know she wouldn't be taken to a regular shelter since being all over media, but she's also a unique case in that she's been sheltered from the world since childhood and needs heavy rehabilitation. She's was sent to a mental institution and has security keep an eye on her. I did consider she'd live with Dolph or Ray but that didn't make much sense (I'm also considering changing it so Bullfrog is in the institution instead of prison but we'll see)

The AU is more closer to our reality just with more cyberpunk elements, and some film noir flair too. There's still some dystopian elements, particularly the wasteland war! It still happens but there's major changes to the stuff leading up to it and the outcome (Sam being alive and well as an example) . Jade's parents still died there and left her in Pey'J's custody like canon, except Pey'J used the grief from losing her parents to convince her the apocalypse had happened and force her to live in the basement

Yes and no. Eden isn't as blunt about having a corrupt military with a ridiculous budget (no mechas) and at least pretends to be "progressive" (like pretending they weren't the course of the wasteland war) . But it's still a dystopia with issues, hybrid discrimination being a major one. In fact Eden is purposely using Jade's case in media to distract the population from other issues (such as hybrid trafficking). I don't know if Pey'J himself is a member, but there are hybrid activists who believe Jade's story is fabricated to make hybrids look worse and protest for Pey'J's innocence. The reason Jade's case is such a huge deal to begin with , is that it's the first (recorded) instance of a human being treated like property by a hybrid , which has sparked all kinds of controversy

Ray is the same age as his CLH version! He was doing other stuff instead of being a TV host, but eventually decided to try getting a law degree after the discrimination he faced and realising how little protection hybrids/aliens get. I was thinking he was still a celebrity but I'm gonna scrap that, I'm also considering some of Rayman's friends being alive in this AU (like Globox and Betilla)

I'm debating on how to go about Dolph TBH. I know that he chooses to be a detective of his own will, but idk if he was still taken from his mother and into military or different circumstances happened. At some point when he's young Alex stilled groomed him , which is a driving force on why he is a detective and not a police offer

In this AU I'm thinking Sam and Marcus actually won the wasteland war and the cybernetic enhancement program was shut down as a result z so Sarah never got those spider legs. Dolph is still a cyborg but again still figuring him out . Also most VR prison systems was shut down too, so no cars or drones piloted by strapped down people

[awellboiledicicle]

The mental image of Tav pulling together the crew and becoming captain expressly because they're the only Alterra employee technically in the chain of command delights me.

Wyll's Alterra, but his department is very much not crew related and had nothing directly to do with the Aurora so even if he does outrank Tav... it doesn't matter. Because not his ship.

Everyone else is either a contractor or was just kinda there in terms of things.

So Tav, "i will try to fistfight a Reaper", is captain. And technically responsible for getting them all off this rock. Well, technically just Wyll. Letter of the overall orders would just be saving anyone directly staked as Alterra. The others surviving is a fringe benefit.

Which makes the whole "we need to save Karlach because her tech is fucking with her heart condition" thing more wild because like. Subnautica is very cyberpunk about things. There's neural uplink college classes and simulations and crippling debt and megacorps that run the whole galaxy. Shit like that. My point is that the cultural norm would very much be looking at Karlach and going "sucks to be you ig" and like... Shadowheart's whole cult upbringing would support that-- but she's attached at this point and deep down does want to help people. She had being a doctor beamed into her brain after all.

But then there's Tav.

Who very much is like "nope not dying today, what do you need to save her? I will go get it. Astarion, get some fresh batteries into the Seamoth if you would-- Gale, Halsin, I want you two to do whatever Shadowheart needs. I don't care if it's holding shit or boiling water. You're hers now. Lae'zel, I need you on fishing. The pda says Stalkers can be used if we strip the blood out of the protein and we need their teeth anyway."

Because Tav is a good person in spite of the capitalism and general suck of the corporate dystopia they live in. Most people are.

But no i'm just imagining it gets really bad after they've worked out the cure and the khara has taxed her body so bad that even with the tether on-- i figure she has the black box tied to it or she'd just die tbh--it stops working as well. Like they can't focus on getting out of there until she's stable because of the sheer amount of resources needed to make a rocket that can support that many people at once.

Im ponder