#fandom about brucenat: this isn’t what i wanted at all

[drbobbimorse]

“If Sharon Carter is going to be reduced to someone's love interest I'm gonna be salty.”

Stfu and go away please. Female characters can be badass and still find love, and they are allowed to. Being an emotionless, loveless badass is cool and valid, but denying characters emotional attachments and even love to suit your personal vendetta against that character is so boring and trite. Sharon has been a badass and a love interest for her entire comic existence and neither fact negates the other: she’s a badass boss bitch who just happens to be with her soulmate and happy and in love. The fact that y’all can crackship two women who’ve never spoken a word to each other or crackship two straight guys together but rant about this one underutilized character being “reduced” to a love interest is so tired and transparent. Just say you hate Sharon and go away with your faux concern already, we don’t want you here

[wenellyb]

Buckynat would have a lot of potential if Marvel committed to it. Like Sam and Misty Knight. Bucky and Natasha have a lot in common. It would certainly be miles better than Brucenat.

What made you turn on Stevebucky?

Hi Anon!

I’m sorry I’m so late with this, it was stuck in my drafts. 

Just for context: this asks is related to a series of asks about who we ship Sam and Bucky with outside of each other. And I had noticed that except Sambucky, Sarahbucky and Stucky, Bucky didn’t have a lot of interactions with other characters and shipping possibilities for Bucky were limited.

I agree that Bucky could have worked together, there was a lot of potential and they also so many things they could talk to each other about. Bucky/Natasha could be so good together and I think Nat would understand Bucky better than most. And I can't help but remember how she was with Clint when he was brainwashed and forced to kill those people... So I can the potential, on so many levels, if they had had any interaction when he wasn't in Winter Soldier mode.

Honestly, out of all the Avengers, I was happy that Bruce was the one Natasha dated (but I won't admit why lol) but they didn’t handle the storyline in the best way, I agree with you. I don’t know how it would be possible, but I would really love to see Sam and Misty together...It would be the greatest couple ever.

Regarding what made me turn away from Stucky, I guess it’s the same thing that drove away a lot of shippers and the same thing that drives away people from other fandoms. A lot of racism in the fandom and also a lot of misogyny.

Usually, I just block problematic users but you can only block so many people. With Stucky it was just so “widespread” that it was impossible to block or ignore all the toxicity, and the shippers who were called out would just not listen and the non-racist one would just let it slide.

You see all these posts about how Sam isn’t Bucky’s therapist and isn’t a therapist for all of these White character, or how he shouldn’t be sidelined, or used just as a prop for the Stucky ship. Or how the fandom should stop villainizing Sam. But these are all conversations that were already happening 5 years ago. 

Let’s not even talk about the misogyny, I really joined Tumblr after 2016, I already had an account but was not active and after Civil War aired, the hatred towards Sharon, users finding excuses to sh*t on her character etc,...Just a very very toxic environment that makes you not want to interact or stay in the fandom.

I never understood the need to bring down the female characters whenever you shipped a ship with two men. Just enjoy your ship, no need to write essays bout how that character isn’t fitted or how she is the worst character ever. And a lot of stuckies used to do that.

Like, here with Sambucky, if I see a  f*cked up post, I can just block them, but with Stucky it was just too widespread to be able to block. If the same thing start happening with Sambucky, I’ll turn away from the fandom too.

[maariarogers]

tell me if you wanna go home (1/?)

Summary: Post Endgame and how it should’ve been. Maria/Steve.

Author’s Note: There’s probably already a million renditions of this, but I decided to come back and give my two cents. Can barely remember this scene though out of my pure hatred towards what they’ve done to my boy. If any of my old friends are around, hello! I hope you guys are doing well, and I’ve missed you lots :)

.

“I’m coming with you.”

Steve feels his heart stutters.

Though then again he’s jumpy lately. Hell, he’s been jumpy for five years straight; it’s hard to be anything else at this point. But he turns, and the sight of seeing Maria Hill still catches him off guard. Out of habit, his eyes trail back, intent on catching Fury’s shadows, until it lands completely on her.

Maria, on the other hand, barely gives him a glance. She’s already suiting up.

Whatever protest Banner has on his tongue must’ve not gone well, and the hulk of a man (huh, Natasha would’ve liked that) sits there and mumbles downwards into his computer.

He misses Maria, he thinks, but he doesn’t miss the glare.

No, he takes it back, the glare is kind of - flattering. In a way that it almost reminds him of things before it went south fast. Back when Natasha was still around to toss a teasing leer, and Tony was annoying him. God, it hurts to look at Pepper now; hurts to look at the tiny girl who clutches Pepper’s hand tight and miscalls him Steeb. Her hair is black, his nose lifts in a way that reminds Steve faintly of both Howard and Tony both.

I recognise you from Daddy’s movies.

Home videos, Pepper has corrected her. Tony, he—

She quiets down, tears building in her eyes, but none of it falls. Pepper smiles, and Steve hadn’t known anything could’ve broke him harder than the snap, but there you go. You’re his family. Of course she’d know you.

Snapping towards the present, Steve looks at his helmet. “No, you’re not.”

“The hell I’m not.” Maria snaps back and, okay, so there’s pros and cons in this. He’s glad she’s around to give him that tone again, but man, it’s brutal. Steve doesn’t know if he should laugh or cry. “I’m not losing another one.”

And that quietens him quick.

Another one. And he remembers now, brief of memories of stoic, cold Maria Hill hiding a smile around the company of Clint and Natasha. Of Phil Coulson, sharing his lunch while Maria works on a report. Of even the both of them, in the quiet of the hospital room, while Maria explains that she’d taken care of all the bills and leaked information right after Bucky got away.

“You won’t,” Steve finds himself croaking somehow, his stance is steel. The symbol of a nation. “This isn’t—I’m just returning back the stones.”

“With all due respect, Cap, we’re military men. We don’t work alone. I’ve lost my best spy out there because I’m not around to keep an eye on her six. I’m not losing my best soldier.” Maria is no-nonsense as ever.

Steve is suddenly shuddered at the thought of telling Maria how hard Natasha had work filling her shoes. She mans the commands, he wanted to say, but finds a rock sitting in his throat. You would’ve been proud— but no. Maria probably would’ve already known.

“You’ve got others.” Steve somehow attempts again, and maybe he’s being reckless, stupid, but the last time he brought a partner into this thing, he lost him.

He lost Tony.

And... that temptation. That yearning to seeing Pegs once again. God, she was stunning. She was safe. Steve’s sure if he ran to her right now, she’d know just what to say. And maybe finally, finally, they could have that dance—

Maria’s eyes are searing. Dark and serious. It’s almost beautiful. It snaps him right back into focus. “I’ve got only one you.”

Steve definitely feels the pull of a smile around the edges - though it’s mostly out of shock than anything. Maria and sentimentality has never... it never went together. She was always so straightforward, her humour even crude. It’s what Steve could trust about her. If needed be, she won’t hesitate to tell him as it is, friends or no.

But then he’d forgotten. He’d forgotten. Maria Hill could have these sides too.

Natasha tried hinting at it, and Barton... God, Barton probably tried telling people that for years. There’s a reason they’ve stayed a pack; even from far away, they’ve got each other’s backs.

When she appreciates you so openly, it knocks the air right out of a grown man’s lungs, it’s unbelievable.

Speaking of. Clint is approaching. Maria turns, steps down, and they bent their heads talking in whispers. Out of respect, Steve doesn’t overhear — no matter how much he wants to. At the very end, Clint shakes his head, his voice - the one that leaks - turns firm, desperate.

Maria is still so cool in her facade, so completely professional. But then, her mouth sets into a thin firm line. She looks so determined. She tells him a line.

Clint closes his eyes, possibly giving in, and goes in to kiss her in the forehead before wrapping his arms right around her. Maria, out of everybody’s amazement, clutches right back. They’re whispering again before they part.

“Come back,” He says when he releases her, and Maria barely turns, joining Steve once more. “Don’t forget the old man. He belongs to us now. The past don’t got him no more.”

Steve gives him a sad smile, unsure of the protest that’s itching to come up his throat.

The archer doesn’t seem deterred; whatever serious expression he’s worn, he sheds it away for a tearful and toothy grin. “Don’t lose this one, Cap. M’counting on you.”

“No,” Steve agrees. “Not this one.”

“Come on,” Maria urges - probably having had enough of the distraction. She turns to Banner. “Five seconds, right? You’re not gonna miss a thing.”

“Already missing.” Clint quips.

“Okay. We’ll meet you guys right here. Going quantum.”

Steve and Maria suits up.

Banner counts down.

They go back.

.

Author’s Note #2: If you’re going along with my jam, I don’t care for brucenat / clint’s family / steve’s endgame storyline, and it sure shows huh. I also hella support nat / clint / maria as a dynamic, so there’s that. There might be a part two. Might be. I’ve missed this fandom though, how have ya’ll been doing?

[lazywriter7]

Marvel Ace/Aro Rec List

Happy Pride everyone! It’s 30 June where I’m at, and although I didn’t get to actually write something ace-coloured for Pride, I thought I could atleast show some love - mostly towards the numerous fics I’ve read in this fandom that mainly feature characters on the ace/aro spectrum.  Characters and pairings may vary, and please make sure to read all tags and take care of yourself before diving in, as some of these feature internalised phobia (but always a happy ending <3 ). So go forth and show these authors some love!

grey and other colours by theappleppielifestyle  (steve/tony, demisexual, demiromantic Tony)

Distantly, Tony hears Clint say something like, “No, I definitely heard he was an equal opportunist. Like, equal-equal, no preference. Hey Tones, who are you attracted to more, dudes or chicks?”

He calls the last part out to Tony, who runs the words over in his mind and unthinkingly says, “I’ve actually never been attracted to anyone, it’s really worrying.”

~ this one’s a staple in the ace stevetony fandom, and the first I ever read. Sweet, poignant and beautifully written, capturing Tony’s changing feelings with lovely nuance.

Variations in Modern Dance by  Pookaseraph (steve/tony, asexual Steve)

There's only one thing in the world that Steve has decided the 21st century isn't alright with: not wanting to have sex. Sadly that seems to be the one thing the Serum couldn't fix, and it's playing hell with his ability to deal with his feelings for Tony. Thankfully Tony is a brilliant engineer, and he might be able to find a solution, or maybe he'll realize there's nothing there to fix.

~ I think this fic serves as great companion reading to the one above. Some of the conversations had by the characters are (deliberately) not always delicately phrased, but there’s a lovely sense of openness, self-discovery as well as self-acceptance that’s complimented by solid, solid writing.

Chance by SallyExactly (asexual Nat, Clint & Nat brotp)

Clint Barton's snap decision to re-interpret his mission orders means a new life for Natalia Romanova. She's only got the one shot at it, though, and "how to live and remake yourself in three easy steps" was never included in her assassin training.

~ anyone who knows me knows that I never miss an opportunity to rec this fic. This is one of the best fics I’ve ever read, one of the best spy stories I’ve ever read, and it just happens to feature an asexual, female protagonist. The asexuality is honestly not the main point of the story, just one of the several things Natasha discovers and reclaims about herself, along with a lifelong friendship - and all of those things make this fic absolutely excellent.

A Practical Glossary for the Twenty-first Century by shadowen (sam/bucky, asexual Bucky)

Some words are easier than others.

~ There’s a line from this fic that goes: What he’s having trouble with is matching new words to old feelings and figuring out which words are right for all the things he feels right now. And if that’s the sort of poignant character journey you want to read for Bucky, man is this the fic for you. Lovely writing, compulsory amoeba joke, a really soft Sam... this has something for everyone :P

No Such Thing as Normal by nightwalker (steve/tony, asexual Steve)

“I understand if you want to break up,” Steve said, the words spilling out of his mouth like they were hot on his tongue. He hadn’t meant to say it quite like that and not so early in the conversation, but it’s out there now, loud and heavy between them and he can’t pretend he didn’t say it.

~ this fic is essentially a well-written, honest conversation between two characters navigating unfamiliar waters, and I like that a lot. It’s also great about representing a different facet or kind of asexuality than we sometimes read in fandom, which is all sorts of excellent because being in a spectrum do be like that :D 

Walking like a man, hitting like a hammer by TardisIsTheOnlyWayToTravel (aromantic, asexual maria hill) "Darcy was convinced it was going to become part of SHIELD’s oral history forever, like that time everyone on this one op was doused with sex pollen and the only one who didn’t screw someone senseless was then not-yet-deputy director Agent Hill, and Robards said it was because she was a frigid lesbian and Hill told him that the term was asexual and if he was going to be a bigoted asshole about it he could at least get her orientation right. And then Coulson made him go through the hardcore diversity and sexual harassment training as punishment, because everyone knew Hill and Coulson were bros."

Maria Hill is honestly pretty happy with her life.

~ You know when you’re kinda done with the emotion-heavy angst of being an LGBTQIA+ person, and you just kinda wanna consume content that deals with unquestioned acceptance and awesomeness? This is that fic. Maria Hill is that woman. And I love. After the Applause by  tartanfics (peggy/angie, demisexual Angie)

Angie doesn't have anyone waiting for her out in the audience. She didn't get to tell Peggy she finally got a part in a show; Peggy wasn't there to tell. She ran lines with Sarah from 4A. There's been not a word from Peggy, nothing, after Angie went to all the trouble of calling up her family and finding Peggy a way out of the city.

~ not to be tooo controversial, but do I wish that Peggy Carter’s story ended something like the above fic? Yes, yes I do <3 Set post season 1 of Agent Carter, this fic is everything you’d want a get-together to be, plus bonus demisexual Angie! Win-win all around.

And now for some self-recs: to love and to hold (aroace bruce banner, asexual natasha, queerplatonic brucenat) His expression was a little too brittle. “Lucky for you I’m a bit too much of a coward for sex, then.”

But Natasha’s lips only flattened, gaze implacable. “Have you thought not wanting to do something might not be the same as being a coward?”

untitled aro Rhodey ficlet (aro rhodey, tony & rhodey brotp)

Because here’s the thing: there are no butterflies in the world that Rhodey resides. No whirlwind rush of emotions, no dusky blush rising to his skin when someone flashes a cute smile his way, no impassioned, well-meant love notes he was smuggling into people’s lockers at recess.

All his friends come to him for love-related advice; but he feels like a scientist, observing phenomena he can analyse but not understand, proselytising about another species from afar.

And that’s it folks! Please feel free to add your own recs on, this is really by no means an exhaustive list and we deserve nice things this year - happy Pride again!

[starkerintheparker]

For the Do You Ship It Meme from.... idk how long ago, I found it in my saved likes, but anyway. Starker, IronDad, Stony, Stuckony, Stucky, ScienceBros, IronStrange, IronHawk, WinterIron, WinterHawk, Clintasha aaaaaand Carol/Beating Up All The Bad Guys.

Omg thank god you’ve just reblogged it so I don’t have to search for that chart 😂 holy shit, this became a full TED talk and I apologize but uhh let’s get to it:

Starker - obviously OTP and I’d die for it, it’s all about the yearning and the implications and complications but they’re so wholesome and everything each other needs and deserves okay. Let Tony Stark be happy, damn it!!!!!

IronDad - a mix of Cuteness overload and Read fics about it. To be honest I don’t read it much because a) I’ve always preferred mentor!Tony over father figure!Tony and b) as a 24/7 horny hoe I’d rather read the nsfw version of facts lolol but sometimes I’m in the mood for a cathartic h/c IronDad, why not? Not everything works for me because I’m not a big Pepperony fan plus I like May to be very much involved in Peter’s life, but I’ve found some great longfics (big shout out to The Third Option with homeless!Peter and ever in your favor, a Hunger Games AU) thanks Ash for the recs!

Stony - uhhh I ship it but Wouldn’t read a fic about it. This probably doesn’t make any sense but while I’m still somewhat emotionally connected to this ship (read: Endgame was a Stony event and I can totally see Tony being in love with Steve since Avengers 1), the thought of them together after Civil War is too bittersweet so going back there would leave me miserable. I’ve been a very passionate Stony fan in the past, it’s what pulled me into the MCU fandom and what made me join tumblr in the first place. But CW left this horrible bad taste in my mouth and kinda ruined MCU!Steve for me. I honestly thought I’d never read another ship with Tony after that, but then Starker happened and I’m pretty satisfied with it to even consider going back there.

Stuckony - Dunno. I mean.... I’m all for a hot OT3 but I don’t think I could read a canon based fic with this particular trio. Steve is so devoted to Bucky I can’t help but think Tony would be a third wheel and he deserves better.

Stucky - Kinda leaves me indifferent? I’ve never felt the urge to check it out because a) I’ve never been a huge Steve Rogers fan to begin with and b) I don’t feel very connected to MCU!Bucky. I loved TWS but the movies that developed his character the most (TFA and CACW) are not among my favorites so I rarely rewatch them. Such a shame, I know for a fact it’s a BIG fandom with lots of great content and gorgeous art. 

ScienceBros - BROTP. They did Bruce dirty in IM3 (honestly, who besides Tony was well written in that movie???) but omg they’re totally friendship goals, I love how comfortable Bruce feels around Tony and how Tony shows his caring, supportive side with him in Avengers 1. 

IronStrange - Why not? Okay so I might be biased because I’m a slut for enemies to lovers but I’d have loved to see more of their bantering on screen. It’s funny because they’re so similar I wouldn’t have thought it would work to put them together, but turns out their dynamics are hilarious and fascinating and if I wasn’t a 100% Starker hoe I’d totally consider reading this ship. As it is, I’m happy to see Strange begrudgingly tagging along and helping out whenever Peter or Tony fuck things up, in that exasperated, bitchy way @learned-foot explores so well.

IronHawk - Meh. I’m not familiar with the comics and I don’t think I’ll read a ship involving MCU!Clint anytime soon. I like his relationship with Nat but apart from that I couldn’t care less about his character, especially after his appearance in CW.

WinterIron - Would read a fic about it. I actually have, and was surprisingly okay with it. Lots of room for angst, catharsis and forgiveness which are totally my jam. I kinda prefer the idea of WinterIron over WinterIronSpider (my fear of seeing Tony as a third wheel is showing isn’t it) but uhhh as I’ve said before I don’t feel very connected to Bucky as a character so I don’t think I’d read many canon based fics with these two. Besides, I’m pretty satisfied with Starker and once you find your OTP... 

WinterHawk - No thanks. I think I’ve read it before as a side ship in one or two Stony fics but it’s been ages and honestly I don’t care enough about either character to get invested in this ship. 

Clintasha - BROTP. I guess I could have shipped them if AoU hadn’t happened but it did and between that mess of BruceNat + Clint having a secret family I kinda lost the interest in knowing whatever the hell happened in Budapest. Wouldn’t say no to finding out in the Black Widow movie tho...

Carol/Beating Up All the Bad Guys - The sexiest pair and We need more of it okay??? Now that’s what I’m talking about! I love Carol and I love Captain Marvel and I fucking love Brie so I want her to be happy in all possible ways, be it beating up all the bad guys or with Maria, or with Valkyrie and preferably with me. I just love Carol and want to see her being badass forever, pls and thank

[firesign23]

Five Summary Meme

Sooo, this is a confession. I was cleaning out my Tumblr drafts (which are absolutely well into the triple digits and needed a purge), and came across what I think was the start of a reply to the "Write summaries for five fics you aren't writing" meme, but there's no fucking context. 😂 No idea the original phrasing, who tagged, who I was supposed to tag in turn, and the one summary isn't a summary but notes that might have turned into a summary if I could figure out WTF they meant. And as I spent the better part of my weekend doing boring real life crap, I have decided to answer this. Using five different fandoms. Why make it easy, after all?

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries

‘Welcome,’ read the sign, ‘Everything is Fine.’ Phryne Fisher looked at it, immediately distrusting the platitude. It was a rare day indeed when things were genuinely fine, in her experience, at least until she made them so. Phryne Fisher finds herself in the afterlife, where everything is not is as it seems. 

A The Good Place AU that I have outlined and absolutely wasn’t going to write, but might very well do thanks to The Summer of AU

Ms Fisher’s MODern Murder Mysteries

“Who was Inspector Robinson?” Birdie nearly choked on her whiskey. She was not expecting to have this conversation. Not tonight, and preferably not ever. The less Peregrine knew, the safer she would be. The safer everyone would be. “Who?” “Inspector Robinson,” Peregrine repeated. “I’ve been reading my aunt’s notebooks. Clever woman, by the way. Most of her notebooks mention an Inspector Robinson, at least until a year and a half or so before she disappeared. The Madam Lyon case, actually. Then there is nothing for three months, not one case, and when she comes back she only mentions James.”

In which I try to reconcile MOD and MFMM canon, and give Detective James Steed a personality. Peregrine may or may not hook up with Constable Connors.

Avengers: Infinity War/Endgame

She finds Bruce in the lab, calculations running on screen and a furrow in his brow. She hops into the desk beside him, cocking her head. “Any luck?” “Not yet,” he replies. “But you know, if this works...” It could help the world immensely. It could be the end of them, of this, before it even starts. Don’t, she wants to say. Run with it. Run with me. We deserve a happy ending. “I know.”

A BruceNat fic set between Infinity War and Endgame. Bruce is trying to find balance with the Hulk, Natasha is trying to keep the family she still has together. Bit of fluff, bit of angst, and putting Nat’s story front and centre. Because she deserved a better story than Endgame.

Agent Carter

Daniel Sousa is just about reconciled to the exceptional men and women that Peggy knows, but he sure as hell wasn’t expecting Phryne Fisher.

A Miss Fisher/Agent Carter crossover where Peggy and Phryne are amazing, and Daniel and Jack discuss the joys and tribulations of loving modern women.

Game of Thrones

"I believe, Ser Jaime, that we must be as we have always been to one another.” In which being the hero might might win you a politically expedient marriage, but the rest is on you. Alternatively, Ser Brienne of Tarth is the heroine in her own damn story, not a prize to be awarded in someone else’s.

A post-canon Game of Thrones fic that I’m not writing because I don’t know nearly enough about canon to actually write it, but I am already Nick-Furying the end of the show before it airs. 

[notuptoyou]

SHIPPING INFO // Answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog.

REPOST. Don’t reblog.

What’s your OTP for your Muse(s)? ALL OF THEM. I get OTP level invested in most of the ships that I have. 

What are you willing to RP when it comes to shipping? I don’t think I particularly have limits? I am somewhat selective when it comes to smutty things, but I mean, I like the angst and the fluff and everything that would make it feel like an IRL relationship. I don’t want it to just be one thing, I want all of my ships to be all the things. 

I also have a soft spot for toxic trash ships that I would never condone in real life, but they’re fun to write and cause each other pain.

How large does the age gap have to be to make it uncomfortable? Natasha has a rule that whoever she’s dating has to be old enough to buy their own alcohol in the United States. So 21 or older. with the obvious exception of college verses

Are you selective when shipping? Honestly not so much? If there’s chemistry, and it fits the other requirements (such as age), then it’s a go. 

Natasha is a little more selective about shipping with other female muses. I can never really plan those. It’s either a thing or it isn’t. 

How far do steamy moments have to go before they’re considered NSFW? I tend to start tagging things if the clothes are coming off. But I don’t really do the read mores unless my partner prefers it that way. 

Who are other muses you ship your muse with? So very many people. Uh, Steve, Bucky, Thor, Bruce (but not AoU BruceNat, like let’s discuss and fill in all those plot holes), Tony, Sam... the list continues. 

If you can tell me why you ship it and get me excited about it, I’m like 100% on board. 

Does one have to ask to ship with you? Not really ask but I do love to converse with my ship partners and talk about things and make sure we’re at the same starting point. 

How often do you like to ship? I am admittedly a genuine shipwhore, but I don’t always need to ship. I just find that ship dynamics are interesting and fun, and usually with shippy threads you have more of a tendency to develop a full little universe between two muses. But if I can get that in a non-ship way, I’m 100% on board with that too. 

Are you multiship? Yep. Multi-everything. 

Are you ship obsessed or ship more-or-less? I feel a little ship obsessed right now, but most of the time I feel like I’m more in the middle ground. I really only need a few really good ships to keep myself invested. Otherwise I get a sort of “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” vibe, and get really easily discouraged about being on tumblr. It’s just so damn hard to have a female muse sometimes. I really love getting to exist in other people’s worlds, but it gets hard after a while to always be sort of the third wheel.

What is your favorite ship in your current fandom? Romantic and Platonic: I have a lot of favorite ships in my fandom, most iterations of Nat ships are always the best. 

Finally, how does one ship with you? Honestly it doesn’t take much. Just write a thread, or part of one so we can make sure the chemistry works, and then express an interest in shipping with me. As long as Natasha isn’t like WHOA NO, then we can plot it out and make it work. I like all of my ships to feel unique, even if it’s the same ship.

Tagged by:  stolen from @facemypast Tagging: anyone!

[carousels-on-fire]

Sometimes I wonder if the breaking point for Marvel was that SteveBucky porno men.com did?

I just remember that one month when Civil War shooting wrapped, Men.com made a Steve/Bucky porno with actually amazing production value, all things considered; and a major magazine came out with an article talking about fandom, and about how popular the SteveBucky ship was online. I think they may have also won a "best couple" contest on a website with a pretty significant following.

But I really think that was the death knell for their close onscreen platonic relationship. We seriously went from "I can't carry the ring but I can carry you" levels to "awkward coworkers being friendly at a work function" levels. I am a shipper, they are my otp, but really all I wanted was for "Not without you" and "I'm with you till the end of the line" to carry into the other films.

But I will never stop being sad that we could have had that same beautiful heartfelt friendship Steve has with Natasha, or even Wanda, with Bucky and we lost it in one film because it got too gay for Marvel. And no one who isn't in fandom knows it or watched it happen. No one who isn't also hanging on every piece of information knows about the re-shoots that happened right after all that. And like Chris Evans saying so much of their interactions got cut. And the Russos going from "interpret this however you want" to no comment.

I am also angry that it's considered delusional to see their relationship as romantic, even if I know it will never be movie canon. I get that. I'm not here begging for it to be film canon. But if literally any other movie with that same story structure and same relationships had a female character in Bucky's place, fans would be clamoring for it to be canon. And no one would shame them for it or think it was weird and inappropriate.

And you know, it would already be canon no questions asked. Like with Bones the tv show (or literally any movie or tv show where a man and woman are costars.) For heterosexual relationships, the bar for what we consider preludes to a romantic storyline is so low. Usually the bar is "have man and woman make eye contact." (*cough*brucenat*cough* Back before we started having female characters with agency you could bet any woman in a movie's purpose was to be the love interest. But switch those genders around and people are angry that you would have the audacity to suggest it or be moved by it.

But of course anyone objecting to the gutting of their emotional bond is lumped in with the people sending weird inappropriate shit to the actors/directors and making demands. I just want acknowledgement from fandom that the writing for them dipped in quality when Marvel no homo-ed. Instead of people bending over backwards to justify lazy, incoherent, OoC writing.

[philosopherking1887]

Ship meme

I was kindly tagged by @seidrade... only 3 days ago. I’m not doing as badly as I thought.

1. Ultimate OTP — Thor/Loki, obviously. It’s not like I’m subtle about it...

2. A ship you’ll always love — Charles Xavier/Erik Lehnsherr, or “Cherik.” I watched X-Men: First Class on a plane in February 2015 and got kind of turned on. At the time I had no desire to read or write fanfiction because it was just so blatant in canon that I wasn’t sure what fanfiction had left to do. Since then I’ve read some fix-it fic and AUs -- which weren’t nearly as much of a thing during my first outing in online fandom, ca. 2001-2005. “AU” mostly meant canon-divergent, not a literally completely different universe.

3. Your current obsession — Do I have one, other than being pissed off about what the MCU has done with my favorite characters? @loxxxlay has kind of gotten me into Grandthorki, and I also remember reading a fic of theirs with Thanos coercing Thor and Loki into some stuff, which is something I’ve considered writing about... the dynamic is not dissimilar. Yeah, I have some messed-up kinks.

4. A ship you never thought you’d like — I’m not sure I have any of these. If I didn’t think I’d like it, I probably still don’t. Which doesn’t mean I’m not willing to give new things a try... I guess I just know my tastes pretty well.

5. A ship you liked but don’t anymore — When I first got into Loki fandom back in 2015, after finally watching all the MCU movies, I started out reading mostly gen fic but also some het fic, largely as a function of where I was getting my recs. I read some Sif/Loki and some Loki/Sigyn (where Sigyn is, of course, basically just an OFC) that I liked. Now I can’t read most het involving Loki, mostly because a lot of it involves Loki being a dom and he just isn’t (except sometimes for Thor’s benefit). Fics involving Sif/Loki or Loki/Valkyrie are OK if the dynamic is such that Loki is effectively the sub and/or bottom (I know those aren’t the same thing, but there’s some conceptual overlap). It doesn’t have to be pegging, but... well, I don’t hate the dynamic in the one Sif/Loki fic I wrote.

6. A ship you think should be canon — Stevetony, a.k.a. Superhusbands. Joss Whedon totally agrees with me. I mean... “Put on the suit, let’s go a few rounds”? That log-splitting scene? I hear that it basically is canon in some runs of the comics (they got married when Tony got gender-swapped into Natasha Stark) and in the “Avengers Assemble” animated series.

7. A canon ship you hate — Matt Murdock/Karen Page in Daredevil... though I guess they’ve broken up now, fortunately. It never should have been a thing. They had no chemistry whatsoever. (No, I don’t hate Brucenat like everyone else. Deal with it.)

8. A ship you’ve shipped for years — Harry/Draco. I came into the Harry Potter fandom an innocent little 12-year-old and I knew Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny were in the cards and I was fine with that... but then I discovered the wild and wonderful world of slash fanfiction. It all started with Raincoat!Draco and I never looked back. Honorable mention for Morpheus/Lucifer from the Sandman comics, which I never read or wrote fic about but definitely fantasized about a lot...

9. A ship everyone loves but you don’t care about — Stucky. Sorry, not sorry. I find it boring because they strike me as so similar... and frankly, Bucky doesn’t even have that much of a character in the MCU. I like ships with contrast and tension, which is why I go for Thorki and Stevetony.

10. Favorite rare-pair — I guess it would have to be Tom Riddle/Minerva McGonagall, which I wrote a very chaste, talky fic about in 2002 or something. I looked on AO3 and there are 75 fics in that ship tag, often as a secondary or tertiary pairing. I have no desire to read any of it, but I still kind of like the idea.

Tagging: @fuckyeahrichardiii (if you want to, I know you’re pretty busy), @ghostxforest, @imaginetrilobites, @impalaforthree, @princess-ikol, @whitemage03, @wouldyouknowmore, and whoever else thinks this looks fun!

[darknessfactor]

hi there, fellow shipper! :) i'm just sending this ask to blogs who adore and support brucenat / hulkwidow ship because i want our tags full of optimist and pretty things! so... 1) IW, what do you think about them (their scenes together, little things you saw)? 2) things about Nat and Bruce (individually) that you love in IW? 3) Hopes for the future? i hope don't be a bother to you. take care and don't forget to tag if you want! x

Hey there, anon!  Sure, I’m happy to talk about them.

1. As far as their relationship goes, IW was about what I expected.  I knew that there weren’t going to be very many big character moments, and I was pleasantly surprised that they had a little callback at all.  I liked the reunion scene, though I imagine it must have felt very different for them, considering it’s been two years for Nat and... I dunno, maybe a week for Bruce?  Or at least, it probably feels like a week.  The little moment where she checks up on him is nice, too.

2. Nat - god, I honestly have such a beef with IW in regards to Nat.  Kickass fight scenes?  Hell yes, and I loved her team up with Okoye and Wanda, but still... she didn’t really do much else.  And again, I was expecting that, but it still hit hard, since she’s my favorite character.  But those fight scenes were pretty great.  

Bruce - I thought it was interesting where they took him and the Hulk in IW.  I think we were assuming that the Hulk was freaked out by Thanos kicking his ass, but the Russos have said that that’s not the case, and that the Hulk is just tired of Bruce’s shit.  I liked that we got to see Bruce out in the field as himself, using the armor, instead.  It says something about his character that he still went out there, even without the protection the Hulk usually has.

3. Hopes for the future?  Honestly?  At this point, if they’re both happy, as individuals (whether they’re together or not)... I’ll be happy.  I’ve kind of been distanced from the fandom for a while now, but Nat was always my ride-or-die character in the MCU, even if the character that I picture her as in my head and the one she is on screen have... grown apart with the more recent movies.  But that doesn’t stop me from loving her, and wanting her to find peace with herself, one day.  If that means they get back together?  Great!  If not, that’s okay too.

I’ve never been as invested in Bruce, but I want him to be happy as well.  I hope there’s some kind of resolution between him and the Hulk, because when you think about it this whole thing isn’t really fair for either of them.