Literally No One:

Blood. As I shed one last red tear for my fallen sister, I realize the entire world now revolves around this singular word.

VAMPYR (2018)

The weirdest guy I ever met in a church was this boy who referred to “Buzz Aldrin and his husband” going to the moon. I was completely baffled, and when I asked if he’d misspoken, he got really angry and accused me of being deliberately ignorant of the facts. It turned out that he was somehow comvinced that Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong were married. It took five Wikipedia articles to convince him otherwise.

I love how many Golden Age “World’s Finest” covers are basically just Superman and Batman taking their adopted son Robin out for fun activities like good supportive parents (though not above a little harmless fun at each other’s expense).

A Bingo’s Coming!

Do you like Steve, Tony, and/or Bucky in all four of their particular combinations? Then do we have an event for you. Starting on Nov 1, you’ll be able to order cards for a four-way bingo - Stuckony, Stucky, WinterIron, Stony. Any of the squares can be filled by any of those four ships! 

Fills open Dec 1 and close June 30, 2021 - so plenty of time to get the creative juices flowing. Badges will be awarded for the traditional reasons (participation, bingo, blackout) but also for some special surprise reasons as well. 

Excited? Us too! Spread the word and we’ll see you back here on Nov 1 with further information. 

When Apollo is rampaging out of your door, and you have no Auntie Hestia at home, ready to pamper you with cuddles, comfort and a safe cleansing with fire that will kill one by one each germ… Well, what to say, maybe it’s really the time to stay put at home.

Especially if you’d go to meet some very mortal, very sensible to disease-bringing arrows friends.

(you were wondering how come our Hestia is not a jerk as her family? Well, she kinda goes by the rule “Manners maketh the man”. She’ll snap her fingers and incinirate you with zero regrets if you get on her bad side, but with a smile on her face and saying thank you and please can you just move away from that rug it looks like it’d be a mess to clean like the polite lady she is.)

May I also point out that Lady Eivor is a towering, thick, muscular woman that isn't an "IG Fit" model with a shaved head and tattoo, scars on her face, a strong jawline and features, and a deep, raspy voice.

She goes against EVERY stereotypical Beauty Standard "Norm" that society expects all women - fictional or not- to follow...

Yet she is STILL absolutely Stunning

She was never intended for the male gaze, and the men are freaking out about it. Because at least with Kassandra she was still stereotypically beautiful, and therefore they could use that as an excuse for their sexism (she's too weak, not gritty enough etc)

But now Lady Eivor has been shown just how brutal she can be, in ALL her glory! Something that poor Kassandra was never allowed the opportunity until her game came out.

This is a woman who is truly ferocious, and for the first time she gets to be ferocious in her marketing...and that terrifies certain types of people who are still stuck in their misogynistic ways.

Let them cry

On my departure from Discord

I’ve been having a rough few weeks of doubts and strife in my online and fandom life, and I’ve decided to step down from Discord in an interactive sense for the time being. Saying that the decision was painless or easy on my part would be an understatement. The realization of this need for escape came on with sudden clarity, and took even me off guard.  That’s why I wanted to explain a few factors that led me to making this drastic decision.

Discord has been a social beacon for me in the time of Covid and lockdown and instrumental in getting me back in the writing groove since early 2019. I’m immensely grateful for the people I got to meet and the conversations I had, but as life reopened its doors for me, I started to become more aware of all the ways in which the platform chafed at my being and mental health.

Gradually, over time, Discord had turned from a convenient safe space into a dependency that fostered a constant need to interact, to be aware, and to perform to stay relevant. It’s all the things I hated about high school but ten times worse because I actually like the people I interacted with. To make matters worse, I noticed that this constant need to stay relevant was interfering with what truly mattered to me: building my future and fulfilling a duty I feel I owe to myself and the world.

As my resentment with the platform grew, I became more hard-line and less compromising in my communication. I’m not saying that Discord is a toxic platform, but simply that it can cause negative or toxic behaviours towards yourself and those around you. I did not like who I’d become under Discord’s influence, so I decided to step away and re-examine which values and activities I wanted to hold onto for my personal development and mental health journey. Maintaining a presence in the Discord fandom did not fit into that, so I decided to cut myself off in the most drastic way possible.

As soon as the next day, I began to feel better, like a weight of responsibility had dropped off my shoulders. Suddenly, I had mental room to breathe again, to explore the world around me, and to put words down on the page. I felt freer and more independent than I had in months, and I knew I had made the right decision.

Still, as I’m closing the metaphorical ledger, I feel somewhat obliged to apologize to those I might have hurt with my sudden departure, but I felt that putting myself first was absolutely the correct thing to do in that moment. (If only to spare everyone from my inevitable downward spiral.) I don’t know if the space is healthier or better without me there, but at least I’m taking care of myself and others by removing myself from it. It was the right decision, even if it’s still hard.

To all the people that I have known: I wish you well. Maybe our paths will cross again.

Judy The Dreamer

(Boy, does it feel good to have this off my chest.)

Time Magazine

July 2015 edition

Interview & Cover Subject: Steve Rogers

Interview by Peter Parker

PP: What made you so involved in the fight for marriage equality despite the fact that it was legal in your home state of New York even before the Supreme Court’s decision?

SR: “Me and Bucky have had things trying to keep us from loving each other our entire lives. The federal government was one of them for far too long and the fact that they were still doing it to people like us a century later is something that this country needs to be ashamed of. I never wanted anyone else to be denied of something that everyone deserves to have as an option- the option to love freely and legally.”

PP: How hard was it growing up gay in the forties?

SR: “I mean, it was illegal, so the threat of jail time was constantly looming over us. We were lucky to live in a pretty open neighborhood- lots of drag queens honestly, one was my babysitter as a kid. But it was hard, definitely, having to pretend. It was scary being worried about the law or anyone who might have seen you for what you were. There was a lot of fear in everyone I knew who was queer, but that was something both me and Bucky were willing to endure to be with each other. I’m glad that gay rights and acceptance have changed for the better in this century but I think we all need to admit we still have a long way to go. The Supreme Court’s decision was a step further in the right direction, but it’s not a place to stop by any means.”

PP: What advice, if any, would you offer to LGBTQ+ youth out there who look up to you and your story?

SR: “Ah, that’s a tough one. There’s all the standard stuff about not being afraid, accepting yourself, how it’ll get better as time goes on. That’s all true! But if I was going to give any advice, I don’t want it to be something they’ve all heard before. So, I guess the biggest advicr I can give you is: it’s okay to not be immediately sure of things. Not bring sure, questioning yourself, even changing your mind- it’s all okay. It’s part of the process, and it’s okay not to have an answer. And don’t let people use your uncertainty as an excuse to force their own opinions about you down your throat as the truth. That’s another big lesson. Don’t let other people’s decisions about you influence who you think you are.”

PP: Now that same-sex marriage is legal in every state, will you be popping the question to your boyfriend anytime soon?

SR: “Actually, Bucky proposed to me during the war. Of course we couldn’t do anything much about it back then besides trade dogtags and have one of our squad bless us- nothing binding- but we’ve always considered it a standing engagement, but now that it’s legal we’ll be going about it the traditional way this time- right now it’s just a matter of waiting to see who springs the question first. I’m pretty sure our friends have bets going. If Sam loses, he’ll never let me hear the end of it.”

PP: So, this last question isn’t actually one from me, but if you don’t mind I’ll just hand it over.

SR: “What?”

BB: Hi, baby. I’m taking over the interview.

SR: “Bucky? What are you doing? Are you going to-“

BB: I’m the one asking questions here, Rogers. Now, to get down to it: Will you marry me?

SR: “Did you just propose to me during an interview?

BB: Natasha said it was the perfect way to get the drop on you.

SR: “Is this on the record?”

BB: ...Only if you say yes?

SR: “Bucky, of course I’m saying yes. Yes, you idiot. Always.”

2020 Cap-Iron Man Big Bang Claims are open!

Artists, it’s time to claim your story for the 2020 Captain America/Iron Man Big Bang!

CLAIM YOUR BIG BANG STORY HERE!

Before you submit your claims list and get paired up with a fantastic fic, make sure that you’ve read the claims post in full! This way, there won’t be any surprises in your future, and you’ll be fully prepared for the challenge. At this stage, each fic will only be paired up with a single artist, so consider your choices carefully! As always, if you have any questions, please contact the mods at cap.im.events@gmail.com.