i have a bit of a odd request and i think it might be difficult to find, so sorry in advance if it’s too specific or anything. im looking for fics that talk at length about life (both good and bad) in the 40s? i know a lot of canon-based fics mention it, but i was hoping to find some that talk about what steve might’ve done with his time, being lgbt in the 40s, being chronically ill in the 40s, anything like that. similar to the “steves poverty” list!

That’s a tough one.  You mentioned the Steve’s Poor Health and Poverty list and you might also check the Steve’s Internalized Homophobia list as well.  You should also check out this tumblr post about Steve Rogers’ New York.  Very interesting! Here are a couple of others that you might like. Some are Gen, by the way, and big thanks to the Stony Discord for help. If anyone has other suggestions, please drop them in the replies.

COMMENTS AND KUDOS HELP GET YOUR AUTHORS THROUGH THE GREAT DEPRESSION

Poor by HellsLittleLiar:
A character study of Sarah Rogers and her life as a single mother living in poverty.

Unpleasant Ways to Die by Sholio:
It’s 1928 and Steve is dying. Again. Probably.

The Twice-Told Tale by arysteia:
For someone he’d hero-worshipped for so long, Steve Rogers in the flesh
is a pretty big disappointment.  For one thing, he keeps looking at Tony
as though he reminds him of someone else, and even if he never says
anything, Tony’s pretty sure it’s his father.  A lifetime of not
measuring up to Howard’s expectations is more than enough, thank you
very much, and he’s certainly not going to make an effort to live up to
any of Steve’s.  Steve’s pretty clearly failed to live up to his expectations, in any case, and that’s not hypocritical at all.

I’ll See You When I Fall Asleep by citsiurtlanu: It’s 1989 when Steve wakes up and realizes he’s in the body of a stranger.Half a century earlier, Tony wakes up and realizes the same thing. As time passes, they continue to switch with each other at random.  And despite the decades separating them, they become close – until Steve signs up for a top-secret project, and Tony realizes the truth of who he’s been switching with. 616 AU inspired by Kimi No Na Wa / Your Name.

Spark Joy by @jellybeanforest-a-go-go: Tony Stark is on a minimalism kick, clearing out anything and
everything that doesn’t spark joy, but he has a hard time convincing his
boyfriend, Steve Rogers, of the benefits of decluttering. When Steve
blows up at him over Tony’s insistence that he throw out a jacket he had
patched, Tony learns about Steve’s poor upbringing and his subsequent
employment as an artist under the WPA’s Federal Art Project.Or: You can take the man out of the Great Depression, but you can’t take the Great Depression out of the man.

Ending Before It Begins by @ashes0909, @festiveferret:
As he ricocheted against a time portal, Tony recognized that maybe,
possibly, he should start thinking about his decisions more before he
stood behind them with such conviction.

Somewhere, Waters Rest by MithrilWren:
Tony asks about your relationship with Bucky, and Clint’s got your
fist behind your back before you consciously notice you’ve tightened it.
Steve wrestles with fitting his religious upbringing into
a modern setting, where none of the same unspoken norms apply. Of all
his teammates, Tony has the hardest time being supportive.

His Captain’s Keeper by @winterstar95:
Due to his upbringing during the Great Depression, Steve never eats
until he’s full. The other Avengers notice and take matters into their
own hands, including his super boyfriend, Tony. Along the way, there’s a
bit of a battle, a lot of eating, a contest, a bit of hurt!Clint, and a
lot of Stony.

Tell Me, Atlas by @ellidfics:
It’s Steve’s first Christmas since waking in the 21st century.  Lonely
and out of place, he finds himself dreaming of what might have been,
with an unexpected guide.

We’re Dating by Whothefuckyduckyisbucky:
Tony thinks they’re dating. They totally are. Someone should tell Steve. Set
after The avengers movie. In the 1940’s male friendships were a lot
more affectionate, so Steve doesn’t always get that the affection Tony
shows him isn’t platonic.

Nothing Else But Miracles (An Ancient Secrets and New-Born Dreams Remix) by Muccamukk:
In the rough and tumble of the Lower East Side, the only constants in
Steve’s life are the solid black letters of the name on his wrist.
Because even with the law and society against them, his world falling
apart piece by piece, and his search for his soulmate taking him to
stranger and wilder places, Steve has faith that finding Tony Stark is
only a matter of time.