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beth_h2012-08-01 03:55 pm
bethbethbeth) wrote in beth_h2012-08-01 03:55 pm
RECS: July 31, 2012
The Avengers love continues, as does the sports RPF fascination, with last update's hockey fic joined here by a massively long, exceptionally moving baseball story. Really good stuff within, folks!
Oh, and because it's my fest and I - like Loki - can "do what I want!," I just wanted to let you know that posting has started for Disc Fest, the Art & Fic fest dedicated to Terry Pratchett's Discworld. You can find the fest here on Dreamwidth and here on LJ.
Avengers
abstractconcept (the_con_cept on LJ): "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Wanks" (Avengers/Captain America. Steve/Phil, Tony, Team. "Eventually Steve comes around to the idea that a dirty picture might be just another way to say ‘I love you.’" Once Steve understands that Phil Coulson likes him - i.e., likes likes him - he starts to consider what he thinks about Phil. A pairing that's surprisingly rare given their movie interactions, and which works really well here. Sweet, funny, kind of charming. And Tony is sort of perfect too.)
AlchemyAlice (alchemyalice on LJ): "When they finally come to destroy the earth (they'll have to go through you first) " (Avengers/Batman. Bruce Wayne & Tony Stark, with some background Steve/Tony. others. "In which Tony Stark went to boarding school with Bruce Wayne, and the road to becoming a superhero is not smooth." As the author's notes suggest, this is a sort of hodge-podge of various comics/movie canons to put Bruce and Tony's lives in synch. But once that happens, this story shows how perfectly these two men actually complement each other)
BeatriceEagle: "http://archiveofourown.org/works/465812" (Iron Man. Tony-centric, with background Tony/Pepper. "Tony agrees to see a therapist for his, you know, fairly obvious issues. No one is more surprised than he is." Written pre-Avengers, but taking the Team dynamics into account. Well written, and...okay, so despite my having zero experience with therapy - and how that's true at my advanced state of geezerdom is beyond me - I'm very drawn to characters-in-therapy [see various previously recced Loki-in-therapy stories). I can't speak to how realistic this story is in actuality, but it’s clearly well researched and, more importantly, it feels right. Potentially spoilery content information: PTSD and EMDR therapy, plus negative comments - from Tony - about the use of meds as a treatment option))
boombangbing (boombangbing on LJ): "The Bubble" (Avengers/Captain America/Thor. Steve/Darcy. "Most of Darcy's past relationships have involved getting high, playing video games, and arguing with each other; it's kind of freaking her out a little how functional she and Steve are. It's like being a real adult or something." This is now the third story in the Direction series - the first story having been recced earlier on the main Marvel page. Mostly domestic with some holiday and meet-the-family moments interspersed with the sex (*g*), but there's some SHIELD and Team interactions as well - and it's all very charming. The story could be read as a standalone maybe, but it's probably better to start with the first story in the series.)
etben (etben on LJ): "break common laws in twos and threes" (Iron Man/Avengers. Tony/Pepper. "How Tony And Pepper Make It Work." Quiet and simple and more conversation than anything else. Just...Tony and Pepper negotiating their lives between Iron Man 2 and The Avengers.)
infiniteeight (infiniteeight on LJ): "Cost Benefit Analysis" (Avengers. Clint-centric, with Clint/Phil, plus Thor, Team. "Clint's definition of an acceptable loss is a little different than the team's." Clint is taken at the end of a mission. Excellent Clint pov and Thor is particularly great.)
Jai (aka lordessrenegade; soundslikej on LJ): "The Walls and Roof of This House" (Avengers. Phil/Clint/Natasha - in all combinations. ""I don't lie to Barton." "He lies to you." "Not very well. Not as well as you do."" Perfect dynamics, professionally and otherwise - with one of the few believable Phil/Natasha interactions I've read.)
JeziBelle (dixiechicken on tumblr): "Candy Shop" (Avengers. Pepper & Natasha, with implied het. "Calling the Avengers Tower an "embarrassment of riches" is a shameful understatement." Just Pepper and Natasha as actual friends, hanging out and talking about sex. Sweet...which is appropriate, given the title *g*)
pollyrepeat (pollyrepeat on LJ): "Be Calm, Look Cute" (Avengers. Clint/Phil, eventually, but gennish, Team. "“It's a contingency plan in case of accidental teenagering,” says Stark." Phil is de-aged by a villain, then Clint is. Somehow they still get to be badasses. A cracky premise, but a lovely story, heart-clenchingly so at times.)
pollyrepeat (pollyrepeat on LJ): "10, 9, 8, car" (Avengers. Clint/Phil, Team. "Clint was pretty sure he'd seen this movie. Like a lot of things since he'd joined the Avengers, it had been a lot funnier when it wasn't his life." Avengers meets Groundhog Day - with a twist. Clever, engaging, and manages to be original, despite the number of G.D. variants there have already been in many fandoms.)
pollyrepeat (pollyrepeat on LJ): "still officially lost" (Avengers. Clint & Phil, others. "“Barton has clearly imprinted on you,” Fury starts, and keeps talking right over Phil’s knee-jerk, horrified, “He has not,” to seal Phil’s doom by saying, “so I’ve decided that you’re going to take primary responsibility for him from now on.” / “Oh, god," Phil says, faintly, before he can stop himself. How Clint comes to the attention of SHIELD...and of Phil. This is Gen, with a very young, very surly - and very believable - Clint. Excellent.)
RetardedCookie (r_cookie on tumblr): "Lokasenna" (Avengers/Iron Man/Thor. Loki/Tony, Natasha/Pepper, Thor/Jane, Others. "Some mornings, Tony wakes up and he cannot believe Loki’s right there / And then he remembers, grudgingly, that he has, maybe, on some stupid level, those sons of bitches to thank for the way things turned out." Post-movie, but an AU of sorts, merged with variations on the Norse myths, including Loki being father to Fenrir, the great wolf. So, yes...Loki and the Avengers are antagonists, but then he goes missing and can be found nowhere, until finally Queen Frigga asks for help in retrieving her son. If you want your Loki suffering, you'll find that in abundance, but note that this is not a story for people who don't believe in some sort of redemption/happiness for Loki. Very engaging and smart. Potentially spoilery content information: PTSD, threats to children, torture - with roots in Norse mythology)
rubygirl29: "I Would Take Your Poison With My Kiss" (Avengers. Clint/Phil, Natasha. "The bar is in a questionable neighborhood, but Clint doesn't scare easily and he doesn't feel any threat. He just wants to drink and forget that he's got feelings for his handler that are innapropriate at best and positively embarrassing at the worst." An engaging story, and - considering what happens plot-wise - quite touching.)
Salazarfalcon (haicrescendo on LJ): "Truthfully" (Thor/Avengers. Loki-centric gen, Thor-and-Team, OCs. "Loki had every intention of wreaking havoc upon Midgard the moment his suicide attempt had failed, it was just too bad that Midgard ended up being so distracting. Who knew that such a primitive society would have such a novel concept as therapy?" Started long before the Avengers movie came out, this story is far more sympathetic to Loki's situation than post-movie fic tends to be, and...that's fine with me. I have a none-too-secret love for 'redeemed Loki' stories, especially if they involve therapy [because really, who needs therapy more than Loki?], and this story works wonderfully well on that level. Plus..the therapist - an OC - is lovely.)
scifigrl47 (scifigrl47 on LJ): "The Act of Creation Will Be Your Salvation" (Avengers/Iron man. Tony & Bots, Tony/Steve eventually, Pepper, Phil, Team, Everybody. "When Tony Stark was seventeen years old, he built his first AI. On that day, he ceased to be his father's creation, and became a creating force in his own right. / That one act likely saved his life, and not always in the most obvious ways." I think you need to know Avengers and Iron Man canon for some of the most important moments - especially in the first third of the story - to really resonate, and honestly, I like this story enough to say that if you haven't seen the two Iron Man movies, you should go do that before starting to read, just to let the story work as well as it possibly can. Really well done, and...you wouldn't imagine that a story half-narrated by AIs and robots would be able to pack such a powerful emotional punch, but it does. Potentially spoilery content information: Flashbacks to torture and deaths and loss, thoughts of suicide)
shadowen: "Fifty Pound Draw" (Avengers. Phil/Clint eventually. "There was always a chance the mission would go wrong." Set pre-movie, early in Clint's time with SHIELD. I love stories in which character and relationship dynamics show up embedded within the plot instead of being weirdly estranged from the plot points, and this story does that exceptionally well. It shows who these two men are - and what they feel for each other, even at an early stage in their relationship - by what they do. Nicely done. Potentially spoilery content information: guns, knives, broken bones...that sort of thing, plus a creepy sequence where Phil is forced to swallow some of his own flesh.)
Siria (siria on DW): "fighting fire with firewood" (Avengers. Natasha, Natasha/Clint, Team. "Natasha was not the kind of person to be curious." Great Natasha voice, as she figures out who she is, who she could be - and how Clint fits. Very smart story.)
starhawk2005 (starhawk2005 on LJ): "Playing Nursemaid" (Iron Man. Tony/Pepper. "Pepper’s tired of the holding pattern they’ve been in, ever since Tony came back from Afghanistan." set mostly between Iron Man and Iron Man 2, a very believable look at what it would take for Pepper to let the nature of her relationship with her boss change. Believable and honest.)
victoria_p (musesfool on LJ): "Six Meetings Before Lunch" (Avengers/Captain America/Thor. Steve, Thor, others. "Six times Steve and Thor hang out." As it says on the label. Simple and charming, with a Steve and a Thor who are real people.)
waldorph (waldorph on LJ/DW/tumblr): "fubar" (Avengers. Natasha, Clint, Team. "After New York, Natasha takes Clint to Russia to either put him together or watch him fall apart." A wonderful story, post-movie [and all the accompanying grief] with a particularly strong Natasha voice and a great friendship between Natasha and Clint.)
wanttobeatree (wanttobeatree on LJ): "A Very, Very, Very Fine House" (Avengers. Steve/Tony, Pepper/Tony, Various Avengers and Others. "The Avengers take initiative. Or, the story of how a group of remarkable people came together to drink cocktails, eat ice-cream and wait for Fury's call." Really engaging and good insight into the way that people learn about each other when they're not busy trying to save the world. Near-perfect characterizations too; Tony, in particular, is a great blend of brash egotism and closed-off insecurity. Despite the listed pairings, this is more gen than anything else, although it’s clearly going to be Steve/Tony in the recently announced sequel)
weepingnaiad: "Soft Trees Break the Fall" (Avengers. Clint, Natasha, Phil, background Clint/Phil & Natasha/Bucky. "After what Clint did while under Loki’s control – and he remembers every detail, every decision, every twitch of muscle – Clint burns with self-loathing. He never counted on Natasha’s unwavering, unconditional support, nor did he imagine that he’d ever have someone who cared enough to fight Clint himself for his forgiveness." Post-movie 'fixit' with a good sense of the psychological fall-out from Loki's actions, especially on Clint. Stronger in the earlier chapters, but still...engaging throughout. Potentially spoilery content information: Pretty much the whole menu: killings, PTSD, drug/alcohol addiction, physical violence, mention of non-con, flashbacks, thoughts of suicide...and unhappiness.It doesn't end unhappily, however.)
yugimutos (aka weatheredlaw; yugimutos on tumblr): "may your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground" (Avengers/Iron Man/Hulk. Bruce/Tony, Steve. "Because there is something of Bruce in Tony that sparks when they touch and it lit a fire under their feet when they met on that bridge and it's been burning ever since." Very smart and very believable. Because...they say, don't they, that one of the key marks of intelligence is knowing what you don't know - and this Tony and this Bruce are absolutely intelligent enough to recognize exactly where their limits lie.)
Zee (ficbyzee on LJ): "Our Deal" (Avengers. Clint/Natasha. "Ever since we saved the world, it's felt different between us." Excellent voices, i.e., ones that actually match the characters as opposed to sounding like variations on random middle class university students, This is post-movie, and so for these two particular characters, there is grief wrapped up with the longing - and Tony to provide some exasperating but welcome tension relief. Very smart.)
Zinnith (zinnith on LJ): "Sum of 180 Degrees" (Avengers. Phil, Clint, Natasha. "Agent Coulson is not dead, director Fury has a black eye, Black Widow wants cotton candy, and Hawkeye is thinking about running away to join the circus again. All is not well with the world, but at least it's still spinning." Gen, in the wake of the Avengers movie...and Clint is having a hard time processing things. Lovely, albeit difficult...but so very hopeful.)
Baseball RPF
Candle Beck (candle_beck on LJ): "The Rest of Your Life" (Baseball RPF. Eric Chavez/Eric Munson. "Two boys grow up." An older story - from 2004 - recently reposted on AO3, but it still works perfectly. We're first introduced to these two men the day they meet - just children at the park - and honestly, if you're any kind of a baseball fan, this story will feel utterly right, from beginning to end. You will care from the very start, and I say this as somebody who generally has little interest in the dreams and aspirations of kids/teens in fic. I will say that I don't think I've cried so much from 'feelings' during the course of reading a single story in ages - and this is an extremely long story, so...yeah, a lot of crying. Content information - including a major spoiler for the end of the fic: a lot of alcohol use/abuse, some fights, infidelity on both men's parts since both get married during the course of the story and the story does not end in a traditional happily-ever-after way, although I still thought it was a great - and believable - ending.)
Hockey
doctor_denmark (doctor_denmark on DW): "Enough to Crush Your Veins" (Hockey. Jeff Skinner/Eric Staal. "When Canadian figure skater Jeff Skinner wrecked his knee, he never could have imagined that he'd end up helping pay his way through college as a live-in babysitter for Eric Staal's three-year-old son, Joey. AU obviously, since Skinner during this time frame was actually the Canes' baby-faced rookie. Charming story in a very old-school romance way and quite touching at times. Nice family interactions for Jeff and Eric - plus Eric’s teammates read realistically - and Eric's son actually seems his age, along with being adorable)
svmadelyn (svmadelyn on LJ): "It's a Love Story, Baby, Just Say Yes" (Hockey. Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane/OMC(s). "Kaner tries to fuck his way out of love. That goes as well as you might imagine." There's a bachelor auction and...yeah, of course your vaguely drunk teammate is going to bid on you because he really, really doesn't want you to meet your future wife on the auction block. Kind of adorable and kind of funny and kind of woeful - so much understandable pining! - and, you know, sex.)
Lewis
wendymr (wendymr on LJ): "Love Knows Not Its Own Depth" (Robbie/James. "Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation. / - Kahlil Gibran 1883-1931" What sort of partnership have Robbie and James forged over the years? That's part of what lies at the heart of this story. In the early stages of the fic, Lewis comes across a little too self aware, maybe, regarding his changed/changing feelings for James, but despite that, this story - part intriguing case fic and part Hathaway-shaped mystery - is very nicely done.)
Sherlock Holmes
ayalesca (ayalesca on LJ/DW): "Stack Overflow" (BBC. Sherlock/John. "Sherlock's hard drive doesn't have enough room for all of his data on John Watson; something has to give." Takes only season one into account. Clever and...believable, at least in a magic realism sort of way. Sherlock's love for John is palpable - even before Sherlock knows that's what he's feeling.
As I've noted before, I will clearly never catch up with old stories. If you have a favorite story (your own or somebody else's) that you think I might have missed and it's in a fandom that I've recced before (see my main recs page) and especially stories from one of the following fandoms: Avengers, Discworld, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Lewis, Sherlock Holmes in all varieties, or White Collar, feel free to leave a link below
Oh, and because it's my fest and I - like Loki - can "do what I want!," I just wanted to let you know that posting has started for Disc Fest, the Art & Fic fest dedicated to Terry Pratchett's Discworld. You can find the fest here on Dreamwidth and here on LJ.
Avengers
abstractconcept (the_con_cept on LJ): "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Wanks" (Avengers/Captain America. Steve/Phil, Tony, Team. "Eventually Steve comes around to the idea that a dirty picture might be just another way to say ‘I love you.’" Once Steve understands that Phil Coulson likes him - i.e., likes likes him - he starts to consider what he thinks about Phil. A pairing that's surprisingly rare given their movie interactions, and which works really well here. Sweet, funny, kind of charming. And Tony is sort of perfect too.)
AlchemyAlice (alchemyalice on LJ): "When they finally come to destroy the earth (they'll have to go through you first) " (Avengers/Batman. Bruce Wayne & Tony Stark, with some background Steve/Tony. others. "In which Tony Stark went to boarding school with Bruce Wayne, and the road to becoming a superhero is not smooth." As the author's notes suggest, this is a sort of hodge-podge of various comics/movie canons to put Bruce and Tony's lives in synch. But once that happens, this story shows how perfectly these two men actually complement each other)
BeatriceEagle: "http://archiveofourown.org/works/465812" (Iron Man. Tony-centric, with background Tony/Pepper. "Tony agrees to see a therapist for his, you know, fairly obvious issues. No one is more surprised than he is." Written pre-Avengers, but taking the Team dynamics into account. Well written, and...okay, so despite my having zero experience with therapy - and how that's true at my advanced state of geezerdom is beyond me - I'm very drawn to characters-in-therapy [see various previously recced Loki-in-therapy stories). I can't speak to how realistic this story is in actuality, but it’s clearly well researched and, more importantly, it feels right. Potentially spoilery content information: PTSD and EMDR therapy, plus negative comments - from Tony - about the use of meds as a treatment option))
boombangbing (boombangbing on LJ): "The Bubble" (Avengers/Captain America/Thor. Steve/Darcy. "Most of Darcy's past relationships have involved getting high, playing video games, and arguing with each other; it's kind of freaking her out a little how functional she and Steve are. It's like being a real adult or something." This is now the third story in the Direction series - the first story having been recced earlier on the main Marvel page. Mostly domestic with some holiday and meet-the-family moments interspersed with the sex (*g*), but there's some SHIELD and Team interactions as well - and it's all very charming. The story could be read as a standalone maybe, but it's probably better to start with the first story in the series.)
etben (etben on LJ): "break common laws in twos and threes" (Iron Man/Avengers. Tony/Pepper. "How Tony And Pepper Make It Work." Quiet and simple and more conversation than anything else. Just...Tony and Pepper negotiating their lives between Iron Man 2 and The Avengers.)
infiniteeight (infiniteeight on LJ): "Cost Benefit Analysis" (Avengers. Clint-centric, with Clint/Phil, plus Thor, Team. "Clint's definition of an acceptable loss is a little different than the team's." Clint is taken at the end of a mission. Excellent Clint pov and Thor is particularly great.)
Jai (aka lordessrenegade; soundslikej on LJ): "The Walls and Roof of This House" (Avengers. Phil/Clint/Natasha - in all combinations. ""I don't lie to Barton." "He lies to you." "Not very well. Not as well as you do."" Perfect dynamics, professionally and otherwise - with one of the few believable Phil/Natasha interactions I've read.)
JeziBelle (dixiechicken on tumblr): "Candy Shop" (Avengers. Pepper & Natasha, with implied het. "Calling the Avengers Tower an "embarrassment of riches" is a shameful understatement." Just Pepper and Natasha as actual friends, hanging out and talking about sex. Sweet...which is appropriate, given the title *g*)
pollyrepeat (pollyrepeat on LJ): "Be Calm, Look Cute" (Avengers. Clint/Phil, eventually, but gennish, Team. "“It's a contingency plan in case of accidental teenagering,” says Stark." Phil is de-aged by a villain, then Clint is. Somehow they still get to be badasses. A cracky premise, but a lovely story, heart-clenchingly so at times.)
pollyrepeat (pollyrepeat on LJ): "10, 9, 8, car" (Avengers. Clint/Phil, Team. "Clint was pretty sure he'd seen this movie. Like a lot of things since he'd joined the Avengers, it had been a lot funnier when it wasn't his life." Avengers meets Groundhog Day - with a twist. Clever, engaging, and manages to be original, despite the number of G.D. variants there have already been in many fandoms.)
pollyrepeat (pollyrepeat on LJ): "still officially lost" (Avengers. Clint & Phil, others. "“Barton has clearly imprinted on you,” Fury starts, and keeps talking right over Phil’s knee-jerk, horrified, “He has not,” to seal Phil’s doom by saying, “so I’ve decided that you’re going to take primary responsibility for him from now on.” / “Oh, god," Phil says, faintly, before he can stop himself. How Clint comes to the attention of SHIELD...and of Phil. This is Gen, with a very young, very surly - and very believable - Clint. Excellent.)
RetardedCookie (r_cookie on tumblr): "Lokasenna" (Avengers/Iron Man/Thor. Loki/Tony, Natasha/Pepper, Thor/Jane, Others. "Some mornings, Tony wakes up and he cannot believe Loki’s right there / And then he remembers, grudgingly, that he has, maybe, on some stupid level, those sons of bitches to thank for the way things turned out." Post-movie, but an AU of sorts, merged with variations on the Norse myths, including Loki being father to Fenrir, the great wolf. So, yes...Loki and the Avengers are antagonists, but then he goes missing and can be found nowhere, until finally Queen Frigga asks for help in retrieving her son. If you want your Loki suffering, you'll find that in abundance, but note that this is not a story for people who don't believe in some sort of redemption/happiness for Loki. Very engaging and smart. Potentially spoilery content information: PTSD, threats to children, torture - with roots in Norse mythology)
rubygirl29: "I Would Take Your Poison With My Kiss" (Avengers. Clint/Phil, Natasha. "The bar is in a questionable neighborhood, but Clint doesn't scare easily and he doesn't feel any threat. He just wants to drink and forget that he's got feelings for his handler that are innapropriate at best and positively embarrassing at the worst." An engaging story, and - considering what happens plot-wise - quite touching.)
Salazarfalcon (haicrescendo on LJ): "Truthfully" (Thor/Avengers. Loki-centric gen, Thor-and-Team, OCs. "Loki had every intention of wreaking havoc upon Midgard the moment his suicide attempt had failed, it was just too bad that Midgard ended up being so distracting. Who knew that such a primitive society would have such a novel concept as therapy?" Started long before the Avengers movie came out, this story is far more sympathetic to Loki's situation than post-movie fic tends to be, and...that's fine with me. I have a none-too-secret love for 'redeemed Loki' stories, especially if they involve therapy [because really, who needs therapy more than Loki?], and this story works wonderfully well on that level. Plus..the therapist - an OC - is lovely.)
scifigrl47 (scifigrl47 on LJ): "The Act of Creation Will Be Your Salvation" (Avengers/Iron man. Tony & Bots, Tony/Steve eventually, Pepper, Phil, Team, Everybody. "When Tony Stark was seventeen years old, he built his first AI. On that day, he ceased to be his father's creation, and became a creating force in his own right. / That one act likely saved his life, and not always in the most obvious ways." I think you need to know Avengers and Iron Man canon for some of the most important moments - especially in the first third of the story - to really resonate, and honestly, I like this story enough to say that if you haven't seen the two Iron Man movies, you should go do that before starting to read, just to let the story work as well as it possibly can. Really well done, and...you wouldn't imagine that a story half-narrated by AIs and robots would be able to pack such a powerful emotional punch, but it does. Potentially spoilery content information: Flashbacks to torture and deaths and loss, thoughts of suicide)
shadowen: "Fifty Pound Draw" (Avengers. Phil/Clint eventually. "There was always a chance the mission would go wrong." Set pre-movie, early in Clint's time with SHIELD. I love stories in which character and relationship dynamics show up embedded within the plot instead of being weirdly estranged from the plot points, and this story does that exceptionally well. It shows who these two men are - and what they feel for each other, even at an early stage in their relationship - by what they do. Nicely done. Potentially spoilery content information: guns, knives, broken bones...that sort of thing, plus a creepy sequence where Phil is forced to swallow some of his own flesh.)
Siria (siria on DW): "fighting fire with firewood" (Avengers. Natasha, Natasha/Clint, Team. "Natasha was not the kind of person to be curious." Great Natasha voice, as she figures out who she is, who she could be - and how Clint fits. Very smart story.)
starhawk2005 (starhawk2005 on LJ): "Playing Nursemaid" (Iron Man. Tony/Pepper. "Pepper’s tired of the holding pattern they’ve been in, ever since Tony came back from Afghanistan." set mostly between Iron Man and Iron Man 2, a very believable look at what it would take for Pepper to let the nature of her relationship with her boss change. Believable and honest.)
victoria_p (musesfool on LJ): "Six Meetings Before Lunch" (Avengers/Captain America/Thor. Steve, Thor, others. "Six times Steve and Thor hang out." As it says on the label. Simple and charming, with a Steve and a Thor who are real people.)
waldorph (waldorph on LJ/DW/tumblr): "fubar" (Avengers. Natasha, Clint, Team. "After New York, Natasha takes Clint to Russia to either put him together or watch him fall apart." A wonderful story, post-movie [and all the accompanying grief] with a particularly strong Natasha voice and a great friendship between Natasha and Clint.)
wanttobeatree (wanttobeatree on LJ): "A Very, Very, Very Fine House" (Avengers. Steve/Tony, Pepper/Tony, Various Avengers and Others. "The Avengers take initiative. Or, the story of how a group of remarkable people came together to drink cocktails, eat ice-cream and wait for Fury's call." Really engaging and good insight into the way that people learn about each other when they're not busy trying to save the world. Near-perfect characterizations too; Tony, in particular, is a great blend of brash egotism and closed-off insecurity. Despite the listed pairings, this is more gen than anything else, although it’s clearly going to be Steve/Tony in the recently announced sequel)
weepingnaiad: "Soft Trees Break the Fall" (Avengers. Clint, Natasha, Phil, background Clint/Phil & Natasha/Bucky. "After what Clint did while under Loki’s control – and he remembers every detail, every decision, every twitch of muscle – Clint burns with self-loathing. He never counted on Natasha’s unwavering, unconditional support, nor did he imagine that he’d ever have someone who cared enough to fight Clint himself for his forgiveness." Post-movie 'fixit' with a good sense of the psychological fall-out from Loki's actions, especially on Clint. Stronger in the earlier chapters, but still...engaging throughout. Potentially spoilery content information: Pretty much the whole menu: killings, PTSD, drug/alcohol addiction, physical violence, mention of non-con, flashbacks, thoughts of suicide...and unhappiness.It doesn't end unhappily, however.)
yugimutos (aka weatheredlaw; yugimutos on tumblr): "may your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground" (Avengers/Iron Man/Hulk. Bruce/Tony, Steve. "Because there is something of Bruce in Tony that sparks when they touch and it lit a fire under their feet when they met on that bridge and it's been burning ever since." Very smart and very believable. Because...they say, don't they, that one of the key marks of intelligence is knowing what you don't know - and this Tony and this Bruce are absolutely intelligent enough to recognize exactly where their limits lie.)
Zee (ficbyzee on LJ): "Our Deal" (Avengers. Clint/Natasha. "Ever since we saved the world, it's felt different between us." Excellent voices, i.e., ones that actually match the characters as opposed to sounding like variations on random middle class university students, This is post-movie, and so for these two particular characters, there is grief wrapped up with the longing - and Tony to provide some exasperating but welcome tension relief. Very smart.)
Zinnith (zinnith on LJ): "Sum of 180 Degrees" (Avengers. Phil, Clint, Natasha. "Agent Coulson is not dead, director Fury has a black eye, Black Widow wants cotton candy, and Hawkeye is thinking about running away to join the circus again. All is not well with the world, but at least it's still spinning." Gen, in the wake of the Avengers movie...and Clint is having a hard time processing things. Lovely, albeit difficult...but so very hopeful.)
Baseball RPF
Candle Beck (candle_beck on LJ): "The Rest of Your Life" (Baseball RPF. Eric Chavez/Eric Munson. "Two boys grow up." An older story - from 2004 - recently reposted on AO3, but it still works perfectly. We're first introduced to these two men the day they meet - just children at the park - and honestly, if you're any kind of a baseball fan, this story will feel utterly right, from beginning to end. You will care from the very start, and I say this as somebody who generally has little interest in the dreams and aspirations of kids/teens in fic. I will say that I don't think I've cried so much from 'feelings' during the course of reading a single story in ages - and this is an extremely long story, so...yeah, a lot of crying. Content information - including a major spoiler for the end of the fic: a lot of alcohol use/abuse, some fights, infidelity on both men's parts since both get married during the course of the story and the story does not end in a traditional happily-ever-after way, although I still thought it was a great - and believable - ending.)
Hockey
doctor_denmark (doctor_denmark on DW): "Enough to Crush Your Veins" (Hockey. Jeff Skinner/Eric Staal. "When Canadian figure skater Jeff Skinner wrecked his knee, he never could have imagined that he'd end up helping pay his way through college as a live-in babysitter for Eric Staal's three-year-old son, Joey. AU obviously, since Skinner during this time frame was actually the Canes' baby-faced rookie. Charming story in a very old-school romance way and quite touching at times. Nice family interactions for Jeff and Eric - plus Eric’s teammates read realistically - and Eric's son actually seems his age, along with being adorable)
svmadelyn (svmadelyn on LJ): "It's a Love Story, Baby, Just Say Yes" (Hockey. Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane/OMC(s). "Kaner tries to fuck his way out of love. That goes as well as you might imagine." There's a bachelor auction and...yeah, of course your vaguely drunk teammate is going to bid on you because he really, really doesn't want you to meet your future wife on the auction block. Kind of adorable and kind of funny and kind of woeful - so much understandable pining! - and, you know, sex.)
Lewis
wendymr (wendymr on LJ): "Love Knows Not Its Own Depth" (Robbie/James. "Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation. / - Kahlil Gibran 1883-1931" What sort of partnership have Robbie and James forged over the years? That's part of what lies at the heart of this story. In the early stages of the fic, Lewis comes across a little too self aware, maybe, regarding his changed/changing feelings for James, but despite that, this story - part intriguing case fic and part Hathaway-shaped mystery - is very nicely done.)
Sherlock Holmes
ayalesca (ayalesca on LJ/DW): "Stack Overflow" (BBC. Sherlock/John. "Sherlock's hard drive doesn't have enough room for all of his data on John Watson; something has to give." Takes only season one into account. Clever and...believable, at least in a magic realism sort of way. Sherlock's love for John is palpable - even before Sherlock knows that's what he's feeling.
As I've noted before, I will clearly never catch up with old stories. If you have a favorite story (your own or somebody else's) that you think I might have missed and it's in a fandom that I've recced before (see my main recs page) and especially stories from one of the following fandoms: Avengers, Discworld, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Lewis, Sherlock Holmes in all varieties, or White Collar, feel free to leave a link below