RECS: September 8, 2012
Sep. 8th, 2012 08:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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beth_hA mix of pairings, but much, much more gen and team centered this time around. Still, whether plotty or not, it's the relationships that continue to be at the heart of just about everything I'm reccing, so even hard-core ship-only people should be able to find stories they like.
Avengers
celesteennui (celestennui on LJ): "Greatest Creations" (Iron Man/Avengers. Tony/Pepper, hints of Natasha/Clint, Steve, Fury, and Rhodey. " Snapshots of Tony's life as he figures this whole "fatherhood" thing out. For a former self-centered playboy, he isn't doing too bad." As the summary says. Kid!Fic of a sort, but mostly a smart and often touching look at a side of Tony we very rarely see, even in fic. Some outbranching into the larger comics!verse, but nothing that can't be appreciated by movie!verse only readers. Note: this story is now part of a series - “Invictus” - to which has been added a second story: ”Mother’s Two Good Eyes”. It features Frigga and Loki, and brings the reader through Loki’s childhood and on past the Avengers movie. A great Frigga pov, and...this is the very best sort of Loki-centric tale, one which goes some way toward explaining his actions, but doesn’t attempt to excuse them.)
hetrez (hetrez on LJ): The Make Way For Ducklings series. (Avengers/Captain America. Steve, Team, eventually Steve/Bucky. Starting with "Imprint" - a gen story in which "Steve builds a training program, a team, and new life for himself." the series movies forward into the future post-movie. It's technically incomplete, but each part stands alone and the second section, in which the Winter Soldier is found, is particularly wonderful.)
icarus_chained (icarus_chained on LJ/DW): Still Here (Avengers/Iron Man. Tony, Rhodey. "Just a tiny Tony & Rhodey moment, in the aftermath of Avengers." As the summary says. No more than a ficlet, but it feels very real and true to their relationship.)
irnan (irnan on LJ): "Scarring" (Avengers. Tony & Steve. " Steve doesn't scar. It's a serum thing: his skin heals perfect, every time. / This means he doesn't get callouses, either. Upon occasion, that can be... painful." Just a brief, gentle moment between two people who are becoming friends)
lavvyan: "Love in the Three-Ninth Kingdom" (Avengers. Clint/Phil, Natasha. "Clint and Coulson are in mutually unrequited love. Natasha has no patience for their drama. And if the world were a nicer place to live in, she wouldn't have to deal with it." As the summary says, with the most perfectly world-weary and exasperated 'matchmaker' in Natasha "Love is for Children" Romanova.)
neveralarch (nevralarch on LJ): "Travelogue" (Avengers/Hulk. Clint/Bruce/Natasha, in various combinations. " Post-New York, Clint's still having trouble dealing with the whole Loki-controlling-his-brain situation, and Natasha seems to be avoiding him. Bruce Banner, meanwhile, just wants to get back to Kolkata." Engaging and intriguing, with some excellent insights about the parallels among all three characters and how they deal with their guilts and fears. The development of the various strands of their relationships reads as completely possible and in character.)
samalander (_samalander on LJ/notasamalander on tumblr): "The Law of Conservation of Pants" (Avengers/Thor. Darcy-centric, Team, future Darcy/Clint. " Or, Five Things Darcy Lewis Thought She Knew Before She Met the Avengers (And One Thing That Will Always Be True)/ In which Darcy is put in charge of Social Media relations for the Avengers and finds that 5/6th of them challenge the things she thought she believed." In a lot of ways, this is more the prologue to a story than a complete story, but it can absolutely stand alone and...okay, you know how Darcy Lewis is so often the stand-in for "Us?" Well, this Darcy was even more me - or some long ago, post-college version of me - than all the other Darcy versions I've read. So I had to rec her. Um. The story. *g*)
shellybelle: "if you let me through the door we can let the world in" (Avengers. Tony, Team + Phil. "Tony Stark has always wanted a clubhouse. He gets something more than that. (Or: Tony is a big softie, Natasha doesn’t like to share, and Thor just likes it when everyone gets along.)" Post-movie. A really nicely done "everyone moves into Stark Tower" story.)
shellybelle: "Mr. & Mrs. Barton (Or: Why Natasha Sends Jennifer Aniston an Annual Apologetic Fruit Basket" (Avengers. Clint/Natasha. "Five years before they meet as Hawkeye and the Black Widow, they meet as Clint and Natasha. There is a romance, a marriage, and then, predictably, everything goes absolutely to hell, and Clint still thinks they should be getting royalty money from the DVD sales of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. (Or: boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl get married. Boy and girl neglect to do background checks.)" The relationship develops at the absolute perfect pace, and it's all so well done that you can allow yourself to forget that neither Natasha's nor Clint's employers would really let their operatives get involved in a serious longterm relationship without running a background check on the partners, no...not even Phil. Meanwhile, though, I never saw the film that that served as a basis for this story, so I can't speak to the comparisons, but it's sweet and violent and loving and sad and erotic all at once, and it worked for me on all those levels)
Teyke (teyke on ff.net): "And the Sky is Grey" (Avengers/Iron man/Captain America. Steve, Tony, Pepper, Others. "Steve hates the cold. Tony loves to mock him about this – or so Steve thinks. Clint remembers cold nights in Afghanistan and buys everybody else a clue." Slightly more "talk, not show" - almost meta, in a way, as the author notes confirm - but a really insightful and smart look at Tony's psychological make-up - and Steve’s, as well.)
the_wordbutler (the_wordbutler on DW): "With a Capital T and that Rhymes with C and that Stands for Agent Barton" (Avengers. Phil/Clint, presumably *g* " / The problem is, this isn't the kind of trouble he expected--or prepared for. " A deceptively simple short story, with so much going on beneath the surface.)
triffidsandcuckoos (triffidsandcuckoos on tumblr): "Compromised" (Avengers. Clint/Phil/Natasha, in various combinations. "The thing about being a former assassin – or rather a formerly unofficial assassin – is that ‘compromised’ isn’t something you say lightly." A smart look at all three characters - their weaknesses and their respective needs for control and their mutual [co-]dependences on each other. The writing, though good, isn't always entirely even, but the story has a very smart perspective on what these three might need from - and can offer to - each other.)
vain_glorious (vain_glorious on LJ/DW): "Without the Usual Cost of Labor" (Avengers. Team, generally. ""Someone just reported to SHIELD that whatever was stolen produced “viable offspring,” and we’re hoping that doesn’t mean what we think it does,” Bruce says, evidently deciding to take over for Tony after only one masturbation joke." A serious subject, but a clever - and sometimes funny - treatment of it...and it works. Potentially spoilery content information: Stever's (stolen) sperm and Natasha's egg, resulting in a baby. No sex, but certainly no consent, technically.)
vidocqsociety (vidocqsociety on tumblr): "A Night to Remember" (Avengers. Team Gen. "The Avengers throw a birthday party for one of their own." When you just want to laugh! *g*)
vidocqsociety (vidocqsociety on tumblr): "Party Down" (Avengers. Team, with some Steve/Tony.. "Steve never went to his prom. Tony will take any excuse to throw a party. Especially if that excuse is Steve." Funny and sweet, with good voices for one and all)
vidocqsociety (vidocqsociety on tumblr): "The Scientific Method " (Avengers. Team shenanigans. "Bruce and Tony have had better ideas... but they've had worse ones, too." So basically, the Science Bros see what it takes to get Steve Rogers drunk...with his consent, of course. Just, you know... funny, unless you don't like alcohol-based scenarios, in which case, this should be treated as your warning.)
The Bourne Legacy
bigboobedcanuck (bigboobedcanuck on LJ): "Warriors" (Aaron/Marta. "She’s witnessed Aaron shoot people, beat people and snap their necks like they were nothing more than a wishbone at Thanksgiving dinner. Yet as he wakes her from another nightmare, he is only gentle and patient, caressing her hair as he murmurs that everything is all right." Perfectly voiced and just what I wish the ending had been for the two of them.)
kangeiko (kangeiko on LJ): "life through a window" (Aaron & Marta. "The world hasn't changed. He just has a better toolbox now." Post-movie, and a great look at just how much might have changed for Aaron due to the chems...and how much might not have)
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, which includes links to all the individual major fandoms and a miscellaneous fandoms page). Most loved at the moment are 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), but everything is welcome.
Avengers
celesteennui (celestennui on LJ): "Greatest Creations" (Iron Man/Avengers. Tony/Pepper, hints of Natasha/Clint, Steve, Fury, and Rhodey. " Snapshots of Tony's life as he figures this whole "fatherhood" thing out. For a former self-centered playboy, he isn't doing too bad." As the summary says. Kid!Fic of a sort, but mostly a smart and often touching look at a side of Tony we very rarely see, even in fic. Some outbranching into the larger comics!verse, but nothing that can't be appreciated by movie!verse only readers. Note: this story is now part of a series - “Invictus” - to which has been added a second story: ”Mother’s Two Good Eyes”. It features Frigga and Loki, and brings the reader through Loki’s childhood and on past the Avengers movie. A great Frigga pov, and...this is the very best sort of Loki-centric tale, one which goes some way toward explaining his actions, but doesn’t attempt to excuse them.)
hetrez (hetrez on LJ): The Make Way For Ducklings series. (Avengers/Captain America. Steve, Team, eventually Steve/Bucky. Starting with "Imprint" - a gen story in which "Steve builds a training program, a team, and new life for himself." the series movies forward into the future post-movie. It's technically incomplete, but each part stands alone and the second section, in which the Winter Soldier is found, is particularly wonderful.)
icarus_chained (icarus_chained on LJ/DW): Still Here (Avengers/Iron Man. Tony, Rhodey. "Just a tiny Tony & Rhodey moment, in the aftermath of Avengers." As the summary says. No more than a ficlet, but it feels very real and true to their relationship.)
irnan (irnan on LJ): "Scarring" (Avengers. Tony & Steve. " Steve doesn't scar. It's a serum thing: his skin heals perfect, every time. / This means he doesn't get callouses, either. Upon occasion, that can be... painful." Just a brief, gentle moment between two people who are becoming friends)
lavvyan: "Love in the Three-Ninth Kingdom" (Avengers. Clint/Phil, Natasha. "Clint and Coulson are in mutually unrequited love. Natasha has no patience for their drama. And if the world were a nicer place to live in, she wouldn't have to deal with it." As the summary says, with the most perfectly world-weary and exasperated 'matchmaker' in Natasha "Love is for Children" Romanova.)
neveralarch (nevralarch on LJ): "Travelogue" (Avengers/Hulk. Clint/Bruce/Natasha, in various combinations. " Post-New York, Clint's still having trouble dealing with the whole Loki-controlling-his-brain situation, and Natasha seems to be avoiding him. Bruce Banner, meanwhile, just wants to get back to Kolkata." Engaging and intriguing, with some excellent insights about the parallels among all three characters and how they deal with their guilts and fears. The development of the various strands of their relationships reads as completely possible and in character.)
samalander (_samalander on LJ/notasamalander on tumblr): "The Law of Conservation of Pants" (Avengers/Thor. Darcy-centric, Team, future Darcy/Clint. " Or, Five Things Darcy Lewis Thought She Knew Before She Met the Avengers (And One Thing That Will Always Be True)/ In which Darcy is put in charge of Social Media relations for the Avengers and finds that 5/6th of them challenge the things she thought she believed." In a lot of ways, this is more the prologue to a story than a complete story, but it can absolutely stand alone and...okay, you know how Darcy Lewis is so often the stand-in for "Us?" Well, this Darcy was even more me - or some long ago, post-college version of me - than all the other Darcy versions I've read. So I had to rec her. Um. The story. *g*)
shellybelle: "if you let me through the door we can let the world in" (Avengers. Tony, Team + Phil. "Tony Stark has always wanted a clubhouse. He gets something more than that. (Or: Tony is a big softie, Natasha doesn’t like to share, and Thor just likes it when everyone gets along.)" Post-movie. A really nicely done "everyone moves into Stark Tower" story.)
shellybelle: "Mr. & Mrs. Barton (Or: Why Natasha Sends Jennifer Aniston an Annual Apologetic Fruit Basket" (Avengers. Clint/Natasha. "Five years before they meet as Hawkeye and the Black Widow, they meet as Clint and Natasha. There is a romance, a marriage, and then, predictably, everything goes absolutely to hell, and Clint still thinks they should be getting royalty money from the DVD sales of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. (Or: boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl get married. Boy and girl neglect to do background checks.)" The relationship develops at the absolute perfect pace, and it's all so well done that you can allow yourself to forget that neither Natasha's nor Clint's employers would really let their operatives get involved in a serious longterm relationship without running a background check on the partners, no...not even Phil. Meanwhile, though, I never saw the film that that served as a basis for this story, so I can't speak to the comparisons, but it's sweet and violent and loving and sad and erotic all at once, and it worked for me on all those levels)
Teyke (teyke on ff.net): "And the Sky is Grey" (Avengers/Iron man/Captain America. Steve, Tony, Pepper, Others. "Steve hates the cold. Tony loves to mock him about this – or so Steve thinks. Clint remembers cold nights in Afghanistan and buys everybody else a clue." Slightly more "talk, not show" - almost meta, in a way, as the author notes confirm - but a really insightful and smart look at Tony's psychological make-up - and Steve’s, as well.)
the_wordbutler (the_wordbutler on DW): "With a Capital T and that Rhymes with C and that Stands for Agent Barton" (Avengers. Phil/Clint, presumably *g* " / The problem is, this isn't the kind of trouble he expected--or prepared for. " A deceptively simple short story, with so much going on beneath the surface.)
triffidsandcuckoos (triffidsandcuckoos on tumblr): "Compromised" (Avengers. Clint/Phil/Natasha, in various combinations. "The thing about being a former assassin – or rather a formerly unofficial assassin – is that ‘compromised’ isn’t something you say lightly." A smart look at all three characters - their weaknesses and their respective needs for control and their mutual [co-]dependences on each other. The writing, though good, isn't always entirely even, but the story has a very smart perspective on what these three might need from - and can offer to - each other.)
vain_glorious (vain_glorious on LJ/DW): "Without the Usual Cost of Labor" (Avengers. Team, generally. ""Someone just reported to SHIELD that whatever was stolen produced “viable offspring,” and we’re hoping that doesn’t mean what we think it does,” Bruce says, evidently deciding to take over for Tony after only one masturbation joke." A serious subject, but a clever - and sometimes funny - treatment of it...and it works. Potentially spoilery content information: Stever's (stolen) sperm and Natasha's egg, resulting in a baby. No sex, but certainly no consent, technically.)
vidocqsociety (vidocqsociety on tumblr): "A Night to Remember" (Avengers. Team Gen. "The Avengers throw a birthday party for one of their own." When you just want to laugh! *g*)
vidocqsociety (vidocqsociety on tumblr): "Party Down" (Avengers. Team, with some Steve/Tony.. "Steve never went to his prom. Tony will take any excuse to throw a party. Especially if that excuse is Steve." Funny and sweet, with good voices for one and all)
vidocqsociety (vidocqsociety on tumblr): "The Scientific Method " (Avengers. Team shenanigans. "Bruce and Tony have had better ideas... but they've had worse ones, too." So basically, the Science Bros see what it takes to get Steve Rogers drunk...with his consent, of course. Just, you know... funny, unless you don't like alcohol-based scenarios, in which case, this should be treated as your warning.)
The Bourne Legacy
bigboobedcanuck (bigboobedcanuck on LJ): "Warriors" (Aaron/Marta. "She’s witnessed Aaron shoot people, beat people and snap their necks like they were nothing more than a wishbone at Thanksgiving dinner. Yet as he wakes her from another nightmare, he is only gentle and patient, caressing her hair as he murmurs that everything is all right." Perfectly voiced and just what I wish the ending had been for the two of them.)
kangeiko (kangeiko on LJ): "life through a window" (Aaron & Marta. "The world hasn't changed. He just has a better toolbox now." Post-movie, and a great look at just how much might have changed for Aaron due to the chems...and how much might not have)
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, which includes links to all the individual major fandoms and a miscellaneous fandoms page). Most loved at the moment are 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), but everything is welcome.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-09-15 07:20 pm (UTC)