Avengers Fan Fictions - Honorable Mentions
Right... So I found this in my LJ/Semagic drafts with a "last edited date" of April 2015. So. You know. Only a year or so delayed. Oops? Anyway, you all may see something you like at any rate. Enjoy.
(ps - this totally counts as an "I'm alive!" post, right? So proof of life AND fic recs... Two for the price of one!)
Awhile back, I mentioned how I had been sifting though my AO3 History. These are the result of my history-digging. Turns out the reason I didn't link them is simply because, though they are fun and I've enjoyed them, they don't make me go "OMG, AWESOME, MUST HAVE MORE!" - which is usually the main deciding factor when it comes to stories that get in to my sacred fic recs folder.
However, they are fun and a good way to pass a little time, so I figure why not share a few while I have 'em open.
Avengers
First of all, the whole REASON I went into my AO3 History in the first place was because I wanted to find this series: JARVIS by icarus_chained.
Because I adore JARVIS and his interactions with Tony and the rest of the Avengers. The series is a phenomenal look at JARVIS and what makes him who he is, what Tony taught him, and exactly how much Tony means to him as a creator and a teacher and a friend. Basically, if you love JARVIS, I recommend any of the Iron Man and Avenger stories by icarus_chained, because they are done very, very well. It was merely a difference in writing tastes that kept the stories from ever making it into my fic recs folder. Amazing as they are in these stories, both Tony and JARVIS are written as just a bit darker than I prefer. Also, though they hide it well beneath the dark, I Can Kill You With My Brain, I Just Choose Not To, badassery superiority complex (though can it really be considered a 'complex' if it is also pretty much 100% true?) and total devotion to one another, Tony and JARVIS are, quite frankly, SO VERY MUSHY with each other. Seriously, there is sentimentality and there is SENTIMENTALITY, to the tune of "I would die for you" and "Not if I died for you first, baby." While reading, I alternated between wanting to hug them like the emotionally abused children they were, or tell them "Oh my god, you two, get a room!"
http://archiveofourown.org/works/340910 - Field Medicine by kellifer_fic
http://archiveofourown.org/works/429016 - He Ain't Heavy (He's Our Villain) by goodboots.
I can't actively see this kind of Ever After for Loki - maybe immediately after Thor, but it gets a little more wishy washy after Avengers, and downright AU-ish territory after the latest Thor film (though considering it was written just a few months after Avengers, I suppose it's technically AU anyway, but details). However, despite the wishy-washyness, I kinda wish that this was closer to how they handled Loki. The poor kid spent thousands of years pretty much being told flat-out that he would always be second best, and his tendency to use his brain instead of any sort of brawn was just Not How They Did Things in Asgard. And, after a few thousand years of developing one of the biggest inferiority complexes *ever*, he also finds out his parents have been lying to him all this time and that he is, for all intents and purposes, literally a monster. Face it, the he had a pretty rotten childhood - and after all that, it's actually pretty amazing that he held it together as long as he *did*... before, you know, he snapped under 1000 years of repressed anger and emotion and ended up trying to take over the world.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/463857 - Brave Face by Hakaisha. This is actually a pretty amazing Steve and Tony insight piece, but man, reading it actually kind of hurts simply because of all the abuse poor Steve (and to a lesser but still waaaay, way too much degree, the rest of the Avengers) goes through in just a few thousand words.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/383361 - Rainy Thursday Morning by soroexitium. Teamy family fluffiness! Though it's a little mushy, too, which is probably why I never linked it before, but perfect for some warm fuzzies.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/381279 - Truths, Lies, and the Tipping Point by blackeyedgirl. Another one that I probably passed up because I couldn't really see it happening realistically. But there is Fox news hacking and a team that will ALWAYS have your back, and I am down with that.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/363578 - Got to Do What You Love by blackeyedgirl.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/492587/chapters/860851 - this bullet lodged in my chest, covered with your name by Cinaed. *Amazingly* well done Natasha/Bucky backstory, but holy cow, angst, and the ending. Hopeful ending, granted, but even that kinda hurts.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/777548 - Internal Displacement by victoria_p (musesfool). Steve and Bucky, before, during, and after the war. Bucky is a bit mopey for my tastes (though, hey, considering the subject I imagine they'll be covering in Captain America: Winter Solider, I suppose he's allowed to feel a bit sorry for himself), but still a pretty good character voice.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/314102/chapters/503103 - Semaphore by Devil Doll. This story is actually rather fantastic character-wise, and Miriam is awesome and I want one. That being said, this story never made it into my Fic Recs folder because one of my biggest irritants in the Avengers fandom is how often Pepper is dumped on when the author wants to get her out of the way to make room for "Tony/Someone Else" (usually Steve) - and in doing so, they *always* seem to forget that Pepper stayed by Tony Stark, Billionaire Asshole's side FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS when he was the worlds biggest jerk, drinking himself to death and sleeping with anything with a pulse and causing new scandal on an almost weekly basis. To paraphrase one of my fellow Pepper Doesn't Get Enough Respect fans - alcohol poisoning and STDs aren't any *less* deadly than bullet holes, they're just more embarrassing ways to almost die - so you damned well better believe that Smart, Brilliant, I Never Took This Shit From Tony Fucking Stark, What Makes You Think You're Any Different? Pepper Potts would CONTINUE to stand by Tony Stark, Avenger - in fact, I may even go so far as to say that she is MORE LIKELY to stick by him as an Avenger, bullet-holes be damned, because at least he is almost dying for something he believes in. If you want them broken up, fine - I can totally accept how two such huge personalities (both made of Awesomeness as far as I am concerned) may not make for the best couple, and I like my Tony/Steven just as much as the next fangirl. But if Pepper leaves because she "can't handle" Tony as an Avenger, then I call bull shit.
Also, unrelated to Pepper, Steve is kind of a jerk about the baseball thing, but I'm okay with it because it led us Miriam, and have I mentioned that I want one?
http://archiveofourown.org/works/425702 - All My Heroes by Hakaisha. This is actually some pretty great Steve and Tony voices, but it's just a smidge to angsty for my usual tastes. Lots of bonding between Tony and Steve, with Bruce and Steve bonding in the sequel.
It Will Probably Accelerate by northatlantic. One that kind of irk me in places, but which I still over-all enjoy. Also, bonus - when there is sex, it is hot. (Note: I saved this story in a LJ draft back in April 2013. I have no recollection of what happens in it, nor do I know who is making with the hot sex, but well, it was in my drafts folder titled "Avengers fic recs (second degree)", so this seems like as good a place to put it as any.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/531466/chapters/942682 - I Climbed The Tree To See The World by sarcastic_fina. This one didn't make the cut because, while Darcy is still awesome, her confidence in herself is lacking like woah, and my patience for people who are always dissing on and having trouble believing in themselves is pretty short. Jane and Peter are awesome, though, and Darcy and Coulson being BFF is kind of great. And even if her confidence is just not what I've come to expect in the character, Darcy is still at one with the snark and kind of kicks butt, so it evens out a little through the course of the story.
(Also, FYI, very few of the Avengers show up in this story aside from Steve, and when they do, it is just in passing, so as far as I am concerned, another reason it was banished to the "Okay fic recs" post is because of the sad lack of Tony being mouthy and blowing stuff up, Black Widow being a bad ass, Bruce being all genius and rumpled and bro-ing it up with Tony, and Clint being snarky AND a bad ass. I missed my teamy goodness, yo)
http://archiveofourown.org/works/446536?view_full_work=true - Babysitters Club by shooting stetsons. This is a crossover between the BBC Sherlock and the Avengers movie. I rather like the idea, but it just seemed a bit forced and far fetched, and the characterization was off just enough for everyone that it threw me a bit. Not a lot, and definitely within reason based on the films themselves, but just not quite enough to mesh up with the Avengers (and John) that I've built up in my head based on the hundreds of Avengers stories (and maybe a dozen or so Sherlock stories) I've read over the years.
(ps - this totally counts as an "I'm alive!" post, right? So proof of life AND fic recs... Two for the price of one!)
Awhile back, I mentioned how I had been sifting though my AO3 History. These are the result of my history-digging. Turns out the reason I didn't link them is simply because, though they are fun and I've enjoyed them, they don't make me go "OMG, AWESOME, MUST HAVE MORE!" - which is usually the main deciding factor when it comes to stories that get in to my sacred fic recs folder.
However, they are fun and a good way to pass a little time, so I figure why not share a few while I have 'em open.
Avengers
First of all, the whole REASON I went into my AO3 History in the first place was because I wanted to find this series: JARVIS by icarus_chained.
Because I adore JARVIS and his interactions with Tony and the rest of the Avengers. The series is a phenomenal look at JARVIS and what makes him who he is, what Tony taught him, and exactly how much Tony means to him as a creator and a teacher and a friend. Basically, if you love JARVIS, I recommend any of the Iron Man and Avenger stories by icarus_chained, because they are done very, very well. It was merely a difference in writing tastes that kept the stories from ever making it into my fic recs folder. Amazing as they are in these stories, both Tony and JARVIS are written as just a bit darker than I prefer. Also, though they hide it well beneath the dark, I Can Kill You With My Brain, I Just Choose Not To, badassery superiority complex (though can it really be considered a 'complex' if it is also pretty much 100% true?) and total devotion to one another, Tony and JARVIS are, quite frankly, SO VERY MUSHY with each other. Seriously, there is sentimentality and there is SENTIMENTALITY, to the tune of "I would die for you" and "Not if I died for you first, baby." While reading, I alternated between wanting to hug them like the emotionally abused children they were, or tell them "Oh my god, you two, get a room!"
http://archiveofourown.org/works/340910 - Field Medicine by kellifer_fic
http://archiveofourown.org/works/429016 - He Ain't Heavy (He's Our Villain) by goodboots.
I can't actively see this kind of Ever After for Loki - maybe immediately after Thor, but it gets a little more wishy washy after Avengers, and downright AU-ish territory after the latest Thor film (though considering it was written just a few months after Avengers, I suppose it's technically AU anyway, but details). However, despite the wishy-washyness, I kinda wish that this was closer to how they handled Loki. The poor kid spent thousands of years pretty much being told flat-out that he would always be second best, and his tendency to use his brain instead of any sort of brawn was just Not How They Did Things in Asgard. And, after a few thousand years of developing one of the biggest inferiority complexes *ever*, he also finds out his parents have been lying to him all this time and that he is, for all intents and purposes, literally a monster. Face it, the he had a pretty rotten childhood - and after all that, it's actually pretty amazing that he held it together as long as he *did*... before, you know, he snapped under 1000 years of repressed anger and emotion and ended up trying to take over the world.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/463857 - Brave Face by Hakaisha. This is actually a pretty amazing Steve and Tony insight piece, but man, reading it actually kind of hurts simply because of all the abuse poor Steve (and to a lesser but still waaaay, way too much degree, the rest of the Avengers) goes through in just a few thousand words.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/383361 - Rainy Thursday Morning by soroexitium. Teamy family fluffiness! Though it's a little mushy, too, which is probably why I never linked it before, but perfect for some warm fuzzies.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/381279 - Truths, Lies, and the Tipping Point by blackeyedgirl. Another one that I probably passed up because I couldn't really see it happening realistically. But there is Fox news hacking and a team that will ALWAYS have your back, and I am down with that.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/363578 - Got to Do What You Love by blackeyedgirl.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/492587/chapters/860851 - this bullet lodged in my chest, covered with your name by Cinaed. *Amazingly* well done Natasha/Bucky backstory, but holy cow, angst, and the ending. Hopeful ending, granted, but even that kinda hurts.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/777548 - Internal Displacement by victoria_p (musesfool). Steve and Bucky, before, during, and after the war. Bucky is a bit mopey for my tastes (though, hey, considering the subject I imagine they'll be covering in Captain America: Winter Solider, I suppose he's allowed to feel a bit sorry for himself), but still a pretty good character voice.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/314102/chapters/503103 - Semaphore by Devil Doll. This story is actually rather fantastic character-wise, and Miriam is awesome and I want one. That being said, this story never made it into my Fic Recs folder because one of my biggest irritants in the Avengers fandom is how often Pepper is dumped on when the author wants to get her out of the way to make room for "Tony/Someone Else" (usually Steve) - and in doing so, they *always* seem to forget that Pepper stayed by Tony Stark, Billionaire Asshole's side FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS when he was the worlds biggest jerk, drinking himself to death and sleeping with anything with a pulse and causing new scandal on an almost weekly basis. To paraphrase one of my fellow Pepper Doesn't Get Enough Respect fans - alcohol poisoning and STDs aren't any *less* deadly than bullet holes, they're just more embarrassing ways to almost die - so you damned well better believe that Smart, Brilliant, I Never Took This Shit From Tony Fucking Stark, What Makes You Think You're Any Different? Pepper Potts would CONTINUE to stand by Tony Stark, Avenger - in fact, I may even go so far as to say that she is MORE LIKELY to stick by him as an Avenger, bullet-holes be damned, because at least he is almost dying for something he believes in. If you want them broken up, fine - I can totally accept how two such huge personalities (both made of Awesomeness as far as I am concerned) may not make for the best couple, and I like my Tony/Steven just as much as the next fangirl. But if Pepper leaves because she "can't handle" Tony as an Avenger, then I call bull shit.
Also, unrelated to Pepper, Steve is kind of a jerk about the baseball thing, but I'm okay with it because it led us Miriam, and have I mentioned that I want one?
http://archiveofourown.org/works/425702 - All My Heroes by Hakaisha. This is actually some pretty great Steve and Tony voices, but it's just a smidge to angsty for my usual tastes. Lots of bonding between Tony and Steve, with Bruce and Steve bonding in the sequel.
It Will Probably Accelerate by northatlantic. One that kind of irk me in places, but which I still over-all enjoy. Also, bonus - when there is sex, it is hot. (Note: I saved this story in a LJ draft back in April 2013. I have no recollection of what happens in it, nor do I know who is making with the hot sex, but well, it was in my drafts folder titled "Avengers fic recs (second degree)", so this seems like as good a place to put it as any.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/531466/chapters/942682 - I Climbed The Tree To See The World by sarcastic_fina. This one didn't make the cut because, while Darcy is still awesome, her confidence in herself is lacking like woah, and my patience for people who are always dissing on and having trouble believing in themselves is pretty short. Jane and Peter are awesome, though, and Darcy and Coulson being BFF is kind of great. And even if her confidence is just not what I've come to expect in the character, Darcy is still at one with the snark and kind of kicks butt, so it evens out a little through the course of the story.
(Also, FYI, very few of the Avengers show up in this story aside from Steve, and when they do, it is just in passing, so as far as I am concerned, another reason it was banished to the "Okay fic recs" post is because of the sad lack of Tony being mouthy and blowing stuff up, Black Widow being a bad ass, Bruce being all genius and rumpled and bro-ing it up with Tony, and Clint being snarky AND a bad ass. I missed my teamy goodness, yo)
http://archiveofourown.org/works/446536?view_full_work=true - Babysitters Club by shooting stetsons. This is a crossover between the BBC Sherlock and the Avengers movie. I rather like the idea, but it just seemed a bit forced and far fetched, and the characterization was off just enough for everyone that it threw me a bit. Not a lot, and definitely within reason based on the films themselves, but just not quite enough to mesh up with the Avengers (and John) that I've built up in my head based on the hundreds of Avengers stories (and maybe a dozen or so Sherlock stories) I've read over the years.