Last Night I Dreamt I Was In The Labyrinth by valtyr
Rating: Explicit
Length: Complete at 1400 words
Author’s summary: “For my next trick: Ultimate fic with Steve bottoming. YOU WAIT.” - valtyr, 7th April 2009. I deliver.
Why you should read it: Yeah, yeah, I know, I already recced valtyr. But last time was MA:A, and this time is Ultimates and thus basically the complete opposite, in themes and tone and all that jazz. This is not as happy of a fic as I usually rec, not as lighthearted or as charming, but it’s definitely rewarding. This is a subtler fic, and the kind of fic that gives goodies with careful reading, and again, this is Ultimates, and thus not all bright and optimistic, but it is hopeful, and there’s a surprising sweetness to parts of it, and just– I’ve been rereading this a lot lately. Give it a try?
An Assembly Such as This by lady_ragnell (WIP)
Rating: Teen and Up
Length: WIP at 1 chapter, 2806 words
Tags: Alternate Universe - Regency, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, romance novel
Author’s summary: In which Miss Antonia Stark finds herself sponsor and mentor of Miss Lucy Banner at the behest of the Fury, meets a mysterious American officer, and the fortunes of the brothers Odinson are discussed extensively.
A Regency romance AU.
Why you should read it: If you’re at all familiar with Merlin fandom, you understand why I’m so psyched to see that lady_ragnell is writing Avengers stuff. If you’re not familiar with Merlin fandom, just know that lady_ragnell is a brilliant writer who has written many really lovely stories, and if she writes Steve/Tony anywhere near as well as she writes Merlin/Arthur, I will be over the moon. BUT THAT IS NOT EVEN SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT THE MERITS OF THIS PARTICULAR STORY, THOUGH THERE ARE MANY! Seriously, look at the tags! This is a fem!Tony romance-novel-y Regency AU! There is fem!Bruce and FEM!FURY (YES, LADY NICOLA FURY) and gossip about inheritance disputes between Thor and Loki, and TONY SCANDALIZING SOCIETY and just, okay, it’s just a first chapter, but the premise is excellent and the execution has been massively charming so far, and just read it, okay? I am way excited for the next chapter.
Clueless, or: How I Learned to Stop Being a Selfish Prick and Love a Capsicle by withthepilot (WIP)
Rating: Explicit
Length: WIP at 2 chapters, 25618 words
Relationships: Steve/Tony, Clint/Coulson, Jane/Thor, Pepper/Bruce
Author’s summary: Okay, so you’re probably thinking, This guy seems like a total douche. You’re half right.
But seriously, I’m a completely normal teenager. A normal genius-billionaire-philanthropist-playboy teenager. Who goes to a school for government agents and superheroes in training. Every morning, I get up, trim my goatee, take a shot of Jack Daniels (which Ke$ha totally stole from me, by the way), and pick out my school clothes.
A Clueless AU, starring Tony Stark.
Why you should read it: Clueless AU! Clueless AU! Adorable, hilarious, amazing Clueless AU! Seriously, this is so charming, and so delightful, and Tony is basically a perfect Cher–I don’t know what else to say, except that is one of the most well-done AUs I have seen yet–the characterization is mostly brilliant (Steve and Tony are spot-on) and it fits the movie so well without feeling contrived. Also, it’s in first person, which is super-rare in fanfic (and for good reason, I think), but the author is rocking it here. Read it! It’s a treat!
(sorry dudes, am a busier bee than I thought. Probably away all this week as well, though I might be able to get a random rec in one day)
[Hey, all. I’m on vacation and thus taking a vacation from the recs as well. I’ll be back with recs on Monday!]
Revelations by astolat (WIP)
Rating: Explicit
Length: WIP at 14 chapters, 40283 words
Relationships: Loki/Thor, Pepper/Tony
Author’s summary: When Thor fell, everything trembled. (WIP!)
Why you should read it: You are probably already reading this, because it’s astolat, and that’s pretty much a guarantee of quality. If you’re not, you should. There are pairings listed, but honestly this is way more of an adventure story or a character story than it is a romance. The POV rotates with each chapter, so we get a glimpse into everybody’s head, and it’s exciting, and it’s heartbreaking, and the writing is so gorgeous. The story is so lush and compelling, too–this most recent chapter has me desperate for the next. Seriously, read this.
Under Your Skin by eleanor_lavish
Rating: Explicit
Length: Complete at 1169 words
Author’s note: Docking
Author’s summary: Steve likes to try new things. Tony isn’t good at saying no. XTube is a terrible fabulous invention.
Author’s note: So, Miss Devildoll decided it would be great to think about what would happen when (not if) Steve Rogers discovered XTube. It would be hot, she reasoned (rightly!) and Steve would, red-faced, email videos to Tony of things he’d like to try. (Her post is here.)
Then Tony offhandedly mentions–in the context of a conversation about something else completely–that Jarvis reads all their emails and Steve wants to die of embarrassment that Tony’s robot butler knows how kinky he is (Steve thinks facials are really kinky) (and Tony says, testily, for the hundredth time, “HE’S NEITHER A ROBOT NOR A BUTLER”) and Steve immediately vows to never email Tony another link again, ever, not even to that video of baby Charlie biting his brother’s finger. Which lasts three whole days, because that’s how long it takes for him to discover this thing called “docking”….
So, right. Then this happened.
Why you should read it: So this is another one of those that I’m pretty sure has been recced all over the place already, but I am going to add to all that anyway, because this fic is basically the “expected porn; got feels” fic. The porn is porn-y, the feels are feels-y, and together they are delicious. What more do you need, really?
Vector by setissma
Rating: Explicit
Length: Complete at 3735
Relationships: Pepper/Steve/Tony, Pepper/Tony
Author’s summary: "It’s a great idea,“ Tony said.
"Fabulous,” Pepper said. “I’ll file it with all your other recent great ideas, like stealing cars from the Stark Formula One team and buying me a strawberry farm for my birthday.”
Why you should read it: I know, I know, it’s threesome fics all the time over here lately, but I can’t help it, okay? Threesome fics are goooood. And I have a huge serious love for fics in which Pepper is allowed to be as awesome as she is, so. And this fic did not stop at just indulging my Pepper love, no: it is Pepper POV. PEPPER POV. Anyway, the writing in this is lovely, and the characterization is lovely (Pepper, so smart and competent and amazing; Tony, extravagant and charming and clumsy at being in love; Steve, with a sense of humor, which I will never, ever, ever tire of seeing acknowledged in fic), and the dialogue is by turns lovely and hilarious, and the sex is lovely and basically it is all lovely and you should read it. Yeah. This fic is awesome and I really, really hope this author writes more in the Avengers fandom.
Thoughts on themed rec posts?
I have had something of a busy Saturday, and thus do not have a gen Saturday rec for today (but Come At Me just updated, so if you’re not reading that yet, do, because it is amazing and is getting better with every new chapter) and instead I have a question for y'all: Do you like the themed rec days? If so, do you like the current way things are structured, or would you prefer that the themed recs were posted along with regular recs (making 2 recs each themed rec day)? If so, would you still prefer that even if it meant some days had no recs at all (because honestly there are some days where nothing really calls to me, and the theme recs are currently filling in the gaps)? Thoughts? :)
Come At Me by Closer (WIP)
Rating: Teen and Up
Length: WIP at 2 chapters, 6786 words
Relationships: pre-Pepper/Steve/Tony
Author’s summary: "Listen, you’re hot to get me into the armor so that it’s a fair fight when you take out your anger on me for not being my dad. Wouldn’t it be more fun if we just did that because we liked it?“
Author’s note: Really I just wanted to make up an interesting backstory for Steve and have Tony spout his personal philosophy of superheroing. Then it turned into some kind of pre-threesome Tony/Steve/Pepper. With Led Zeppelin.
There may be more? Eventually? I don’t even know.
Why you should read it: So I realize this might fit better on one of my themed rec days, but I really, really liked it and wanted to rec it now! So. Reccing it now. I like pretty much everything this author does, so yet another rec is no surprise, but this one especially is very interaction-heavy and characterization-rich in a way I really appreciate. I love fics that show Steve coming to realize how he was wrong about Tony, and I love fics that are good to Pepper, and I love fics that have a good Steve POV, and this fic is all of those things. And the feel of it is just lovely, with some truly wonderful bits of dialogue, and if the author decides to continue this, I will be really, really happy.
ETA: There is now more! And it is awesome! And has hilarious Dummy, and science-bro-ing with Bruce and basically this fic is turning into, like, the post-movie fic of my dreams and I am really, really, really excited to see where this goes. READ THIS! IT IS BRILLIANT! I REALLY LIKE THIS FIC OKAY