gensplosion!

FANDOM: MCU
FIC LINK: the way out is through
AUTHOR LINK: Nokomis
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 1529
MAIN CHARACTERS: Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers

FIC SUMMARY: Little by little, Natasha becomes part of the team.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This is a gorgeous fic set just after the Battle of New York. Natasha is still trying to figure out how to fit into the team, and the team is trying to figure out how to be a team. Steve is adjusting to his new time, Clint is trying to rid himself of the guilt of Loki's possession, and Bruce can't forget that Hulk almost killed Natasha.

It's all these tiny little steps and character moments all winding together to reveal broken little pieces and the attempts to fix them. This is just a beautiful character-driven fic.

FANDOM: Marvel/The Avengers
FIC LINK: Counterfeit and Counterpart
AUTHOR LINK: frea_o
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen, violence
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 28,013
MAIN CHARACTERS: Maria Hill, Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers

FIC SUMMARY: Five times Maria Hill doesn’t understand Natasha Romanoff, and why she might be better off that way.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This fic is an old favourite of mine and it was brought to my attention again this week. I checked the archive here and I have rec'd it before but it was FIVE YEARS AGO (I had no idea this little comm was that old?!) and I stand by the occasional need to rec something twice.

This gives wonderful depth and history to Maria and Natasha, and their relationship over time as they slowly get to know and trust one another. Fantastic character voices and an amazing road trip, and it will leave you with a warm feeling of such satisfaction you'll be thinking about it for days afterwards.

FANDOM: MCU/Captain America
FIC LINK: Anyway, Here's Wonderwall
AUTHOR LINK: KiaraSayre
RATING/WARNING(S): T | Canon typical violence/Graphic depictions of violence
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 2782
MAIN CHARACTERS: James "Bucky" Barnes

FIC SUMMARY: The Winter Soldier tracks down each and every HYDRA agent that forced him to kill and watches them die. He also tries to become a well-rounded individual with interests and hobbies. The results are mixed.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This is somehow not as cracky as it seems. Bucky tries to recover from being the Winter Soldier by hunting down and killing the people responsible. He discovers things like sudoku and guitar along the way and tries to incorporate them into his life as a tactical way of fitting in, but also as a way to just be more NORMAL. It's funny and dark and weird and I love it.

FANDOM: Marvel Cinematic Universe/The Avengers
FIC LINK: A Glossary of the 21st Century
AUTHOR LINK: kinky_kneazle
RATING/WARNING(S): T
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 17402
MAIN CHARACTERS: Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov, Logan (X-Men), Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, Wade Wilson

FIC SUMMARY: Steve's sick of not understanding what's going on, and the team are not all that helpful, so he starts keeping an illustrated notebook for further research. With the help of wiki, google and Logan he starts to settle in and find his place in the twenty-first century.

RECCER'S NOTES:

I loved this -- it's not just a fic about Steve trying to adjust to the 21st century, it's a fic about Steve trying to adjust to the Avengers, and how he fits in with them. His relationships with Tony and Natasha are particularly well done, and the little glimpses of his backstory and time during the war are beautifully woven through Steve's efforts to establish himself in his current situation.

FANDOM: MCU/The Avengers
FIC LINK: Pour Back the Ocean
AUTHOR LINK: imperfectcircle
RATING/WARNING(S): T | Canononical character death
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 10907
MAIN CHARACTERS: Wanda Maximoff, Sam Wilson, James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Natasha Romanoff, Vision, Steve Rogers

FIC SUMMARY: After the events of Age of Ultron, Wanda has to find a new place in the world. Contains team training exercises, expected grief and unexpected kindness.

RECCER'S NOTES:

Oh, this fic hit me right in the feels. I actually cried. This is a beautiful story about Wanda trying to work her way through what happened in Age of Ultron. Gorgeous character building and lots of team/found family feelings. There are no spoilers for Civil War here.

FANDOM: Captain America, Iron Man, The Avengers, Marvel Cinematic Universe
FIC LINK: Oasis
AUTHOR LINK: sholio
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 8595
MAIN CHARACTERS: Pepper Potts, James "Bucky" Barnes, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Avengers Team (MCU)

FIC SUMMARY: "There are bees on my roof. Bees, Pep."
"I think you mean my roof, as the building belongs to Stark Industries, of which I am CEO."
"The important word in that sentence was bees."
(Or: the one in which Pepper accidentally introduces Bucky to gardening therapy.)

RECCER'S NOTES:

Who else is already sick of this week? :( Work has been super busy and draining and I've barely had time to read anything lately, so on a Monday night after an especially tiring day, I wanted something especially feel good.
When I first read this I expected it to be much crackier than it is. It's definitely still fun but there's a little thread of seriousness all the way through it as well, and Bucky's recovery is lovely to watch. There are some minor pairings floating around in there but for the most part this is definitely a fic about Pepper taking charge in a very accidental sort of way and guiding Bucky along on a project to help him get back on his feet. Bucky & Pepper friendship turns out to be one of my most favourite things - who knew?

FANDOM: MCU, The Avengers, Captain America
FIC LINK: Eat Your Heart Out, Milo Manara
AUTHOR LINK: NiennaNir
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 1874
MAIN CHARACTERS: Phil Coulson, Clint Barton, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark

FIC SUMMARY: Carter J. Grant’s artistic work on the new Captain America books comes with mixed reviews from the Coulson, Barton team of comic critics.

RECCER'S NOTES:

Quick, fluffy and adorable. I have a real soft spot for "Avengers living in the tower and doing lazy things like eating breakfast or watching movies together" fics, and this is one of them. There's a great thread of humour all through this fic. It left me with a smile on my face.

[* sly mod note: banner posts for May & June will be up this weekend, I promise! I'm so sorry for the delay; work has been crazy busy lately. Keep on gensploding, gensploders ♥ *]


FANDOM: MCU/Iron Man
FIC LINK: Almost No One Makes It Out
AUTHOR LINK: atrata
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 28,101
MAIN CHARACTERS: Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, James 'Rhodey' Rhodes

FIC SUMMARY: What would have happened if Tony hadn't been born filthy rich? A military AU.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This rec has been floating around my flist lately, though it's not a new fic. I haven't seen it posted here yet (?) so -- enjoy! This is a fabulous, gritty, well researched story. I'm very picky with my AUs and this is absolutely one of the best I have ever read. I love Tony and Pepper's friendship here (you can maybe read a little more into it, but affectionate friendship is pretty much the limit of it, and it's tagged as gen). The other details of the fic, including how Iron Man ends up fitting into the world, are wonderfully done.