gensplosion!

FANDOM: How to Train Your Dragon
FIC LINK: Blinded by the Sun
AUTHOR LINK: akamine_chan
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 1867
MAIN CHARACTERS: Hiccup, Toothless

FIC SUMMARY: He'd been offered the honor of killing a dragon, and it turned his stomach. He couldn't do it, and the only choice he had left was to leave his home.

At least he still had Toothless.

RECCER'S NOTES:

A feel-good road trip fic about a boy and his dragon. This isn't a very long fic, but it builds the world outside of Berk up beautifully, and the interwoven paragraphs from Hiccup's dragon manual are a great touch.

FANDOM: The Last Unicorn
FIC LINK: Cat's Eyes
AUTHOR LINK: DrWorm
RATING/WARNING(S): G
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 2888
MAIN CHARACTERS: Schmendrick, Molly Grue

FIC SUMMARY: “Adventures,” Schmendrick mused, “look for men like Lír. The rest of us are lucky to get one a year, if that.”

RECCER'S NOTES:

Ohh, this is the most beautiful thing ever and it fits the magical, weird, haunting tone of the canon so well. The voices are wonderful, and the adventure that Schmendrick, Molly and the Cat embark upon is that wicked blend of terrible and magical.

A lower corner of the web had become unmoored from the tree trunk on which it had been anchored. It moved slightly, caught by the breeze. The cat crouched, tail twitching, then arced through the air with a hunter's purpose. One paw struck at the loose threads, which unraveled further as the web stuck to his fur, quick as taffy.

Molly grasped the cat around the middle and hauled him to her chest. “You mustn't destroy something so beautiful,” she scolded.

“But I am a cat,” he replied, “and it is my nature.”

FANDOM: The Avengers/Marvel
FIC LINK: Looking for Answers (From the Great Beyond)
AUTHOR LINK: nerdwegian
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen
WIP?/WORD COUNT: Complete | 12,620
MAIN CHARACTERS: Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanov, Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Bruce Banner, Nick Fury

FIC SUMMARY: After the Battle of New York is over, and Loki and the tesseract are returned to Asgard, Steve takes a road trip across the country, and tries to figure out what he wants to do next.

RECCER'S NOTES:

This fic grabs hold of the shot at the end of the Avengers movie, with Steve on his motorcycle, and balloons it into a brilliant fic with Steve catching up on everything he's missed and taking some time out for himself, trying to figure out what his purpose should be.

There is just so much good here - Steve discovering food, and music, and places. It's a happy fic with underlying currents of angst (because you can't have a Steve Rogers fic without a bit of angst, right?) and his purpose and his aimlessness just mix wonderfully. It's really, really well done, and it leaves me with the warm and fuzzies and a great feeling of satisfaction.

There is also some fantastic fan art by _afterism scattered throughout.

FANDOM: Marvel/The Avengers
FIC LINK: Counterfeit and Counterpart
AUTHOR LINK: frea_o
RATING/WARNING(S): Teen, violence
WIP?/WORD COUNT: 28,023
MAIN CHARACTERS: Maria Hill, Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton, Jasper Sitwell, 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:

*hands* I know, I know - another Marvel rec from me. I promise I will try to mix it up a bit, but I've been on an Avengers kick lately, and I just want to read all the fic.
This one is fantastic - featuring Maria Hill and Natasha Romanov, all their badassery BAMFness, and the complicated relationship they have. Fantastic voices, great grip of character, and an epic road trip.
(Also, this passes the bechdel test with flying colours.)