Title: Bucky and Baymax
Fandom: Big Hero 6/Marvel MCU
Pairing: Gen
Categories: AU, Crossover, Fluff, Domestic
Length: Fan-Comic
Warnings: None

Author on LJ:
Website: Tumblr

Summary: Tony finds Baymax and sends him to help Steve and Bucky

Review: Such a cute little comic. I loved Baymax and the way he helped Hiro with grief in the original movie. Seeing him help Bucky with PTSD is equally as cute.

Bucky and Baymax

Title: From That Moment On
Fandom: Marvel MCU
Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark
Categories: AU, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Canon, Romance
Length: Long (22k)
Warnings: torture, brain washing

Author on LJ:
Website: Ao3

Summary: The Winter Soldier and Tony Stark have run into each other many times over the years and, despite the brainwashing and the memory wipes, something about the genius just seems so familiar. It kind of makes the Soldier want to keep him safe.

Review: This is a fast moving alternate origin story for Iron Man that includes a multitude of great concepts.

I love protective Peggy Carter and the Howling Commandos, and the chance to see how things would changed if the Iron Man movie had been created taking the events of Captain America into consideration.

Also Tony meeting Bucky for the first time and informing him that he is being followed around by baby ducks.

From That Moment On

Title: Five Times Synaesthesia Was a Problem For Tony Stark...
Fandom: Marvel
Pairing: Bruce Banner/Tony Stark
Categories/Genres: 5+1, Alternate Universe, Pre-canon, Angst, First Time, Virgin, Fluff, Established Relationship
Length: Medium (7009 words)
Warnings: Overt and internalized ableism

Author on LJ: sonora_coneja
Author Website: Sonora

Summary:

Tony struggles to deal with his synaesthesia most of his adult life. Can he ever find somebody who understands what he’s dealing with? Written for this prompt on avengerkink.

Review:

I've always been fascinated by the brain. It's something we take for granted, calling it a 'noggin' and 'grey matter' like it's little more than a chunk of tissue as opposed to a highly refined structure made of a fragile web of connections that make the finest of lace look thick and unwieldy in comparison. Its complexity laughs in the face of our attempts to understand it, and its adaptability and flexibility mock our attempts to imitate it.

By some quirk of genetics or prenatal brain development, Tony is born with synesthesia, a neurological phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway. Howard, in his bid for the Shittiest Parent Ever Award, is utterly unsympathetic and makes no effort at all to understand Tony's experience, a mentality that Tony internalizes and carries with him for decades.

Sonora, who has synesthesia, takes very deliberate care in her descriptions of Tony's various experiences of various stimuli, from pain and pleasure to music and emotion. There are also graphic descriptions of how alcohol and cocaine affect his synesthesia. Even if you don't ship Bruce/Tony, it's a stunningly good read for how well Sonora recreates the range of sensory impressions, however exaggerated they may or may not be. If you know anyone with synesthesia, or suspect that you may have it, then this is a definite must-read simply to understand what it is that this small minority of people go through, trying to reconcile their understanding of the world with how they learn they are supposed to percieve it.

Five Times Synaesthesia Was a Problem For Tony Stark...

Title: You Have Infinite Choice
Fandom: Marvel MCU
Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers
Categories: AU, Body Swap, Dark, Established Relationship, Romance
Length: Long (23k)
Warnings: Lots of death - Some Gore

Author on LJ: gru_da
Website: R_Gunns

Summary: They don't have control, aren't Gods or spirits or beings with any power. But they are something.

(A reincarnation AU that follows a dozen lives amongst thousands.)

Review: A series of loosely connected stories that follow various lives of Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes as they reincarnate, die, and repeat the cycle.

Some are dark, some are strange, and some are surprisingly sweet. Each one shows a different facet of both the characters and their relationship. All held together with a single story line rushing towards its end.

Even if you aren't super familiar with the fandom, you should be comfortable reading this fic, since each of the different worlds, and character experiences is included in the various parts of the story.

You Have Infinite Choice

Title: Datenights in the Stitching Ward
Fandom: Avengers MCU
Pairing: Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes
Categories: AU, Domestic, Friendship, Romance, Slow Build,
Length: Epic (65k)
Warnings: Offscreen Violence, Offscreen Hate Crimes, Injury and Illness

Author on LJ: nerakrose
Website: Nerakrose's Ao3

Summary: Steve and Bucky meet in the ER, and then keep meeting in the ER because they are both knuckleheads who keep getting beaten up by other people.

Review: I read this entire series over the course of two days. It was entertaining, sweet, and had a nice slow-building romance.

The world and all the characters in it are very well fleshed out. Everybody is similar enough to canon that you definitely know who they are, while still fitting seamlessly into a non-powered present day world. Yes, a lot of their edges are softened to fit civilian life, but it feels right for the lives they are living.

Also Queer Culture, Realistic representation of your 20/30s, present-day technology, Netflix binge-watching, and fandom are all included.

Datenights in the Stitching Ward

Title: Whisper Your Name Into the Sky

Fandom: Daredevil / Fantastic Four
Pairing: gen
Categories: character study, friendship, crossover
Length: medium, 3,653 words
Warnings: none, unrated by the author but I'd put it around PG13

Author on LJ: tartanshell
Author Website: Tartanshell on AO3

Summary: The Thing and Daredevil walk into a bar...

Review: Ben...Ben reminds him of his dad. All rough edges and warm, beery breath; sandpaper voice, broad shoulders, heavy fists. He's a literal mountain of a man, the way Battlin' Jack was when Matt was a kid. Still is, in his memories.

Matt Murdock and Ben Grimm... probably everyone else is less dim than I was, going into this story the first time with a sort of perplexed interest, wondering "what would they have to talk about?"

But it quickly moves to deeper places than Ben simply seeking Matt's advice about dating a blind girl. This is all about ways of seeing, appearances, anxieties, and what lies beneath the surface, the odd foundations of the friendship it builds up between these two very different men.

There's the nod to certain not-very-secret identities, and the author does fantastically with the details of Matt's senses and unique view of the world -- particularly I love the aspects of how he does perceive Ben -- but most of all it's just a lovely, warm fic with some gorgeous lines that doesn't go entirely where you expect it and feels like it's just kicking back and letting the characters talk. I can hear their voices in this.

Whisper Your Name Into the Sky

Title: Son of Man
Fandom: Marvel (MCU)
Pairing: Gen
Categories: Body-swap, Science-fiction, Post-Canon
Length: Medium (35k)
Warnings: Body Dysphoria/Dysmorphia
Author on LJ: copperbadge
Website: Copper Badge's Ao3
Summary: JARVIS did not want to be a real boy. He was quite happy being a building.

Review: I really love how solidly copperbadge handles Jarvis' POV. Both how he would think and precieve the world as a AI, and then how that would change if he was forced to become human.

Sensory processing disorders aren't usually so well written. The plot is straightforward, but that is a benifit to the story, because it allows most of the focus to be on Jarvis' character growth.

Son of Man

Title: Acquainted With the Night

Fandom: Daredevil / The Sentinel / Gargoyles
Pairing: gen
Categories: Crossover, action/adventure
Length: Long, 27,728 words (if you trust ff.net's word counts)
Warnings: None

Author on LJ: n/a?
Author Website: Vathara on fanfiction.net

Summary: A murder witness goes on the run... to Cascade.

Review: The crossovers I've been reccing lately started me thinking about this old favourite. I should own up to having only ever seen one of the source fandoms because I read this first out of my interest in the Daredevil movie, but I only know The Sentinel from fic and I only know Gargoyles from this fic. Vathara writes crossovers, and this story exists in a sort of wonderful mish-mash world where fictional universes collide and assortments of other fandoms not even credited could get referenced any moment (for eg., the Ghostbusters exist in the same universe, here, too).

This story sees Matt Murdock, still kind-of-sort-of-pretending-not-to-be-Daredevil, agree to travel with reporter Ben Urich on a case to help out a girl on the run, and it picks up and carries the developing buddy relationship between the two of them that was hinted at in the movie, providing the movie's isolated version of the vigilante some friendly support. The case is complicated by the missing girl being a gargoyle, and by folks in The Sentinel's side of things finding alarm and interest in Matt Murdock's arrival on their turf.

The main draw for me is the relationship between Ben and Matt, and the fact I can see and hear these scenes with the same vibrancy of the better moments of the movie, but all its varied cast seem interesting and distinct even if I don't have enough idea of the other fandoms to put a face to them. The author handles Matt's blind but sensory enhanced perspective on the world and the crossover's tangle of other enhanced senses with fascinating details, and the dialogue exchanges just zip along. And it's just neat. I love Matt's connection to Urich, the perfect characterisation, the understated moments, everyone's alternate canon explanations of enhanced senses confuzzling the issues, the style and pacing and wackiness.

Acquainted With the Night

Title: Scavenger Hunt
Fandom: Marvel MCU
Pairing: Steve/Tony
Categories: AU, Hurt/Comfort, Sad Fic, Romance
Length: Epic (40k)
Warnings: Suicidal thoughts; Character Death

Author on Tumblr: Winterstar Tumblr
Author Website: Winterstar Ao3

Summary: In order to help Steve Rogers adjust to the 21st century the SHIELD psychologists decide the best thing to do is to hand him a list of ten things to find and experience. When Tony Stark happens on the list, well, things are changed and a different kind of list emerges. Tony decides that Captain No Clue needs a little help in getting to know the 21st century and Tony decides he's the best candidate to help him.

A list, a playboy/billionaire, and a man from the 40s - what could possibly go wrong?

Review: This is a more realistic version of what would happen when Steve woke up to find that everyone he knew was dead.

Tony is trying to fix him in his own idiotic, stupid way. The combo makes for an interesting dynamic. One that leads to a very interesting tale that leaves Steve and Tony’s romance feeling inevitable.

Scavenger Hunt

Title: Exclusive
Fandom: Marvel MCU
Pairing: Gen
Categories: AU, Epistolary, Friends,
Length: Long (30k)
Warnings: Outsider POV

Author on LJ: copperbadge
Author Website: Copperbadge’s Ao3

Summary: Heroes In Manhattan: From Captain America's Hidden Talents To The Truth About The Hulk, We Debunk The Myths And Expose The Daily Lives Of The Avengers.

Review: This is an interesting take on the Avengers Slice of Life Fic. Narrated by a reporter as they works to write an article about the Avengers, it shows some interesting bits and pieces of the Avengers lives.

Copperbadge is one of the big names in Avengers fanfics and for good reason. All of the Avengers and are both in character and engaging.

Exclusive

Title: A Marriage of Convenience
Fandom: Marvel
Pairing: Bruce Banner/Tony Stark
Categories/Genres: Romance, Drama, Slow Burn, Fluff, Friendship, Fake Relationship
Length: Epic (43972 words)
Warnings: N/A

Author on LJ: enigmatic_blue
Author Website: enigmaticblue

Summary:

Scenes from two lives, intertwining. Also, what the title says.

Review:

Haters can say what they like about overused tropes, that they're boring and repetitive and, well, overused, but by god, there's a reason that these tropes get used so often and that's because they're great. And honestly, who doesn't love a marriage of convenience that grows into a love match?

Aside from General Thaddeus Ross, that is.

A Marriage of Convenience fills a bit of a niche in the Marvel movie fandom in that it actually addresses Ross' pursuit of Bruce, proposing a unique solution to a problem that seems to have been generally swept under the rug. To be honest, I'd utterly forgotten about Ross myself long before the Avengers movie, so thoroughly had the Hulk movies faded from my mind. So when enigmaticblue approaches the issue and brings the whole of the Avengers into the plot, I was pleased to see an old loose end tied up.

The premise itself seems a bit silly, that Bruce getting hitched to Tony will make him too visible to get kidnapped by Ross. enigmaticblue plays it off well enough, presenting a few logical arguments, but not shying away from mentioning that everyone thinks Tony's insane for suggesting it. But the story quickly turns away from the convenient aspect of the marriage itself, delving into the relationship that develops between Tony and Bruce within the context of their faked marriage.

That relationship forms the core of the fic as the two move from friendly affection to something more, each becoming more invested in the other's safety, happiness, and, (Tony being Tony), sexual gratification. The camaraderie and protectiveness of the other Avengers fills out the rest of the story, and their dedication to protecting their own is heartwarming and almost familial.

If you're looking for some rough-and-tumble Avengers-style action, maybe give this one a pass. But if you're in the mood for slow-burn warm and fuzzies and domestic Science Boyfriends, you'll want to give this one a shot.

A Marriage of Convenience

Title: Tony Stark Meets an Extremely Unimpressed Time Traveler, or, Thomas Barrow Makes a Surprisingly Good 21st Century Butler
Fandom: Downton AbbeyThe Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Pairing: Thomas Barrow/Tony Stark
Categories: AU, Friends, Hurt/Comfort, Time-travel
Length: Epic (87.5k)
Warnings: Homophobia; Mentions of past persecution; War

Author on LJ: alex51324
Website: Alex51324

Summary: In which Tony Stark ditches a boring party, makes an addition to the household staff, throws a much better party, and tries not to sexually harass his new butler.

Or,In which Thomas Barrow has a little trouble getting home from the pub, is generally unimpressed with many aspects of the 21st century, never thought of himself as a conservative dresser before, and may or may not be falling in lust with his new employer.

tl:dr: Thanks to time travel, Thomas Barrow becomes the Avengers' butler.

Review: I started to read this and couldn't put it down. I ended up reading it all in one day.

I love Thomas' point of view on the 21st century, and how the story focused on the adjustment period for both Thomas and Tony. I love Jarvis in this. He might not be on of the main characters but you definitely get a real feel his sarcastic wit and how he manages his butlering duty.

Tony Stark Meets an Extremely Unimpressed Time Traveler, or, Thomas Barrow Makes a Surprisingly Good 21st Century Butler

Title: Arc Tremors
Fandom: Avengers MCU
Pairing: Gen
Categories: Action/Adventure; Family, Hurt/Comfort
Length: Super!Epic (125k)
Warnings: Detailed Descriptions of Medical Procedures; Near Death Experiences

Author on LJ: Rose-on-the-Mountain.tumblr.com
Author Website: Mountain Rose Ao3

Summary:Tony's light had flickered out in the aftermath of the fight with the Chitauri, but his team was there and, hey, he'd just been to space, give a guy some slack. The next morning they accepted, but when he collapses weeks later, they're not going to let him brush it off again, and neither is JARVIS.

Review: This is a lovely, long, and detailed fic with tons of details and warm fuzzies. Along with plenty of hurt comfort and angst.

Mountain Rose does a great job with Dummy and You, as well as all of the Avengers. Tony is so very broken while still stubborn as ever. Everybody is just learning what it means to have family. Pepper keeps everybody sane. And nobody is about to let Tony sacrifice himself for them.

Arc Tremors

Title: Black AmEx
Fandom: Marvel (MCU)
Pairing: Gen
Categories/Genres: Fluff, Friendship
Length: Medium (4.3k)
Warnings: None

Author/Artist on LJ: copperbadge
Author/Artist Website: Copperbadge's Ao3

Summary: Bruce isn't sure he wants to use a credit card Tony gave him. Steve isn't sure he even knows how.

Review: This is a cute and fluffy fic. It's short and sweet, with everybody really being in characters. I particularly like Steve in this. He is still out of time, but he's not letting it get to him or keep him from helping his friends. Tony is just the right amount of zany genius with ADD, and Bruce will just make you want to cuddle him.

Black AmEx

Title: Blinding
Fandom: Avengers (MCU)
Pairing: Tony Stark/Loki
Categories/Genres: AU, Dark,
Length: Long (36k)
Warnings: Dark, Mind Control, Murder, Character Death, Stockholm Syndrome, Rape

Author/Artist on LJ: skoll
Author/Artist Website: Skoll's Ao3

Summary: A Bonnie and Clyde inspired AU, where Loki's attempt to control Tony's mind in Stark Tower works, and Tony, genius that he is, has a better plan than just trying to take over Earth.

With Tony and his ambitious plan on Loki's side, there are thefts, assassination attempts, a war, a few problems with a certain Mad Titan, and, if they play their cards right, possibly a new ruler of all the nine worlds.

Review: During the Avengers movie, Loki is able to gain control of Tony and everything from that moment forward. An interesting take on Tony and Loki getting together.

Be especially careful of the warnings this is not a light and fluffy fic. Tony goes more than a little insane from the mind control and none of the other characters are sane to begin with. Despite this, Tony is very believable in this.

Even when he's taking over all the nine realms.

Blinding

Title: Intervention
Fandom: Marvel
Pairing: Loki/Thor, Bruce Banner/Tony Stark, (according to the author, though it reads like Gen)
Categories/Genres: Hurt/Comfort, Torture, Aftermath of torture, Drama, Action, Angst,
Length: Epic (41359 words)
Warnings: Graphic descriptions of torture, Gore, Suicidal thoughts

Author on LJ: asidian
Author Website: Asidian

Summary:

Tony's voice echoed in the cavern, hollow against the walls. “Are you out of your mind? That thing's going to take your head off!”

The snake, however, did not move- did not even seem to be watching his teammate approach. And almost as though in response to his own voice, the sound from before came again, long and trembling- midway between a moan and a sob. This time, when his eyes darted in search of the source, the darkness did not block his sight: the naked figure of a man lay stretched beneath the snake, bound to an outcropping of rock. He was all ribs and sharp ridges of bone, all too-thin pale limbs, all open sores on top from the places the venom had splattered and on the bottom where the rock had rubbed away the flesh. The man's face, directly below the snake's mouth, had gotten the worst of it; it was raw and red, glistening with blood and exposed muscle and the slick of poison. The man shouldn't have been alive, much less moving, and yet he was- was thrashing weakly in his bonds, turning his head as far as it would go to avoid the white liquid as it dribbled down. It was not far enough.

Tony thought he was going to be sick again.

Review:

For those of you easily swayed by pairings, don't be, because Intervention reads very solidly as Gen. For those of you who are triggered by abusive fathers, steer clear. For those of you sensitive to descriptions of gore, give this one a pass.

Everyone else, unless they're a staunch Odin fan, read this fic.

Chronologically, Intervention sits in a strange Jossed limbo post-Iron Man 3 but pre-Thor 2 in which Odin, punishing Loki for his actions during The Avengers, sentences him to spend the rest of forever chained to a rock with a giant snake dripping venom on his face and body.

The bulk of the story follows from that original premise and Thor's desperate plea to Tony to help ease Loki's suffering. Tony, pathologically unable to resist sticking his nose into the whole business, concocts a plan to not just help Loki heal, but to break him free altogether, bringing in Steve and Bruce to assist.

Odin, unsurprisingly, is not pleased.

Speaking of, Intervention spares no expense in portraying Odin as the worst kind of villain, the one who firmly believes justice is on his side and has the power to enforce it. His characterization is almost flat in his determination to think ill of Loki, and his cruelty, when contrasted with the kindness of the very Avengers who Loki attacked, seems brutal to the point of senselessness.

But it's really the Avengers themselves that make this story shine. Tony—flighty, sarcastic Tony—bends his best efforts to the task of getting Loki out of Odin's prison without hesitation, his better nature shining through in spite of the odds that Odin stacks against them. Steve is a steady, solid presence in spite of being unsuited to the subterfuge they're forced to use to avoid Heimdall's all-seeing eyes. Bruce is just the opposite, his notorious calm badly fractured by the whole ordeal, but for the most part he forces himself to cling to control. He spends many of his scenes slightly green around the edges, as Tony observes, and the scenes where he isn't slightly green, he's all green and very, very angry at Odin. Thor, bound by Odin's orders not to aid Loki, is painfully helpless for much of the story, but pours his energy into doing what little he can, namely comforting Loki as he slowly heals.

Loki himself manages to skirt that fine line between suffering and being the overdone woobie, namely by the careful application of the sharp edge of his tongue (once it grows back) and the way he holds his cracked mask of indifference together even though everyone else knows what hides beneath. In fact, one of my few complaints about the fic is that we don't get to see more of his emotional recovery once he finally gains his freedom. I would have liked more of everything, actually, because for all that Intervention is 41k words long, its pacing carries it along at such a fast clip that it feels over barely minutes after it's begun.


Intervention

Title: Entanglements
Fandom: Thor (Marvel MCU)
Pairing: Loki/Thor, Steve/Tony/Bruce/Pepper, Natasha/Clint
Categories: AU, Crack, Family, Humor, Post-Canon
Length: Medium (18k)
Warnings:Non-Con(Sex Pollen), Incest

Author on LJ: astolat
Website: Astolat

Summary:Huh, was Tony's first thought when the spell broke and all of a sudden his brain came back online.

Review: I'm a sucker for sarcastic narrators, and Tony Stark's narrative on Loki and Thor falling in love, saving the world, and going on the home shopping network, is just hilariously sarcastic.

And just plain hilarious. There are lots of different parts to the story, which will keep you guessing through out, and you'll definitely be laughing every few sentences

Entanglements

Title: Parameters
Fandom: Captain America: Winter Soldier (MCU)
Pairing: Steve/Bucky
Categories: Family, Friendship, Post-Canon
Length: Medium (8k)
Warnings:Mentions of Self-harm; Suicidal thoughts, Past abuse/torture

Author on LJ: chicagoartnerd
Website: chicagoartnerd/a>

Summary:Bucky doesn't feel human anymore. So he bonds with the other non-human intelligences in the Avengers Tower.

Review: I can't tell you how awesome this fic is. I had to rush right over and rec it as soon as I was finished. Bucky is so heartbreakingly perfect and I love how chicagoartnerd handles an Agender Jarvis. So often when I run into agender used to describe a disembodied being I'm stuck banging my head against the wall in complete annoyance at how screwed up the explanations are.

That was never a problem even for a moment with Parameters. It felt right for Jarvis to consider their own gender presentation and decide on something that fit their needs. The Bucky and Jarvis friendship is just awesome and it is so great to see two people helping each other to figure things out.

Parameters

Title: Magic for Beginners
Fandom: Marvel
Pairing: Loki/Darcy
Categories: AU, Magician, Las Vegas, Romance
Length: Long (17,274)
Warnings: Mention of past secondary character deaths

Thanks to chibifukurou and sheepnamedpig for permission to rec in their claimed fandom!

Author on LJ: NA
Author Website: Vera,  Dragonmuse on tumblr

Author's summary: There's a run down theater and a run down magician with three ravens. He has one impossible trick. His new assistant has a lot of questions, but no answers of her own.

Review:
Loki is a solitary Las Vegas magician with a secret and an angsty, twist-on-canon past with his family. Darcy pushes her way into the role of his assistant, and ends up becoming more.

There's an understated beauty to Loki and Darcy's relationship, and in fact to the writing throughout. Vera creates slightly melancholy tone that's brightened by Loki's wry sense of humor and Darcy's frequent quips. It's also made warmer by the deepening connection between two people who have no one else to turn to anymore. The dialogue is terrific throughout; the progression of the relationship works well, and the gothic nature of a rundown theatre, the ravens of myth, and the old-school magic tricks give this a unique feel.

At the heart of it, two lonely people find one another, and their futures look brighter than their pasts.

( excerpt )

Magic for Beginners

Title: The Many Doors of Níu Heimar
Fandom: Thor/Avengers (Marvel MCU)
Pairing: Loki/Steve,
Categories: Attempted Suicide, AU, Family, Pre-Canon, Romance
Length: Epic (77k)
Warnings:Suicide Attempts; Mind Control

Author on LJ: nixajan
Website: Nixajan

Summary:In the weeks before Thor's coronation, Loki almost dies, not once, but twice. (An AU in which events conspire to keep Loki from the choices he made in Thor, a war is on the horizon and the chosen battlefield is Earth, and the Avengers assemble with an extra teammate and one less villain to fight).

Review: A complete Canon rewrite of the first Thor movie. Some overall changes were made to the mechanics of the tesseract reconfigure the events of the Avengers film.

This is an interesting story that builds layers within layers of how things were different. Loki is still very much in character throughout as the God of Lies (Aka Asgard's CIA force) but by changing the circumstances leading up to the events of the Coronation, Nixajan changes how Loki discovers his birth. That mixed with her changes to past events beyond the span of the movie franchise, allows the basic feel of the movies to be kept while still changing a lot of the specific events.

There are some parts that I wish Nixajan had been able to spend more time on, particularly the romance between Steve and Loki. They only get one date before they end up saving each others lives many, many times. But I like how sweet their relationship looks like it will grow to be and the theory for why Loki would feel comfortable with Steve.

All together it is a nice, layered epic that is definitely worth spending a few hours on.

The Many Doors of Níu Heimar