#marvelficrecs

Author: Ironlawyer

Link: (AO3)

Ship: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Tony Stark/Others

Rating: Explicit

Major Tags: Comicverse, 616, Alcoholism, Prostitution, Tragedy, Self-Destruction, Dark, Identity Porn, Homelessness

Summary: Between his alcoholism and the manipulations of Obadiah, Tony finds himself homeless. He sells sex to men who remind him of Steve. There's a nugget of hope, somewhere.

Review: From start to finish, this fic is akin to being hit by a shovelful of angst. And it's so good. It's self destruction, brutal and simple. The writing is clear but descriptive, carefully mapping Tony's descent in standards. The self hatred and multiple brutalities are difficult to read, but it's very worth it.

The twists in the fic all revolve around Tony's not-so unrequited love for Steve, but with the absence of a proper happy ending.

For MCU only fans, you should be able to follow along with ease. Just remember that comic characters are a little different; 616 Tony is younger, views the Avengers as family, explicitly struggles with his alcoholism, never starts a relationship with Pepper, and may be even sadder than MCU Tony.

Author: thingswithwings

Link: Ao3 

Ships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers/various OCs, background Pepper Potts/Tony Stark

Rating: Explicit

Major Tags: Major Character Death, Explicit Sexual Content, Historical Accuracy, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Racism, Body Dysphoria, Slurs, Politics (1940s-Present), Child Experimentation (vague), Polyamory, Pre- and Post-Serum Steve, Found Family (twice)

Summary: 

Steve Rogers isn't a self-made man.

Or, how a tough little Brooklyn fairy got turned into Captain America, and then turned back.

Reviewer’s name: Sybli

Review:

Without trying to give too many spoilers:

Despite the laundry list of negative tags above, this is a shockingly emotional and identity-positive story about Steve Rogers' life as an LGBT+ person, starting in the 1940s before the war and continuing until long after he's out of the ice. The author was incredibly thorough about researching the underground queer community of the period and has a knack for illustrative writing; the reader can easily see this hidden world laid under the stereotypical 1940s image. 

There's a lot of dysphoric episodes described within the fic, so if that bothers you, please don't read this. That said, Steve's struggle with himself and his body, both pre- and post-serum, is one of the best and most emotional parts of this fic. I found it to be really well described, especially as a function of how other people's view affected him.

Author: destronomics

Link: (AO3, LJ)

Ship: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark (Pepperony)

Rating: General

Major Tags: Iron Man 2008, pre-canon, minor character death, modelling, Pepper Potts centric

Summary: "8 personal fanon/canon bits about Pepper Potts."

Review: This is an absolute delight of a fic. It's a collection of small vignettes, focusing on Pepper's life and perspective. She is startlingly human, struggling with her self perception and her growing feelings for Tony. Pepper is largely alone in the world, exceptionally competent, and full of faults. It's fantastic fiction.

My only quibble is that Rhodey is portrayed as having a somewhat exploitative streak towards Tony, which I think is canonically dubious, but it plays well in the story.

Link: (LiveJournal)

Ship: Tony Stark & Pepper Potts (platonic), Tony Stark & Bruce Banner (platonic), Tony Stark and James "Rhodey" Rhodes (platonic)

Rating: Teen and Up 

Tags: Major Character Death, Nick Fury, non-consensual medical procedures, dark canon divergence, Thunderbolt Ross, suicidal ideation, non-linear narrative, Betty Ross, MCU, Tony Stark-centric, Iron Man 1

Summary: “I don’t wanna be a superhero/I don’t care so don’t call me.”

Review: 

The entire concept of this fic is essentially an alternate universe where SHIELD was morally corrupt and most definitely not on Tony's side. This is a horror story. Even the phrasing is chilling. A lot of psychological tension derives from Tony, and how terribly unaware he is of the stakes, first from overconfidence, then from an inability to comprehend his situation. 

This story is also incredibly tricky to review because the writer wields language efficiently and delicately. It's a minimalist, non-linear narrative packed with suspense. Cliché or not, not a word is wasted. 

I would definitely recommend you read this fic if you like poetic writing, references to The Incredible Hulk (2008), conspiracy thrillers, characters making uncomfortable decisions when backed into corners, unexpected consequences, or fics focused on the early MCU. 

Author: Sororising 

Link: AO3

Ship: Sharon Carter/Natasha Romanov, NatSharon

Rating: Teen and Up

Tags: Canon Compliant, femslash, pre-slash, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Origin Stories, post CA:TWS.

Summary: Natasha and Sharon, through the years. 

Review: 

This fic is worth reading for the narrative strength alone. Here, try a snippet and tell me you don't want to see a little bit more: 

"Sharon waits at the gate of the graveyard. The air feels haunted, even at the entrance, weighted down by a heavy stillness that she knows isn’t supernatural but which makes her shiver with something more than cold anyway.

Each grave casts a shadow. They fall across the winter snow in rows of soft grey. Like the tombs of ghosts.

Natasha is dressed all in black. In mourning. The only colour to be seen is the vivid red of her hair. Like fire, Sharon thinks. A single flame, surrounded by ice.

She moves forward."

Not convinced? This is a story of two women growing into their identities. It's told from Sharon's POV, as she struggles with the weight of legacy. Sharon has ample time to reflect on Natasha's difficulty with claiming any identity as hers and only hers. But it's not an angst story. Sharon is determined, wary and clever. Natasha is all of those things, except she also makes bad jokes. Coulson and Maria Hill make notable appearances. This is also a slow burn fic, but the tension is derived less from the standard issues of communication, and more from the difficulty of trust for two women who regard it as the highest luxury. 

Oh, and it contains an impromptu trip to Russia and a subversion of everyone's favourite 2012 Clint Barton fanfic trope. 

Title: Just Stay Alive (series)

Author: Dira Sudis (dsudis) @dsudis

Link: http://archiveofourown.org/series/99032 (AO3)

Ship: Bucky/Sam, Steve/Sam, Sam/Steve, Bucky/Steve, Bucky/Sam/Steve

Rating: Explicit

Major Tags:  Polyamory, Threesome, Dissociation, Amnesia, PTSD, Bucky Barnes has Issues, First Kiss, Cuddling & Snuggling

Summary: 

Pt 1: He could learn to be Sam’s friend, even if he hadn’t figured out yet how to be Steve’s.

Pt. 2: Today, on this morning, while Sam stood here in his PJs, his boyfriend Captain America was in his kitchen eating yogurt, and Sam had to figure out how to tell him that he’d kind of arguably cheated on him with the Winter Soldier who was also, incidentally, Bucky Barnes, the other half of the thus-far-tragic love story of Steve Rogers’ epic life.

Pt. 3: “I’ll keep watch,” Bucky said, and Steve jumped. Sam could only manage a twitch, but he meant it with every fiber of his where the hell did you come from being. Bucky was just there somehow, standing in the slice of shadow to one side of the room’s window. “Sleep, both of you,” Bucky repeated. “I’ve got this watch.”

Review’s name: chicklette

Review:  So, here I am, a lost little chicklette fresh into the MCU, and I stumble onto this fic.  This fucking fic.

This fic, where I read the tags and said, oh, yeah.  Oh yeah, of course Sam is part of the love affair that is Steve and Bucky and Sam.  Of course.  Duh!

This series begins sometime after the Triskelion falls.  Bucky is trying to figure out who he is, who Bucky is so that he can get back to Steve, because Steve is still his mission.  Only the mission now is assist and protect, and so Bucky sets out trying to do that. 

And so he begins first by creeping on Sam and Steve, trying to figure out who they are to one another so that he can figure out who he might be to them.  The story is told with perspective from Sam and Bucky, and it is heartbreaking, heart aching, and, by the time it’s over, just beautiful. 

It’s told in three parts, and each leads beautifully into the next, and you keep reading and reading, and next thing you know, boom! You’ve spent another whole day wrapped up in a beautiful, beautiful fic.

Sometimes I’m almost mad that this is one of the first fics I read in this fandom.  I immediately sought out all manner of OT3fic, and found startling little available.  What’s worse, is that damn few OT3 fics render each of these men as beautifully as dsudis does with this tale.  It’s an absolutely beautiful story, from beginning to end, and all of it feels very much in character to me.

Title: Toaster Ovens Make Terrible Gifts, Steve

Author: monroesherlock @bittlebarnes

Link:  http://archiveofourown.org/works/8872948

Ship: Steve/Bucky/Sam

Rating: Teen and Up

Major Tags: Sam Wilson Feels, Steve loves Christmas

 Summary: 

While Steve figures out the perfect gift, Sam figures out how to navigate his family during the holidays.

Bucky just wants to enjoy the cheese plate.

Review’s name: chicklette

Review: 

Here’s what I love about this fic. 

For some people?  The holidays fucking blow.  They’re filled with landmines that are our families.  (When are you going to settle down?  When are you going to get a job?  Why on earth are you majoring in that? When are you having kids?)

Honestly, it’s a nightmare.

And Sam, well, Sam has a fucking awesome family.  Except for that one guy.  You know that guy – the one who is always making you uncomfortable.  The one who said that one thing that one time that…you really just can’t forgive.  You know you *should.*  But you *can’t.*

That’s where Sam’s at.

Meanwhile, boyfriend Steve is hovering, wanting Sam to find his peace and wanting to find the perfect gift for Sam.  Because Sam is fucking awesome.

And boyfriend Bucky, well, he has opinions about damned near everything (see the title).

Between the three of them, they work pretty damned hard at a merry little ALL CAPS Christmas. 

Title: Ice Breaker

Author: alby_mangroves, roe87 @artgroves @jro616

Link:  http://archiveofourown.org/works/12690783

Ship: Steve/Bucky

Rating: General Audiences

Major Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Meet-cute, Ice Skating, Fluff

 Summary: 

Can Captain America learn how to ice skate?

Maybe if the cute skater with the long hair helps him out…

Review’s name: chicklette

Review: 

Guh!  So in this fic, we get Captain America Steve Rogers, totally adorable with long gorgeous hair Bucky Barnes, an ice skating rink, an inflatable donut (lol forever) and alby’s gorgeous art.

Now, ya’ll know I am a sucker for alby’s art.  It was literally the first account I followed when I got to this fandom and found Alby was already here.  I smashed that follow button so hard.  So hard.

Anyway – this fic has ice, and skates, and Bucky with some gorgeous long hair, and a Steve who is so damn cute in his nervousness that I want to pull him aside and make him some cocoa and give him a lecture on self-confidence.