Fandom: THE AVENGERS
Pairing: Hulk
Length: 1882
Author Website: at AO3
Why this must be read: Because it is the events of the Avengers through the Hulk's perspective. I will always, always, *always* read fic from Hulk's perspective and of all the many, many I've read, this one is by far my favorite. Hulk isn't treated as child-like or simple or merely made of rage. He's richly complex and has an opinion on everything. I especially love Hulk's opinions on motorcycles and Stark.

Hulk Knows is beautifully poignant and will move you.

Excerpt

Banner leaves the lab to find things out. There's a new person, very large and blond. Hulk finds him vaguely annoying.

Then another smaller person walks in. Something about the way he moves tickles Hulk, like Banner thinking. Perhaps the way he's always talking, always gesturing. He thinks out loud; he thinks with his body. Hulk can feel Banner thinking in response.

Stark, he's called.

Stark walks up to them. He greets Banner, shaking his hand. Then - and Hulk likes this - Stark looks at Banner's eyes, then through Banner's eyes, and greets Hulk.

Hulk likes Stark.


Hulk Knows

Fandom: DC Comics
Pairing: Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne
Length: 4,212 words
Author on LJ: mithen
Author Website: At AO3
Why this must be read: I love "what if?" stories. They're the whole point of fanfic, IMO, exloring what if this had happened instead of that, with an infinity of possibilities. One of the best things about comic books fandom is that you can pose questions like..."What if Thomas and Martha Wayne were driving through Kansas and discovered a spacecraft from Krypton?"

Apparently there was an actual Superman/Batman comic, #50, with that premise. I haven't read that, but would be very surprised if that version if anywhere near as satisfying as what Mithen does with the idea here. From Bruce stowing away in the car when Thomas sets out on his annual visit to Smallville, to how this knowledge of Clark is part of the fuel that drives him after parents are murdered, and to how Bruce finally does meet his alien brother--and then beyond that--this story is loaded with wonderful little moments.

( excerpt from chapter two )


Family Legacy

Fandom: Band of Brothers
Pairing: Gen
Length: 9,348
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: spoilers for the series
Author on LJ: newredshoes
Author's Website: newredshoes on AO3
Summary: How would having your soul on the outside change how we look at war?

Why this must be read: Newredshoes put together an inspiring collection of shorts based off the concept of showing how war really affects people's souls. Each piece is for a different character, so there's no guarantee you'll like them all, but I thought each character was portrayed realistically and with quite a lot of thought and effort put into their characterization. I'm a huge Winters/Nixon fan, and though the series stays gen, I found there to be enough subtext to satisfy shippers of all types.

Each story in this series in titled with character, place, & date so you have a good sense going into it exactly how everything fits together. This is vital because it lends a sense of order to an otherwise random collection of shorts, which can actually be read in basically any order you choose. Read separately, each fic is a fantastic character study, but when taken together the stories end up forming a view of how much war stresses and changes people--which fits in perfectly with both daemons and with the overall plotline in canon.

Easy With Daemons In on AO3 & on LJ

Note: Because this is a series of shorts, newredshoes lists this as a WIP. I have to disagree. Because each fic is independant of the others, you could easily only read one (or as many as you like) without reading all of them. There's no singular plot running through them, so knowledge of canon is all you need.

Fandom: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Jim/Blair
Length: 27180 words
Author on LJ: Not known
Author Website: at My Mongoose, here
Why this must be read: - In a world where sentinels and guides are known, unguided sentinel Jim Ellison is injured when saving a blind man - Blair Sandburg - and his seeing eye dog when their warehouse home blows up.

This is a world where both Jim and Blair have deep-seated fears; because of his upbringing Jim is afraid to love, because of his experience with Alex Barnes Blair is afraid to trust a sentinel again. These are not original themes, but Ankaree handles them well, and the result is a story about an evolving relationship that, despite those fears, continues to get closer.

Blind Justice