Fandom : due South
Pairing : Benton Fraser / Ray Kowalski
Author on LJ : bethbethbeth
Author Websites : AO3 ; Madwoman in the Basement
Why this must be read :

This is an absolutely charming view of how the in-law relationships develop with Ray's parents and with Fraser's parents as Fraser and Ray become a couple. I am deliberately not going into much detail here because I want you, the readers, to see this unfold without spoilers from me.

Part One : Preternatural Guidance

Part Two : Coming Attractions

Part Three : Small World

Fandom: THE AVENGERS
Pairing: No pairings. Series is Gen. Centered around Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanov, and Tony Stark. Which is NOT to say the other Avengers aren't around, they are.
Length: entire series: 217,686
Author on LJ: lettered
Author Website: (or a link to where more of their fic is archived) At AO3
Why this must be read: I honestly thought someone had already recced The Kids Weren't Alright, and I was going to link to that rec and specifically talk about Let's Stop The Time Warp Again but it wasn't, so here I am with another entire series of the MOST MIND BOGGLINGLY AMAZING FIC EVER!! FOR REAL.

If you like Bruce Banner, this is your series. If you like complex characterization, plots built on science [and comic book science] with a fine hand for nuance and foreshadowing, this is your series. If you like your Avengers to come together own their own terms, this is your series.

I am still awestruck at the depth and richness and, and, and, vastness that is Let's Stop the Time Warp [and this series]. Seriously, this series is something so special, so rare, so all-encompassing, and so amazing that it's humbling to read.

Excerpt from Let's Stop The Time Warp

Sometimes Bruce went outside, saw the cranes, trucks, helicopters, sheets of metal, sparks of iron, robots, tanks of gas and people, people upon people upon people, and felt something that he thought must be just a little bit like faith. This was what some people felt when they saw a sky full of stars, when they saw a forest suffused with mist, when they saw horses running in a field or flowers blooming in the wake of snow. They believed in a power that planned and created, that knew what beauty was and made it happen, a force that was almost unknowable in terms of its awesome potential. Sometimes Bruce felt like he believed in that force; the only difference was the word he used for it was man.

There were other times, though, when Bruce saw it all and thought about how easy it would be to stop it all. He could do it with several swipes of his big green fists. The world was such a fragile place, and here they were trying so desperately to restore the delicate balance of this thing called time, and sometimes Bruce just thought they’d all be better off without. He didn’t know why all of it mattered so much, why they all cared so much.

Bruce had walked for days, once, in the wilderness in the north of Greenland. He’d thought it was hilarious, because of the name, and he’d walked and walked and walked. He’d walked until he couldn’t feel his feet, his hands, his nose, his tongue, because if they all fell off, it wouldn’t matter. If he Hulked out, it wouldn’t matter. The world was nothing but white, and it didn’t matter.

It didn’t matter at all.


Responsible Science Series

A Fine Spur: Bruce and Natasha 10,500 words
The Hollow Men: Bruce and Steve 25,254 words
Keep Your Splendid Silent Sun: Bruce, Steve, Natasha, Tony, Pepper 12,317
The Kids Weren't Alright: Everyone 56,199 This is your de-ageing fic to beat all de-aging fics. WITH SCIENCE. Everything is better with science.
Let's Stop The Time Warp: Everyone 113,146

Fandom: DC Universe (Justice League)
Pairing: Batman/Flash (Bruce/Wally)
Length: 1,344
Rating: PG
Warnings: general spoilers for the cartoon, brief mention of character death
Author on LJ:
Author's Website: AlphaKantSpell on AO3
Summary: Like everyone, Wally assumed Bruce's daemon was a bat. It fit the whole persona, the costume, and the creature of the night routine. Wally should have known Bruce would never be what people expected he was.

Why this must be read: I've stumbled across a few stories that make Bruce's daemon something dangerous, which I completely understand, but this story gives us Bruce with a daemon that's something unexpected. Bruce's psychology has always fascinated me, and AlphaKantSpell goes into it just enough here to show how much it takes for him to let someone in. I'd never read Bruce/Wally before (I stick to Bruce/Joker usually), but I found this to be a great one-shot about how someone as upbeat as Wally could affect Bruce. The fic is told entirely from Wally's perspective as he tries to figure out what Bruce's daemon is. It's a terrific plot device that gives us insight into both of them.

As with most DC fic, a general idea of the characters is enough to follow along. This is written specifically to follow the Justice League cartoon, but I've never seen an episode and I had no trouble. This was written in a way that really had me understanding Wally--a character I tend to overlook. If you're a fan of the Flash in any form, definitely check this one out.

To Know and Be Known

Fandom: PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS/HEROES OF OLYMPUS
Pairing: Percy/Annabeth
Length: 1264 words
Author on LJ: Nope.
Author Website: ff.net
Why this must be read: First of all, this is post-Mark of Athena and is majorly spoilery for the ending of that book, so this is for people who have read that far. But if you have, you do need to read it. It's a completely different-- and far more 'literary'-- perspective on the ending. It explores themes of life and death, winning and losing, and how death is not always losing, nor is living the same as winning even when you are in a battle for your life. It's a majestic piece.

But she should have known that nothing keeps when you're a demigod. At some point, you end up in a situation that's truly hopeless, that cannot be avoided and cannot be beaten.

Endgame

Vidder : Orasha
Musical Artist : E. S. Posthumus
Vidder on LJ : asharo_slash
Vidder Website : YouTube
Why this vid must be viewed : This vid, made in the style of an action-movie trailer, will provide you with 40 seconds that sweep you into full speed due South. My top choice for a start-the-day vid to get me moving with that "I am a Mountie -- I can do this" verve.

Unstoppable