Eight Iron Man recs

[obsession-inc.livejournal.com]

Fandom Category: Iron Man
Pairing: Tony/Pepper
Fic Title: Almost No One Makes It Out
Author: atrata
Link: http://atrata.dreamwidth.org/91903.html
Rating/Warning(s): R (for language)
Genre: AU, drama, humor
WIP?: No

Why This Must Be Read: Not only does this ask the question "what would Tony Stark be like if he wasn't born with more money than God?", come up with a brilliant answer, work all the usual suspects into the mix, and re-write the Iron Man origin story in a completely new way, but this fic breathes. The world is so textured and the characters are so complete, I always forget I'm reading an AU. It's easier for me to ship these versions of Tony and Pepper, too, without the employer/employee relationship and the power imbalance; their prickly, affectionate relationship gets me every time.



Fandom Category: Iron Man
Pairing: Howard Stark/Maria Stark
Fic Title: Dust Is Gonna Settle
Author: gabby_silang
Link: http://gabby-silang.livejournal.com/219497.html
Rating/Warning(s): R, underage sex
Genre: pre-series, romance
WIP?: No

Why This Must Be Read: Gabby invented the Maria I know whole-cloth with this fic, and it's brilliant. Sixteen-year-old Maria meets Howard Stark in Los Alamos during the war; the whole story has the desert worked into its bones and the imagery of an atomic explosion working through it.



Fandom Category: Iron Man
Pairing: Howard Stark/Maria Stark, Obadiah/Maria?
Fic Title: Ambition and History
Author: quigonejinn
Link: http://quigonejinn.livejournal.com/157966.html
Rating/Warning(s): R for language
Genre: pre-series backstory, set during/after the first movie
WIP?: no

Why This Must Be Read: This is twinned with Dust is Gonna Settle, both because it was written as such and because while Gabby created young Maria Stark, Rhod filled in the years beyond and turned her into Tony's mother. Just as nothing's simple about Tony's relationship with his father, nothing's simple about Maria Stark, either.


Fandom Category: Iron Man, Dollhouse
Pairing: Tony/Pepper
Fic Title: Succession
Author: amonitrate
Link: http://amonitrate.livejournal.com/478058.html
Rating/Warning(s): R, noncon
Genre: AU, crossover, horror
WIP?: no

Why This Must Be Read: If the Dollhouse really existed in L.A., this makes a pretty good case that Obadiah Stane would have been not only a client, but would have been able to use their tech to further his own ends. You don't need to know anything more about Dollhouse than that it uses the basic human-mind-as-interchangeable/programmable software concept; this takes that premise, ties it to the Marvel universe, runs with it and turns the entire concept of how Tony/Pepper works on its head. Horrifying and brilliant.



Fandom Category: Iron Man
Pairing: Tony/Pepper
Fic Title: Grease-Stained
Author: nekare
Link: http://nekare.livejournal.com/390500.html
Rating/Warning(s): PG-13
Genre: romance
WIP?: no

Why This Must Be Read: Most Tony/Pepper fic romanticizes and excuses Tony in order to make the case for romance; this one doesn't, and still makes me fall for the idea. Tony is still incredibly messed up, still mired in his past, and yet the way he's trying so hard to work his way up to something new gives me the same love for the character that the first movie did. Smart and biting and beautifully written.





Fandom Category: Iron Man
Pairing: Tony/Pepper (kind of)
Fic Title: For a Long Time
Author: quigonejinn
Link: http://quigonejinn.livejournal.com/140475.html
Rating/Warning(s): R for sexual situations and some weird consent issues if you think about it.
Genre: AU, romance, drama
WIP?: no

Why This Must Be Read: The beginning of Rhod's many, many clone stories and one of the saddest. It's wrong in every possible way and still strangely sweet and beautiful. It sits squarely in the middle of my "Tony Stark always tries to solve emotional problems with technology" sweet-spot and doesn't shy away from the consequences.




Fandom Category: Iron Man
Pairing: Tony/Pepper
Fic Title: Reconciliation
Author: thelma-lou
Link: http://thelma-lou.livejournal.com/276.html
Rating/Warning(s): R
Genre: romance
WIP?: no

Why This Must Be Read: I have this saved in my delicious account with the note "YES, if they ever got together, THIS is how it would work." It doesn't avoid all the things that make Tony/Pepper a terrible idea, and instead of making it not work, it just goes to make it feel real. Smart and lovely and sexy, great dialogue.