Of course we all love fanfiction starring our favourite characters, from their POV and about their struggles. And while I sometimes enjoy a good Sherlock casefic or a Star Trek missionfic, the kind of fic I like best is a great fill-in-the-gaps-fic. I like stories about the parts of the narrative that we never get to see. I like stories about moving day in Avengers Tower, and how the Hulk carried everyone’s boxes. I like stories about SG-1’s First Annual Thanks For Saving My Butt BBQ for the medical staff of Cheyenne Mountain. I like stories about Skye getting air-sick her first night on The Bus. I like stories about Harry Potter failing his Literature classes because he didn’t know who Beedle the Bard was and has to stay up all night with Ron reading the fairy tales, while Hermione freaks out about how unfair it is that they’re being tested on books that Muggle-borns would have never read.

But more than that, I love the kind of in-between-fics told from an outside point of view. Of all my own fics, the one I had the most fun writing was my Mary Sue-ish Rodney’s Numbers series–where the entirety of Rodney McKay’s career with Stargate Command was told through a series of 5+1 style stories from the POV of his regular barista at Starbucks.

There’s something wonderful about getting the outsider or civilian perspective on a tale – it lets you see just how weird the world of our main characters actually is, but it also shows us how hard their struggle for normalcy, and domesticity, and for happiness. These are the stories that peer in from the wings of the theatre of the main narrative, and from that angle, the play looks completely different.

And so, without further ado, here are some of my favourite “Coming At It From The Side” fics set in The Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Exclusive by copperbadge

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.

Set immediately post The Avengers

I love this story because of the perspective of conscious outsider. The Avengers invite this reporter into their lives to document them for two weeks and write a think-piece with some positive spin after the Battle of Manhattan has the world wondering if superheroes should be allowed to operate. But the Avengers and the reporter are all very conscious of the fact that there are things they aren’t telling him, and can’t tell him. This is actually the article that the reporter produces, which I love – no behind the scenes, no explanations, just the straight-up article. (And a great little twist at the very end, which is awesome.)

I can re-read this story every day and never get sick of it. On top of that Copperbadge is an amazing Fandom Dad, and is a generous, well-informed, thoughtful fellow whose articles Sam Advises are very helpful for general life hack, his RDJ Advices Chris Evans On His Life Choices is hilarious, and he’s an author as well.

BONUS –there’s a sequel! I didn’t know about the sequel until I started to put this article together! Yay!

“THE KIDS AREN’T ALL RIGHT” by CHRISTINE EVERHART (VANITYFAIR.COM)

“It’s been ‘a hell of a year’ since industrialist Tony Stark owned up to his alter ego in a move that stunned observers and longtime aides alike. With the US facing unprecedented homegrown suicide attacks, Iron Man’s contribution to national security is more than ever under scrutiny. As she follows Stark during a year of crisis, exclusively for Vanity Fair, Christine Everhart explores the many contradictions of the man behind the mask, uncovers tales of personal loyalty, patriotism gone awry and corporate betrayal, and asks whether Iron Man is the embodiment of an outdated American fantasy—a self-made, unilateral, technological solution to hopelessly complex problems—and whether he can survive the violent encounter with reality.”

Set immediately post Iron Man.

Another of what is clearly my favourite style for coming-from-the-side fics: an article! This time Christine Everhart (yes, the reporter Tony slept with at the start of Iron Man) profiles Tony Stark in the wake of his announcement: “I am Iron Man.” This is a great look at what it means to have Grown Up Stark, and who the most important people in Tony’s life are.

Geriatric Road Trip, 2015 by what_alchemy

Bucky was the eldest of four.

Set post Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Ignores The Avengers: Age of Ultron

THIS. THIS RIGHT HERE is what I love best about fanfiction. This is a story told from the POV of Rebecca Barnes’ grandson Ben. What I love best is the way that sexuality, misogyny, homophobia, racism, same-sex and inter-race marriage are present but not discussed in an after-school special sort of way. And I love seniors bickering.

United States v. Barnes, 617 F. Supp. 2d 143 (D.D.C.2015) by fallingvoices, radialarch

Set post Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Ignores The Avengers: Age of Ultron

Another news article-fic, but this time made up of articles, reports, tweets, text messages and court transcripts as James “Bucky” Buchanan Barnes a.k.a. The Winter Soldier stands trial for the Washington Massacre and every other death that Hydra made him pull the trigger on. This is a great story because it really gets into the psychology of the trial and court system, what brainwashing and torture really mean in a military setting, and what SHIELD and America look like post-Hydra. I love this one because it takes a good long look at the realities of what it means that Hydra was running the country – the world – for nearly a century. Have tissues ready.

J.M. Frey (Losyark) is a SF/F author, fanthropologist and pop culture scholar. She is also a freelance voice actor and speaker. She appears as a guest on podcasts, television and radio programs. She began writing at age 11, with a Sailor Moon fanfic that she is still inordinately proud of (hey, it was illustrated), and still reads fanfiction every day.