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mysticalchild_isisOnce in awhile, I'll get "why didn't you recommend fics X, Y, & Z" or "why don't you rec fics of this particular genre" questions on my Steve/Tony fic rec list, so I figured I'd answer this with a post about my general policies, preferences, and opinions.
Some general policies first:
1) 95% of the time, I do not link to WIPs. If it's an in-progress sequel to a story on the list, I'll usually throw in a link as part of the notes on the first story, but I warn for being a WIP. My one or two exceptions to this are stories that have gone unfinished for years, but have a good chunk of writing, and that are too interesting not to list. My reasons for not linking to WIPs are manifold, but mainly, it's because: a) the stories might not get finished, or b) even if they are eventually completed, it's possible I'll end up not enjoying where they go, due to squicks/triggers/YKINMK/personal preferences.
2) I'm usually not very into A/Us for this fandom. There are certainly some I enjoy, and they are on the list, but for me, a lot of what I love about the characters comes out of their roles as heroes who were shaped by their respective experiences. I do, however, love genderswaps, especially when they take into consideration how growing up a different gender might have affected a character.
3) I'm not into SuperFamily. For one thing, I'm really picky about kidfic for this pairing (it really has to convince me that it can work). For another, I find Spider-Man's origin story to be crucial to Peter's character, and so if you erase Aunt May, Uncle Ben, and the circumstances of Uncle Ben's death, it doesn't tend to work for me.
4) My list of bookmarks is at least twice (if not three or four times) as large as my fic rec list. When I read a story I like, I'll bookmark it for myself, but only rarely immediately post it to the rec list. This is because I like to take a step back and think about it, and usually re-read it at least once. Then I ask myself: is this a story that I think will appeal to the general Steve/Tony audience, or is this something that hits my personal preferences/kinks/etc in the right way, but that might not work for a lot of people? Or is this something that is slightly problematic, even if I do enjoy it? (There are still a number of fics on the list that fall under the "hit my personal preferences" list, but are either really unique, or are stories that I loved so much, I just went for it anyway.) Additionally, it does take some time for me to write up the rec, so if I'm busy/tired/in a rush, I might just bookmark a fic and return to it at a later date. And since I do tend to re-read at least once before recommending a fic, if it's a long story, it might be awhile before I get around to re-reading it. This is why sometimes when I update the list, the new recs are for stories that have been up for months or years.
5) My personal preference tends to be humor over angst, and so I'm far more likely to be forgiving of a story that makes me laugh. I also do not tend to enjoy stories where the characters (particularly Steve & Tony) are dark, evil, or villains. When characters have crossed my personal moral event horizon, I don't really enjoy reading about them, and I tend to have trouble connecting with them. This is why I'm not really a fan of the woobie!Loki stories, especially post-Avengers. Again, no offense if you are- they're just not for me. Some of my other general triggers/squicks/dislikes include deathfic (excepting comics canon, particularly 616), non-con, character bashing, and partner infidelity.
6) Steve/Tony is one of my big OTPs, and so with a very few exceptions, I don't generally enjoy reading them with other people, or in threesomes/moresomes/etc. I do, however, multi-ship most of other Avengers like whoa. As mentioned above, though, I have the thing about not connecting with characters who have crossed my moral event horizon. Additionally, incest (even if it's adopted siblings) is one of my big squicks, so I don't do Thor/Loki.
And now, a bit of context about where I'm coming from in my fic recs:
I came to the Steve/Tony pairing through the comics fandom, which has shaped the way in which I see things, and so my personal preferences might not line up with someone who started with the movie fandom. Some of my favorite eras include the pre-Civil War New Avengers and the Busiek lineup of the late 90s (which needs more fic!).
I am really NOT a fan of the Ultimates (see rant here) and so I don't tend to spend much time with the fic, which is why there is very little of it on my list.
I adore the Marvel Adventures: Avengers line, and there are things that I will accept in MA:A stories that do not work for me in any of the other universes. (For anyone who isn't familiar with it, it's an all-ages line that tends to be sweet, ridiculous, and goofy. Characterizations tend to be much more innocent in a way that I don't tend to go for in other universes.)
I do love the movieverse, but because I came in through the comics first, there are occasionally elements that won't work for me (e.g. the aforementioned SuperFamily). In particular, one of my pet peeves is when Steve gets written as being a super!innocent who seems to have come straight out of the white, suburban, middle-class 50s. (Have some meta here.)
And there you have a lot of unnecessary rambling and opinions to answer why I don't link to some things, and where I'm coming from in my recommendations. Questions/thoughts/comments welcome.
Some general policies first:
1) 95% of the time, I do not link to WIPs. If it's an in-progress sequel to a story on the list, I'll usually throw in a link as part of the notes on the first story, but I warn for being a WIP. My one or two exceptions to this are stories that have gone unfinished for years, but have a good chunk of writing, and that are too interesting not to list. My reasons for not linking to WIPs are manifold, but mainly, it's because: a) the stories might not get finished, or b) even if they are eventually completed, it's possible I'll end up not enjoying where they go, due to squicks/triggers/YKINMK/personal preferences.
2) I'm usually not very into A/Us for this fandom. There are certainly some I enjoy, and they are on the list, but for me, a lot of what I love about the characters comes out of their roles as heroes who were shaped by their respective experiences. I do, however, love genderswaps, especially when they take into consideration how growing up a different gender might have affected a character.
3) I'm not into SuperFamily. For one thing, I'm really picky about kidfic for this pairing (it really has to convince me that it can work). For another, I find Spider-Man's origin story to be crucial to Peter's character, and so if you erase Aunt May, Uncle Ben, and the circumstances of Uncle Ben's death, it doesn't tend to work for me.
4) My list of bookmarks is at least twice (if not three or four times) as large as my fic rec list. When I read a story I like, I'll bookmark it for myself, but only rarely immediately post it to the rec list. This is because I like to take a step back and think about it, and usually re-read it at least once. Then I ask myself: is this a story that I think will appeal to the general Steve/Tony audience, or is this something that hits my personal preferences/kinks/etc in the right way, but that might not work for a lot of people? Or is this something that is slightly problematic, even if I do enjoy it? (There are still a number of fics on the list that fall under the "hit my personal preferences" list, but are either really unique, or are stories that I loved so much, I just went for it anyway.) Additionally, it does take some time for me to write up the rec, so if I'm busy/tired/in a rush, I might just bookmark a fic and return to it at a later date. And since I do tend to re-read at least once before recommending a fic, if it's a long story, it might be awhile before I get around to re-reading it. This is why sometimes when I update the list, the new recs are for stories that have been up for months or years.
5) My personal preference tends to be humor over angst, and so I'm far more likely to be forgiving of a story that makes me laugh. I also do not tend to enjoy stories where the characters (particularly Steve & Tony) are dark, evil, or villains. When characters have crossed my personal moral event horizon, I don't really enjoy reading about them, and I tend to have trouble connecting with them. This is why I'm not really a fan of the woobie!Loki stories, especially post-Avengers. Again, no offense if you are- they're just not for me. Some of my other general triggers/squicks/dislikes include deathfic (excepting comics canon, particularly 616), non-con, character bashing, and partner infidelity.
6) Steve/Tony is one of my big OTPs, and so with a very few exceptions, I don't generally enjoy reading them with other people, or in threesomes/moresomes/etc. I do, however, multi-ship most of other Avengers like whoa. As mentioned above, though, I have the thing about not connecting with characters who have crossed my moral event horizon. Additionally, incest (even if it's adopted siblings) is one of my big squicks, so I don't do Thor/Loki.
And now, a bit of context about where I'm coming from in my fic recs:
I came to the Steve/Tony pairing through the comics fandom, which has shaped the way in which I see things, and so my personal preferences might not line up with someone who started with the movie fandom. Some of my favorite eras include the pre-Civil War New Avengers and the Busiek lineup of the late 90s (which needs more fic!).
I am really NOT a fan of the Ultimates (see rant here) and so I don't tend to spend much time with the fic, which is why there is very little of it on my list.
I adore the Marvel Adventures: Avengers line, and there are things that I will accept in MA:A stories that do not work for me in any of the other universes. (For anyone who isn't familiar with it, it's an all-ages line that tends to be sweet, ridiculous, and goofy. Characterizations tend to be much more innocent in a way that I don't tend to go for in other universes.)
I do love the movieverse, but because I came in through the comics first, there are occasionally elements that won't work for me (e.g. the aforementioned SuperFamily). In particular, one of my pet peeves is when Steve gets written as being a super!innocent who seems to have come straight out of the white, suburban, middle-class 50s. (Have some meta here.)
And there you have a lot of unnecessary rambling and opinions to answer why I don't link to some things, and where I'm coming from in my recommendations. Questions/thoughts/comments welcome.
