Fandom: FARSCAPE
Pairing: Stark
Author on LJ: astrogirl2
Author Website:
Why this must be read:

There's been a flurry of ficathons in the FS fandom recently as writers champion the characters that often get neglected in the John/Aeryn love. Farscape is blessed with a myriad of rich and vibrant characters and none more compelling than the Banik slave, Stark. Part sage, part seer, part mad - he is a Stykera, and a Stykera's duty is to ease the passing of souls into the afterlife, in the process taking on some of their rage, their fear, their pain.

Astrogirl has written a lovely fic on the dreadful cost of this type of slavery, when a slave's soul is owned and abused far more than the frail body that contains it.

Rite of Passing

( excerpt )

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Severus Snape/Neville Longbottom in the end, but it's a gen sort of slash
Author on LJ: julad
Author Website: Ambivalent Pleasures

Why this must be read:
I don't know if there are many people who haven't read Night-blooming Heartsease yet, but if you've been avoiding it because of the pairing or because of the slash, you're missing out on a wonderful reading experience. This story illustrates the power of hope to bring people through the most trying times, and it touched me. It's not a happy story (as you will know if you've read Transfigurations), but the story feels true emotionally. It isn't really a romance, and the sex isn't the focus, so I'd recommend this to nonslashers.

A sort of prequel to Transfigurations by resonant8, this is a dramatic "coming of age in a time of war" story that begins with Snape and Neville hiding from the Death Eaters, whose side is winning. Trust grows between the two comrades-in-arms, and there's the possibility of a relationship, if only they make it through the war. In a difficult pairing, Snape doesn't seem out of character from Nevile's POV. The focus is on Neville's character growth and his trial by fire, and Julad made me care about a character who's never been a favorite of mine in fanfic.

Night-blooming Heartsease

Be sure to check out the lovely illustration by Theban Band for Night-blooming Heartsease.

Fandom: STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE
Pairing: OCs
Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: H. Wotton's Garak Fanfic
Why this must be read:

Not G/B this time, but a look at Garak’s life in the Obsidian Order before his exile. An investigation reveals the secret life of Garak's favourite writer, Preloc. Excellent world-building of Cardassian culture and society, high and low.

"Are you telling me that your gentleman hires you to service him by reading to him?" I don't know why I'm skeptical. When you work for an organization that catalogues the most private desires and behaviors of every citizen of Cardassia, you've run into about every perversion imaginable.

A Discreet Private Inquiry

A short follow-up set during the 4th season of DS9, Postscript (PG).

Title: stop.
Fandom: The OC
Pairing/Characters: Ryan/Marissa, Ryan/Seth
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: fic-o-rama
Why this must be read:

( 'Ryan,' she says and there's so much joy in her voice that his eyes prickle hot for a moment. Maybe, he thinks and it's almost like hope. Maybe. )

Fandom: Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Pairing: Xander/Oz

Author on LJ: don't think so

Author Website: Meagan's Table of Contents

Why this must be read: First of all I apologize for this being my first rec of the month I am starting late and I apologize profusely but RL gets in the way. One of the very first series I ever read in this fandom, the power of it has not diminished with age. When we all noticed how hot Oz was and how the rest of the scooby gang seemed to overlook Xander along came this series that addressed both of those issues. The author no longer writes in this fandom but there are lots of little goodies on her website. This is one of those series were you can read as much as you want the stories never end on a cliffhanger and they are all enough in and of themselves to be read solo.

( A little something to wet your appetite )

Focus

Favors

Feet

Food

Fame

Fandom: Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Pairing: Xander/Oz/Doyle/Graham

Author on LJ:  cccarioca

Author Website: The CCCarioca's page of slashy fun (no longer updated all fic now posted to livejournal)

Why this must be read: CCCarioca is one of those authors I would read no matter what he wrote even if it were a phonebook. He writes in a variety of fandoms and the one thing all his stories have in common is that they are good. This is how Xander decided to save the day instead of sitting around and letting everyone deal with their issues first.

( funny,funny boy )