Fandom: NCIS
Pairing: Damon Werth / Tony DiNozzo
Length: about 82,000 words
Author on LJ: cyndrarae
Author Website: AO3
Why this must be read:

Author's Summary: DiNozzo has always looked up to Gibbs as a father figure. But after the Frog debacle and a year full of lies and deception, Tony realizes the grave error he’s made all these years – he never asked if Gibbs wanted the job in the first place. Enter disgraced marine Damon Werth, the man who couldn’t be more Gibbs-Junior if he tried. And it’s like Tony is eleven again, teetering on the edge of abandonment, fighting to hold on even though he knows he’ll lose again. Except 'abandoned' isn't all that Tony is feeling. How screwed up must he be to feel both jealous of and attracted to one guy at the same time? AU set after S5E10 (Corporal Punishment)

NCIS is one of those fandoms where I have a slash OTP and pretty much stick to it. And for me that's Gibbs/Tony, hands down (as evidenced by so many of my recs so far this month). Which is why my enjoying of this fic surprised the heck out of me. I was originally drawn to it because I enjoy the Damon Werth character and I saw the length which made me squirm in happiness (I'm a long fic whore. :D). So I decided to give it a change, and boy was I glad I did!

Cyndrarae explores the romantic relationship between Damon and Tony and the father/son relationship between Gibbs and Tony with deftness and insight. Her Tony characterization is out of this world. His insecurity in regards to his relationship with Gibbs was painfully portrayed in canon and is now explored even more in Cyndrarae's capable writer's hands. Throw in Damon, a mini!Gibbs if you will, and the relationship dynamics is wretched up a few notches. And despite all the painful tugs of that relationship being worked out, there's the developing attraction to a man Tony never would have thought of. All together, this fic was a fascinating exploration of the relationships in Tony's life. A wonderful fic to spend a few hours with.

Wrong at the Top of my Voice

Fandom:LIFE ON MARS
Pairing: Gen
Length: 10,200
Author on LJ: jean_geanie
Author Website: Fic Index
Why this must be read:
Do you love Litton? If so, the author's summary says it all: Sam and Litton held hostage together, a pair of shoes, an old book. This fic really feels like it could have been an episode of the show, as I believe several reviewers mentioned. It includes a snarky Phyllis, Chris and Ray playing pranks on Litton, some angst, lovely Sam and Gene banter and a restrained version of protective!Gene. Litton also, as a review on the fic states, actually seems like "a real person" in this and it's lovely to see.
( excerpt )

History Repeating

Fandom: FC BARCELONA
Pairing: Lionel Messi/David Villa
Length: 13400 words
Author on LJ: brojan
Author Website: fic list
Why this must be read:

ENTOURAGE AU. I'll admit I was a little skeptical at first because… Leo Messi, movie star? But it works. It works so well. And the literal entourage of side-characters is brilliantly cast. I don't always go for AUs of Barça because there's such a rich history of character interactions in canon already, but for this fic I don't mind.

the bigger picture

Fandom: FC BARCELONA
Characters: Pep Guardiola, Johan Cruyff
Length: 5716 words
Author on LJ: weightedpass
Author Website: fic list
Why this must be read:

Sooner or later you've got to start learning how things got to be the way they are. This is the story of the current Barcelona coach, Pep Guardiola, when he was a very young player, and his coach, the infamous and inimitable Johan Cruyff. Cruyff is tough to write, but there's nobody better qualified to try than stickmarionette.

The Road to Ithaca

Fandom: FC BARCELONA
Characters: Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi
Length: 7276 words
Author on LJ: greenpixiehair
Author Website: none
Why this must be read:

If you want to get your heart broken by a piece of fanfiction, read this story. I bawled my eyes out and I'm not ashamed to admit that. The story of Le petit prince maps terrifyingly well onto Leo Messi, and if you've ever read the end of Le petit prince… yeah. SOBBING LIKE A CHILD.

(full disclosure, I beta'd this.)

[petit prince]

Fandom: The Magnificent Seven
Pairing: None
Length: 368
Author on LJ: randi2204
Author Website: randi2204 on AO3
Why this must be read: Because this story is the start of a fantastic AU--The Steampunk Seven--with Josiah as our resident preacher-gone-scientist and JD as his reluctant assistant who is ever in danger of being blown up. All of the stories are self contained though some do link to others and there are some wonderful mechanical objects best served in this western genre. And the town itself is a lovely setting for all things that go boom in the night.

The church rattled day and night, but the town was a fair bit brighter in the evenings, JD had to admit that. Whatever it was in the bell jar that made the sparks, it lit up the whole town.

Shoveling Coal on AO3

Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: Anakin/Padmé gen
Length: ~1350 words
Author on LJ: leia_naberrie
Author Website: FFN profile, TFN profile
Why this must be read:

One of the things the character of Padmé Amidala has been criticized for, and not unreasonably so, is her glossing over Anakin's slaughter of the Tusken Raiders with a "to be angry is to be human." This missing-scene fic presents a slightly different interpretation and shows Padmé not only accepting, but actively justifying the mass murder to a depressed Anakin after the battle of Geonosis. She would actually have a pretty good argument too, if it weren't for the fact that he killed the innocent along with the guilty: it led me to consider certain points of view I hadn't thought of before, even while demonstrating how easily intelligent people can deceive themselves. A story that vaguely resembles hurt/comfort on the surface, but with dark undertones of the tragedy to come.

Absolution

Fandom: DOCTOR WHO
Pairing: River Song/Eleventh Doctor
Length: 11.8k
Author on LJ: cinderbella333
Author Website: Masterlist

Why this must be read: Really, he should have expected this. Not the sex - Well, yes, that too- but the fact that the Shah of the Seven Sands was River Song. Oh. My. God. This is perhaps the best PWP fic I've ever read for this fandom, but calling it a PWP is a serious disservice to the fic. The voices. I cannot get over how many different layers of both the Doctor and River this author nails, and how it works flawlessly. Just READ THIS FIC. It is scorchingly hot, but more than that, it explores the nuances of River/Doctor to perfection. I think I'll never read a smut fic for these two that will ever come close to this one. And let's be real: everybody can just tell from their onscreen dynamic that River and the Doctor have hot kinky sex. I mean, c'mon, handcuffs.

Living Legend

( Snippet )

Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalski
Length: 12,743 words
Author on LJ: on DW
Author Website: Fic on AO3
Why this must be read:  Because it's 12,000-plus words of melt-your-brain, sex!pollen HOT. Do you need another reason?

Of course, this is a Helens78 story, so it's more than just about the sex. She makes you feel for Fraser, as he's struggling with this all-consuming, even painful need, matched only by his anguish and embarrassment over being so out-of-control. And she perfectly captures the Ray's POV and inner conflict of wanting to help Fraser get through this, not wanting to take advantage of him, and just plain wanting him. And yes, it's hot, but also sweet and angsty.

( A preview... )

What's A Good Friend To Do is on AO3, and please don't forget to leave feedback for the author.

Fandom: DOCTOR WHO
Pairing: Martha Jones/Doctor
Length: 13k
Author on LJ: yahtzee63
Author Website: Author Website

Why this must be read: The Master's paradox machine proves to have been a bad influence on the TARDIS, and the Doctor's sure Martha is the only one who can help him set it to rights. I wasn't even a fan of this pairing, but I liked some of the author's other works so I gave it a go, and man. It's made me a believer of the pairing. Set after the S3 new series ender, "Last of the Time Lords, this fic is such a wonderfully gorgeous piece with a great take on the Doctor's relationship with Martha, and the plot is awesome too.

Dreaming in Metaphors