I’ve spent a lot of time at the Pit and elsewhere (mainly LiveJournal) lately reading stories from various fandoms.  Mixed among all the crap (which will soon see its own entry) there are some really great stories.  Below are five of my recent favorites.

Beyond Good and Evil: An in-progress story set (mostly) after the events of Final Fantasy VII.  The pairing of Reno and Tifa is very well-done and believable. Contains spoilers for various parts of the Compilation, especially Advent Children. [Final Fantasy VII Compilation]

Dumbledore’s Army and The Year of Darkness: An epic story about Neville and the rest of the D.A. during Year 7.  Spoilers for Deathly Hallows.  Focuses mainly on “minor” characters.  [Harry Potter]

Durc: The story of the Clan of the Cave Bear after Ayla’s departure.  Extremely long and detailed. Almost feels like it was written by Auel herself.  Spoilers for most of the series.  [Earth's Children]

Sowing the SeeDs: Set several years before the events of Final Fantasy VIII.  Told mainly from Xu’s perspective.  An example of original characters being done well. [Final Fantasy VIII]

Where Your Book Begins: “High school is over. As they enter a new stage in their lives, the girls will discover joy, sorrow, betrayal, love, and strength as they have never experienced it before. They’ll soon discover what they need to survive is love and faith in each other.” A bit much on the tragedy, but definitely still worth reading. [Babysitters Club]