First a big hello, I'm a brand new reccer here at epic-recs and I'm super excited to be here. I hope you'll find something new and awesome to read in the recs I give. ~rak

Title: Learning the Language
Fandom: Star Trek Deep Space Nine
Pairing: Garak/Bashir
Categories: romance, humour, post canon
Length: Medium (13.5K)
Warnings: brief descriptions of medical trauma (he *is* a Doctor in a warzone)

Author on LJ: n/a
Author Website: at ao3

Author's Summary: Julian Bashir joins the post-war effort on Cardassia Prime because it seems like the most obvious thing to do: No planet is worse off after the war, he's a doctor, and they don't have enough of those. He's learning the language, because that's what you do when you're living somewhere for an indefinite amount of time. But he soon realizes that language isn't just about vocabulary and grammar, and learns a few things about his own past along the way.

Review: My absolute favourite setting for G/B fics is stories set post-series with Bashir finding himself drawn to Cardassia. And 'Learning the Language' is without a doubt, the best this scenario has ever produced.

Told from Bashir's POV it has him in that adorably-unawares state we love him in. He loves living on Cardassia and is planning on staying indefinitely, but he's avoiding thinking about the real reason he's there: Garak obviously. Garak for his part shines as the current leader of Cardassia, finally able to help his people in the way he's always wanted. They are both disgustingly in character (no small feat with these two men) and their interactions spark with unspoken love and lust, every touch and gaze written to perfection through Allemande's gorgeous writing. Cardassia itself comes to life, with Allemande describing enough details to paint a picture, but there's so much space between her words, letting your mind fill it in and it really helps make Cardassia feel like a real place in your mind.

Plus, it has the most beautiful 'getting together-we-realize-we-love-each-other' moment I've ever read in GB fanfic (if not one of all fanfic I've read).

The story does have two followup sequels; the second, Facing the Past, is adorable and definitely worth a read. The third is enjoyable, but lacks the depth and beauty of 'Learning the Language'. But go read this one, it's so fabulous; I've reread it several times and each time it's delightful.


Learning the Language

Apologies again for late posting; Wednesdays have not been kind to me lately.

Title: Strange and Distant Shores
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space 9
Pairing: Elim Garak/Julian Bashir
Categories: Romance, Interviews, Post-Canon, Yuletide
Length: Medium (6,839 words)
Warnings: n/a

Author on LJ: gryvon
Author Website: gryvon on AO3, Gryvon on ff.net

Summary:
In 2398, reporter Felix Marian interviews Chairman Garak and Ambassador Bashir about the formation of the Cardassian Democratic Union and ends up learning more about Cardassia than he intended.

Review:
Set far after the series ended, the story alternates between interviews with Garak and Julian talking about working on Cardassia after the war and telling how they met again and finally got together. I really enjoyed the outsider perspective in the interview scenes, and they perfectly frame the flash backs scenes of both Julian and Garak of their early romance. Garak is working on rebuilding his home planet, while Julian has quit Starfleet ("In retrospect, he shouldn't have called the Rear Admiral a xenophobic asshole.") and has come to Cardassia to where the need for doctors is the greatest.

Garak and Julian are so very themselves, their character voices and reactions are pitch-perfect. The bits of Cardassian culture are fun and surprising, and the original character is well done. A great story that shows the beginnings AND future of their relationship, in a completely believable way.

( Click here to read an excerpt. )

Strange and Distant Shores

Title: Cultural Miscues.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Garak/Bashir.
Categories: Romance.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: regann
Author Website: n/a

Author's Summary:
"Gilora Rejal continues to make the wrong assumptions about Humans and their relationships -- with more than a little help from Garak on the subject of a certain doctor." Coda to the episode "Destiny".

Review:
After her disappointment regarding Chief O'Brienn, Gilora Rejal thinks her luck might change when she meets Doctor Bashir. The station's tailor, however, might have something to say about that.

I love when authors really take the time to see things from the perspective of the alien culture they are writing and step back from the "default" Federation mindset to present us with something interesting and unique. Regann does this wonderfully here, interlacing hints we have gotten about Cardassians from canon to form a plausible and intricate cultural background to serve as the backbone of her plot. Garak is his usual charming and utterly Cardassian self and Julian manages to use that to his advantage beautifully. All in all, this is an extremely charming G/B fic.

Cultural Miscues.

Title: Cultural Miscues.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Garak/Bashir.
Categories: Romance.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: regann
Author Website: n/a

Author's Summary:
"Gilora Rejal continues to make the wrong assumptions about Humans and their relationships -- with more than a little help from Garak on the subject of a certain doctor." Coda to the episode "Destiny".

Review:
After her disappointment regarding Chief O'Brienn, Gilora Rejal thinks her luck might change when she meets Doctor Bashir. The station's tailor, however, might have something to say about that.

I love when authors really take the time to see things from the perspective of the alien culture they are writing and step back from the "default" Federation mindset to present us with something interesting and unique. Regann does this wonderfully here, interlacing hints we have gotten about Cardassians from canon to form a plausible and intricate cultural background to serve as the backbone of her plot. Garak is his usual charming and utterly Cardassian self and Julian manages to use that to his advantage beautifully. All in all, this is an extremely charming G/B fic.

Cultural Miscues.

Title: Cultural Miscues.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Garak/Bashir.
Categories: Romance.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: regann
Author Website: n/a

Author's Summary:
"Gilora Rejal continues to make the wrong assumptions about Humans and their relationships -- with more than a little help from Garak on the subject of a certain doctor." Coda to the episode "Destiny".

Review:
After her disappointment regarding Chief O'Brienn, Gilora Rejal thinks her luck might change when she meets Doctor Bashir. The station's tailor, however, might have something to say about that.

I love when authors really take the time to see things from the perspective of the alien culture they are writing and step back from the "default" Federation mindset to present us with something interesting and unique. Regann does this wonderfully here, interlacing hints we have gotten about Cardassians from canon to form a plausible and intricate cultural background to serve as the backbone of her plot. Garak is his usual charming and utterly Cardassian self and Julian manages to use that to his advantage beautifully. All in all, this is an extremely charming G/B fic.

Cultural Miscues.

Title: Cultural Miscues.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Garak/Bashir.
Categories: Romance.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: regann
Author Website: n/a

Author's Summary:
"Gilora Rejal continues to make the wrong assumptions about Humans and their relationships -- with more than a little help from Garak on the subject of a certain doctor." Coda to the episode "Destiny".

Review:
After her disappointment regarding Chief O'Brienn, Gilora Rejal thinks her luck might change when she meets Doctor Bashir. The station's tailor, however, might have something to say about that.

I love when authors really take the time to see things from the perspective of the alien culture they are writing and step back from the "default" Federation mindset to present us with something interesting and unique. Regann does this wonderfully here, interlacing hints we have gotten about Cardassians from canon to form a plausible and intricate cultural background to serve as the backbone of her plot. Garak is his usual charming and utterly Cardassian self and Julian manages to use that to his advantage beautifully. All in all, this is an extremely charming G/B fic.

Cultural Miscues.

Title: Cultural Miscues.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Garak/Bashir.
Categories: Romance.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: regann
Author Website: n/a

Author's Summary:
"Gilora Rejal continues to make the wrong assumptions about Humans and their relationships -- with more than a little help from Garak on the subject of a certain doctor." Coda to the episode "Destiny".

Review:
After her disappointment regarding Chief O'Brienn, Gilora Rejal thinks her luck might change when she meets Doctor Bashir. The station's tailor, however, might have something to say about that.

I love when authors really take the time to see things from the perspective of the alien culture they are writing and step back from the "default" Federation mindset to present us with something interesting and unique. Regann does this wonderfully here, interlacing hints we have gotten about Cardassians from canon to form a plausible and intricate cultural background to serve as the backbone of her plot. Garak is his usual charming and utterly Cardassian self and Julian manages to use that to his advantage beautifully. All in all, this is an extremely charming G/B fic.

Cultural Miscues.

Title: Cultural Miscues.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Garak/Bashir.
Categories: Romance.
Length: Medium.
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: regann
Author Website: n/a

Author's Summary:
"Gilora Rejal continues to make the wrong assumptions about Humans and their relationships -- with more than a little help from Garak on the subject of a certain doctor." Coda to the episode "Destiny".

Review:
After her disappointment regarding Chief O'Brienn, Gilora Rejal thinks her luck might change when she meets Doctor Bashir. The station's tailor, however, might have something to say about that.

I love when authors really take the time to see things from the perspective of the alien culture they are writing and step back from the "default" Federation mindset to present us with something interesting and unique. Regann does this wonderfully here, interlacing hints we have gotten about Cardassians from canon to form a plausible and intricate cultural background to serve as the backbone of her plot. Garak is his usual charming and utterly Cardassian self and Julian manages to use that to his advantage beautifully. All in all, this is an extremely charming G/B fic.

Cultural Miscues.

Apologies for missing my rec last week - moving did not go as smoothly as I expected and I had no internet connection.

Title: Opacity of Paradise.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Elim Garak/Julian Bashir.
Categories: Romance, Marriage of Convenience.
Length: Medium (~10,000 words).
Warnings: Mentions canon character death and claustrophobia.

Author on LJ: thehoyden
Author Website: The Hoyden @ AO3

Review:
After the events of "In Purgatory's Shadow"/"By Inferno's Light," Garak and Bashir decide to take their relationship to the next level and enter a Cardassian partnership to mutually safeguard their secrets and assuage their loneliness.

"In Purgatory" and "By Inferno" were two of my favorite DS9 episodes and I loved to see how a Garak/Bashir relationship might evolve from there. Many plot points which are more or less ignored on the show (such as the significance of Julian knowing Garak's deepest secrets and a logical explanation for why Julian would submit to Zimmerman's extensive inquires to produce the LMH when he has much to hide) are neatly tied together in the carefully unfolding plot.But interesting as some of the plot points are, it's The Hoyden's perfect portrayal of both Julian - with his anxieties and fears - and Garak - with his protectiveness and secrets - that make me really love this fic.

Opacity of Paradise
@LJ
@ AO3

Apologies for missing my rec last week - moving did not go as smoothly as I expected and I had no internet connection.

Title: Opacity of Paradise.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Elim Garak/Julian Bashir.
Categories: Romance, Marriage of Convenience.
Length: Medium (~10,000 words).
Warnings: Mentions canon character death and claustrophobia.

Author on LJ: thehoyden
Author Website: The Hoyden @ AO3

Review:
After the events of "In Purgatory's Shadow"/"By Inferno's Light," Garak and Bashir decide to take their relationship to the next level and enter a Cardassian partnership to mutually safeguard their secrets and assuage their loneliness.

"In Purgatory" and "By Inferno" were two of my favorite DS9 episodes and I loved to see how a Garak/Bashir relationship might evolve from there. Many plot points which are more or less ignored on the show (such as the significance of Julian knowing Garak's deepest secrets and a logical explanation for why Julian would submit to Zimmerman's extensive inquires to produce the LMH when he has much to hide) are neatly tied together in the carefully unfolding plot.But interesting as some of the plot points are, it's The Hoyden's perfect portrayal of both Julian - with his anxieties and fears - and Garak - with his protectiveness and secrets - that make me really love this fic.

Opacity of Paradise
@LJ
@ AO3

Apologies for missing my rec last week - moving did not go as smoothly as I expected and I had no internet connection.

Title: Opacity of Paradise.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Elim Garak/Julian Bashir.
Categories: Romance, Marriage of Convenience.
Length: Medium (~10,000 words).
Warnings: Mentions canon character death and claustrophobia.

Author on LJ: thehoyden
Author Website: The Hoyden @ AO3

Review:
After the events of "In Purgatory's Shadow"/"By Inferno's Light," Garak and Bashir decide to take their relationship to the next level and enter a Cardassian partnership to mutually safeguard their secrets and assuage their loneliness.

"In Purgatory" and "By Inferno" were two of my favorite DS9 episodes and I loved to see how a Garak/Bashir relationship might evolve from there. Many plot points which are more or less ignored on the show (such as the significance of Julian knowing Garak's deepest secrets and a logical explanation for why Julian would submit to Zimmerman's extensive inquires to produce the LMH when he has much to hide) are neatly tied together in the carefully unfolding plot.But interesting as some of the plot points are, it's The Hoyden's perfect portrayal of both Julian - with his anxieties and fears - and Garak - with his protectiveness and secrets - that make me really love this fic.

Opacity of Paradise
@LJ
@ AO3

Apologies for missing my rec last week - moving did not go as smoothly as I expected and I had no internet connection.

Title: Opacity of Paradise.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Elim Garak/Julian Bashir.
Categories: Romance, Marriage of Convenience.
Length: Medium (~10,000 words).
Warnings: Mentions canon character death and claustrophobia.

Author on LJ: thehoyden
Author Website: The Hoyden @ AO3

Review:
After the events of "In Purgatory's Shadow"/"By Inferno's Light," Garak and Bashir decide to take their relationship to the next level and enter a Cardassian partnership to mutually safeguard their secrets and assuage their loneliness.

"In Purgatory" and "By Inferno" were two of my favorite DS9 episodes and I loved to see how a Garak/Bashir relationship might evolve from there. Many plot points which are more or less ignored on the show (such as the significance of Julian knowing Garak's deepest secrets and a logical explanation for why Julian would submit to Zimmerman's extensive inquires to produce the LMH when he has much to hide) are neatly tied together in the carefully unfolding plot.But interesting as some of the plot points are, it's The Hoyden's perfect portrayal of both Julian - with his anxieties and fears - and Garak - with his protectiveness and secrets - that make me really love this fic.

Opacity of Paradise
@LJ
@ AO3

Apologies for missing my rec last week - moving did not go as smoothly as I expected and I had no internet connection.

Title: Opacity of Paradise.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Elim Garak/Julian Bashir.
Categories: Romance, Marriage of Convenience.
Length: Medium (~10,000 words).
Warnings: Mentions canon character death and claustrophobia.

Author on LJ: thehoyden
Author Website: The Hoyden @ AO3

Review:
After the events of "In Purgatory's Shadow"/"By Inferno's Light," Garak and Bashir decide to take their relationship to the next level and enter a Cardassian partnership to mutually safeguard their secrets and assuage their loneliness.

"In Purgatory" and "By Inferno" were two of my favorite DS9 episodes and I loved to see how a Garak/Bashir relationship might evolve from there. Many plot points which are more or less ignored on the show (such as the significance of Julian knowing Garak's deepest secrets and a logical explanation for why Julian would submit to Zimmerman's extensive inquires to produce the LMH when he has much to hide) are neatly tied together in the carefully unfolding plot.But interesting as some of the plot points are, it's The Hoyden's perfect portrayal of both Julian - with his anxieties and fears - and Garak - with his protectiveness and secrets - that make me really love this fic.

Opacity of Paradise
@LJ
@ AO3

Apologies for missing my rec last week - moving did not go as smoothly as I expected and I had no internet connection.

Title: Opacity of Paradise.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Elim Garak/Julian Bashir.
Categories: Romance, Marriage of Convenience.
Length: Medium (~10,000 words).
Warnings: Mentions canon character death and claustrophobia.

Author on LJ: thehoyden
Author Website: The Hoyden @ AO3

Review:
After the events of "In Purgatory's Shadow"/"By Inferno's Light," Garak and Bashir decide to take their relationship to the next level and enter a Cardassian partnership to mutually safeguard their secrets and assuage their loneliness.

"In Purgatory" and "By Inferno" were two of my favorite DS9 episodes and I loved to see how a Garak/Bashir relationship might evolve from there. Many plot points which are more or less ignored on the show (such as the significance of Julian knowing Garak's deepest secrets and a logical explanation for why Julian would submit to Zimmerman's extensive inquires to produce the LMH when he has much to hide) are neatly tied together in the carefully unfolding plot.But interesting as some of the plot points are, it's The Hoyden's perfect portrayal of both Julian - with his anxieties and fears - and Garak - with his protectiveness and secrets - that make me really love this fic.

Opacity of Paradise
@LJ
@ AO3

Title: A Civil Death.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Garak/Bashir.
Categories: Post-Canon, Romance.
Length: Long (13,932 words).
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: regann
Author Website: Regann @ FF.net

Review:
A year after Garak left DS9, Bashir is reunited with him when the ship carrying the Cardassian stops at the station due to a small medical emergency. Their joyful reunion is marred by an assassination plot that doesn't seem to make much sense, but that only seems to make them more aware than ever that they've already wasted too much time dancing around their feelings for each other.

Though the action/mystery bit of the story's plot has an interesting twist, everything in "A Civil Death" is secondary to the relationship between Garak and Bashir. Regann nails the characters and their interactions perfectly - (most of) the flirty banter wouldn't be out of place in a regular episode of the show - making for a great read for fans of the pairing.

A Civil Death
@ FF.net
@ LJ (pt. 1) (pt. 2)

Title: A Civil Death.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Garak/Bashir.
Categories: Post-Canon, Romance.
Length: Long (13,932 words).
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: regann
Author Website: Regann @ FF.net

Review:
A year after Garak left DS9, Bashir is reunited with him when the ship carrying the Cardassian stops at the station due to a small medical emergency. Their joyful reunion is marred by an assassination plot that doesn't seem to make much sense, but that only seems to make them more aware than ever that they've already wasted too much time dancing around their feelings for each other.

Though the action/mystery bit of the story's plot has an interesting twist, everything in "A Civil Death" is secondary to the relationship between Garak and Bashir. Regann nails the characters and their interactions perfectly - (most of) the flirty banter wouldn't be out of place in a regular episode of the show - making for a great read for fans of the pairing.

A Civil Death
@ FF.net
@ LJ (pt. 1) (pt. 2)

Title: A Civil Death.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Garak/Bashir.
Categories: Post-Canon, Romance.
Length: Long (13,932 words).
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: regann
Author Website: Regann @ FF.net

Review:
A year after Garak left DS9, Bashir is reunited with him when the ship carrying the Cardassian stops at the station due to a small medical emergency. Their joyful reunion is marred by an assassination plot that doesn't seem to make much sense, but that only seems to make them more aware than ever that they've already wasted too much time dancing around their feelings for each other.

Though the action/mystery bit of the story's plot has an interesting twist, everything in "A Civil Death" is secondary to the relationship between Garak and Bashir. Regann nails the characters and their interactions perfectly - (most of) the flirty banter wouldn't be out of place in a regular episode of the show - making for a great read for fans of the pairing.

A Civil Death
@ FF.net
@ LJ (pt. 1) (pt. 2)

Title: A Civil Death.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Garak/Bashir.
Categories: Post-Canon, Romance.
Length: Long (13,932 words).
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: regann
Author Website: Regann @ FF.net

Review:
A year after Garak left DS9, Bashir is reunited with him when the ship carrying the Cardassian stops at the station due to a small medical emergency. Their joyful reunion is marred by an assassination plot that doesn't seem to make much sense, but that only seems to make them more aware than ever that they've already wasted too much time dancing around their feelings for each other.

Though the action/mystery bit of the story's plot has an interesting twist, everything in "A Civil Death" is secondary to the relationship between Garak and Bashir. Regann nails the characters and their interactions perfectly - (most of) the flirty banter wouldn't be out of place in a regular episode of the show - making for a great read for fans of the pairing.

A Civil Death
@ FF.net
@ LJ (pt. 1) (pt. 2)

Title: A Civil Death.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Garak/Bashir.
Categories: Post-Canon, Romance.
Length: Long (13,932 words).
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: regann
Author Website: Regann @ FF.net

Review:
A year after Garak left DS9, Bashir is reunited with him when the ship carrying the Cardassian stops at the station due to a small medical emergency. Their joyful reunion is marred by an assassination plot that doesn't seem to make much sense, but that only seems to make them more aware than ever that they've already wasted too much time dancing around their feelings for each other.

Though the action/mystery bit of the story's plot has an interesting twist, everything in "A Civil Death" is secondary to the relationship between Garak and Bashir. Regann nails the characters and their interactions perfectly - (most of) the flirty banter wouldn't be out of place in a regular episode of the show - making for a great read for fans of the pairing.

A Civil Death
@ FF.net
@ LJ (pt. 1) (pt. 2)

Title: A Civil Death.
Fandom: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
Pairing: Garak/Bashir.
Categories: Post-Canon, Romance.
Length: Long (13,932 words).
Warnings: None.

Author on LJ: regann
Author Website: Regann @ FF.net

Review:
A year after Garak left DS9, Bashir is reunited with him when the ship carrying the Cardassian stops at the station due to a small medical emergency. Their joyful reunion is marred by an assassination plot that doesn't seem to make much sense, but that only seems to make them more aware than ever that they've already wasted too much time dancing around their feelings for each other.

Though the action/mystery bit of the story's plot has an interesting twist, everything in "A Civil Death" is secondary to the relationship between Garak and Bashir. Regann nails the characters and their interactions perfectly - (most of) the flirty banter wouldn't be out of place in a regular episode of the show - making for a great read for fans of the pairing.

A Civil Death
@ FF.net
@ LJ (pt. 1) (pt. 2)