Vidder: Mette
Musical artist: Trading Yesterday
Pairing: AJ/Brian
Vidder on LJ: bubbleforest
Vidder's website: http://yours-completely.org/ or, better updated, her YouTube account.
Why this vid kicks ass: You're very hard pressed to find decent vidders in the popslash community (we're mostly a fanfic/graphics based fandom), especially ones that are active in the fandom. Hence why Mette is getting vid rec'd in back to back months (but she totally deserves it!). I had my pick, pretty much, of any of her videos (except "Till Death Do Us Part," which was rec'd last month), so why this one?

It's the only pairing vid she's done for this fandom, and while I love gen vids, pairing based vids are my cup of tea because I love seeing how others interpret the subtext in the same videos I've been watching (that, and I'm sucker for romance!). (Oh, and I don't know how awkward it would be to rec a Backstreet video set to a Backstreet song XD)

This is a rare rec for me for two reasons: It breaks up my OTP (which you wouldn't realize was rare as I've only rec'd my OTP once this month), but it also leaves Nick out of the equation (I'm a Nick girl through and through), but the quality of the video is amazing (well, as amazing as you can get with some of the source material we have at our disposal). It also clearly conveys what it set out to do: Tell the story of two young men who can't live without each other.

"Come Back To Me"

Vidder: Mary Van Deusen
Musical artist: Cat Stevens
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Vidder on LJ:maidavids
Vidder's website: Starsky and Hutch Literary Song Videos
Why this vid kicks ass:

This vid led me into Starsky & Hutch fandom, and ultimately into becoming a vidder myself. I'd watched reruns of the show when I was around twelve years old, pretty much the year after the series ended, during the boring summer of 1980. I had a very, very hard crush on Starsky, and who was this Hutch guy? Still, their interactions made me love them - they were tough men who had no problems with touching and comforting each other. My little romantic heart was truly filled.

Flash forward to fall, 2006. I'd seen a few vids at a couple of cons and was curious about them, so added vidding to my flist, and maidavids had been posting up many of her old vcr-to-vcr vids in several fandoms as she had made them available online for downloading. Out of pure nostalgia, I clicked on one of the S&H ones, probably Oh Very Young, and was hooked, but it was this vid that reminded me of the love between those two guys and made me want more of the S&H fandom.

Mary is one of the early, classic vidders, and her style is of course representative of the vcr-to-vcr vidding days, so if you're looking for flash and effects, you won't find it here, but you will find a sweet, solid vid about how much these two fellas truly love each other.

How Can I Tell You (download only)

Vidder: KJ@SVALA
Musical artist: Bon Jovi
Pairing: Gen
Vidder on LJ: unknown
Vidder's website: Stargate SG-1 Music Videos
Why this vid kicks ass:
Because watching this video reminds me of some of the reasons why I love Cam so very much: he's a dork, he feels everything deeply; his heart is huuuge, he's so damn earnest, he can still feel awe, he just wants to be 'team', he's funny or at least thinks he is, he can't stay down because he doesn't know how, he hides behind the superficial southern good ole boy he projects, and he's gorgeous with the prettiest blue eyes. I think the song really embodies his philosophy. He does live his life like it's now or never; he wants to grab life by the throat and just live.
On the technical side (which I know nothing about) I love the way the clips echo the music, how they flow into each other, and where they resonate with the lyrics. I especially love how she paired the clips with shout it loud (I remember that scene which makes this so funny) stood their ground which totally chokes me up knowing what happens to them, going to live forever with the downed 302 which breaks my heart. And you do not know how much I love the Tommy and Gina bit. As you can tell, I watched this vid many, many, many times. Maaany times. I enjoyed watching each time. I have to admit there were a couple of times, I got tears in my eyes. Well, okay, more than a couple. A few.

And the Jack/Daniel friendship vid A Friend To Me on this site is beautiful

Vidder: CausticQuery
Musical artist: The Fray
Pairing: Leroy Jethro Gibbs/Donald 'Ducky' Mallard
Vidder on LJ: causticquery
Vidder's website: Gibbs/Ducky Archive

Why this vid kicks ass:

After my shock rec of yesterday, we return to something more 'usual for Nikki' for vid rec day.

Caz is one of the many multi-talented NCIS fen; she writes, makes wallpapers and other graphics and songvids. The quality of this video isn't the best (in Caz's own words ' YouTube has murdered it) and yet actually the 'murdering' rather that detracting from the video has in many ways enhanced the subject matter and adds to the poignancy of it.

Gibbs/Ducky fen are often saying that so much of the relationship we see is shown to us in looks, in the lack of personal space (the beginning of S4 aside), the touches and the overall interaction - but all that can be seen as the deep, close friendship we all (Gibbs/Ducky and non-Gibbs/Ducky fen alike) see and know they have. This video looks at that and how that was threatened at the end of S3 and the beginning of S4.

As with all of Caz's videos the choice of video shot and the lyrics tie in perfectly and captivate from beginning to end. It's moving, poignant and it works so very well.

And even if you aren't a Gibbs/Ducky fan, this video can be enjoyed as a deep, close friendship video - because all it consists of is what we see on the screen week in week out.

How To Save A Life

Vidder: pipsqueaky
Musical artist: Martina McBride
Pairing: Hint of Willow/Tara, but mostly a gen Tara character vid
Vidder on LJ: pipsqueaky
Vidder's website: Pipsqueak's Music Videos
Why this vid kicks ass: This is only Tara vid I've ever liked. It captures the self-confidence that Tara gained from becoming one of the Scoobies--and, consequently, what was lost with her death. (Although, I'm not about to start a banner-war over it.)

Happy Girl

Vidder: Alyona/ReaSilvia
Musical artist: Britney Spears
Pairing: No pairing. Snape and...J.K.Rowling.
Vidder on LJ: rea_silva
Vidder's website: her veoh account and her youtube account
Why this vid kicks ass: Okay, can I just assume that everybody reading this is aware of Snape's fate in the final HP book? ( in case you don't, click here for a spoiler ) Now, I know my view of his fate isn't shared by everybody - not even all Snape fans - but I'm fairly certain that I'm not alone in wishing that Snape's story had a different ending (my own personal wish would have been for him to just disappear into the shadows, with neither side knowing for sure where he'd gone).

When OotP came out, JKR said that when she wrote the end of Sirius's life, she cried. I'd wager (although not with money, mind you) that she felt no similar grief when it came to Snape. This vid - sentimental, but never cloying or cliched - is for anybody who harbors a secret (and possibly irrational *g*) belief that Snape warranted at least a "sorry."

Watch "Everytime"

Vidder:Myascarlet
Musical artist(s): Ewan McGregor and Susan Lynch
Pairing: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Padmé Amidala Skywalker
Vidder on LJ: mya_scarlet
Vidder's Website: YouTube Account
Why this vid must be watched:

The pairing of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padmé Amidala goes as far back as The Phantom Menace, when two beauties onscreen together ought to have had ... something. But the storyline did not go that way, so Obidala was born. Padmé wed Anakin in mya_scarlet's version of events, but survived childbirth to hide with Leia on Alderaan. As the summary states, "... This is Padmé's soothing song to a battle-worn and broken-hearted Obi-Wan as they part for the final time. Alone in his desert hut, Obi-Wan hears her voice and remembers how they used to sing together, and Padmé discovers he's not quite as far away as she thinks." I liked especially the chance to hear McGregor's impressive baritenor blend with Lynch's sweet voice in song, and the scene in the Map Room. The stars were kinder in this version of Revenge of the Sith.

Ae Fond Kiss

Fandom: Sapphire and Steel
Pairing: None
Length: 836
Author on LJ: mab_browne
Author Website: http://mab.slashzone.org/
Why this must be read: What exactly happens to the people effected by the Break after Sapphire and Steel leave? This fic answers that question for Rob, the main kid in Assignment #1. The author paints a vivid picture of a life forever changed by two winter days and how that is concluded by a visit from Sapphire.

( snip snip )

Left Behind

Fandom: THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Slash
Length: 5400 words
Author on LJ: ladyra
Author's Website: Visions of Pretty Boys

Why this must be read:
Lady Ra, also know as RAC, is one of my favorite authors because of the way she writes great stories about the developing relationship between the partners, interspersed with a hearty dose of humor.

In this story, Illya is mad at himself not only for hiding his desire for Napoleon but also for pushing him into a female's arms. Then he gets sent on an uncover mission as a fortune teller and is surprised to have Napoleon enter the tent to have his palm read. Illya realizes Napoleon doesn't recognize him and takes advantage of the opportunity to plant some ideas in his partner's mind.

( Read an excerpt )

The Heart Line Affair

Vidder: Rhianne
Musical artist: The Hoodoo Gurus
Pairing: Jim/Blair
Vidder on LJ: rhianne
Vidder's Website: Hidden Muse
Why this vid kicks ass:

I'm tempted to say, "Because it's a vid I won in the Moonridge 2007 auction." But the truth is, that while I had thought that the lyrics and the style of this song fit Blair and his relationship with Jim perfectly, it's Rhianne's brilliant vidding that really brings it to life and makes it work so well. She chooses such terrific clips and edits them together so skillfully that you'd think the Hoodoo Gurus had Blair in mind when they were writing the song.

Like Wow, Wipeout

Fandom: HARRY POTTER
Pairing: Snape/Hermione
Length: 148,000 words
Author on LJ: bloodcult
Author Website: Her Website
Why this must be read: In 2004, the "Marriage Law Challenge" (MLC) was issued on WIKTT, the main Snape/Hermione mailing list. Love it or hate it, this challenge turned out to be one of the most popular ever issued for this pairing and has resulted in a huge number of stories. One of the basic elements of this challenge is the requirement that Severus and Hermione must marry as a result of a law instituted to counter-act the falling birth rates of pureblood unions, and this is where "Tyger! Tyger!" begins.

As this pre-HBP, novel-length story opens, we see the final defeat of the Dark Lord, but other dangers remain in the wizarding world, and Hermione Granger - still officially a Hogwarts student - is at particular risk. For a variety of reasons, marriage to Severus Snape seems to be the best way to protect her - and Snape agrees to the marriage with exactly the kind of grace and willingness you'd expect....

( A small taste of 'Tyger! Tyger!' )

Surprisingly, this most-unlikely marriage works far better than anyone could imagine - and watching not only the unfolding of Severus and Hermione's relationship, but also the way their family takes shape over the years (children and grandchildren appear in their turn) and the way their public and private lives intertwine - is a pleasure from beginning to end.

Note: I said above that this story was written before HBP, and that means, of course, that a number of the things we've since learned about the characters aren't taken into consideration. To begin with (and leaving aside all questions of Horcruxes and Hallows), Dumbledore is very much alive in this story. And this Snape is a pureblood Snape (for you who are new to the fandom, Pureblood!Snape was, for years, the rule and not the exception in fanfic), who comes complete with all the usual pureblood prejudices and with Snape Manor. I can only ask you to ignore that, because this Snape is also one of the most canonical Snapes I've ever read: petty and immature and short-tempered, but also loyal and brave and brilliant. And while he has little patience with almost everybody - Wizard or Muggle - his feelings for Hermione are...well, you're just going to have to find out for yourself, aren't you?

Read "Tyger! Tyger!"