Fandom: STAR WARS
Pairing: Anakin/Obi-Wan
Length: ~3k words
Author on LJ: spartan_117
Author Website: Some stories I enjoyed: Nothing But You, A Lesson In Control, Anakin's Revenge, and One Step Closer. Others are here on ewan_hayden's archive. Also, more links here.
Why this must be read:

Because there is a genre 'angsty sexy fluff' and this author writes it well, with not only Obi-Wan and Anakin, but Quinlan, too. It's Rest Day and time for a light, romantic read: Obi-Wan takes control, dumbfounding Anakin. Also, this is a hangover!story, and it is Sunday morning, well-known for hangovers.

Surprises

Hello! I'll be driving the anime/manga crack van for November, for the Death Note fandom again. I started a little later than I anticipated, but I've been waiting for this opportunity for months and I've got a long list ready to go... the list is actually long enough that it needs some unfortunate pruning to fit within the crack_van requirements, but I'm working on that task too.

If you're unfamiliar with the Death Note franchise, please take a peek at my nearly spoiler-free overview posted on crack_van last March. Death Note is the kind of spoiler-laden, plotty, heart-pounding, suspenseful series where at least the first half of the canon is certainly required reading/viewing before diving into the realm of fan fiction, or else you'll spoil yourself tremendously and also won't understand a great number of the references typically found in the fanfics.

My first rec is quite appropriate for the Halloween season, and I truly wish I had been able to get it posted on November 1st, closer to Halloween. Oh, well, it isn't Thanksgiving yet, so carry on with the Halloween celebrations...

Fandom: DEATH NOTE
Pairing: L/Light
Length: ~8000
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: DeviantArt | Fanfiction.Net | Whisper Fiction | FictionPress.com
Why this must be read:

Do ghosts exist in the Death Note universe? The manga is silent on the matter, the canon author (Tsugumi Ohba) has explicitly stated that death in Death Note is final, and the anime hints at the existence of ghosts without making it official. This fanfic presumes that ghosts do exist, and that Light Yagami, as an extraordinary murderer, would likely become haunted. The Haunting is poetic, spooky, romantic and a character study. Light's obsession deepens and his mind slowly unravels as a very amorous ghost comes to visit him frequently. The writing style is haunting, and the ending is deeply satisfying.

The Haunting

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: none
Length: medium
Author on LJ: not known
Author Website: HERE
Why this must be read: Because it deals with the aftermath of the Gillian episode? What if Hutch really hurt Starsky when he had hit him in one of the most beautiful scenes in the entire show? What if he hurt him permanently?

( I just want to see him... )

Line of Duty by Theresa K.

I just realized I neglected to introduce myself last week, so hi! I'm stars_inthe_sky (you can also find me on Tumblr). I've driven vans for Buffy, Firefly, and Broadway musicals in the past, and now I'm back for a spin in the world of Panem. I'm mostly a fan of canon and canon-compliant pairings and stories, so prepare for a lot of, er, Peeniss (worst/best portmanteau ever...) and pre-Mockingjay epilogue stories, as well as a few intriguing AUs (one of which I've already recced)!

Now let the games begin!

Fandom: THE HUNGER GAMES
Pairing: Katniss/Peeta
Length: ~5k words
Author on LJ: spanglemaker9
Author Website: Twitter  | AO3 | Tumblr

Why this must be read: "The End is the Beginning" is another entry into the Mockingjay epilogue accordion folder, and it's one where the author does an excellent job of capturing Katniss's tell-don't-show voice in the books. Your mileage may vary on the literary value, but there's no doubt that this reads like a condensed chapter left out of the end of the trilogy. It's also noteworthy for treating our heroes like the adolescents they still are--barely eighteen when the story ends--and incorporating all of the angst and uncertainty and sharpened worldviews of the age.

( Each time I have a moment of clarity, I feel a little bad about not trying harder to be present. But not bad enough to actually be present. The absence is easier, so I am absent. )

The End is the Beginning