Fandom: Merlin
Pairing: Merlin/Arthur
Length: 13,358
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Asymptotic to season 1 canon; after that, it's a total AU.
Author on LJ: mad_maudlin
Author Website:
Summary: It wasn't all that unusual for people to hide their daemons; Merlin, however, seems to be taking it a little too far.

Why this must be read: Mad_maudlin seamlessly includes daemons into the world of Merlin, using one of the rules of daemons incredibly well. Only magic-users have bird daemons, and of course since magic is outlawed in Camelot, Merlin is forced to keep his daemon out of sight. This leads to Arthur becoming increasingly desperate to know exactly what Merlin's daemon is, which gives us a fic that's incredibly fulfilling to read.

Each character's daemon is well chosen and the human-daemon interactions are fantastic, especially between Arthur and his own daemon. The plot is well-paced; it had me enthralled from beginning to end. I specifically found Arthur's curiousity over Merlin's daemon to be a great focus. It really showcased just how much Arthur wants to be close to Merlin, to know the kind of man Merlin is. Arthur's frustration at not knowing is my favorite part of this story--a great example of the desire to know another person intimately even when it seems impossible.

A Study in Natural Philosophy on LJ, on DW, and on AO3

Fandom: STAR WARS: THE PHANTOM MENACE
Pairing: Qui-Gon Jinn/Obi-Wan Kenobi
Length: Essay
Author on LJ: randomalia
Author Website: NA
Why this must be read: This is a love story within an essay;
beautiful and subtle, it captures the essence of the Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan
relationship and why they remain an enduring OTP. A must read for any Q/O fan.


It begins with trust. The trust between a Jedi Master and their
apprentice must be absolute, undying, unbreakable. It is the foundation of a
hard life, one dedicated to service and peace. They must be able to rely on
one another for anything, for everything. It ends with love, held deep and
secret in an Order that forbids it.


I Have a Good
Feeling About This

Fandom: Animorphs
Pairing: Gen
Length: 8,858
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: spoilers for the entire series (including canonical child abuse & neglect)
Author on LJ:
Author Website: Bird of Poetry on FFN & Poetry on AO3
Summary: They can't tell you their real names, or their daemons' names. The Yeerks are everywhere. But they're going to fight back.

Why this must be read: Animorphs already has a premise of humans with unique relationships to animals, so adding in daemons is a natural progression. This fic is written in first person with a narrative voice that is very similar to the original books (simple and emotional), which keeps everyone IC. It's also gen, and while normally I dislike gen fics, the lack of romance allows the story to expand on how daemons fit into the world. It's worth noting that this is one of, if not THE, longest and most followed fics in Animorphs fandom.

This fic fits seamlessly into the Animorphs storyline. I usually shy away from retellings, but this felt like revisiting a childhood friend. This might be the only rec I have this month that doesn't require you to know the source material. All the info about Yeerks is presented clearly, so anyone can simply dive right in.

Make a Little Birdhouse in Your Soul on FFN and on AO3

Note: This fic is the first in an ongoing WIP that's now over 100K long, and for the most part is a retelling of canon. I'm only reccing the first part because my interest faded around part 7 (due to lack of pairings), but if you're curious the entire series can be found here on both FFN & AO3. Here's the AO3 page: Daemorphing