Sorry this is a day late, I had some business to take care of in Oyster Bay.
Vidder: LithiumDoll
Musical Artist: Scala
Length: 3:54
Author on LJ:halcyon_shift
Author Website: AO3, YouTube
Why this must be read:This vid is just beautiful. It ranks as one of my all time favourite fanvids. It is heartbreaking and uplifting in equal measure. The last minute in particular is a lesson in fanvid editing for storytelling and emotion.

I'll Be Watching You by LithiumDoll

Fandom: STAR WARS
Characters: Anakin, Obi-Wan, mentions of Padmé
Length: 408 words
Author on LJ: crazytenor
Author Website: FFN Profile
Why this must be read:

The yearning on either Anakin's side or Obi-Wan's side for the other is a finely delineated element in the best romantic stories featuring the two. Replace the 'or' in the previous sentence with an 'and' and the story ends happily, leave it in and the story simply ends. This author writes a fine WIP, too, but Wait is a free-verse sort of piece that paints a definite picture.

Wait

Vidder: wolfsoda
Musical Artist: "Anything You Can Do," as sung by Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton from "Annie Get Your Gun"
Length: 2:59
Vidder on LJ: Unknown
Vidder Website: Unknown
Why this vid must be viewed: The vidder has a lot of delightful entries in this fandom, but I love this one--the timing and cuts are perfect (check out the clip paired with "I can shoot a sparrow/with a bow and arrow") and the song choice is delightful, especially given its context in "Annie Get Your Gun"!

Fandom: HAVEN
Pairing: Audrey / Duke
Length: 2580
Author on LJ:crickets
Author Website:
Why this must be read:
In Haven, it kind of goes without saying that if you believe in the troubles you believe in magic.

But that's the thing.

It goes without saying.

For all the stubbornness and obstinacies Duke brings with him in his character, it means there’s a whole lot of unwavering determination and the ability to hope. Something like fate or destiny is never going to get its grip while Duke’s around, and for Audrey in season 3, that’s something to gravitate towards. Written before the season 3 finale.

pound your stake into the ground

Fandom: TORCHWOOD
Pairing: Gen (Background Jack/Ianto)
Length: 11k+ (and the coda's 1200~)
Author on LJ:amand_r
Author Website: (or a link to where more of their fic is archived)
Why this must be read:
Ianto Jones is a good housemate.

I haven't read Torchwood fic in years, but I realized I hadn't done a Torchwood-only rec this month, so here's one done from an outsider-pov (a favourite trope of mine when done well). The main fic goes through seasons 1+2 (and the coda is post COE).

The main character's an OC who's Ianto's flatmate and who doesn't originally know about Torchwood. So we get glimpses of Ianto's timeline through the first 2 seasons through a filter of someone who doesn't get all the implications of Ianto's random statements or the magnitude of the danger and drama at Ianto's workplace. The relationship between the OC and Ianto is one of casual flatmate-friends so we get a great picture of who Ianto might be outside of work as well as see how Torchwood events effect and shape Ianto over the course of the seasons.

Most of the fic is the OC's interactions with Ianto (or brief moments with Owen or Jack) and he has just enough of his own background to make him feel like he could be a real character. Plus, it provides an interesting look at what a civilian might make of a world where they slowly become exposed to the existence of Torchwood.

To Let

Fandom: MERLIN
Pairing: Arthur/Merlin
Length: 54k+
Author on LJ: kianspo
Author Website: AO3
Why this must be read:
The one in which Arthur works in finances and his suits are various (two) shades of grey, Merlin works in advertisement and has no boundaries whatsoever, Morgana drinks rum, Mithian stages a coup, Agravaine is aggravating, and Elena's house is amazing. Also, Andy Warhol is mentioned in vain, and Arthur and Merlin fall in love in Victorian era style.

This fic does what modern day AU’s bring to character development and does it well. Arthur’s leading what appears to be a stable life, if an utterly lonely empty one. And he doesn't entirely realize it until Merlin waltzes into it- a friend of Morgana's who needs a place to stay for awhile and becomes Arthur's flatmate- and brings a whole lot of colour and magic (the creative real world kind) with him.

Arthur has to slowly realize who he is as a person underneath all that repressed work ethic, and Merlin's getting over something in his own past, but when they're together, it always seems like a case of 'the sum is greater than the parts' on display.

A Change of Pace

Fandom: HAVEN
Pairing: Gen
Length: 4732
Author on LJ:
Author Website: AO3
Why this must be read:
No one in Haven forgets anything, but they don’t remember anything either.

There are magical cookies. And characters waking up suddenly attached at the shoulder.
This is a fluffy case-fic with some fun interaction between the main trio. It showcases what the lighthearted side of Haven could be like and Audrey saves the day (or at least comes up with the solution) like the boss she is.

Some Days are Cookies, Some Days are a Monkey on Your Head