BtVS/Ats fic recs

[lunabee34]

I've been doing a lot of reading lately, so here it is:

The Big Damn Rec List




In the Bleak Midwinter by Annakovsky. PG-13, no warnings, gen really although tangentially Dawn/Xander "Welcome to earth, Jesus," Dawn says as she straightens up, almost to herself. "It's cold and hard and violent, and you don't have a nose anymore. And it's not like it's going to get any better from here on out, because it's going to be all pain and loss and failure, believe me. But you supposedly created it, so I guess it's your fault anyway. Merry fucking Christmas." You know how you wish you'd written something? How you scrunch up your eyes and ball your fists and wish with all your might for it to be so? Yup.


The Weary World Rejoicing by Annakovsky PG; Xander-centric gen. This is a slice of post-apocalyptic distopia, my fave (wait for it, grad students....) mode. *g* This is a beautiful portrait of hope, and a lovely Christmas story to boot.


The Rapturous End by Annakovsky PG; Xander and Buffy gen. Somewhere over the Mediterranean, out of nowhere, the plane hits an air pocket or something and must drop 20 feet. People are screaming. The guy who had been standing in line for the bathroom flies up and hits the ceiling. Xander looks like he's going to puke. And then the plane stabilizes. No more turbulence. Nothing. Just that drop, that bang, and then everything back to normal. When the pilot finally comes on the loudspeaker to reassure them, he sounds confused and a little shaken. The next day, Xander will show Buffy the finger-shaped bruises on his arm from where she grabbed him. The world is ending; sensing a theme here, people? *g*



Big Rock Candy Mountain by Basingstoke NC-17; Andrew-centric This is very well done, I think. It goes AU, pretty much from season 1. It contains a very complex and IC vamped!Andrew. This is a heart-rending fic, and one I very much enjoyed reading.


Four Seasons Beyond Armageddon by Internationalprincess Hard R maybe; Giles/Buffy She'll wash her hair with some sort of purple shower gel, one of a collection of bottles Faith dumps out of her rucksack one night telling her that they both need to "quit smelling like fucking death." She will think that they've both fucked death at one time or another, but she won't say it. As it is, there'll be a rusty tide mark around the tub (blood, dirt, possibly actual rust), so she'll figure Faith isn't far from wrong.


Carpentry by Newhepcat G; Xander-centric He breathes in the fragrance of wood. Some part of him, he thinks, knew he'd found his calling back in shop class when he learned that this scent spoke to some quiet place deep inside him. Strange how the wood doesn't release its richest perfume unless you torture it. Cut it down, cut it up, kill the living thing to create something.

Rough Replacements by unwinding Hard R maybe; Buffy/Giles He has no reply for the things she says. He looks at her again and sees her shoulder, sees the arc of her neck. He leans into her, thinks about circles in circles and her hands are in his hair. He may be crying as she whispers to him, "You don't understand why you're alive, Giles." "I'm alive because of you," he says and it's an accusation. "And I know that people shouldn't always be thanked for keeping others alive." She kisses him, on the lips. "It doesn't get easier, being here. But you care less, after a while." What happens when the world ends for real?



Hmmm....that turned out not quite so big. LOL

Comments

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

I really like the Buffy/Giles relationship; I haven't read too many fics that explore it beyond the ones I've recced here and your own "Supplemental Guide to the . . . " which is fabulous. What I like most about that piece is this: "Just used to think it was gross. Giles and -- Giles, with somebody. Like against nature or something." Oz tilts his head the other way and touches her neck. She freezes, but all he says is, "Hair." "Thanks. I don't think that any more -- about Giles. And nature. I didn't mean it like that, I meant --" She wants to shrug again, but Oz's fingers are still resting lightly on her neck. "*Anyway*. It's still kind of freaky. Like -- like, he's *mine*." Stupid. "Sound like a brat. Sorry." So, so so much in those few sentences about Giles's place in Buffy's life. I've also read doyle_sb4's Once, He Remembered, All was Singing : http://www.livejournal.com/users/doyle_sb4/368927.html which reads like a prose poem.

I'm just sorta discovering the het and gen. When I first got into fandom, I only read slash, but for the last few months, since March, say, I've begun reading other categories, mostly as a consequence of running club_joss. If you've got any must-read Buffy/Giles suggestions, they wouldn't go unappreciated. :)

[gloss]

Like -- like, he's *mine*.
Oh, wow, thank you. *pets Buffy* I'm really glad that worked for you, because that whole section was the first part I wrote, the part that I wanted to build the story around. I *love* Doyle's piece, too. The woman is too damn good.

I'm just sorta discovering the het and gen.
I know what you mean - I'm still working my way through uncharted territory here and finding some great stuff. In terms of B/G, I also like glimmergirl's drabbles - she does some fantastic stuff with achey!longing!Giles. Like this. She did one post-Prom, s3, that I'm searching for - it was *amazing* - but her memories are a good place to start. Other than Glim and august, I can't think of other B/G writers I trust that much - I have Issues with the 'shippers and the prevailing schmoopiness.

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the recs!