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My Big Damn Buffyverse Recs List, part II
For notes, see part I
"Ishmael Sings of the White Whale" by Lizbeth Marcs
http://www.livejournal.com/users/liz_marcs/22333.html
Spoilers: 'Not Fade Away'
Rating: R
Characters: Faith, Wesley, Angel.
Notes: LJ fic, complete, 26.000 words
The author paints a picture of the world after 'Not Fade Away', and
it ain't pretty. A story about vengeance and obsession, treachery and
loyalty... and the big picture. How does one fight the good fight?
===============================================
"See How They Run" by Doyle
http://www.primalglyph.lunarpages.com/angelbod/archives/spr04/doyle.html
Spoilers: AtS S4 Habeas Corpses/Calvary, Season 5
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Lindsey, Lilah, Eve
Length: 8.100 words
Anyone else think that the Lindsey arc in S5 didn't make a whole lot
of sense? Turns out that's because this bit of story never got aired.
Doyle takes a couple of dangling plotthreads, weaves them into a nice
fabric and uses that to stuff a few gaping plotholes. And voilà,
suddenly a lot of things make a whole lotta more sense. Even Eve. I
found myself liking her, and might just view the character with
different eyes when rewatching the season.
Doyle writes, "The original intent was for this to (mostly) mesh with
canon," and boy, mission accomplished. It doesn't just mesh, it's
like a missing ingredient that completes canon. Very neat.
===============================================
"Spring Thaw" by Mer
http://www.primalglyph.lunarpages.com/angelbod/archives/spr04/mer.html
Spoilers: Through 'Damage'
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Angel/Spike
Length: short
An interesting story full of bizarre imagery - which makes it a
perfect follow-up to Soul Purpose/Damage. It captures the mood well,
I think. Thightly written; h/c with a definite twist that takes it
beyond all cliché. Great Spike voice in particular, both in
dialogue and narrator's voice.
===============================================
Title: Summerbreeze
Author: Doyle
http://www.livejournal.com/users/doyle_sb4/227721.html
Pairing: Angel/Spike
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: 'Not Fade Away'
Length: short
Two vampires and a shanshu...
For me, this hits just the right note between light and dark (It
reminds me a bit of MaybeA's 'Paris by Night' that way). It's
unpretentious yet with a depths of characterization, and the last
line really hits home.
===============================================
"Big Exit" by Amerella
http://www.geocities.com/without_gravity/bigexit.html
Spoilers: AtS S5 Finale
Rating: NC-17
Summary: After the battle the survivors try to deal. Set post-Not
Fade Away
Length: 3.200 words
Again, one of those fics I find hard to describe, because it's all
about the tone of the story, the emotions... the characterization is
bleak, so bleak, and so real. No happy endings or easy fixes, and as
much as I like a happy ending, this is better. Beautiful.
===============================================
"In The Alley: How It All Comes Down" by Nyxie
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1876657/1/
Spoilers: Not Fade Away
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A lot can happen in thirteen minutes.
I've (procrastinated) spent all week hunting down post-finale fics,
and this is one of my favourites so far. What goes on in everyone's
head in that alley? Excellent characterization, it captures the feel
of the episode and doesn't take away from the poignancy of the ending.
There's also another version of this story, a series of drabbles
posted to the open_on_sunday livejournal community
(http://www.livejournal.com/community/open_on_sunday/). I like the
long version better, but you might wanna check out the community -
this week's challenge was 'endings', I believe, and there're plenty
of post-finale drabbles. I'm not much for drabbles usually (it's like
reading the first page of a fascinating book only to find that the
other 233 pages are missing ;o) ) but I found most of those I read
very interesting.
===============================================
"Gotham City" by Doyle
http://www.livejournal.com/users/doyle_sb4/214703.html
Spoilers: AtS s5 'Origin'
Rating: PG
Notes: short, LJ fic, written for the Gwenficathon
Another unconventional pairing, and again Doyle gets the characters
just right, with all the little details that make them come to life.
Seeing them arguing over comic book trivia... they just click. I
would love to see where this goes from here (though not necessarily
in a shippy way).
===============================================
"Your Horoscope For Today" by Anna S.
http://www.drizzle.com/~eliade/xs_spander_inquisition.html
Spoilers: season 5 Buffy
Rating: R-NC17
Length: 18.000 words
Spike and Xander, bonding. (If you want to know what exactly happens,
go read the story for I am not good with summaries.) Excellent
diaglogue, very funny at times. At one point or two I thought the
story was taking shortcuts, but all in all I found the way the
relationship developed very convincing. I just wish Anna S. would
decide to write Angelfic for a change, but you can't have everything.
===============================================
"The Watcher Chronicles" by Doyle
http://www.livejournal.com/users/doyle_sb4/206821.html
Spoilers: AtS s5 'Damage'
Rating: PG-13
Length: 2.000 words
Notes: LJ fic. Come to think of it, I can't recall when I've last
recommended somthing outside of LJ... huh.
"There was that thing that people said, about everything having a
silver lining. They'd lost Dana, and everybody thought they were
evil, and Buffy didn't trust him any more, but – at least
Andrew was
gone."
This is a delightful fic, chockfull of quotable lines and geeky
goodness, with perfect Andrew voice.
===============================================
Title: If That Mockingbird Won't Sing
Author: Doyle
Link: http://www.livejournal.com/users/doyle_sb4/192812.html
Spoilers: 'The Wish'
Rating: PG-13
Notes: Livejournal fic, complete, 1,500 words
Summary: Hush and don't tell, because this is a secret of Drusilla's:
she has always wanted a little girl.
An unconventional pairing, creepy and convincing - so convincing you
don't doubt for a second that this is what happened.
===============================================
Title: "Big Rock Candy Mountain" by Basingstoke
Link: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/25/bigrock.html
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: References to BtVS s1-5
Length: 364K / 63.500 words (novel)
Summary: Five things that never happened to Andrew Wells.
It's past 5am and I'm still wide awake - well, awake anyway - because
I've been reading this story all day and simply couldn't it down
until the end.
This must be one of the most convincing, consistent and original AU
fics I've read. It has the most amazing Andrew characterization,
great dialogue all around, and also tackles an interesting question
raised by the show itself. Basingstoke retells the show, integrating
the verse we know with a new, original story arc. The story is long,
but never drags. It's hard to put down. Can't recommend this enough.
===============================================
"Manus" by Kita
Link: http://www.livejournal.com/users/kita0610/117849.html
Spoilers: BtVS s7 'Chosen'; AtS s5 'Soul Purpose', 'Damage'
Rating: PG-13
Length: 4.500 words
Notes: Livejournal fic, complete. Even if you don't like LJ, go read
it anyway :)
Dark and beautiful. Kita captures the essence of Angel in the
relationships with those who matter to him the most. I can't really
describe it, best read for yourselves.
===============================================
No Title yet
Author: Julie Fortune
Link: http://www.livejournal.com/users/starlet2367/72173.html
Spoilers: AtS s5 'You're Welcome'
Rating: I'd say R at the very most.
Notes: Livejournal fic
Length: 7,400 words
A wonderful post-ep fic that leaves me wanting more. As perfect as
they get.
===============================================
A story co-written by two of my favourite writers - that's like
chrismas come early (or, well, late). :o)
Title: Ghost of a Chance
Author: Little Heaven and Starlet2367
http://www.littleheaven.dbfandom.com/ghost1.html
Spoilers: 'To Shanshu in LA'
Rating: R
Length: 31.000 words (that comes to 31 pages at 9p)
Category: Action/adventure
Summary: When Cordelia arrives home from hospital to find an evil
presence manifesting her building, the gang's attempts to rescue
Dennis from its clutches throw her recuperation into chaos.
This is a wonderfullly funny, sparkly fic, sad and bittersweet on
occasion, full of warmth (for lack of a better description). I just
love stories with adventure plots, but I love them even more when
that plot ties in with the characters' emotions. And I think it does
that in a subtle way. Love the subtext in the end.
Perfect characterization all around, including a character who's
almost never the focus of attention. The dialogue flows smoothly. And
I say it's hard to find anyone who does better Cordy-speak than
Starlet and Little Heaven. It could come right from the show.
Actually, it's not just Cordy's lines... everyone sounds just right.
(In light of all this recent debate regarding stylistic nitpicks...
no clunky diaglogue or grammatical caprioles to be found here; the
inner nitpick shut up for once and simply enjoyed the story along
with me.)
===============================================
Title: "The Snow Queen" by Doyle
http://www.livejournal.com/users/doyle_sb4/174791.html
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: none, Timeline: early S2, after First Impressions.
Length: 13,600 words
Notes: LJ link, complete, written for The Angel Book of Days: Winter
Another trip down memory lane... :o). This is a well-written
adventure plotfic that fits neatly into canon, foreshadowing
included. It reads very much like an episode (my favourite). There's
a well thought-out plot, the dialogue is top-notch - both Cordy and
Gunn sound just like themselves - and I love this story for the
countless witty details. The Cordelia in this story kicks ass but
isn't the infallible superhuman one occasionally encounters in fanfic.
By the way, the story comes with a ship label, but I'd say there's
only minimal shippage, it's pretty much genfic. Bonus features:
guest appearances by some old aquaintances.
===============================================
Chapter 8 of Roseveare's Birthdayverse series is up:
http://www.geocities.com/roseveare/inertia/8comradesinarms.html
And it occured to me that this excellent series has never been
officially recced:
Title: "Two Years in the Life", Book One: Inertia
Author: Roseveare
Link: http://www.geocities.com/roseveare/inertia/1stilllife.html
Spoilers: AtS s3 'Birthday'
Rating: R
Length: 61,500 words, WIP
Author's summary: Wesley Wyndham-Pryce from 'Parting Gifts'
in 'Birthday's' other universe.
Written from Wes's PoV, this series brings the Birthdayverse to life.
Roseveare's descriptions evoke images of dark and gritty LA streets.
The original character she introduces is about as un-MarySuish as
they get. All the characters are spot-on, with the focus clearly on
Wesley. Some great character development as we see him deal with the
loss of his arm, and change from the naive rogue demon hunter we saw
in 'Parting Gifts'. We continue to see glimpses of Angel and Kate as
they cross paths with Wes and Costas, and I constantly hope we'll get
to know more about those two in future chapters (quite tantalizing,
if you happen to be a fan of both characters...).
Anyway, aside from the great characterization, there're also some
good old-fashioned action plots, which are for some reason not that
easy to find in fanfic. Any story that has them actually go out and
slay a demon or two gets a plus in my book, seriously. They are out
there, helping the hopeless... but they're no shiny heroes, they're
damaged people, all of them. I highly recommend this series. Can't
wait to see where it'll go.
By the way, I still keep looking for those slash elements Roseveare
keeps mentioning, but I can't find them. Honestly, at the moment
you'll see more subtext on the show (but then, I haven't read
chapters 6 and 7 yet, a fact I will rectify today.) But anyway, one
of the things I like about this story is that it's not complety ship-
focused and takes its time letting the relationship develop.
===============================================
This is an untitled story on LJ.
Author: Doyle
Link: http://www.livejournal.com/users/doyle_sb4/166244.html
Spoilers: nope, a few vague allusions to s7
Rating: PG?
Length: 1,219 words
I guess the closest thing to an author's summary would be: "And then
I wrote Buffy/Connor human AU :facepalms:" ;o)
Okay, so this has not title. It's on livejournal. It's human AU. And
it's hilarious! What is more, this is one of those human AU stories
that actually make sense instead of causing the reader's brain to
implode.
===============================================
Title: Kindreds
http://www.dbfandom.com/kindreds.htm
Author: Psychofilly
Spoilers: AU after 'Couplet'/'As You Were'
Rating: NC17
Length: 65,736 words
Summary: Spike always had been a sucker for a pretty face.
Let there be more C/A... although this is not exactly your standard
C/A fic. With Spike in the mix, the character dynamics become rather
complex.
I have to say that most of the time three-way pairings have me run
screaming, or at least go 'huh?' Not here. I found this story
immensely entertaining (it's always a good sign when you check the
printout and sigh happily upon seeing you're only halfway through).
Good plot, interesting character interaction, action and humour,
angst aplenty, well-defined characters... I thought Angel was pretty
much spot on.
(I might argue about Spike, but when isn't that the case. Not
that I think he's OoC, it's just that the story focuses on one aspect
of his personality... which works well within this story, however,
and is founded in canon so it comes down to personal likes and
dislikes.)
===============================================
Title: "Gore-met"
Author: Jennifer-Oksana
Link: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/23/goremet.html
Spoilers: some general early AtS s5
Rating: PG-13
Length: 1,114 words
Summary: Harmony's got a craving.
Harmony muses. Another funny, fluffy fic - and I mean that in the
best possible way. If you think JennyO got Lilah's voice down, go
read her Harm! I could practically hear her voice while reading.
===============================================
Title: "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Sex Poodles"
No, really.
Author: Doyle
Link: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/23/sevenhabits.html
Spoilers: None
Rating: R
Length: 2,613 words
Summary: It's a very ordinary summer. Xander doesn't mind so much.
Very funny, very witty, spot-on Xander voice. And there's the title...
===============================================
"Dear to Us" by Glossolalia
http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/22/dearto.html
Spoilers: AtS s5 through 'Destiny', BtVS s7
Rating: PG
Length: 4,000 words
Summary: Friendship's something bizarre and grown-up for these two.
If Buffy and Angel were ever to meet on the show again, I hope it
would go somewhat like this - true to the characters and their
history, beautiful and bittersweet. B/A like this? Any time.
===============================================
Oh, oh, I found another season fic. Just saw this rec'ced on LJ:
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" by swmbo and wisteria
http://www.livejournal.com/users/wisteria_/272668.html
Spoilers: BtVS through 'Chosen', AtS s5 through 'Destiny'
Rating: PG?
Length: 2,837 words
How each character spends Christmas Eve.
I love everything about this story... it's just the right mixture of
melancholy and humour. If you're not in a holiday mood already, this
really could do the trick. Love the structure, the
characterization... and the way the chapter headlines just fit.
===============================================
Title: "Pieces of Now" by Regala Electra
Link: http://www.livejournal.com/users/regala_electra/30505.html
Spoilers: 'Home', 'Chosen'
Rating: PG-13
Length: 3,615 words
Summary: It is not kismet, fate, or destiny. It is not expected and
not surprising. His heart doesn't skip a beat.
A quiet character study, kind of philosophical. I like how the author
deals with the B/A relationship and its meaning for Angel.
===============================================
TITLE: "And So This Is Christmas" by Yseult [locked LJ post, sorry]
LINK: http://www.livejournal.com/users/yseultdb/72738.html?#cutid1
SPOILERS: AtS season 4/5
RATING: PG
LENGTH: 600 words
SUMMARY: It's Christmas Eve in Cordelia's hospital room.
Another christmas fic... bitter-sweet, with perfect Cordy voice. I
loved it.
===============================================
Title: "Coincidence of Memory"
Author: Lar
Link: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/21/coincidenceof.html
Spoilers: AtS S5 up to and including "Destiny", speculation beyond
Rating: R
Length: 5,636 words
First off, I wouldn't consider this a complete story as it has no
ending; it's more of a beginning. Missing scenes, in a way, taking
place between 'Home' and 'Destiny'. And as such, it's damned
intriguing. Some very interesting speculation based on the ending
of 'Destiny' (keeping it vague to avoid using spoiler space). And the
Connor part of the story is just as fascinating.
I just wish there was more. I wonder if there's any chance this is a
WIP or a series.
===============================================
TITLE: "Dead Man's Rope"
AUTHOR: starlet
LINK: http://www.rebel-rebel.net/starlet/dead_mans_rope1.htm
SPOILERS: AtS s5 thru 'Hellbound'
RATING: R
LENGTH: 53.000 words
CATEGORY: Plotfic (sidenote: some people like to scroll ahead to the
end of a story before reading it... not a good idea with this story.
Bad, bad, bad idea ;o).)
SUMMARY: A spell is cast. But will it hold?
I'd say this is a little different from Starlet's other stories,
though it's hard to put my finger on it - it's darker, for once.
Bolder, maybe. Written with the usual excellence... sound
characterization and that attention to detail that makes her writing
so lively and realistic, and simply a pleasure to read.
The plot is complex, (did I mention you shouldn't peek at the
ending?) emotionally engaging, honest and beyond clichés or easy
fix-ups... It's the story of Cordy reclaiming her life, the one we're not
gonna get from the powers that be. Though Cordy is the focus here,
the rest of the gang and their conflicts after 'Home' are dealt with
as well. We see many old faces as well as a handful of new ones. And
with David Nabbit, Starlet took a supporting character whom I
personally found mostly annoying (or written in an annoying way,
ymmv), and made him not only an integral part of the story, but a
fleshed-out character I can feel with.
I recommend a few hours of uninterrupted reading time for this fic
because it's not that easy to put down. I didn't take kindly to
blaring TVs or attempts at communication while reading it.
===============================================
TITLE: "Parallel Lives"
AUTHOR: Roseveare
LINK: http://www.geocities.com/roseveare/parallel.html
SPOILERS: End AtS season 4.
RATING: PG.
LENGTH: 6,250 words
AUTHOR'S SUMMARY: "Look, kid, do you want to save the world or not?"
So your dad's a vampire, your foster-mum's in a different dimension,
and you're living in a world where somebody did a Sam Beckett on the
timeline. It's tough being a Teenage Champion of the Light.
I love stories that don't tell everything right away... that keep a
level of curiosity right to the end. There's plenty of good dialogue,
too, and an interesting plot. It was a lot of fun reading. Plus, it's
featuring Connor, which is always a plus in my book. :)
===============================================
Title: "Don't Fear the Reaper"
Author: Mab
http://s8219.net/bbfarchive/archive/1/dontfear.html
Spoilers: None
Rating: NC-17
Author's Summary:Angel gets a first-hand look at getting old and
doesn't like what he sees. At all.
Length: 4,290 words
Not a happy story; you've been warned. After all, this was written as
part of a Halloween challenge. It's gory, and sad, and I found it
very powerful... this one stayed with me all day.
===============================================
Found a new writer! :o)
I searched the messages backwards and forwards, but didn't see this
author mentioned. So far I've read a couple of her stories, and liked
everything. All of her fics are archived here:
http://knightsfanfic.kabeka.com/
A few examples:
Title: "Face Your Demons"
Author: Katriena Knights
Spoilers: Early s3, pre-Connor
Rating: PG-13
7,400 words
Author's Summary: Angel and Cordy face their inner demons in the
course of investigating the nature of a mysterious box.
Solid writing, the dialogue rings true. Good Cordy characterization
(story's written from her POV).
***
Title: "Who Needs Sleep"
Spoilers: None, s2 post-Epiphany, pre-Disharmony
Rating: PG-13
2,097 words
Author's Summary: Angel's return to the AI fold creates an unexpected
problem--insomnia.
This one I've actually been meaning to rec for a while. It's fluffy,
yeah, but not the sirupy, pointless kind of fluff. This is well-
written fluff, which is not easy to find. (Really, I was in a fluffy
mood last week and waded through megabytes of badfic without finding
anything good.) This short fic offers a nice, understated look at the
post-Epiphany Angel/Cordy relationship (a non-shippy look).
***
"Something Real"
Spoilers: AtS ss4 Apocalypse, Nowish, beginning of Habeas Corpses,
Rating: PG-13
1,950 words
Angel's thoughts after AN. Again, I like the characterization. And
the ending.
===============================================
Title: "Legend"
Author: Marcus L. Rowland
http://s8219.net/bbfarchive/archive/1/legend.html
Spoilers: All of BtVS, AtS s4 thru 'Home'
Rating: PG?
Length: 3,630 words
Author's Summary: This is a BtVS futurefic; what will the world make
of the destruction of Sunnydale, and who's going to tell the tale..?
I like the format; the whole story is told through a series of
critical reviews and the author matches the reviewer's lingo
perfectly - overinterpretation and all. An original and funny little
story.
===============================================
TITLE: She Dreams in Red
AUTHOR: hold_that_thought
LINK: ftp://members.aol.com/apostmodernsleaz/fic/shedreamsinred.html
RATING: R
SPOILERS: Through Angel Season 4
LENGTH: ca.1400 words
SUMMARY: Cordelia still has layers
Oh, this is good! Tightly woven, with twists and turns. So
suspenseful that my heart actually pounded by the time I finished it.
And she manages to achieve all that with just two or three pages of
story. Amazing.
===============================================
It's not fanfic, it's metafic... and funny as hell:
Title: Official Buffy & Angel Fanfiction University
Author: HonorH
http://community.livejournal.com/obafu/
Spoilers: Both shows, all seasons
Rating: Guessing PG?
Length: Long, 16 chapters so far. It works fine even as a WIP since
it's more like a series of episodes, rather than one long story.
The concept of a fanfic university isn't new. I vaguely remember DS9
having something like that, and not finding it that interesting. But
what HonorH does here is great, because it works on every level: It's
hilarious. It's got likable OCs. It pokes fun at badfic in a good-
natured, non-offensive way, which isn't all that easy. And it manages
to entertain and educate at the same time (even more difficult.)
The story's full of witty ideas and little details. There are the
legions of mini-trolls, many of whom you'll have met before (I myself
recognized Zander, Angeles and Tear :o).) There's grammar bootcamp in
the mornings ("How do you spell 'Connor'?" -- "C-o-n-n-e-r?" --
"WRONG! Drop and give me twenty!"). And don't miss Rhysdux's
hilarious "Song of the Badfic Writer". There's much, much more; but
better read for yourself.
Aside from all that, it gives some good advice on how to avoid the
cardinal sins of fanfic and improve one's writing. At first I thought
that this story, while being highly entertaining, might be the usual
case of preaching to the choir. But the response on FFN is
overwhelming and very positive, gathering from the comments I've
read. And hey, it the OBAFU keeps just one Mary-Sue from seeing the
light of day... mission accomplished.
===============================================
TITLE: Heat Stroke
AUTHOR: starlet2367
http://www.rebel-rebel.net/starlet/heat_stroke_1.htm
RATING: R
SPOILERS: Set in the summer after TSILA.
SUMMARY: "Please tell me there's a Kwik-E-Mart next door," Angel
said. Cordy slapped him on the arm. "No, dummy. There's nothing but
desert. Flat, empty, stupid desert."
When was the last time I was so involved in a fanfic I took it
everywhere I went? One that I couldn't wait to finish and at the same
time tried to read as slowly as possible so it would last longer?
Kelley has a way with descriptions and imagery which lets you
experience a story, rather than read it. Rarely do I have such clear
images in my head. The desert setting, the relentless heat, the way
the two deal with the situation they've been thrown into and are
changed by the experience - everything's written so vividly it draws
you in right away. The story is told from Cordy's POV, and Kelley is
not slipping once here... also a bit of a rarity, and very refreshing.
p.s.:Btw, I don't use ship spoilers when I can avoid it... but this
_is_ a fic about Angel and Cordy, stranded together in the middle of
nowhere. They do get a lot of screen time. If C/A is not your thing,
I'll go out on a limb and say this might not be for you. If, however,
you like C/A... what are you still doing here? Recently I've been
thinking that finding good C/A is like looking for water in the
desert... well, look no further. :o)
p.p.s.: Reading this story in the blaring sun enhances the reading
experience.
===============================================
I saw this rec'd by Psychofilly and had to rush here the second I
finished it. Because... wow!
Title: Balance
Author: Don't Make Eye Contact
Link: http://cordeliana.imjustsayin.net/archive/balance.html
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: general spoilers for much of AtS S4, specific spoilers
through Slouching Toward Bethlehem
Length: 2,573 words
"It's a story older than boy meets girl . . .
Once there was an angel . . .
Who fell. "
Spoilers for AtS from Tomorrow onward...
This is the author's take on what happened to Cordelia in the higher
realms, and it's brilliant. This story makes a lot of things appear
in a different light and make sense now, in retrospect. And the
language is beautiful, the ending moving.
===============================================
TITLE: The Understudy
AUTHOR: Roseveare
Link: http://www.geocities.com/roseveare/theunderstudy.html
RATING: PG-13
SPOILERS: Season 1, 'Bachelor Party'
Length: 23,000 words
SUMMARY: While Angel's away for Thanksgiving, Cordy and Doyle take on
a case that's a little too close to home.
I don't know about y'all, but recently I feel like all the
100-word drabbles and fic snippets I find in LJ-land have left me
with a craving... It's like I've been stuffing myself with
hors
d'oeuvres all day, and they were tasty, they were delicious, but
now I want a full dinner. So now I have this yap for good old longish
stories, episodic and with as much plot as possible... MotW,
clients/damsels/demons in distress, evil lawyers, you name it.
"The Understudy" is a trip down memory lane, back to when AI
was all about helping the hopeless. The plot is solid, there's an
actual casefile and a client, there's lots of action, and a
half-demon-in-distress. The story shows snarky Cordy, and a Doyle
who's torn between his human and demonic side; I like in
particular how the characterization is tied to the plot.
===============================================
Title: Scratch
Author: Ducks
Link: [edited] http://www.scribes.darkstarfic.com/fictionnz/scratch.htm
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to "Chosen"/"Home"
Summary: Two years after the events in "Chosen" and "Home", Buffy and
Angel are forced to team up again.
Well, I got online looking for some C/A and found this story instead.
Not exactly what I set out for, but after reading just the first
couple of lines I had I feeling I'd like it. And I was right. The
style makes it fun to read, there's good dialogue (excellent
sunnydale-speak!), there's plot... the plot is rather shippy, really,
and a bit clichéd; yet my C/A shipper's hair bristled only on one
or
two occasions, where I thought canon was unnecessarily twisted to fit
the agenda. But all the characters are treated fairly, which is the
important part.
I also liked how the story is set - very convincing speculation
based on "Chosen" and "Home" - and how Ducks keeps track of most
characters and plot threads. Not just for the B/A shipper, I'd say.
===============================================
Title: Captivate
Author: Princess Twilite
http://www.dbfandom.com/captivate.htm
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: AtS S4, Home
Lenght: 2,492 words
Summary: "The heart is so forgetful, but his remembers now why
she
had swept him off his feet such a long time ago... "
Spoilers for Home
Cordelia finally wakes up from her coma and is ready to claim back
her life.
A short but haunting coda. If The Joss can come up with a resolution
even half as meaningful, I shall be mollified. At least a little.
===============================================
Title: The Carpenter and the Wood
Author: JustHuman
Link: http://www.livejournal.com/users/justhuman/17598.html
Spoilers: none
Rating: “NC-17 seems so over the top, but just to be safe"
Word Count 1926
This story is... well, it's got what you'd call an
unconventional pairing... Xander/Mr. Pointy; what more can I say?
Xander/Mr. Pointy! And it works. Oh yeah, Andrew's in it, too.
===============================================
So. I've been sitting on this rec since December, waiting for the
fic to be archived. And now that it finally has, so much time has passed
that I can't give an accurate summary any more. Really, the only
thing I remember with clarity is that this story made me (cough) bawl
my eyes out for ten minutes straight, and that almost never happens.
Title: I'll Be Home for Christmas
Author: Niamh
http://www.dbfandom.com/i'llbehomeforchristmas.htm
Rating: R
Spoilers: AtS season 4 up to Apocalypse, Nowish; speculation based on
Spoilers for upcoming eps
It is set at some point in the future, and tells the story of what
happened after the events of Apocalypse, Nowish. Niamh has taken the
spoilers known for the upcoming eps and put a very original twist on
them. The story has since become thoroughly Jossed and is now an
interesting and angst-filled AU version of how S4 could have gone.
===============================================
So I get to be the first one to rec this?
Title: The Case of the Missing Santas
Author: Little Heaven
Link: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/17/thecase.html
Spoilers: Season 1, set between "Parting Gifts" and "Somnambulist".
Rating: G
Genre: Gen, friendship fic
Summary: Cordelia's first Christmas is LA isn't turning out the way
it was supposed to.
There are so many wonderful things to be said about this fic; where
do I start... everythings's perfect. As far as characterization
goes,
it simply doesn't get any better than this. Claire captures the
voices of our trio to the last nuance. The dialogue is not just spot-
on, there're so many quips and throwaway lines that made me laugh out
loud that if I wanted to quote my favourite lines I'd end up quoting
half the story. The plot is interesting, and, what is more, it is
really tied in with the characters's stories. This story's got heart.
If you like AtS, if you liked season one, no way you will not love
this fic. It perfectly captures the season one spirit. Not to be
missed.
===============================================
On the subject of funny fluff...
Title: Oh Jonathan!
Author: Laurie Deane
Url: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/16/ohjonathan.html
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Superstar
Length: 310 words
The pairing is what you'd call, uh, unconventional. The style may not
be as smooth and elegant as some of the other fics recced here, but
it's well written enough; and who can resist a line like this: "He
was amazing, not too tall, just how she liked her men.".
There's way too little Superstarverse fic out there.
And the last line alone is worth reading the story!
===============================================
Title: Lies
Author: The Brat Queen
http://s8219.net/bbfarchive/archive/2/lies.html
Rating: PG
Spoilers: AtS season 4 Magic Bullet
Words: ca. 1,700
Summary: "Utopia isn't the only thing that's not true."
This is very short piece, so I don't quite know what to write
without spoiling the episode. Except that I loved this fic, the
ending in particular.
What I liked most, apart from the touching final scene, was the whole
feel of this story. TBQ just got the Love & Peace vibe down. Even
though you know it's all fake, you want to believe that it's
real –
just like on the show.
===============================================
A treat for those who like genfic - here's a new story by Starlet.
Title: The Cruelest Month
Author: starlet2367
http://www.dbfandom.com/thecruelestmonth.htm
Rating: R
Spoilers: none beyond AtS late season two
Length: ca. 22,300 words
Summary:"The story of four detectives, two snitches, one candy
dispenser, and an April Fool's day that Cordelia would rather
forget."
This fic is plotty, episodic and funny. It has the great
characterization and the descriptive and witty language I've come to
expect from Starlet's stories. Set between Epiphany and Disharmony,
it nicely captures the strained relationship between Angel and the
gang, Cordelia in particular. The way he tries to get back with the
group while she gives him the cold shoulder - very much in canon. And
like I said above, it's gen; there`s no shippiness beyond season
two subtext. So even those who're not fond of C/A and have thus
missed out on Starlet's stories – go ahead and check this one
out.
===============================================
Title: As the Page Turns
Author: Evan Como
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/19029/1/
Spoilers: Takes place sometime after Hero, so none
Rating: Doesn't say, but I'd say PG-13?
Length: 10,600 words
Summary: Giles accepts Angel's invitation to LA to help him with a
project. In the meantime, Angel and Cordelia try to work through
their grief after Doyle's death.
This is a quiet story. Giles comes to LA. Books get catalogued. And
yet, somehow, a lot happens. I love the way Evan Como writes the
characters - Giles's veiled antagonism, the tense relationship
between him and Angel, Cordelia's and Angel's grief - and lets them
find some sort of peace.
===============================================
Title: Revenant
Author: Jennifer-Oksana
URL: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/15/revenant.html
Spoilers: AtS s4 Calvary
Rating: PG-13
Length: ca. 1,600 words
Summary: “It's Lilah's hotel. She earned it."
If you think that, after Calvary, Lilah's got nothing more to
say, think again. This is somehow creepy, amusing, and sentimental,
all at the same time. It's a futurefic, and I love how it tells
the story of future events, bit by bit. Most touching Lilah fic
I've read in a while.
===============================================
Yay, Inamorata wrote another story! What a great way to start the
day. I should leave the rec to someone who can do her writing
justice, but, what the heck... I wanna do it myself:
Title: Bound
Author: Inamorata
http://www.dbfandom.com/bound.htm
Rating: R
Spoilers: none
Summary: “Doyle's last vision brings Angel and Cordelia closer in
unexpected ways."
This takes place between Hero and Parting Gifts. It fits into canon
without stretching it too much and brings some sense of closure after
Hero. The story is well plotted, even if the basic idea is not
entirely new. It's the way the story plays out, the humour, the
little plot twists and the vivid descriptive that make reading it so
enjoyable. Inamorata perfectly captures the season one feeling in the
dialogues, her characterization is absolutely spot on.
Just A fun read!
===============================================
Title: Leaving Hell
Author: Vanessa Nichols
http://www.dbfandom.com/leavinghell.htm
Spoilers: none.
Rating: NC 17
Length: about 32,000 words
Vanessa Nichols is an excellent writer (“Five by Five" is
written by her as well). This story focuses solely on Cordelia and
Angel, though. So, if that pairing's not your cuppa...
The story goes AU during The Wish, which would make it, what, AU to
the second power? The premise: what if the wishverse continued to
exist after the amulet was broken? What if Cordelia and Wishverse-
Angel were the only survivors? The author takes it from there and
shows their relationship develop, very slowly, very convincingly.
It's beautifully written, well characterized, and angsty. The
story has a roadmovie-like quality. And we finally get to see more of
the wishverse outside Sunnydale.
===============================================
Sometime last year, Lakrids wrote:
> By the way
> HonorH has WIP story with bring Tara from Wishverse, that is pretty
> good. But it's a WIP and the HonorH seems a little stuck, so I
will
> not recommend it, yet.
It's been updated, so I will. I was happy to see that HonorH has
started working on this story again. It's a plot driven story with an
episodic feel to it. I find her wishverse version of Tara actually
more interesting than the original. All the characterization and
dialogue is spot on – HonorH just knows her characters.
Chapter seven has been posted to fanfic.net. It's still a WIP so
beware.
Title: Tara Incognita
Author: HonorH
Spoiler: Buffy season six
Rating: R
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/934187/1/
Summary: A portal to the wishverse brings another Tara to Sunnydale
– but she's not the only one who's crossed over.
===============================================
I'm inspired :o). Here are a few stories that I put off
rec`cing for the simple reason that they're rather shippy,
and C/A is not that much of a popular pairing here. I think
they're very well written though.
Title: The Prism Series
Author: Dazzle
Spoilers: AtS Season three
http://www.goldenmaze.com/gands/htmfiles/dazzle/dazzlefic.htm
Summary: “Light splits into a rainbow, the colors of love and
loss briefly merging then scattering again... the thoughts of Angel
and Cordelia, during a year of birth, death and change. “
I love the way Dazzle interweaves her post-ep fics with the actual
episodes. Her stories seem like missing pieces of a puzzle that fit
neatly into the season three story arc, and make it complete.
===============================================
Title: Rebel, Rebel
Author: Melissa Flores
Spoilers: Season three, Sleep Tight
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/704806/1/
Teaser: “When the Watcher's Council comes after Faith, Angel
Investigations must pull from the chaos they've become embroiled
in to save the renegade Slayer, and Wesley must face a past that has
become more haunting than ever."
It's angsty, and gripping. I always love Mistiec's take on
the relationship between Cordelia and Angel.
And she writes a great Wesley as well. If you liked ‚Running for
Our Lives`, there'a a good chance you'll love this one as
well.
===============================================
I found an interesting, quiet little story. It takes place during AtS
season one, I'd say. Cordelia muses about Angel. And Blondes.
Title: Browser Memory
Author: Lar
Spoilers: None
Summary: “Cordelia learns something about Angel, something about
Kate, something about herself."
URL: http://cordeliana.imjustsayin.net/index2.html
I can't get a direct link. You have to click on, then
scroll down to Lar. There's a lot of other quality Cordelia fic
at that site, too.
===============================================
Title: Thaw
Author: Dazzle
URL: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/13/thaw.html
Rating: R
Spoilers: AtS up to "Slouching Toward Bethlehem", BtVS some general season 6
stuff
"Birthday" meets "The Wish", only that doesn’t quite do this story justice. It
has everything I look for in a fanfic – an intriguing story idea and plot with
a fresh approach to the AU theme, great dialogue and characterization, drama,
angst but also plenty of funny lines... Just go read.
Astrid
===============================================
Author: Jennifer-Oksana
Titel: Of Eyedee and Stranger Women
http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/12/ofeyedee.html
Rating: PG-13
Summary: “Because Lilah isn’t entirely stupid“
Connor. Lilah. Wesley. A bar.
Short and funny with great Connor characterization.
===============================================
Title: Regression
Author: HonorH and Gyrus
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/989498/1/
Spoiler: takes place after "Fredless" and "Life Serial"
Rating: PG
Summary: "When a millionaire abducts Dawn to L.A. for an unholy experiment,
the Scoobies and Angel Investigations cooperate to secure her return -- until
Angel and Spike undergo a startling change."
This is a fast-paced, plot-driven story with a plethora of truely interesting
original characters. What is more, it´s an AtS/BtVS xover where all the
characters get a fair treatment, there´s not even a hint of character bashing.
The story might need some suspension of disbelief in the linguistics
department (and I don´t know how to specify that without giving away the
subplot) but I don´t know enough about linguistics - or history - to be sure.
In any case, this fic is very entertaining and gripping.
The story itself is finished, just not posted in its entirety yet. Don´t know
if that counts as WIP. Current posting rate is one chapter a day, which is
kinda nice... it´s fast enough to not lose track of what´s going on, and it
lasts longer that way :o).
===============================================
For those in the mood for something lighter, here's a hilarious little story:
Cordelia searches for the right words to express her feelings, and looks for
inspiration elsewhere. Shameless plagiarizing ensues. Okay, this may sound
sappy but it’s really not. Fluffy, yes, but not sappy :o). And Kelly has a
nice grasp on Cordy’s character - her voice sounds just right to me.
>Title: The Words Just Come out Wrong
>Author: Kelly22
>Rating: PG
>Summary: Angel and Cordelia struggle to tell each other how they feel (wow,
that was nice and vague).
>Spoilers: Up through Tomorrow
http://www.nothing-fancy.com/justfic/index/k/kelly22/words.htm
Length: runs about four pages printed at 9p - which means I haven’t yet
figured out how to do the word count.
===============================================
Also, in a slightly darker vein, here's an older story I could't find in the
bookmarks.
Darla's and Dru's reaction to Darla's pregnancy... and an interesting look at
a dysfunctional little family. The story was written before "Offspring" aired
but doesn't clash with canon. Very convincing Darla, and a wonderfully
creepy/funny Drusilla.
Title: Expectations
Author: Christina Kamnikar.
Spoilers: Offspring, I guess
I couldn't find a rating but, quoting the author: "General ickiness warnings
apply. This *is* Darla we're talking about, here."
http://rhiannon.dreamhost.com/angel/fanfic/expectations.html
===============================================
Title: Miserere
Author: Starlet2367
Summary: A summer-reading post-ep for Tomorrow
Rating R, spoilers through tomorrow (kinda obvious)
I don’t have a direct link for the story yet. So far it’s posted in 12
chapters to the Stranger Things board.
http://www.stranger-things.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=804a88c63c7d7dc53c3f4993c46e600d&forumid=6
This starts as a decent and convincing post-tomorrow, pick-together-the-pieces
fic, something we could very well see in the season opener. Then the story
takes a few unexpected twists and turns, and becomes something more. I found
it impossible to put down before the ending, but it was totally worth losing a
couple of hours sleep. Astrid
===============================================
Let me add "For One Night Only" by Rheanna.
http://s8219.net/bbfarchive/archive/1/forone.html
PG-13, Epiphany.
Angel's back, but Cordelia isn't ready to forgive
and forget -- until she's forced to see things from his point of view.
I was very surprised that this wasn't in the bookmarks. Of all the Angel
fanfic I've read, this one probably comes closest to an actual episode of the
show. It makes me wish that whoever wrote Carpe Noctem would have read this
first. The story is full of humor and, like all of Rheanna's work, it has a
well thought-out plot and great characterization.
===============================================
Here's a rec for a cute little time loop story.
I'm actually not sure whether I haven't seen I recommended here already... ah
well...
'One Night at Caritas' by Syn
Summary: The Host has a weird night
No Rating
http://www.angelfire.com/weird/buffyoz/Caritas.html
I have to admit I'm a sucker for time loop stories in general. Anybody know
any more good ones?
===============================================
"You Have, Like, a Gay Man's Taste!" by Meltha.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/495249/1/
It’s a (IMHO) very funny vignette about how exactly Angel got those clothes at
the end of Disharmony. No Angst, no ships, just two demons going shopping.
Rated G, very minor spoiler for Disharmony
===============================================
Also, today I discovered a new story by Misty Flores:
"Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!"
http://www.stoic-simplicity.net/imperfect/index2.html [edit: needs new link]
Cordelia’s thrown for a very unsettling loop when Angel, no longer caring
about consequences, declares his intentions. Wackiness ensues.
Rated R for sexual situations
Spoilers for Forgiving
Misty is my favourite A/C writer out there (actually I considered myself a
non-shipper before I discovered her site).The characters, namely Angel, may
behave a bit... well, out of character in this one, but then, the story is not
to be taken too seriously. It's full of humour and as for the sexual tension,
you can practically see the sparks.
===============================================
>One of my favorite A/C authors currently is Melissa Flores. Her site
>is Stoic Simplicity at
[needs new link]
I was about to recommend her myself, particularly two stories:
"Hungry Eyes" takes place at a strip club, which had me sceptical at first,
but it was very different from what I expected, and very well written. Even
though I usually prefer non-shipper fics, I loved that one for its intriguing
look at the C/A relationship. Contains plenty of UST. Rated R, Spoilers for
"Billy"
I also liked "I will, but I won't", where Cordelia decides to goes on strike.
PG-13, Spoilers for "First Impressions"
"Ishmael Sings of the White Whale" by Lizbeth Marcs
http://www.livejournal.com/users/liz_marcs/22333.html
Spoilers: 'Not Fade Away'
Rating: R
Characters: Faith, Wesley, Angel.
Notes: LJ fic, complete, 26.000 words
The author paints a picture of the world after 'Not Fade Away', and
it ain't pretty. A story about vengeance and obsession, treachery and
loyalty... and the big picture. How does one fight the good fight?
===============================================
"See How They Run" by Doyle
http://www.primalglyph.lunarpages.com/angelbod/archives/spr04/doyle.html
Spoilers: AtS S4 Habeas Corpses/Calvary, Season 5
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Lindsey, Lilah, Eve
Length: 8.100 words
Anyone else think that the Lindsey arc in S5 didn't make a whole lot
of sense? Turns out that's because this bit of story never got aired.
Doyle takes a couple of dangling plotthreads, weaves them into a nice
fabric and uses that to stuff a few gaping plotholes. And voilà,
suddenly a lot of things make a whole lotta more sense. Even Eve. I
found myself liking her, and might just view the character with
different eyes when rewatching the season.
Doyle writes, "The original intent was for this to (mostly) mesh with
canon," and boy, mission accomplished. It doesn't just mesh, it's
like a missing ingredient that completes canon. Very neat.
===============================================
"Spring Thaw" by Mer
http://www.primalglyph.lunarpages.com/angelbod/archives/spr04/mer.html
Spoilers: Through 'Damage'
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Angel/Spike
Length: short
An interesting story full of bizarre imagery - which makes it a
perfect follow-up to Soul Purpose/Damage. It captures the mood well,
I think. Thightly written; h/c with a definite twist that takes it
beyond all cliché. Great Spike voice in particular, both in
dialogue and narrator's voice.
===============================================
Title: Summerbreeze
Author: Doyle
http://www.livejournal.com/users/doyle_sb4/227721.html
Pairing: Angel/Spike
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: 'Not Fade Away'
Length: short
Two vampires and a shanshu...
For me, this hits just the right note between light and dark (It
reminds me a bit of MaybeA's 'Paris by Night' that way). It's
unpretentious yet with a depths of characterization, and the last
line really hits home.
===============================================
"Big Exit" by Amerella
http://www.geocities.com/without_gravity/bigexit.html
Spoilers: AtS S5 Finale
Rating: NC-17
Summary: After the battle the survivors try to deal. Set post-Not
Fade Away
Length: 3.200 words
Again, one of those fics I find hard to describe, because it's all
about the tone of the story, the emotions... the characterization is
bleak, so bleak, and so real. No happy endings or easy fixes, and as
much as I like a happy ending, this is better. Beautiful.
===============================================
"In The Alley: How It All Comes Down" by Nyxie
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1876657/1/
Spoilers: Not Fade Away
Rating: PG-13
Summary: A lot can happen in thirteen minutes.
I've (procrastinated) spent all week hunting down post-finale fics,
and this is one of my favourites so far. What goes on in everyone's
head in that alley? Excellent characterization, it captures the feel
of the episode and doesn't take away from the poignancy of the ending.
There's also another version of this story, a series of drabbles
posted to the open_on_sunday livejournal community
(http://www.livejournal.com/community/open_on_sunday/). I like the
long version better, but you might wanna check out the community -
this week's challenge was 'endings', I believe, and there're plenty
of post-finale drabbles. I'm not much for drabbles usually (it's like
reading the first page of a fascinating book only to find that the
other 233 pages are missing ;o) ) but I found most of those I read
very interesting.
===============================================
"Gotham City" by Doyle
http://www.livejournal.com/users/doyle_sb4/214703.html
Spoilers: AtS s5 'Origin'
Rating: PG
Notes: short, LJ fic, written for the Gwenficathon
Another unconventional pairing, and again Doyle gets the characters
just right, with all the little details that make them come to life.
Seeing them arguing over comic book trivia... they just click. I
would love to see where this goes from here (though not necessarily
in a shippy way).
===============================================
"Your Horoscope For Today" by Anna S.
http://www.drizzle.com/~eliade/xs_spander_inquisition.html
Spoilers: season 5 Buffy
Rating: R-NC17
Length: 18.000 words
Spike and Xander, bonding. (If you want to know what exactly happens,
go read the story for I am not good with summaries.) Excellent
diaglogue, very funny at times. At one point or two I thought the
story was taking shortcuts, but all in all I found the way the
relationship developed very convincing. I just wish Anna S. would
decide to write Angelfic for a change, but you can't have everything.
===============================================
"The Watcher Chronicles" by Doyle
http://www.livejournal.com/users/doyle_sb4/206821.html
Spoilers: AtS s5 'Damage'
Rating: PG-13
Length: 2.000 words
Notes: LJ fic. Come to think of it, I can't recall when I've last
recommended somthing outside of LJ... huh.
"There was that thing that people said, about everything having a
silver lining. They'd lost Dana, and everybody thought they were
evil, and Buffy didn't trust him any more, but – at least
Andrew was
gone."
This is a delightful fic, chockfull of quotable lines and geeky
goodness, with perfect Andrew voice.
===============================================
Title: If That Mockingbird Won't Sing
Author: Doyle
Link: http://www.livejournal.com/users/doyle_sb4/192812.html
Spoilers: 'The Wish'
Rating: PG-13
Notes: Livejournal fic, complete, 1,500 words
Summary: Hush and don't tell, because this is a secret of Drusilla's:
she has always wanted a little girl.
An unconventional pairing, creepy and convincing - so convincing you
don't doubt for a second that this is what happened.
===============================================
Title: "Big Rock Candy Mountain" by Basingstoke
Link: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/25/bigrock.html
Rating: NC-17
Spoilers: References to BtVS s1-5
Length: 364K / 63.500 words (novel)
Summary: Five things that never happened to Andrew Wells.
It's past 5am and I'm still wide awake - well, awake anyway - because
I've been reading this story all day and simply couldn't it down
until the end.
This must be one of the most convincing, consistent and original AU
fics I've read. It has the most amazing Andrew characterization,
great dialogue all around, and also tackles an interesting question
raised by the show itself. Basingstoke retells the show, integrating
the verse we know with a new, original story arc. The story is long,
but never drags. It's hard to put down. Can't recommend this enough.
===============================================
"Manus" by Kita
Link: http://www.livejournal.com/users/kita0610/117849.html
Spoilers: BtVS s7 'Chosen'; AtS s5 'Soul Purpose', 'Damage'
Rating: PG-13
Length: 4.500 words
Notes: Livejournal fic, complete. Even if you don't like LJ, go read
it anyway :)
Dark and beautiful. Kita captures the essence of Angel in the
relationships with those who matter to him the most. I can't really
describe it, best read for yourselves.
===============================================
No Title yet
Author: Julie Fortune
Link: http://www.livejournal.com/users/starlet2367/72173.html
Spoilers: AtS s5 'You're Welcome'
Rating: I'd say R at the very most.
Notes: Livejournal fic
Length: 7,400 words
A wonderful post-ep fic that leaves me wanting more. As perfect as
they get.
===============================================
A story co-written by two of my favourite writers - that's like
chrismas come early (or, well, late). :o)
Title: Ghost of a Chance
Author: Little Heaven and Starlet2367
http://www.littleheaven.dbfandom.com/ghost1.html
Spoilers: 'To Shanshu in LA'
Rating: R
Length: 31.000 words (that comes to 31 pages at 9p)
Category: Action/adventure
Summary: When Cordelia arrives home from hospital to find an evil
presence manifesting her building, the gang's attempts to rescue
Dennis from its clutches throw her recuperation into chaos.
This is a wonderfullly funny, sparkly fic, sad and bittersweet on
occasion, full of warmth (for lack of a better description). I just
love stories with adventure plots, but I love them even more when
that plot ties in with the characters' emotions. And I think it does
that in a subtle way. Love the subtext in the end.
Perfect characterization all around, including a character who's
almost never the focus of attention. The dialogue flows smoothly. And
I say it's hard to find anyone who does better Cordy-speak than
Starlet and Little Heaven. It could come right from the show.
Actually, it's not just Cordy's lines... everyone sounds just right.
(In light of all this recent debate regarding stylistic nitpicks...
no clunky diaglogue or grammatical caprioles to be found here; the
inner nitpick shut up for once and simply enjoyed the story along
with me.)
===============================================
Title: "The Snow Queen" by Doyle
http://www.livejournal.com/users/doyle_sb4/174791.html
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: none, Timeline: early S2, after First Impressions.
Length: 13,600 words
Notes: LJ link, complete, written for The Angel Book of Days: Winter
Another trip down memory lane... :o). This is a well-written
adventure plotfic that fits neatly into canon, foreshadowing
included. It reads very much like an episode (my favourite). There's
a well thought-out plot, the dialogue is top-notch - both Cordy and
Gunn sound just like themselves - and I love this story for the
countless witty details. The Cordelia in this story kicks ass but
isn't the infallible superhuman one occasionally encounters in fanfic.
By the way, the story comes with a ship label, but I'd say there's
only minimal shippage, it's pretty much genfic. Bonus features:
guest appearances by some old aquaintances.
===============================================
Chapter 8 of Roseveare's Birthdayverse series is up:
http://www.geocities.com/roseveare/inertia/8comradesinarms.html
And it occured to me that this excellent series has never been
officially recced:
Title: "Two Years in the Life", Book One: Inertia
Author: Roseveare
Link: http://www.geocities.com/roseveare/inertia/1stilllife.html
Spoilers: AtS s3 'Birthday'
Rating: R
Length: 61,500 words, WIP
Author's summary: Wesley Wyndham-Pryce from 'Parting Gifts'
in 'Birthday's' other universe.
Written from Wes's PoV, this series brings the Birthdayverse to life.
Roseveare's descriptions evoke images of dark and gritty LA streets.
The original character she introduces is about as un-MarySuish as
they get. All the characters are spot-on, with the focus clearly on
Wesley. Some great character development as we see him deal with the
loss of his arm, and change from the naive rogue demon hunter we saw
in 'Parting Gifts'. We continue to see glimpses of Angel and Kate as
they cross paths with Wes and Costas, and I constantly hope we'll get
to know more about those two in future chapters (quite tantalizing,
if you happen to be a fan of both characters...).
Anyway, aside from the great characterization, there're also some
good old-fashioned action plots, which are for some reason not that
easy to find in fanfic. Any story that has them actually go out and
slay a demon or two gets a plus in my book, seriously. They are out
there, helping the hopeless... but they're no shiny heroes, they're
damaged people, all of them. I highly recommend this series. Can't
wait to see where it'll go.
By the way, I still keep looking for those slash elements Roseveare
keeps mentioning, but I can't find them
you'll see more subtext on the show (but then, I haven't read
chapters 6 and 7 yet, a fact I will rectify today.) But anyway, one
of the things I like about this story is that it's not complety ship-
focused and takes its time letting the relationship develop.
===============================================
This is an untitled story on LJ.
Author: Doyle
Link: http://www.livejournal.com/users/doyle_sb4/166244.html
Spoilers: nope, a few vague allusions to s7
Rating: PG?
Length: 1,219 words
I guess the closest thing to an author's summary would be: "And then
I wrote Buffy/Connor human AU :facepalms:" ;o)
Okay, so this has not title. It's on livejournal. It's human AU. And
it's hilarious! What is more, this is one of those human AU stories
that actually make sense instead of causing the reader's brain to
implode.
===============================================
Title: Kindreds
http://www.dbfandom.com/kindreds.htm
Author: Psychofilly
Spoilers: AU after 'Couplet'/'As You Were'
Rating: NC17
Length: 65,736 words
Summary: Spike always had been a sucker for a pretty face.
Let there be more C/A... although this is not exactly your standard
C/A fic. With Spike in the mix, the character dynamics become rather
complex.
I have to say that most of the time three-way pairings have me run
screaming, or at least go 'huh?' Not here. I found this story
immensely entertaining (it's always a good sign when you check the
printout and sigh happily upon seeing you're only halfway through).
Good plot, interesting character interaction, action and humour,
angst aplenty, well-defined characters... I thought Angel was pretty
much spot on.
(I might argue about Spike, but when isn't that the case.
that I think he's OoC, it's just that the story focuses on one aspect
of his personality... which works well within this story, however,
and is founded in canon so it comes down to personal likes and
dislikes.)
===============================================
Title: "Gore-met"
Author: Jennifer-Oksana
Link: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/23/goremet.html
Spoilers: some general early AtS s5
Rating: PG-13
Length: 1,114 words
Summary: Harmony's got a craving.
Harmony muses. Another funny, fluffy fic - and I mean that in the
best possible way. If you think JennyO got Lilah's voice down, go
read her Harm! I could practically hear her voice while reading.
===============================================
Title: "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Sex Poodles"
No, really.
Author: Doyle
Link: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/23/sevenhabits.html
Spoilers: None
Rating: R
Length: 2,613 words
Summary: It's a very ordinary summer. Xander doesn't mind so much.
Very funny, very witty, spot-on Xander voice. And there's the title...
===============================================
"Dear to Us" by Glossolalia
http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/22/dearto.html
Spoilers: AtS s5 through 'Destiny', BtVS s7
Rating: PG
Length: 4,000 words
Summary: Friendship's something bizarre and grown-up for these two.
If Buffy and Angel were ever to meet on the show again, I hope it
would go somewhat like this - true to the characters and their
history, beautiful and bittersweet. B/A like this? Any time.
===============================================
Oh, oh, I found another season fic. Just saw this rec'ced on LJ:
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" by swmbo and wisteria
http://www.livejournal.com/users/wisteria_/272668.html
Spoilers: BtVS through 'Chosen', AtS s5 through 'Destiny'
Rating: PG?
Length: 2,837 words
How each character spends Christmas Eve.
I love everything about this story... it's just the right mixture of
melancholy and humour. If you're not in a holiday mood already, this
really could do the trick. Love the structure, the
characterization... and the way the chapter headlines just fit.
===============================================
Title: "Pieces of Now" by Regala Electra
Link: http://www.livejournal.com/users/regala_electra/30505.html
Spoilers: 'Home', 'Chosen'
Rating: PG-13
Length: 3,615 words
Summary: It is not kismet, fate, or destiny. It is not expected and
not surprising. His heart doesn't skip a beat.
A quiet character study, kind of philosophical. I like how the author
deals with the B/A relationship and its meaning for Angel.
===============================================
TITLE: "And So This Is Christmas" by Yseult [locked LJ post, sorry]
LINK: http://www.livejournal.com/users/yseultdb/72738.html?#cutid1
SPOILERS: AtS season 4/5
RATING: PG
LENGTH: 600 words
SUMMARY: It's Christmas Eve in Cordelia's hospital room.
Another christmas fic... bitter-sweet, with perfect Cordy voice. I
loved it.
===============================================
Title: "Coincidence of Memory"
Author: Lar
Link: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/21/coincidenceof.html
Spoilers: AtS S5 up to and including "Destiny", speculation beyond
Rating: R
Length: 5,636 words
First off, I wouldn't consider this a complete story as it has no
ending; it's more of a beginning. Missing scenes, in a way, taking
place between 'Home' and 'Destiny'. And as such, it's damned
intriguing. Some very interesting speculation based on the ending
of 'Destiny' (keeping it vague to avoid using spoiler space). And the
Connor part of the story is just as fascinating.
I just wish there was more. I wonder if there's any chance this is a
WIP or a series.
===============================================
TITLE: "Dead Man's Rope"
AUTHOR: starlet
LINK: http://www.rebel-rebel.net/starlet/dead_mans_rope1.htm
SPOILERS: AtS s5 thru 'Hellbound'
RATING: R
LENGTH: 53.000 words
CATEGORY: Plotfic (sidenote: some people like to scroll ahead to the
end of a story before reading it... not a good idea with this story.
Bad, bad, bad idea ;o).)
SUMMARY: A spell is cast. But will it hold?
I'd say this is a little different from Starlet's other stories,
though it's hard to put my finger on it - it's darker, for once.
Bolder, maybe. Written with the usual excellence... sound
characterization and that attention to detail that makes her writing
so lively and realistic, and simply a pleasure to read.
The plot is complex, (did I mention you shouldn't peek at the
ending?) emotionally engaging, honest and beyond clichés or easy
fix-ups... It's the story of Cordy reclaiming her life, the one we're not
gonna get from the powers that be. Though Cordy is the focus here,
the rest of the gang and their conflicts after 'Home' are dealt with
as well. We see many old faces as well as a handful of new ones. And
with David Nabbit, Starlet took a supporting character whom I
personally found mostly annoying (or written in an annoying way,
ymmv), and made him not only an integral part of the story, but a
fleshed-out character I can feel with.
I recommend a few hours of uninterrupted reading time for this fic
because it's not that easy to put down. I didn't take kindly to
blaring TVs or attempts at communication while reading it.
===============================================
TITLE: "Parallel Lives"
AUTHOR: Roseveare
LINK: http://www.geocities.com/roseveare/parallel.html
SPOILERS: End AtS season 4.
RATING: PG.
LENGTH: 6,250 words
AUTHOR'S SUMMARY: "Look, kid, do you want to save the world or not?"
So your dad's a vampire, your foster-mum's in a different dimension,
and you're living in a world where somebody did a Sam Beckett on the
timeline. It's tough being a Teenage Champion of the Light.
I love stories that don't tell everything right away... that keep a
level of curiosity right to the end. There's plenty of good dialogue,
too, and an interesting plot. It was a lot of fun reading. Plus, it's
featuring Connor, which is always a plus in my book. :)
===============================================
Title: "Don't Fear the Reaper"
Author: Mab
http://s8219.net/bbfarchive/archive/1/dontfear.html
Spoilers: None
Rating: NC-17
Author's Summary:Angel gets a first-hand look at getting old and
doesn't like what he sees. At all.
Length: 4,290 words
Not a happy story; you've been warned. After all, this was written as
part of a Halloween challenge. It's gory, and sad, and I found it
very powerful... this one stayed with me all day.
===============================================
Found a new writer! :o)
I searched the messages backwards and forwards, but didn't see this
author mentioned. So far I've read a couple of her stories, and liked
everything. All of her fics are archived here:
http://knightsfanfic.kabeka.com/
A few examples:
Title: "Face Your Demons"
Author: Katriena Knights
Spoilers: Early s3, pre-Connor
Rating: PG-13
7,400 words
Author's Summary: Angel and Cordy face their inner demons in the
course of investigating the nature of a mysterious box.
Solid writing, the dialogue rings true. Good Cordy characterization
(story's written from her POV).
***
Title: "Who Needs Sleep"
Spoilers: None, s2 post-Epiphany, pre-Disharmony
Rating: PG-13
2,097 words
Author's Summary: Angel's return to the AI fold creates an unexpected
problem--insomnia.
This one I've actually been meaning to rec for a while. It's fluffy,
yeah, but not the sirupy, pointless kind of fluff. This is well-
written fluff, which is not easy to find. (Really, I was in a fluffy
mood last week and waded through megabytes of badfic without finding
anything good.) This short fic offers a nice, understated look at the
post-Epiphany Angel/Cordy relationship (a non-shippy look).
***
"Something Real"
Spoilers: AtS ss4 Apocalypse, Nowish, beginning of Habeas Corpses,
Rating: PG-13
1,950 words
Angel's thoughts after AN. Again, I like the characterization. And
the ending.
===============================================
Title: "Legend"
Author: Marcus L. Rowland
http://s8219.net/bbfarchive/archive/1/legend.html
Spoilers: All of BtVS, AtS s4 thru 'Home'
Rating: PG?
Length: 3,630 words
Author's Summary: This is a BtVS futurefic; what will the world make
of the destruction of Sunnydale, and who's going to tell the tale..?
I like the format; the whole story is told through a series of
critical reviews and the author matches the reviewer's lingo
perfectly - overinterpretation and all. An original and funny little
story.
===============================================
TITLE: She Dreams in Red
AUTHOR: hold_that_thought
LINK: ftp://members.aol.com/apostmodernsleaz/fic/shedreamsinred.html
RATING: R
SPOILERS: Through Angel Season 4
LENGTH: ca.1400 words
SUMMARY: Cordelia still has layers
Oh, this is good! Tightly woven, with twists and turns. So
suspenseful that my heart actually pounded by the time I finished it.
And she manages to achieve all that with just two or three pages of
story. Amazing.
===============================================
It's not fanfic, it's metafic... and funny as hell:
Title: Official Buffy & Angel Fanfiction University
Author: HonorH
http://community.livejournal.com/obafu/
Spoilers: Both shows, all seasons
Rating: Guessing PG?
Length: Long, 16 chapters so far. It works fine even as a WIP since
it's more like a series of episodes, rather than one long story.
The concept of a fanfic university isn't new. I vaguely remember DS9
having something like that, and not finding it that interesting. But
what HonorH does here is great, because it works on every level: It's
hilarious. It's got likable OCs. It pokes fun at badfic in a good-
natured, non-offensive way, which isn't all that easy. And it manages
to entertain and educate at the same time (even more difficult.)
The story's full of witty ideas and little details. There are the
legions of mini-trolls, many of whom you'll have met before (I myself
recognized Zander, Angeles and Tear :o).) There's grammar bootcamp in
the mornings ("How do you spell 'Connor'?" -- "C-o-n-n-e-r?" --
"WRONG! Drop and give me twenty!"). And don't miss Rhysdux's
hilarious "Song of the Badfic Writer". There's much, much more; but
better read for yourself.
Aside from all that, it gives some good advice on how to avoid the
cardinal sins of fanfic and improve one's writing. At first I thought
that this story, while being highly entertaining, might be the usual
case of preaching to the choir. But the response on FFN is
overwhelming and very positive, gathering from the comments I've
read. And hey, it the OBAFU keeps just one Mary-Sue from seeing the
light of day... mission accomplished.
===============================================
TITLE: Heat Stroke
AUTHOR: starlet2367
http://www.rebel-rebel.net/starlet/heat_stroke_1.htm
RATING: R
SPOILERS: Set in the summer after TSILA.
SUMMARY: "Please tell me there's a Kwik-E-Mart next door," Angel
said. Cordy slapped him on the arm. "No, dummy. There's nothing but
desert. Flat, empty, stupid desert."
When was the last time I was so involved in a fanfic I took it
everywhere I went? One that I couldn't wait to finish and at the same
time tried to read as slowly as possible so it would last longer?
Kelley has a way with descriptions and imagery which lets you
experience a story, rather than read it. Rarely do I have such clear
images in my head. The desert setting, the relentless heat, the way
the two deal with the situation they've been thrown into and are
changed by the experience - everything's written so vividly it draws
you in right away. The story is told from Cordy's POV, and Kelley is
not slipping once here... also a bit of a rarity, and very refreshing.
p.s.:Btw, I don't use ship spoilers when I can avoid it... but this
_is_ a fic about Angel and Cordy, stranded together in the middle of
nowhere. They do get a lot of screen time. If C/A is not your thing,
I'll go out on a limb and say this might not be for you. If, however,
you like C/A... what are you still doing here? Recently I've been
thinking that finding good C/A is like looking for water in the
desert... well, look no further. :o)
p.p.s.: Reading this story in the blaring sun enhances the reading
experience.
===============================================
I saw this rec'd by Psychofilly and had to rush here the second I
finished it. Because... wow!
Title: Balance
Author: Don't Make Eye Contact
Link: http://cordeliana.imjustsayin.net/archive/balance.html
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: general spoilers for much of AtS S4, specific spoilers
through Slouching Toward Bethlehem
Length: 2,573 words
"It's a story older than boy meets girl . . .
Once there was an angel . . .
Who fell. "
Spoilers for AtS from Tomorrow onward...
This is the author's take on what happened to Cordelia in the higher
realms, and it's brilliant. This story makes a lot of things appear
in a different light and make sense now, in retrospect. And the
language is beautiful, the ending moving.
===============================================
TITLE: The Understudy
AUTHOR: Roseveare
Link: http://www.geocities.com/roseveare/theunderstudy.html
RATING: PG-13
SPOILERS: Season 1, 'Bachelor Party'
Length: 23,000 words
SUMMARY: While Angel's away for Thanksgiving, Cordy and Doyle take on
a case that's a little too close to home.
I don't know about y'all, but recently I feel like all the
100-word drabbles and fic snippets I find in LJ-land have left me
with a craving... It's like I've been stuffing myself with
hors
d'oeuvres all day, and they were tasty, they were delicious, but
now I want a full dinner. So now I have this yap for good old longish
stories, episodic and with as much plot as possible... MotW,
clients/damsels/demons in distress, evil lawyers, you name it.
"The Understudy" is a trip down memory lane, back to when AI
was all about helping the hopeless. The plot is solid, there's an
actual casefile and a client, there's lots of action, and a
half-demon-in-distress. The story shows snarky Cordy, and a Doyle
who's torn between his human and demonic side; I like in
particular how the characterization is tied to the plot.
===============================================
Title: Scratch
Author: Ducks
Link: [edited] http://www.scribes.darkstarfic.com/fictionnz/scratch.htm
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to "Chosen"/"Home"
Summary: Two years after the events in "Chosen" and "Home", Buffy and
Angel are forced to team up again.
Well, I got online looking for some C/A and found this story instead.
Not exactly what I set out for, but after reading just the first
couple of lines I had I feeling I'd like it. And I was right. The
style makes it fun to read, there's good dialogue (excellent
sunnydale-speak!), there's plot... the plot is rather shippy, really,
and a bit clichéd; yet my C/A shipper's hair bristled only on one
or
two occasions, where I thought canon was unnecessarily twisted to fit
the agenda. But all the characters are treated fairly, which is the
important part.
I also liked how the story is set - very convincing speculation
based on "Chosen" and "Home" - and how Ducks keeps track of most
characters and plot threads. Not just for the B/A shipper, I'd say.
===============================================
Title: Captivate
Author: Princess Twilite
http://www.dbfandom.com/captivate.htm
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: AtS S4, Home
Lenght: 2,492 words
Summary: "The heart is so forgetful, but his remembers now why
she
had swept him off his feet such a long time ago... "
Spoilers for Home
Cordelia finally wakes up from her coma and is ready to claim back
her life.
A short but haunting coda. If The Joss can come up with a resolution
even half as meaningful, I shall be mollified. At least a little.
===============================================
Title: The Carpenter and the Wood
Author: JustHuman
Link: http://www.livejournal.com/users/justhuman/17598.html
Spoilers: none
Rating: “NC-17 seems so over the top, but just to be safe"
Word Count 1926
This story is... well, it's got what you'd call an
unconventional pairing... Xander/Mr. Pointy; what more can I say?
Xander/Mr. Pointy! And it works. Oh yeah, Andrew's in it, too.
===============================================
So. I've been sitting on this rec since December, waiting for the
fic to be archived. And now that it finally has, so much time has passed
that I can't give an accurate summary any more. Really, the only
thing I remember with clarity is that this story made me (cough) bawl
my eyes out for ten minutes straight, and that almost never happens.
Title: I'll Be Home for Christmas
Author: Niamh
http://www.dbfandom.com/i'llbehomeforchristmas.htm
Rating: R
Spoilers: AtS season 4 up to Apocalypse, Nowish; speculation based on
Spoilers for upcoming eps
It is set at some point in the future, and tells the story of what
happened after the events of Apocalypse, Nowish. Niamh has taken the
spoilers known for the upcoming eps and put a very original twist on
them. The story has since become thoroughly Jossed and is now an
interesting and angst-filled AU version of how S4 could have gone.
===============================================
So I get to be the first one to rec this?
Title: The Case of the Missing Santas
Author: Little Heaven
Link: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/17/thecase.html
Spoilers: Season 1, set between "Parting Gifts" and "Somnambulist".
Rating: G
Genre: Gen, friendship fic
Summary: Cordelia's first Christmas is LA isn't turning out the way
it was supposed to.
There are so many wonderful things to be said about this fic; where
do I start... everythings's perfect. As far as characterization
goes,
it simply doesn't get any better than this. Claire captures the
voices of our trio to the last nuance. The dialogue is not just spot-
on, there're so many quips and throwaway lines that made me laugh out
loud that if I wanted to quote my favourite lines I'd end up quoting
half the story. The plot is interesting, and, what is more, it is
really tied in with the characters's stories. This story's got heart.
If you like AtS, if you liked season one, no way you will not love
this fic. It perfectly captures the season one spirit. Not to be
missed.
===============================================
On the subject of funny fluff...
Title: Oh Jonathan!
Author: Laurie Deane
Url: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/16/ohjonathan.html
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Superstar
Length: 310 words
The pairing is what you'd call, uh, unconventional. The style may not
be as smooth and elegant as some of the other fics recced here, but
it's well written enough; and who can resist a line like this: "He
was amazing, not too tall, just how she liked her men.".
There's way too little Superstarverse fic out there.
And the last line alone is worth reading the story!
===============================================
Title: Lies
Author: The Brat Queen
http://s8219.net/bbfarchive/archive/2/lies.html
Rating: PG
Spoilers: AtS season 4 Magic Bullet
Words: ca. 1,700
Summary: "Utopia isn't the only thing that's not true."
This is very short piece, so I don't quite know what to write
without spoiling the episode. Except that I loved this fic, the
ending in particular.
What I liked most, apart from the touching final scene, was the whole
feel of this story. TBQ just got the Love & Peace vibe down. Even
though you know it's all fake, you want to believe that it's
real –
just like on the show.
===============================================
A treat for those who like genfic - here's a new story by Starlet.
Title: The Cruelest Month
Author: starlet2367
http://www.dbfandom.com/thecruelestmonth.htm
Rating: R
Spoilers: none beyond AtS late season two
Length: ca. 22,300 words
Summary:"The story of four detectives, two snitches, one candy
dispenser, and an April Fool's day that Cordelia would rather
forget."
This fic is plotty, episodic and funny. It has the great
characterization and the descriptive and witty language I've come to
expect from Starlet's stories. Set between Epiphany and Disharmony,
it nicely captures the strained relationship between Angel and the
gang, Cordelia in particular. The way he tries to get back with the
group while she gives him the cold shoulder - very much in canon. And
like I said above, it's gen; there`s no shippiness beyond season
two subtext. So even those who're not fond of C/A and have thus
missed out on Starlet's stories – go ahead and check this one
out.
===============================================
Title: As the Page Turns
Author: Evan Como
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/19029/1/
Spoilers: Takes place sometime after Hero, so none
Rating: Doesn't say, but I'd say PG-13?
Length: 10,600 words
Summary: Giles accepts Angel's invitation to LA to help him with a
project. In the meantime, Angel and Cordelia try to work through
their grief after Doyle's death.
This is a quiet story. Giles comes to LA. Books get catalogued. And
yet, somehow, a lot happens. I love the way Evan Como writes the
characters - Giles's veiled antagonism, the tense relationship
between him and Angel, Cordelia's and Angel's grief - and lets them
find some sort of peace.
===============================================
Title: Revenant
Author: Jennifer-Oksana
URL: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/15/revenant.html
Spoilers: AtS s4 Calvary
Rating: PG-13
Length: ca. 1,600 words
Summary: “It's Lilah's hotel. She earned it."
If you think that, after Calvary, Lilah's got nothing more to
say, think again. This is somehow creepy, amusing, and sentimental,
all at the same time. It's a futurefic, and I love how it tells
the story of future events, bit by bit. Most touching Lilah fic
I've read in a while.
===============================================
Yay, Inamorata wrote another story! What a great way to start the
day. I should leave the rec to someone who can do her writing
justice, but, what the heck... I wanna do it myself:
Title: Bound
Author: Inamorata
http://www.dbfandom.com/bound.htm
Rating: R
Spoilers: none
Summary: “Doyle's last vision brings Angel and Cordelia closer in
unexpected ways."
This takes place between Hero and Parting Gifts. It fits into canon
without stretching it too much and brings some sense of closure after
Hero. The story is well plotted, even if the basic idea is not
entirely new. It's the way the story plays out, the humour, the
little plot twists and the vivid descriptive that make reading it so
enjoyable. Inamorata perfectly captures the season one feeling in the
dialogues, her characterization is absolutely spot on.
Just A fun read!
===============================================
Title: Leaving Hell
Author: Vanessa Nichols
http://www.dbfandom.com/leavinghell.htm
Spoilers: none.
Rating: NC 17
Length: about 32,000 words
Vanessa Nichols is an excellent writer (“Five by Five" is
written by her as well). This story focuses solely on Cordelia and
Angel, though. So, if that pairing's not your cuppa...
The story goes AU during The Wish, which would make it, what, AU to
the second power? The premise: what if the wishverse continued to
exist after the amulet was broken? What if Cordelia and Wishverse-
Angel were the only survivors? The author takes it from there and
shows their relationship develop, very slowly, very convincingly.
It's beautifully written, well characterized, and angsty. The
story has a roadmovie-like quality. And we finally get to see more of
the wishverse outside Sunnydale.
===============================================
Sometime last year, Lakrids wrote:
> By the way
> HonorH has WIP story with bring Tara from Wishverse, that is pretty
> good. But it's a WIP and the HonorH seems a little stuck, so I
will
> not recommend it, yet.
It's been updated, so I will. I was happy to see that HonorH has
started working on this story again. It's a plot driven story with an
episodic feel to it. I find her wishverse version of Tara actually
more interesting than the original. All the characterization and
dialogue is spot on – HonorH just knows her characters.
Chapter seven has been posted to fanfic.net. It's still a WIP so
beware.
Title: Tara Incognita
Author: HonorH
Spoiler: Buffy season six
Rating: R
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/934187/1/
Summary: A portal to the wishverse brings another Tara to Sunnydale
– but she's not the only one who's crossed over.
===============================================
I'm inspired :o). Here are a few stories that I put off
rec`cing for the simple reason that they're rather shippy,
and C/A is not that much of a popular pairing here. I think
they're very well written though.
Title: The Prism Series
Author: Dazzle
Spoilers: AtS Season three
http://www.goldenmaze.com/gands/htmfiles/dazzle/dazzlefic.htm
Summary: “Light splits into a rainbow, the colors of love and
loss briefly merging then scattering again... the thoughts of Angel
and Cordelia, during a year of birth, death and change. “
I love the way Dazzle interweaves her post-ep fics with the actual
episodes. Her stories seem like missing pieces of a puzzle that fit
neatly into the season three story arc, and make it complete.
===============================================
Title: Rebel, Rebel
Author: Melissa Flores
Spoilers: Season three, Sleep Tight
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/704806/1/
Teaser: “When the Watcher's Council comes after Faith, Angel
Investigations must pull from the chaos they've become embroiled
in to save the renegade Slayer, and Wesley must face a past that has
become more haunting than ever."
It's angsty, and gripping. I always love Mistiec's take on
the relationship between Cordelia and Angel.
And she writes a great Wesley as well. If you liked ‚Running for
Our Lives`, there'a a good chance you'll love this one as
well.
===============================================
I found an interesting, quiet little story. It takes place during AtS
season one, I'd say. Cordelia muses about Angel. And Blondes.
Title: Browser Memory
Author: Lar
Spoilers: None
Summary: “Cordelia learns something about Angel, something about
Kate, something about herself."
URL: http://cordeliana.imjustsayin.net/index2.html
I can't get a direct link. You have to click on
scroll down to Lar. There's a lot of other quality Cordelia fic
at that site, too.
===============================================
Title: Thaw
Author: Dazzle
URL: http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/13/thaw.html
Rating: R
Spoilers: AtS up to "Slouching Toward Bethlehem", BtVS some general season 6
stuff
"Birthday" meets "The Wish", only that doesn’t quite do this story justice. It
has everything I look for in a fanfic – an intriguing story idea and plot with
a fresh approach to the AU theme, great dialogue and characterization, drama,
angst but also plenty of funny lines... Just go read.
Astrid
===============================================
Author: Jennifer-Oksana
Titel: Of Eyedee and Stranger Women
http://archive.shriftweb.org/archive/12/ofeyedee.html
Rating: PG-13
Summary: “Because Lilah isn’t entirely stupid“
Connor. Lilah. Wesley. A bar.
Short and funny with great Connor characterization.
===============================================
Title: Regression
Author: HonorH and Gyrus
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/989498/1/
Spoiler: takes place after "Fredless" and "Life Serial"
Rating: PG
Summary: "When a millionaire abducts Dawn to L.A. for an unholy experiment,
the Scoobies and Angel Investigations cooperate to secure her return -- until
Angel and Spike undergo a startling change."
This is a fast-paced, plot-driven story with a plethora of truely interesting
original characters. What is more, it´s an AtS/BtVS xover where all the
characters get a fair treatment, there´s not even a hint of character bashing.
The story might need some suspension of disbelief in the linguistics
department (and I don´t know how to specify that without giving away the
subplot) but I don´t know enough about linguistics - or history - to be sure.
In any case, this fic is very entertaining and gripping.
The story itself is finished, just not posted in its entirety yet. Don´t know
if that counts as WIP. Current posting rate is one chapter a day, which is
kinda nice... it´s fast enough to not lose track of what´s going on, and it
lasts longer that way :o).
===============================================
For those in the mood for something lighter, here's a hilarious little story:
Cordelia searches for the right words to express her feelings, and looks for
inspiration elsewhere. Shameless plagiarizing ensues. Okay, this may sound
sappy but it’s really not. Fluffy, yes, but not sappy :o). And Kelly has a
nice grasp on Cordy’s character - her voice sounds just right to me.
>Title: The Words Just Come out Wrong
>Author: Kelly22
>Rating: PG
>Summary: Angel and Cordelia struggle to tell each other how they feel (wow,
that was nice and vague).
>Spoilers: Up through Tomorrow
http://www.nothing-fancy.com/justfic/index/k/kelly22/words.htm
Length: runs about four pages printed at 9p - which means I haven’t yet
figured out how to do the word count.
===============================================
Also, in a slightly darker vein, here's an older story I could't find in the
bookmarks.
Darla's and Dru's reaction to Darla's pregnancy... and an interesting look at
a dysfunctional little family. The story was written before "Offspring" aired
but doesn't clash with canon. Very convincing Darla, and a wonderfully
creepy/funny Drusilla.
Title: Expectations
Author: Christina Kamnikar.
Spoilers: Offspring, I guess
I couldn't find a rating but, quoting the author: "General ickiness warnings
apply. This *is* Darla we're talking about, here."
http://rhiannon.dreamhost.com/angel/fanfic/expectations.html
===============================================
Title: Miserere
Author: Starlet2367
Summary: A summer-reading post-ep for Tomorrow
Rating R, spoilers through tomorrow (kinda obvious)
I don’t have a direct link for the story yet. So far it’s posted in 12
chapters to the Stranger Things board.
http://www.stranger-things.net/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=804a88c63c7d7dc53c3f4993c46e600d&forumid=6
This starts as a decent and convincing post-tomorrow, pick-together-the-pieces
fic, something we could very well see in the season opener. Then the story
takes a few unexpected twists and turns, and becomes something more. I found
it impossible to put down before the ending, but it was totally worth losing a
couple of hours sleep. Astrid
===============================================
Let me add "For One Night Only" by Rheanna.
http://s8219.net/bbfarchive/archive/1/forone.html
PG-13, Epiphany.
Angel's back, but Cordelia isn't ready to forgive
and forget -- until she's forced to see things from his point of view.
I was very surprised that this wasn't in the bookmarks. Of all the Angel
fanfic I've read, this one probably comes closest to an actual episode of the
show. It makes me wish that whoever wrote Carpe Noctem would have read this
first. The story is full of humor and, like all of Rheanna's work, it has a
well thought-out plot and great characterization.
===============================================
Here's a rec for a cute little time loop story.
I'm actually not sure whether I haven't seen I recommended here already... ah
well...
'One Night at Caritas' by Syn
Summary: The Host has a weird night
No Rating
http://www.angelfire.com/weird/buffyoz/Caritas.html
I have to admit I'm a sucker for time loop stories in general. Anybody know
any more good ones?
===============================================
"You Have, Like, a Gay Man's Taste!" by Meltha.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/495249/1/
It’s a (IMHO) very funny vignette about how exactly Angel got those clothes at
the end of Disharmony. No Angst, no ships, just two demons going shopping.
Rated G, very minor spoiler for Disharmony
===============================================
Also, today I discovered a new story by Misty Flores:
"Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!"
http://www.stoic-simplicity.net/imperfect/index2.html [edit: needs new link]
Cordelia’s thrown for a very unsettling loop when Angel, no longer caring
about consequences, declares his intentions. Wackiness ensues.
Rated R for sexual situations
Spoilers for Forgiving
Misty is my favourite A/C writer out there (actually I considered myself a
non-shipper before I discovered her site).The characters, namely Angel, may
behave a bit... well, out of character in this one, but then, the story is not
to be taken too seriously. It's full of humour and as for the sexual tension,
you can practically see the sparks.
===============================================
>One of my favorite A/C authors currently is Melissa Flores. Her site
>is Stoic Simplicity at
[needs new link]
I was about to recommend her myself, particularly two stories:
"Hungry Eyes" takes place at a strip club, which had me sceptical at first,
but it was very different from what I expected, and very well written. Even
though I usually prefer non-shipper fics, I loved that one for its intriguing
look at the C/A relationship. Contains plenty of UST. Rated R, Spoilers for
"Billy"
I also liked "I will, but I won't", where Cordelia decides to goes on strike.
PG-13, Spoilers for "First Impressions"
no subject
Said it before, I'll say it again:
you are my very best friend. :-) ::hugs::
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