Favourite Fanfic with Benefits

[brutti-ma-buoni.livejournal.com]

There's no proper title for this (I also had it down as 'Where's there's a skill', and other cheesy headings). The topic here is poems and fics which draw on something bigger than fandom, weaving Jossverse motifs into wider cultural themes, but never losing sight of the fandom audience. (In other words, they are very, very clever, but also hugely fun for fans).

quinara, Spikeid II and III. Because it's in epic iambic pentameter, and based on the Aeneid, and yet it's accessible, funny, touching and in-voice. They're heroes, dammit. They deserve this poem.


mere_ubu's Intervention Spaiku. From epic to bite-size, but this rec is still in verse. Cute, touching and incredibly clever evocation of one of my top 5 Buffy eps, in haiku form.

fluffernutter8, Love's Truest Language: Buffy/Angel in the language of flowers; much more complex, painful and subtle than you could expect. It must be the product of much research, but it's also a lovely fluent read.

confusedkayt's Walk Like An Egyptian. Because if you're going to have gods in your fic, why not make them proper Egyptian gods?

shapinglight, Venus and Mars: rec'ed by others, but it deserves its place here for a beautiful evocation of Darla and Drusilla in Victorian London, and of the place of art in society at the time. (And it's not short of plot, evil-doing and oblivious humans too).

Comments

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

An excellent list, I'm glad to see quinara's Spikeid recommended.

[brutti-ma-buoni.livejournal.com]

I'm in danger of becoming the kind of person who grabs others and *forces* them to read the Spikeid, dammit. It deserves a great deal of love. Glad you liked the list!

[jen-nsync-landl.livejournal.com]

Ah, you beat me to the Spikeid rec! I've been puzzling to create a category in which I could include it, but so far, I haven't been able to put something together. Agreed on it deserving vast oceans of admiration. :)

[yourlibrarian]

The topic here is poems and fics which draw on something bigger than fandom, weaving Jossverse motifs into wider cultural themes, but never losing sight of the fandom audience.

Everyone is so inventive with their lists! I've only read the last so far, but now that you've said it I can see how that fits in with your theme.

[brutti-ma-buoni.livejournal.com]

Oh, rec it again. It needs more love. Good luck with the category though (I had to rec Spaiku as well, so I knew it had to be a broad theme!).

[brutti-ma-buoni.livejournal.com]

Hee. It would be so much simpler if I only read fics for the pairing; we omnivorous readers have to get inventine!

[quinara]

Ooh, thanks for the rec (and in pre-cut prominence too)! Such lovely company to be in. Your other lists have been great as well. :)

[brutti-ma-buoni.livejournal.com]

Are you kidding? That rec was the cause of the list! Because people should be reading Spikeid much, much more. Mind you, I did wonder if being on a list with B/A would bing you out in a rash... :P

[quinara]

Because people should be reading Spikeid much, much more.

I don't disagree! But still, thank you very very much - you make me blush.

I was going to say re the B/A fic that it sounds wonderful and you make me really want to read it! I just know from past experience that it's a very bad idea. *has serious issues*