5 Great 2018 Summer of Giles fics
Since we're on our flash forward, I'll start with some recs from one of my favourite annual communities - summer_of_giles
Giles/Cordelia is not a pairing that I automatically think about, but I’m always surprised how well it can work if done well and in aadler’s Better Left Unspoken, it is done very, very well. These are snapshots of Giles and Cordelia through the Sunnydale High years and beyond in a way that makes me both laugh out loud, and made my heart hurt. This is good stuff.
il_mio_capitano always gives good Giles, in addition to being an awesome mod to the community. Her offering this year was Sands of Time. Giles is at a beach party with a lot of familiar faces - and something keeps nagging him. This is bittersweet in the best possible way.
It’s always fun when someone plays with a character that you don’t give much thought to. That’s what aaronlisa does in Paying Respects. Just before Giles heads for the Hellmouth for the first time he pays a visit to his mother. It’s really interesting to get an AU backstory to her - we come across Giles’ father so often in fic, but I don’t know that I’ve ever come across a characterisation of his mother - and now I have…
I always enjoy a well done dialogue fic - not least, because I tend to start with dialogue with my own stuff. Retirement Plans by quaggy is a nice moment between Giles and Buffy as he starts to put his retirement plans in place. The thing is, Buffy has plans of her own and Giles really doesn’t have a hope against a determined slayer.
Last, but not least is Jerusalem by DHW. This is young Giles and his father and it’s beautifully done and wonderfully unexpected. I won't say any more because reading it is like unwrapping a present. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.
Giles/Cordelia is not a pairing that I automatically think about, but I’m always surprised how well it can work if done well and in aadler’s Better Left Unspoken, it is done very, very well. These are snapshots of Giles and Cordelia through the Sunnydale High years and beyond in a way that makes me both laugh out loud, and made my heart hurt. This is good stuff.
il_mio_capitano always gives good Giles, in addition to being an awesome mod to the community. Her offering this year was Sands of Time. Giles is at a beach party with a lot of familiar faces - and something keeps nagging him. This is bittersweet in the best possible way.
It’s always fun when someone plays with a character that you don’t give much thought to. That’s what aaronlisa does in Paying Respects. Just before Giles heads for the Hellmouth for the first time he pays a visit to his mother. It’s really interesting to get an AU backstory to her - we come across Giles’ father so often in fic, but I don’t know that I’ve ever come across a characterisation of his mother - and now I have…
I always enjoy a well done dialogue fic - not least, because I tend to start with dialogue with my own stuff. Retirement Plans by quaggy is a nice moment between Giles and Buffy as he starts to put his retirement plans in place. The thing is, Buffy has plans of her own and Giles really doesn’t have a hope against a determined slayer.
Last, but not least is Jerusalem by DHW. This is young Giles and his father and it’s beautifully done and wonderfully unexpected. I won't say any more because reading it is like unwrapping a present. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.