Five Bleak Angst/Dark Fics
How could I let the year go by with celebrating some stories that brought the pain in all the best ways? I couldn't, so here are some beautifully bleak tales to wrap the shiniest silver lining in foggy clouds:
1) Word Association (Buffy/Angel) by librarian2003: The summary of this reads "Be careful what you wish for" and I hesitate to offer more detail than that for fear of spoiling this tragic ride. Just know that it was written by Jo and that should be enough to get you clicking that link immediately. It's a masterpiece of pain and indifferent cruelty.
2) Without the Lion (Willow, Giles) by dragonyphoenix: Here's a ripping admonition that one should never let down one's guard - especially in a library. dragonyphoenix does a marvelous job of showing the consequences of complacency. Short, sharp, and deadly... delicious.
3) Initiative Blues (Spike, Buffy, Maggie Walsh) by comlodge: Ever wonder what would have happened had Hostile 17's escape been more temporary? Well comlodge has and... it's not pretty. It is, however, an extremely well-crafted must-read for all you fanciers of the darker side of fanfic.
4) Amazon (Tara, Maggie Walsh) by snowpuppies: The Initiative is such a marvelous source of dark inspiration, but no one goes there quite like snowpuppies, and she shows her extraordinary skill in this short but powerfully memorable tale of what happens when Dr. Walsh gets her hands on a real witch. Wow. Just wow.
5) Bitter From the Sweet (The I've Been to Paradise Remix) (Buffy/Angel) by aadler: This might not be as dark as the other entries on this list, but it's as despairing and bleak as if it were, so it well deserves its place on this list. aadler's depiction of a post-resurrection encounter between Buffy and Angel is anything but star-crossed romance... and absolutely wonderful in its grey perfection.
Bonus Entry: The Pleasure of Her Tears (Willow/Angel) by angelus2hot: Having given you five examples of sorrow and misery, I thought maybe I should add a little dollop of a more gleeful and... "fun" sort of angst. How better than in this tale of an Angelus who's actually as crafty as the show was always telling us? angelus2hot's tale set in the aftermath of the events of Passion will have you begging for a sequel.
1) Word Association (Buffy/Angel) by librarian2003: The summary of this reads "Be careful what you wish for" and I hesitate to offer more detail than that for fear of spoiling this tragic ride. Just know that it was written by Jo and that should be enough to get you clicking that link immediately. It's a masterpiece of pain and indifferent cruelty.
2) Without the Lion (Willow, Giles) by dragonyphoenix: Here's a ripping admonition that one should never let down one's guard - especially in a library. dragonyphoenix does a marvelous job of showing the consequences of complacency. Short, sharp, and deadly... delicious.
3) Initiative Blues (Spike, Buffy, Maggie Walsh) by comlodge: Ever wonder what would have happened had Hostile 17's escape been more temporary? Well comlodge has and... it's not pretty. It is, however, an extremely well-crafted must-read for all you fanciers of the darker side of fanfic.
4) Amazon (Tara, Maggie Walsh) by snowpuppies: The Initiative is such a marvelous source of dark inspiration, but no one goes there quite like snowpuppies, and she shows her extraordinary skill in this short but powerfully memorable tale of what happens when Dr. Walsh gets her hands on a real witch. Wow. Just wow.
5) Bitter From the Sweet (The I've Been to Paradise Remix) (Buffy/Angel) by aadler: This might not be as dark as the other entries on this list, but it's as despairing and bleak as if it were, so it well deserves its place on this list. aadler's depiction of a post-resurrection encounter between Buffy and Angel is anything but star-crossed romance... and absolutely wonderful in its grey perfection.
Bonus Entry: The Pleasure of Her Tears (Willow/Angel) by angelus2hot: Having given you five examples of sorrow and misery, I thought maybe I should add a little dollop of a more gleeful and... "fun" sort of angst. How better than in this tale of an Angelus who's actually as crafty as the show was always telling us? angelus2hot's tale set in the aftermath of the events of Passion will have you begging for a sequel.