Theatre of the Absurd by Roseveare (R)

[evolvedpsycho.livejournal.com]

Hi. I'm Ann, long time fandom lurker, and I'll be your semi-competent driver this month. I read stories about peripheral characters as well as all things pretty and mildly evil. Also Wesley/Gunn, which is just pretty.

Fandom: ANGEL
Pairing: Kate/Darla
Author on LJ: roseveare
Author Website: Freaky Alternative Universe
Why this must be read:

This is a Kate story set in the Wishverse, in a US stripped bare by the Master's humans a-go-go plan. Where vamps duke it out for rats blood and all the culture in NY can be found in a theatre preserved by a bored Darla.

Roseveare is one of the go to writers for plotty AUs. Theatre of the Absurd is the best kind of AU, where the author throws the characters into a chaotic universe -- familiar but OFF -- yet somehow keeps those characters pitch perfect. Darla is cruel, intelligent, and easily amused, on the edge of a semi-tantrum. And Kate... Dude. Kate is spectacularly shafted by the universe but remains tough and smart, practicality overruling a hard won right to brood.

In a relatively short self-contained piece, Roseveare manages to push forward a plot weighted with history while hinting at a larger future. It's a slice of an epic.

Also, Kate/Darla? Pretty. Very pretty.

Theatre of the Absurd

It's brilliant and disquieting, balanced by surprising and harshly funny moments. Go read it.