She Bruise Easy by Tesla (PG-13)

[entrenous88.livejournal.com]

I'm very happy to be at the wheel for the Buffy fandom for the month of June. I'll try to bring a mix of recs, but one character you'll certainly find featured a number of times will be Xander. I've admitted my Xander-obsession, and am seeking help in the form of reading great fanfic about him. But be assured that you'll see other character-focused stories in the mix, at least a few pairings that don't involve Xander, and definitely a number of Xander pairings that emphasize the other character far more. This is one of them, a wonderful treatment of Cordelia.

Fandom: BUFFY
Pairing: Cordelia/Xander
Author on LJ: tesla321
Author Website: Tesla's Fanfiction*
Why this must be read:

Xander learns how damaging and threatening Cordy's visions have become, and arrives in L.A. to take her back to Sunnydale and to the problem-solving offerings of the gang.

Though we see Cordelia in her Angel Investigations period, most of the story has to do with Cordy revisiting Sunnydale literally and metaphorically: the choices and mistakes she made there, the distance she's placed between her former self and her new responsiblities, as well as the actual place and the real people that she left behind.

The story excels in its ability to get inside Cordy's thoughts, to present and reconcile the "old" and "new" versions of Cordelia as she goes through a process of maturation and redefinition. The descriptions of the visions and the incredible pain they cause are particularly vivid, and are what made me bump up the rating in the header to a PG-13 (the author indicates no rating). Members of both Ats and BtVS show up, treated with great sympathy and featured with wonderful character voices, but there's particular strength in the slow build of trust and romance between Xander and Cordelia.

*Please note: I've listed the author's website, but the last update there seems to have been about a year ago. For more recent fic updates, please visit her LJ Memories.

And if you enjoy the story, please let the author know.

She Bruise Easy

Comments

[entrenous88.livejournal.com]

True! I might see if I can screen your comment, though, since it has a fairly big spoiler for the story overall. That okay?

[kristinholt.livejournal.com]

Shame on me! Let me know if you can't, and I'll delete.

[entrenous88.livejournal.com]

It's already screened; thanks!

[tesla321.livejournal.com]

What did you say?

[kristinholt.livejournal.com]

LOL I spoiled a major plot point.

I've got a mightily big mouth, as you know.

It wasn't bad... Just... spoilery.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_outercourse/]

*blows horn* Yay Xander fans!

[entrenous88.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[tesla321.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much indeed for your kind comments!

[entrenous88.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! I hope that more people end up checking out the story and enjoying it. :)

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

See, I was about to post a rec for a Tesla story, and there are no AtS stories in the Angel Memories by Tesla that have been rec'd. Then I got the bright idea to check the BtVS recs for Tesla's LJ name and Web site, and I see that you posted a rec a couple weeks ago. Doh!

[entrenous88.livejournal.com]

Hee! Oh well, what are you going to do? Good fic should be rec'd, and they're separate fandoms on crack_van. :)