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Title: "There Is No Seven" by Tesla Pairing/Characters: Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Alex Krycek, Walter Skinner, the Lone Gunmen, Spike, Angel, Cordelia, Wesley, Gunn, Lilah Morgan, Willow Rosenberg. Hail, hail, the gang's all here. Author on LJ: ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif) tesla321Author Website: Author's page at Gossamer. Why this must be read: This is so good it should have already been recced, but I scrolled and scrolled and I couldn't find it. "There Is No Seven" is a witty, well-plotted, sexy (though not explicit), AU, crossover fic. Tesla explains it best: "There is no miracle pregnancy. It takes off where Mulder wasn't abducted by aliens, but by Wolfram & Hart, contracted out by the Consortium. Drusilla vamped him. Hijinks ensue." Mulder gets to hang out with Spike, while being pursued by Angel, who naturally plans to kill him. That's what Angel does. Scully gets to hang out with Krycek while she plots to get Mulder's soul re-installed so he doesn't get offed by Angel. Tesla writes the best dialogue for these characters—all of them. It's uncanny. If you have even a passing acquaintance with either of these fandoms, you will love this fic. Link is to her website, waybacked, but I think the plain text at Gossamer is easier to read by far. Read There Is No Seven. | | |
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Fandom: ANGEL: THE SERIES Pairing: Wesley/Angel Length: 36,011 words Author on LJ: wesleysgirlAuthor Website: Adds MysteryWhy this must be read: This story is what happens in the Wishverse when Wesley finds Angel in the Master's cage. I love when a writer crafts a clever AU that develops from canon in thoughtful and plausible ways, and this is one of those. The Wishverse is built forward here in totally natural ways, and the Wesley and Angel who exist in that world make complete sense; they are still themselves, just who they would be if different things had happened to them. There's also an interesting plot, a powerful sense of barely-leavened grief and horror that sets the atmosphere for this world well, and careful attention to physical detail. For instance, I find the insightful rendering of the proxemics of dealing with someone who has been traumatized as this Angel has to be especially impressive. ( read an excerpt ) Change of Heart | | |
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Hey everyone, it's your friendly neighborhood Lyr once again. This month, I'll be driving the van for Buffy and Angel. Once again, I'll be trying to bring you a broad range of fic so that there'll be something for everyone. Let's get this show on the road! Fandom: ANGEL: THE SERIES Pairing: Spike/Angel Length: 3,405 words Author on LJ: kallystenAuthor Website: DivagationsWhy this must be read: I will own upfront that I have a weakness for good post-NFA fics - which this definitely is. It picks up right where the episode leaves off, and feels just like a natural, plausible extension of canon. The characterizations are exquisite, and Kallysten evokes a wonderfully powerful sense of mingled hope, loss, anger, and comfort. The emotional dynamics are simply perfect and gorgeous, not to mention rendered in a graceful style that manages to be both restrained and lyrical. I leave this fic with a strong, satisfying conviction that this is how it must have happened, which is, I think, the truest mark of a really well-written story. ( read an excerpt ) If It's Gotta Be Anyone | | |
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Vidder: MrsESsmichMusical artist: ColdplayPairing: Buffy/Angel Vidder on LJ: N/A Vidder's website: YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/MrsESsmichWhy this vid kicks ass: The vidder entered this into a competition which required the vidder to tell the story of their OTP with this particular song, going backwards. That pretty much sums up everything that is awesome about this vid. The scenes fit the music and the cutting and transitions work really well. The vidder also uses rewound images which fits the song spectacularly. The Scientist | | |
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Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/AngelPairing: Buffy/Spike with past Buffy/Angel and Spike/IllyriaLength: ~5kRating: R Author on LJ: anarossAuthor Website: Fics in Memories ListWhy this must be read: This story is a wonderful exploration of Spike's character. Yes, this is a babyfic but it is so much more than that. Anaross portrays a Spike/Angel friendship that is believable and civil and captures the heartache of renewing the Buffy/Spike relationship, especially with the added dynamic of Spike's new daughter, whose mother is Illyria. Not to mention Anaross uses my most favourite literary technique of all time effectively-- allegory. Baby Blue | | |
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Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER & ANGEL Pairing: Xander/Cordelia Length: 500 Author on LJ: entrenous88Author Website: Complete Fic IndexWhy this must be read:Because I always wanted to see these two reunite in some way, even years after Cordelia left Buffy for Angel there was always a part of my shipper heart that wanted to see her back with Xander, and entrenous88 shows us in this piece five plausible ways it could have happened. “I’m a huge idiot.”
Cordy narrowed her eyes. “You got that right. Go on.”Five Ways Cordy and Xander Never Got Back Together | | |
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Well, it's been a pleasure driving the Buffyverse van this month. Here's one last rec for the road. FANDOM: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER / ANGEL: THE SERIES PAIRING: Gen Length: 1224 words Author on LJ: (?) Author Website: ThistleroseWhy this must be read: Faith has lived a pretty amazing life in fanfiction. To many, she's more interesting than Buffy, with her reluctantly-taken road to redemption and general badassery. In this post-"Chosen" one-shot, she ends up doing her thing in New York City, wondering why only certain parts of her past haunt her. It's a solid, straight take on where she might have gone after Sunnydale collapsed into a crater, and well worth a quick read. (There's also a bonus, non-annoying appearance by Connor.) ( Wherever she goes, it seems, Faith is haunted. )Nothing Goes Away | | |
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Fandom: ANGEL: THE SERIES Pairing: (no abbreviations, please) Length: 865 words Author on LJ:Author Website: ShaitanahWhy this must be read: This fic picks up early in the post-"Not Fade Away" comics, where Los Angeles has become "Hell-A," Angel is missing in action, and Connor is struggling to reconcile his recently-restored memories of his actual life with the "normal" ones Angel traded Wolfram & Hart for. There's a quite a conflict there, between a bloodthirsty, angst-ridden, suicidal and homicidal teenager with a penchant for ear trophies and Oedipal complexes and a stable, mature young man headed to a top American college with employment prospects that don't involve demons and a romantic history that doesn't involve anyone his father has macked on (that we know of). The series never really explores that dichotomy--we get a few glimpses in which Connor's regained his memories and seems to be trying to help rather than kill/imprison/otherwise torture Angel--but this fic does. It's a bluntly eloquent stream of consciousness that feels right for the character and both of his selves as he tries to reconcile everything he knows with everything he is. Throw in a nicely drawn Spike, and you've got a winner. ( Two sets of memories and three homes create a chaos in Connor’s mind. )Alone and Colder - Mood: busy
 - Music: "Cigarette" by Fiction Plane
- Tags: angel, fanfic
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Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER / ANGEL: THE SERIES Pairing: Buffy/Angel, others Length: Novel-length Author on LJ: yahtzee63 Author Website: yahtzee!Why this must be read: "Phoenix Burning" is one of those fics in Buffyverse fandom, especially in the B/A shipper subsection. The kind that just about everyone has read and people look at you funny if you do a B/A rec list without it (believe me, I've been there). And the reputation is not undeserved. As with most of Yahtzee's work, this fic lays out a fully-conceived world, set centuries in the future with a bevy of original characters that seem as real as the ones we know. This is, in the words of the person who recommended it to me, "a post-The Gift fic of epic proportions....This is the very best our fandom has ever produced. If you haven't read it: you must." ( And then everything was quiet for a very long time. )Phoenix Burning | | |
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Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER / ANGEL: THE SERIES Pairing: Buffy/Angel Length: ~600 words Author on LJ: femmenerd Author Website: fics_de_femme
Why this must be read: Another simple happy ending, but of a different nature. Here, Angel is still a vampire, but they make it work, something that by the end of both series seemed possible. Femmenerd captures both the epic-ness that makes them click as champions and the minutiae that make them click as people. ( Buffy can be chaotic. )Symbology | | |
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Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER / ANGEL: THE SERIES Pairing: Buffy/Angel Length: 1300 words Author on LJ: margotlefayeAuthor Website: Margot's FemficWhy this must be read: A Buffy/Angel reunion, as seen by near-strangers. The tarot card theme is a great touch (even if you know nothing about tarot), especially in light of the role of prophecies and so forth throughout the Buffyverse, not to mention Drusilla. This short fic shows how they might settle in together, in something resembling a simple, happy ending. ( The girl next door...is an odd one. )
The Girl Next Door | | |
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Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER / ANGEL: THE SERIES Pairing: Buffy/Angel, Angel/Cordelia Length: Eight chapters of 3K+ words Author on LJ: yahtzee63 Author Website: yahtzee!Why this must be read: I always debate whether or not to rec this piece. It's a crossover of the insert-these-characters-into-that-setting variety, which I normally avoid, and it's as much Angel/Cordelia, which squicks me, as it is Buffy/Angel. But here it is. The overall premise--the story of "Casablanca" set in the Hyperion Hotel--works seamlessly in the Angel universe, and the characterizations are spot-on. I still don't agree with the Angel/Cordelia foundations, but I appreciate the treatment here. As for the Buffy/Angel relationship, it's darker and more pragmatic than it might otherwise be, but then, the world built here may demand that. Yahtzee doesn't diminish the importance of the relationship, though, and instead hones in on their connection as warriors and on their mutual reliance in something like that capacity. ( The Hyperion Hotel is again accepting guests. ) As Time Goes By | | |
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Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER / ANGEL: THE SERIES Pairing: Buffy/Angel Length: 5,000 words Author on LJ: yahtzee63 Author Website: yahtzee!Why this must be read: Splitting off from canon in early BtVS S6/AtS S3, this fic follows an Angel desperate to keep his child alive and safe, a Buffy who is struggling with being alive, and a miracle-child of two vampires that isn't remotely Connor. It's hard to believe that the friends Angel and Buffy have surrounded themselves with might feel this way, but with this fic, it's hard to mind that treatment, especially when the characters are so very much there despite the premise. "I-55" is too dark to be called a happy ending, but Yahtzee's Buffy seems content with it, and so am I. ( It wasn't always like this. There were moments, the first few months, when it seemed like a dream come true. )I-55 | | |
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Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER / ANGEL: THE SERIES Pairing: Buffy/Angel Length: 15K+
Author on LJ: cynamin
Author Website: Defunct
Why this must be read: Cynamin does something entirely new with the idea of a Buffy/Angel futurefic, setting them in a distant but not unrecognizable future where Angel has begun to look more like the monster inside of him (aging in the way that, for instance, the Master did). But Buffy is still Buffy, and there's still that good fight. Her determination and optimism are so believable here, as are the effects of his having spent more centuries alone, always saving but never joining humanity. ( Some part of her told her that right now, he needed her, too, even if he didn’t know it. )On Ancient Wings | | |
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Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER / ANGEL: THE SERIES Pairing: Buffy/Angel Length: 32K+ words Author on LJ: (Unknown) Author Website: It's defunctWhy this must be read: The Angel episode "I Will Remember You" has spawned endless questions of "what if," fics examining those questions, and an excellent annual marathon. This, though, may be my favorite take, wherein Buffy doesn't quite die at the end of "The Gift," but passes into a parallel dimension with a slightly different timeline. It's heartbreaking to realize, after reading this, that maybe these two could have been happy together, earlier, without bringing the world to an end. In the meantime, Felicity tugs at your heart as the Buffy we know tries to navigate the life of the one we never got to. ( "It's a miracle that you're here," Giles murmured. "I don't quite understand how the portal healed you." ) In This World | | |
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Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER / ANGEL: THE SERIES Pairing: Cordelia Chase / Xander Harris Length: One-shot (~3,350 words) Author on LJ: vatrixsta (although the journal hasn't been updated in more than seven years) Author Website: Vatrixsta at AO3 (last updated a bit over a year ago)
Why this must be read: I'm a Buffy/Angel shipper at my core, but I have side love for Cordelia/Xander. They're a delightfully unlikely pairing and (unlike most from either series) exist pretty much outside of the supernatural world. Instead, the pairing plays strongly on the high school themes in which "Buffy" was rooted, and it does so with wit, a heap of chemistry, and a strong dose of emotions that anyone who's survived high school can relate to. Vatrixsta's fics are always worthwhile in my experience, but in this one, she really shows where and how Cordelia and Xander shine together--the clever little barbs, the emotional confusion and raging hormones, and the underlying sense that they could've really been something if Angel hadn't needed a sidekick in L.A. I always wished that the older and wise Cordy and Xander we knew in the last seasons of "Angel" and "Buffy" had had the chance to meet again--and here, we get a taste of that. ( "You're an echo of my favorite day, dumbass," she snapped. "And I should have known you'd figure out some way to screw it up." )
Echo | | |
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::waves:: Long time watcher, first time writing, blah blah blah blah...I'm at the wheel of the Buffyverse van this month, so expect a bunch of Buffy/Angel fics coming your way, with a sprinkling of other fun things to boot. I'll kick off with one of my all-time favorites and go from there.
Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER / ANGEL: THE SERIES Pairing: Buffy/Angel Length: ~2,550 words, one-shot Author on LJ: thenyxieAuthor Website: Archive Why This Must Be Read: I stumbled onto this beautiful one-shot even before I started watching Buffy, and I was transfixed. The setting is simple and beautiful, and so is the writing. It captures the happy ending that these two so desperately deserve, and it hones in on the why of it--they are happiest together. That thenyxie keeps them fighting the good fight makes it all the sweeter: part of what makes the pairing so interesting is that the two have always had higher callings keeping them apart, but when you take the barriers away, they still want to do what's right, for themselves and for the rest of the world. ( It’s something he’s still getting used to, having time. )Something Like Summertime | | |
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Fandom: ANGEL & BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Pairing: Gen; Angel, Cordelia, Giles Length: 9,506 Author on LJ: Unknown Author Website: Profile at FF.netWhy this must be read:I'm a sucker for the occasional outsider point-of-view story and this piece with Angel and Cordelia seen through Giles's eyes as they mourn the death of a friend is a wonderful look at how these two people have changed since leaving Sunnydale and questions whether or not Giles really knew either of them at all. ( Excerpt )As The Page Turns | | |
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Fandom: ANGEL Pairing: Angel/Cordelia Length: 2,371 Author on LJ: [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]Author Website: Fic Master ListWhy this must be read:Because this piece gives Angel/Cordelia fans the happy ending that canon never gave us. In this AU Cordelia doesn't wakes up at that precise moment in time so she can say good-bye, and Angel lives through another almost-apocalypse and finds himself miles away from LA when a familiar someone walks into a bar. I love this pairing and [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] has created a beautiful story that everyone should read. "This is impossible," he says, standing. She takes a step back. She's not sure why. His hand lifts toward her face until his fingers are a fraction of a centimeter away. She shuts her eyes, waits, waits, wishes, wants him to remind her that he's real, that she can dare -
"Let's go outside," he says. Her eyes snap open, as though jolted. He walks out without saying another word. She follows him. It's her way.i will love you 'til the noise has long since passed | | |
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Title: Signing Bonus by Elisabeth Pairing: Nathan/Lilah Length: 3,900 Author on LJ: [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]Author Website: When Dragons DreamWhy this must be read:They're just such an intriguing pairing, Nathan and Lilah are two very strong personalities on their respective shows and the thought of them together is just hot. I love pre-series stories, and this piece fits in perfectly with the Lilah and Nathan we know from canon. ( NC-17 rated Excerpt )Signing Bonus | | |
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Fandom: ANGEL Pairing: Wesley/Faith Length: ~4,300 Author on LJ: [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]Author Website: Axis of LoveWhy this must be read:This series is a fascinating look at Wesley and Faith as they go on the run with Connor and have to learn to trust one another. These two characters are so haunted and broken in so many ways, and I loved the author's exploration of their relationship and how they really do need each other. “Angel has a son,” he offered bluntly.
“Well that’s… different,” Faith replied wryly, “but I’m still not seeing the reason for you standing here. If Angel wanted me to know I’m pretty sure he would have...”
“There’s a prophecy,” Wesley said with a sigh, cutting her off. He allowed the words to hang briefly between them before elaborating, “The father will kill the son.” He closed the remaining steps that separated them, grasping her shoulders firmly he leaned down and whispered against her hair, “I need a slayer. I need you, Faith. Someone I can trust to get the job done.” The Evil That Men Do Lives After Them | | |
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Hi everyone! I'm [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] your Angel driver for November and we're going to start the month off with a bit of a rare pair. Fandom: ANGEL Pairing: Angel/Darla Length: 4,429 Author on LJ: [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]Author Website: My Fic: Master ListWhy this must be read:Because its bittersweet and beautiful. Angel and Darla were one of those pairings that I never thought I'd like, never gave that much thought too, but this author has thoroughly convinced me with this look at what might have happened if Darla had remained human, if she had lived to become the mother that Conner needed, the partner that Angel needed. ( Excerpt )Of All the Wonders That I Yet Have Heard | | |
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Title: First Contact by MarcusRowland
Pairing: slight Batman/Faith
Length: 22 drabbles
Author on LJ: unknown
Author Website: Author tag on Twisting the Hellmouth
Why this must be read:
This is a series of drabbles about the DC heroes interacting with the Buffyverse gang. It alternates between hilariously cracky and kinda sweet. I love how even though each chapter is only 100 words there are really interesting details about how the 2 worlds connect.
First Contact
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Sorry, RL caused the van to idle for a while, but we're back on the fic highway! Fandom: ANGEL THE SERIES Pairing:none, Cordelia Chase Length: 100 words Author on LJ: silver_galaxy Author Website: Fic tag on LJWhy this must be read: It always amazes me how much emotion and tone can be conveyed in a drabble. Here is something short and sweet and yet so perfectly Cordy. Remember to leave feedback, authors love that! In Vogue | | |
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Fandom: THE X-FILES/ANGEL THE SEREIS Pairing: Mulder/Angel (mentions all relevant canon schtupping) Length: one-shot Author on LJ: xanthelj Author Website: Xanthe Why this must be read:What is it with me and shows with totally cracked out canons? I don't know, but Xanthe apparently shares it. In this short little piece, she manages to effectively skewer two of the most WTF-y storylines in contemporary SFF TV: the last two seasons of the X-Files, and the Connor storyline of Angel. Anyway, this is charming, and goofy, and entirely non-serious, but quite well done. I also pretty much want to hug the ending and ask for pictures. Fatherhood 2002 at Xanthe's site | | |
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Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER & ANGEL Pairing: Xander/Cordelia, mentions of Xander/Anya and Angel/Cordelia Length: 1,250 Author on LJ: anythingbutgreyAuthor Website: Fic Master ListWhy this must be read:Xander and Cordelia were the first Buffy pairing I fell in love with all those years ago, and even now these two still hold a special place in my shipper heart. anythingbutgrey goes a great job of showing the differences in how Cordelia and Xander view their past relationship; their characterizations throughout the piece are just perfection and make this one a must-read. There’s a gap of time where the only people who kiss her are demons trying to impregnate her with spawn and Doyle, who pressed the visions into her and left the last scraps of him embedded in her skin. Xander is, in his own way, the only memory she has of something good and happy in her life, and the fact that he himself took that from her makes her hate him far more than she would have had he meant nothing.Since You Left I'm a Gold Balloon That Wanders High (or: six things you didn't know about Cordelia and Xander) | | |
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Fandom: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER & ANGEL Pairing: Wesley/Faith Length: 1,600 Author on LJ: [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]Author Website: Fic Collection Post Why this must be read:This piece is a great post-series character study of Faith, where she realizes after everything that she doesn't really fit in with the rest of the Scoobies and treks off on her own. During her travels going from hotel to motel to motel, for one reason or another she starts sending postcards and eventually letters to Wesley of all people, evolving from one word by-the-way-I'm-alive reminders to Faith actually opening up about herself in a way she never had before. ( Excerpt )I Don't Know Where I'll Be Tonight, But I'll Always Tell You Where I Am | | |
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Fandom: ANGEL: THE SERIES Pairing: Wesley/Gunn Length: 5,510 words Author on LJ: wolflingAuthor Website: Wolfling's LairWhy this must be read: In this AU, after Wesley steals Connor and has his subsequent falling out with Angel, Gunn tries to make sense of it all. This story has some truly lovely characterizations, and excellently insightful observations about the motivations of both characters. The complex, intense, and sometimes screwed up dynamic that these two had developed by this point in canon is beautifully rendered here---and wonderfully, skillfully untangled in a way that makes emotional and logical sense and is perfectly satisfying. The difficulties in this pairing are not glossed over here, but carefully dealt with in ways that feel real and plausible. ( read an excerpt ) Shattered Image | | |
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Fandom: FIREFLY/ANGEL: THE SERIES Pairing: Simon/Wesley Length: about 3,680 words Author on LJ: drsquidloveAuthor Website: The Lecherous Tentacles of Dr SquidloveWhy this must be read: After centuries, Wesley is working for Wolfram and Hart, Osiris Branch; he thinks Simon and River could use some decent legal representation. I like that this story surprises me. I wouldn't have imagined this avenue of crossover, but it fits well. I wouldn't have imagined Simon and Wesley, but that, too, fits well given their backgrounds and experiences. And of all the ways I ever imagined Simon and River fighting the Alliance, this is definitely one I never thought of. The voices and characterizations are also strong, especially for Simon and River. There are a number of fine character insights as well, most notably the way Wesley is afraid of River not because she's crazy and violent, but because she's a Reader and can see all the things he's done. ( read an excerpt )Ex Turpi Causa | | |
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