Fanfic rec: Battling Towards Contentment - by Miranda

[estepheia]

TITLE: Battling Towards Contentment
AUTHOR: Miranda / mirandaflynn
RATING: PG
SPOILERS: Spoilers for Not Fade Away
SUMMARY: post-NFA ensemble story that focusses on Illyria.

My comment: Miranda has a gift for writing happy stories that 'fix' things that went 'wrong' in the series. Anyone unhappy with the way AtS ended will find here a much lighter and optimistic ending, one that still rings true. This is how ME could have played things - if Joss weren't determined to always heap on the angst. Anyway, I've always loved Miranda's writing, and this plotty, economically told story will show you why. Go read. Be happy.
(Oh, and there's a sequel too, but I haven't read it yet.)

Comments

[shapinglight]

Thanks for the rec. I did enjoy NFA but I got a bit annoyed with Wesley's death scene, because like in Fred's death scene in AHitW, I felt I was being blatantly emotionally manipulated by Joss.

It'll be nice to read something a little more optimistic.

[estepheia.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm not keen on Joss's character death policy either. *is still disgruntled over Anya's death*
I hate blatant emotional manipulation too. OTOH I found Anya's death scene (and Xander's comment) too unemotional.

[shapinglight]

I guess I would have liked to see Xander a lot more cut up about Anya's death and I'm still uncertain as to why if Joss feels it's necessary to remind the audience that people die in war, he then didn't also feel it necessary to remind the audience that people get upset when people they love die. It's the lack of reaction from Buffy and the others over Spike's and Anya's deaths that gets me in Chosen rather than the actual deaths. The 'happy ending' seems forced (but then I think the whole episode is a bit lacklustre and has 'I'm tired of this and want to move on to other things' written all over it).

Where Fred and Wesley are concerned, it's different, though somehow. I don't see the point of their deaths except for the aforesaid emotional manipulation.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Oh! I haven't checked her site in ages (since she seemed to have moved on from BtVS related fic), and she's posted the sequel since then! Spiffy!

[estepheia.livejournal.com]

Hee. Glad to have been of service.

[mirandaflynn.livejournal.com]

Hi, Estephia. Thanks for the rec!

[estepheia.livejournal.com]

You're welcome - even though I regret having to inform you that there's a special hell reserved for people who spell my name wrong.... LOL.
Glad to see you're on LJ! Whohooo!

[mirandaflynn.livejournal.com]

I'm sent to hell for 1 'e'?

:)

[estepheia.livejournal.com]

Hey, it's a matter of principle. *g*

[timeofchange.livejournal.com]

Wonderful story! Thanks for the rec.

[estepheia.livejournal.com]

Glad you enjoyed it. :-)