descant descending

Fanfiction
Title:	descant descending
Author(s):	macha
Date(s):	2002 - 2003
Length:
Genre:	poetry
Fandom:	Buffy the Vampire Slayer
External Links:	Tea at the Ford (archived link), All About Spike (archived link), Ao3
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descant descending by macha is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfic pairing Buffy/Spike that many readers struggle to describe.

Summary

Cante fable, written by macha (begun october 2002, completed march 2003). Buffy descends to the Underworld to rescue Spike, while Tara and Willow guard her back, Dawn turns the key, Faith does the general thing in the meadow, alignments shift in the field, and Angel and Angelus come to an understanding. The story resolves the whole series, taking place just before the Final Battle, with armageddon already in play.

Reactions & Reviews

I don't even know what terms to use to rec this--it's unlike any story I've read. The author helpfully defines the form she is using at the start of part one: "cante fable: interwoven song and story, a preliterate bardic formal structure and the oldest known form of the folktale." From that point spins out this kind of structural and lyrical marvel of a piece, told by turns in character voice, prophecy, poetry and lyric. The short description is it's a story of Buffy descending to the underworld to retrieve Spike, but that hardly covers it. Even if that plot doesn't sound like something that would interest you, I encourage you to take a look anyway. It's a marvel, truly beautiful.

Dynagirl 

To requote what I said in rashaka's journal after I read it: did e.e.cummings and Neil Gaiman have a baby together and nobody tell me? My father and brother both called while I was reading this, and now they both think I'm on drugs because I was so spacy and incoherent. Not my fault. I think my brain melted. In a nutshell (and it's not possible to put this fic in a nutshell), this is a reworking of the legend of Orpheus in the Underworld with Spike as Eurydice. What sets this apart is that astonishing style. The story's told in poetry, prophecy, myth, conversation, meta-analysis of the Buffyverse by people in the real world, Greek chorus... I've never read anything quite like this. Beautiful and stunning.

doylerecs