Ooh! I'll be anxious to see what people say. I've tried to get into B/G, but I just can't get past my squick. I'm sure there is some great stuff out there, so I can't wait to see what people rec! ^__^

YAY! I hope people can come up with a bunch of links, and then, to be sure, i'll be posting what I think are the best of those... cuz i know a lot of people on the flist are totally squicked by it, and i'd like to kinda give y'all a reason to go for it, ya know? :D

a2zmom posted a list of B/G recs a little while ago (maybe a week?) in her LJ that were B/G stories she liked, as someone who does not normally like B/G. That might be a good place to start. (The two of the stories from that list that I've read (the AC Chapin story and the one by doyle_sb4, both of which are incredible) are the only two B/G stories I have ever liked, too, and I really can't stand Giles and Buffy in a romantic pairing.)

In general, I'd say if someone's resistant to a pairing, don't bother reccing them fic, but if they're asking for the recs, that list might be a good place to start.

And the list is here.

I have no clue, as I don't actually read them, but perhaps friendship fics are the way to go? Altho', honestly, I'm so burnt out of the B/G world, it's hard for me to get excited over it.

~e!

yeah, i was thinking about that, but you know me and friendship fics - i'm always like 'whats the point?' :D

The thing that convinced me wasn't the fic itself but L_F's essay on Giles and her explanation about why B/G is plausible.

L_F? linkies? pretty please? I'd love to include that too - especially if it convinced you!

I've been slackery with fandom links too - but it's ok, if you think of something older that's probably better anyway. It doesn't have to be published recently, seriously.

And not to complicate things, but are there certain fics you would rec for each category? What would you suggest for someone who feels their relationship is pseudo-incestuous? I don't think it's possible to overcome not being attracted to both of them in some way, but if someone wasn't, are there fics you think might change their mind about one or the other? And if the person has always read slash or femslash, is there a fic that you could suggest to possibly charm them with het writing?

I'd actually say most of the resistance I've encountered has been either a) because they see the canonical relationship as a father/daughter binary or b) because they dislike either Buffy or Giles.

And I know that I'm coming at this from an oblique angle, because I'm someone who actually likes the pairing, asking others who like the pairing to suggest fics that, in a sense, defend the legitimacy of the pairing. This seems to be something most of the bigger ships don't have to do - or at least, i have not seen it as often. At the same time, I think it's possible to suggest a fic that is so charming, or so well done (in that ineffable aesthetic sense) that it can charm someone into believing in the pairing. At least, that's what has happened to me with a number of pairings, and, naively or not, I like to believe that there are others out there like me, just waiting to be presented with the story that will interrupt their expectations and instead draw them into a new view of the fandom.

Siren Voices Floating Round Thee by Djinnis my favourite B/G fic (that's not by me or my sister) because it really does the character development work to make the ship believable. I think that also makes it a great fic for converting people. Also, the author herself (assuming Djinn is a "her"), according to her website, was uncomfortable with the pairing, but wrote this story and made it work. Now she's apparently fond of the pairing and has written two sequels.

This is a good recommendation, because it deals with the issues I imagine some people approaching B/G might have with the concept. Though I sort of share Glim's list of questions: what's the trouble they're having with the idea? On what grounds do they need persuasion?

I had a similar journey with Giles/Xander and Giles/Anya. I can point to the story that hit me with the clue bat on G/A, and I think I can remember what did it for G/X, too. For G/B it might have been the Transformations Quartet, but I'm not sure that story will work for everybody.

Kim Wylie's Sew the Chicken series is a left-field approach to the pairing, with snarky Giles. Or there's Susan MD's "A Birthday Gift for Giles"

interesting choice for a rec - thank you lady!

I haven't been reading B/G that long, as I used to think of it more as a father/daughter thing, but now I'm completely won over. I read a fic called "Conjuring" by Rari Cross that I thought was really great, and looks at the B/G relationship in a new way, with great character developments. The link is here: http://www.buffygiles.net/c_nz/conjuring.htm Just in case it doesn't work, it can be found on the Buffy/Giles Fanfiction Archive.

Oh thank you! This is one of my fav fics, and it's been a while - it's definitely going on the list.

(and the link totally worked, not to worry!)

Sorry for the 2nd post, but I've been thinking some more. Originally, I actively disliked the pairing because I found it somewhat incestuous. I think there are a lot of others who think the same, and to these people I would recommend reading B/G stories based on Seaon 6 and after as they tend to have a more mature Buffy. They certainly won me over, 'cause I love B/G now. I just think it's important to let you know that even "active dislikers" of the pairing can be won over; you just need to know why they dislike it and then find stories that deal with that.

Thank you so much for coming back and leaving this comment! Not only because I really appreciate the suggestion to offer older fic at first (that totally makes sense), but because I've gotten a lot of feedback from others that I can't change minds, and you're one of the first who's encouraged me! I also had a similar experience with B/G and with other pairings, which is why I firmly believe reading good fic can convince someone the pairing is fun, but it's really really nice to know I'm not the only one. thanks again!

It's not a romace-type story, but I think it's a great start for fic generally.

http://www.chicagostation.com/buffic/observare.htm

For romantic-type stuff, I'd suggest either The Bond series, or the Transformations series.
-BJ

The main reason why I was "hmmmm?!" about B/G was the age difference, and Giles' relationship to Buffy as her Watcher, not her lover, but once you get past the Buffy-in-high-school season type set up, and that weird but awesome episode where Giles has to drug her because of The Council, I think it becomes acceptable for a B/G relationship. Some fics i have read (probably Glim's, or Glim's reccs?), have a next-level-of-Watcher/Slayer-relationship relationship going on, and I believe that is the best way to get into this particular pairing. Because if it's written well, and it is written albeit a bit reluctantly (I like the idea that Giles is a bit "... should I be doing this? But it will form a closer bond, blah blah blah, Reason, blah" and Buffy is all "Watcher? Mmmmm. Gilesian Watcher." etc), then it is Good and Gooooood. Okay, that might be a personal kink of mine? I also like the fics in which Buffy has a big generally unrequited lust for Giles (and sometimes this is requited at the end of the fic!). They make me smile because they are usually cute.

So I have no fics to link to. But I have a bit of blither about why I like B/G, and a cute icon.

Personally, I think non-fiction is more effective for this type of thing. I'm more likely to go for a certain ship, or interpretation of a character, if I've read something that explains the logic behind it in a reasonable way. That B/G shipper manifesto by jedi_penguin does a fantastic job of debunking objections to the ship.

Hi, you've been nominated in round #6 of the forbiddenawards here: http://community.livejournal.com/forbiddenawards/34679.html

Please let me know if you accept.

Thank you and congratulations.

OMG! Thank you so much sweetie! Of course I accept!

i read this thread the other day, and found a fic over at allthejells that was just posted and would be a good one. It's called bite sized chunks, and has Dawn catching Buffy and Giles kissing. The Giles/Dawn conversation that follows could serve as a B/G shipper tp B/G nonshipper conversation. Plus the language is beautiful.

http://community.livejournal.com/allthejellies/362434.html?view=1385922&style=mine#t1385922