Question What kind of FanFic do you like to Read

[sosa lola]

i try to get into it but so much of the writing is so simple and just bad. i feel mean saying that like clearly a fan can write fanfic regardless of their writing abilities but i just hate having to weed out the good from the bad. I dont know i have a preference of what i like to read im just always after great writing.
if anyone wants to recommend some well written fics id love that!

I can recommend you good fanfics. Do you want it to be gen or focused on a specific pairing?

I mostly read Xander fanfiction, but I also read gen and character study fics for other characters. As for pairings, I enjoy Xander/Spike, Xander/Giles, Xander/Buffy... Xander/Anyone... and also Buffy/Spike.

@Priceless What are your favorite Spuffy fics? I have recced my favorites from last year in LJ.

 

[nightshade]

Does anyone know any fics that have Spike more Slayer obsessed, not with a single Slayer but with the whole Slayer deal

 

[Slayrunt]

I can recommend you good fanfics. Do you want it to be gen or focused on a specific pairing?

I mostly read Xander fanfiction, but I also read gen and character study fics for other characters. As for pairings, I enjoy Xander/Spike, Xander/Giles, Xander/Buffy... Xander/Anyone... and also Buffy/Spike.

@Priceless What are your favorite Spuffy fics? I have recced my favorites from last year in LJ.

Xander/spike and xander/buffy would be great! You can message me if you like

 

[Priceless]

@Priceless What are your favorite Spuffy fics? I have recced my favorites from last year in LJ.

I will try and check out your recomendations on LJ, are you easy to find? What was your top Spuffy fanfic?

My favourites aren't really current, I've got a lot of catching up to do, and I can't do the linking thing, but so far I've enjoyed

Echoes of Beljoxa by myrabeth
Her Way by dreamweaver
Running from the Inevitable by The Enemy of Reality

 

[sosa lola]

Xander/spike and xander/buffy would be great! You can message me if you like

I'll post them here in case someone wanted to read them, too.

1) Magpie and its sequel Mockingbird by Sparrow2000:

Set post Chosen. Xander is travelling around Europe doing jobs for the Council when things start to happen.

2) Perceptions Verse by Sparrow2000

Spike unexpectedly comes to Sunnydale on business prior to ‘Lover’s Walk’. He spots Xander and Willow sneaking about and that makes our nosy neighbourhood vampire all kinds of curious.

3) Nothing the Same by Orchidluv

Xander doesn’t deal well with Jesse’s death. Guilt-ridden over killing his friend, he can’t accept what Giles and Buffy are telling him, that nothing of his friend remained in the vampire. He drifts away from Willow feeling betrayed that she has just forgotten Jesse. The others think he’s gone off the deep end, especially when it looks like he’s becoming friends with Spike.

4) Reassembling by Texanfan

What if both Buffy and Anya died at the end of The Gift?

5) Blood on a Sundial by Maz

Spike and Xander, AU in Season 2. We are talking slow burn for this relationship. Please note the rating - they do not fall into bed together.

6) Want by Shanyah

It’s New York, it’s eight years after the end of season 7. Xander and Spike have a chance meeting. Spike wants Xander to build him a house, but that’s not all he wants. Xander applies both his architectural and, ahem, other talents. Smut, romance (kinda) and some angst follow.

7) Letters by Tabaqui

He came back to himself in pain. It felt as if he were being burned alive. *Again?

8) Sidelines by Anna S

Xander is on the sidelines once more. Buffy & Willow are in college, and his parents have kicked him out of the basement. How that happened, well, it’s a funny story, involving a shirtless Spike, but Xander really doesn’t want to tell it.

This story veers off canon shortly after the events of Hush, and follows Xander as he struggles to find his place, discover himself, and keep up the good fight against evil while living next-door to the undead.

9) A Week of Wrong by Anna S

Comedy, The universe seems to be trying to set Xander up with Spike.

10) No Power on Earth by Circe

Set in the summer after Season 3. So, you wanted more details on what Xander did on his summer vacation … Think Catcher in the Rye meets gay vampire porn.

11) Loserville, by Shrift

Welcome to Loserville. Population: two.

12) 48 Hours in the Lives of Xander the Bear and the Vamp Who Came Back, by reremouse

It’s ten years since Sunnydale went down and Spike went down with it; Xander’s changed and Spike hasn’t, but they’ll always have Cheetos.

13) Good Guy, Bad Guy, by reremouse and cordelianne

In a post-Chosen, post-NFA, non-comic canon compliant world, Xander’s working with the Council and Spike’s working with Angel. Somehow they keep running into each other.

14) My Funny Valentine, by Witling

“No, I got nabbed by vampires, who made me kinky. Willow’s gay. I’m kinky. There’s a difference.”

15) A Lesson in Principles, by Annie Sewell-Jennings:

Right after Hush. Xander and Spike in the basement of doom.

16) Brothers in Arms, by Poshcat:

Guess who’s come for a visit at Wolfram and Hart’s on Christmas night?

17) When Visions Come True by Spikedluv

Xander has a horrifying vision of the future and sets out to see if it’s true or not.

(I'll post Xander/Buffy fics later. 🙂 )

 

[sosa lola]

I will try and check out your recomendations on LJ, are you easy to find? What was your top Spuffy fanfic?

My favourites aren't really current, I've got a lot of catching up to do, and I can't do the linking thing, but so far I've enjoyed

Echoes of Beljoxa by myrabeth
Her Way by dreamweaver
Running from the Inevitable by The Enemy of Reality

I'll bring them here 🙂

Yeah, that happened...The Real Story of Buffy and Spike by Cryptwarmer: The real life Buffy, tells her own real life story, of being the Slayer and her relationship with that ONE vampire in all the world. Working under the assumption that the TV series was based on a book based on real life, this is Buffy's story of what it was like to be the Slayer and how things really went down for her and Spike. It's her personal story that didn't even make it into the book! The sometimes sad, sometimes scary, sometimes sweet and always sexy love story that we know as Spuffy.

(This story is original and depicts real life relationships so well. Buffy is so relatable here and so real! The characters were so interesting and the relationship between Buffy and her mother was complex and not at all black and white. The story also had a lot of perks like the Q and A section and also the chapters being titled the same way the episodes on Friends were.)

Remember When by tempestt: Insert fake sister A into memory slot B. When the monks form Dawn, the PTB take a helping hand in the creation of the fake memories. How does the interactions with Dawn in the past change Buffy and Spike's relationship in the present and ultimately the future? Begins in S5 but quickly downturns to S2. Spike/Buffy with Spike and Dawn friendship.

(I really enjoy stories that insert Dawn into the early seasons. Also the Spike/Xander big brother/little brother relationship is wonderfully written.)

Otherwise by Sigyn: The Slayer Buffy Summers drowned at the hellmouth two years ago. The vampire Spike was dusted in Prague. So what are they both doing here?

(I can't resist time travel fics, especially when awesomely written. S7 Buffy and Spike find themselves in an alternative universe where Xander didn't rescue Buffy in Prophecy Girl. Faith is the Slayer now, Xander and Cordelia are dating, and Willow is with no one. Set in S3.)

Darkest Dawn by Sigyn and Zabjade: On Halloween night, Dawn Summers went missing. Two days later she turns up dead, and an already grieving Buffy has one less reason to try and claw her way back to life. But something already did come back – to demonic unlife, anyway. Now Spike has to rear an adolescent vampire, trying keep her from killing when she has no chip, no soul, and no real reason to be good, except for her respect for him. Season Six divergence, as Dawn is brought all the way in All The Way. Complete at 50 chapters.

(Dawn turned into a vampire took the character to extremely interesting directions. The fic is a roller coaster of emotions and some chapters made me tear up and cry.)

Second String by solstice: He has lost two Slayers. She's just lost her Watcher. Now they're stuck with each other and neither is particularly happy about it. Drabble series set in an AU.

(Okay, I gotta say, the Xito relationship was the highlight of this fic. I really enjoyed reading about Xander falling in love with a gender shifter demon, who prefers to be male. Raw emotions depicted well. It was the first time I cared about Xander being paired with an original character - this is so hard to achieve.)

Out of the Cave by TaraLuna: After her showdown with the Turok Han, Buffy goes to rescue Spike from the First. A continuation of the last scene in "Showtime."

(This is such a beautiful missing scene set in S7. My favorite part was how in character both Xander and Willow are, as I don't remember Willow being against Spuffy at all in canon. It was refreshing to see both characters written as supportive friends, the way they were written in S7.)

Razing the Veil by Eurydice: As far as Spike is concerned, life doesn't get better than being cock of the walk in the rising anarchy of 1980 New York City. Vampires are a growing threat, and he's the one to lead the underground rebellion in defeating them. Except...maybe not. Because in a different world, one Spike died to save, a certain Slayer discovers his journey just might not be over yet after all.

( This is a very original idea and really interesting. I'm enjoy Xander and Dawn here as well.)

 

[Slayrunt]

I'll post them here in case someone wanted to read them, too.

1) Magpie and its sequel Mockingbird by Sparrow2000:

Set post Chosen. Xander is travelling around Europe doing jobs for the Council when things start to happen.

2) Perceptions Verse by Sparrow2000

Spike unexpectedly comes to Sunnydale on business prior to ‘Lover’s Walk’. He spots Xander and Willow sneaking about and that makes our nosy neighbourhood vampire all kinds of curious.

3) Nothing the Same by Orchidluv

Xander doesn’t deal well with Jesse’s death. Guilt-ridden over killing his friend, he can’t accept what Giles and Buffy are telling him, that nothing of his friend remained in the vampire. He drifts away from Willow feeling betrayed that she has just forgotten Jesse. The others think he’s gone off the deep end, especially when it looks like he’s becoming friends with Spike.

4) Reassembling by Texanfan

What if both Buffy and Anya died at the end of The Gift?

5) Blood on a Sundial by Maz

Spike and Xander, AU in Season 2. We are talking slow burn for this relationship. Please note the rating - they do not fall into bed together.

6) Want by Shanyah

It’s New York, it’s eight years after the end of season 7. Xander and Spike have a chance meeting. Spike wants Xander to build him a house, but that’s not all he wants. Xander applies both his architectural and, ahem, other talents. Smut, romance (kinda) and some angst follow.

7) Letters by Tabaqui

He came back to himself in pain. It felt as if he were being burned alive. *Again?

8) Sidelines by Anna S

Xander is on the sidelines once more. Buffy & Willow are in college, and his parents have kicked him out of the basement. How that happened, well, it’s a funny story, involving a shirtless Spike, but Xander really doesn’t want to tell it.

This story veers off canon shortly after the events of Hush, and follows Xander as he struggles to find his place, discover himself, and keep up the good fight against evil while living next-door to the undead.

9) A Week of Wrong by Anna S

Comedy, The universe seems to be trying to set Xander up with Spike.

10) No Power on Earth by Circe

Set in the summer after Season 3. So, you wanted more details on what Xander did on his summer vacation … Think Catcher in the Rye meets gay vampire porn.

11) Loserville, by Shrift

Welcome to Loserville. Population: two.

12) 48 Hours in the Lives of Xander the Bear and the Vamp Who Came Back, by reremouse

It’s ten years since Sunnydale went down and Spike went down with it; Xander’s changed and Spike hasn’t, but they’ll always have Cheetos.

13) Good Guy, Bad Guy, by reremouse and cordelianne

In a post-Chosen, post-NFA, non-comic canon compliant world, Xander’s working with the Council and Spike’s working with Angel. Somehow they keep running into each other.

14) My Funny Valentine, by Witling

“No, I got nabbed by vampires, who made me kinky. Willow’s gay. I’m kinky. There’s a difference.”

15) A Lesson in Principles, by Annie Sewell-Jennings:

Right after Hush. Xander and Spike in the basement of doom.

16) Brothers in Arms, by Poshcat:

Guess who’s come for a visit at Wolfram and Hart’s on Christmas night?

17) When Visions Come True by Spikedluv

Xander has a horrifying vision of the future and sets out to see if it’s true or not.

(I'll post Xander/Buffy fics later. 🙂 )

Thank you!!! i wish there was a way i could save this post i might just bookmark it.thanks again

 

[Priceless]

I'll bring them here 🙂

Yeah, that happened...The Real Story of Buffy and Spike by Cryptwarmer: The real life Buffy, tells her own real life story, of being the Slayer and her relationship with that ONE vampire in all the world. Working under the assumption that the TV series was based on a book based on real life, this is Buffy's story of what it was like to be the Slayer and how things really went down for her and Spike. It's her personal story that didn't even make it into the book! The sometimes sad, sometimes scary, sometimes sweet and always sexy love story that we know as Spuffy.

(This story is original and depicts real life relationships so well. Buffy is so relatable here and so real! The characters were so interesting and the relationship between Buffy and her mother was complex and not at all black and white. The story also had a lot of perks like the Q and A section and also the chapters being titled the same way the episodes on Friends were.)

Remember When by tempestt: Insert fake sister A into memory slot B. When the monks form Dawn, the PTB take a helping hand in the creation of the fake memories. How does the interactions with Dawn in the past change Buffy and Spike's relationship in the present and ultimately the future? Begins in S5 but quickly downturns to S2. Spike/Buffy with Spike and Dawn friendship.

(I really enjoy stories that insert Dawn into the early seasons. Also the Spike/Xander big brother/little brother relationship is wonderfully written.)

Otherwise by Sigyn: The Slayer Buffy Summers drowned at the hellmouth two years ago. The vampire Spike was dusted in Prague. So what are they both doing here?

(I can't resist time travel fics, especially when awesomely written. S7 Buffy and Spike find themselves in an alternative universe where Xander didn't rescue Buffy in Prophecy Girl. Faith is the Slayer now, Xander and Cordelia are dating, and Willow is with no one. Set in S3.)

Darkest Dawn by Sigyn and Zabjade: On Halloween night, Dawn Summers went missing. Two days later she turns up dead, and an already grieving Buffy has one less reason to try and claw her way back to life. But something already did come back – to demonic unlife, anyway. Now Spike has to rear an adolescent vampire, trying keep her from killing when she has no chip, no soul, and no real reason to be good, except for her respect for him. Season Six divergence, as Dawn is brought all the way in All The Way. Complete at 50 chapters.

(Dawn turned into a vampire took the character to extremely interesting directions. The fic is a roller coaster of emotions and some chapters made me tear up and cry.)

Second String by solstice: He has lost two Slayers. She's just lost her Watcher. Now they're stuck with each other and neither is particularly happy about it. Drabble series set in an AU.

(Okay, I gotta say, the Xito relationship was the highlight of this fic. I really enjoyed reading about Xander falling in love with a gender shifter demon, who prefers to be male. Raw emotions depicted well. It was the first time I cared about Xander being paired with an original character - this is so hard to achieve.)

Out of the Cave by TaraLuna: After her showdown with the Turok Han, Buffy goes to rescue Spike from the First. A continuation of the last scene in "Showtime."

(This is such a beautiful missing scene set in S7. My favorite part was how in character both Xander and Willow are, as I don't remember Willow being against Spuffy at all in canon. It was refreshing to see both characters written as supportive friends, the way they were written in S7.)

Razing the Veil by Eurydice: As far as Spike is concerned, life doesn't get better than being cock of the walk in the rising anarchy of 1980 New York City. Vampires are a growing threat, and he's the one to lead the underground rebellion in defeating them. Except...maybe not. Because in a different world, one Spike died to save, a certain Slayer discovers his journey just might not be over yet after all.

( This is a very original idea and really interesting. I'm enjoy Xander and Dawn here as well.)

Thank you! I am in the middle of The Writing on the Wall by Holly, but as soon as I finish that, I shall read your recs.

I've read a few stories were Willow is seen as the enemy and although the story is good, that aspect puts me off. Willow always seems okay with all Buffy's romances, and is pretty non-judgemental of her best friend.

 

[ChaseRules]

I'll bring them here 🙂

Yeah, that happened...The Real Story of Buffy and Spike by Cryptwarmer: The real life Buffy, tells her own real life story, of being the Slayer and her relationship with that ONE vampire in all the world. Working under the assumption that the TV series was based on a book based on real life, this is Buffy's story of what it was like to be the Slayer and how things really went down for her and Spike. It's her personal story that didn't even make it into the book! The sometimes sad, sometimes scary, sometimes sweet and always sexy love story that we know as Spuffy.

(This story is original and depicts real life relationships so well. Buffy is so relatable here and so real! The characters were so interesting and the relationship between Buffy and her mother was complex and not at all black and white. The story also had a lot of perks like the Q and A section and also the chapters being titled the same way the episodes on Friends were.)

I looking forward to reading that . Cant wait to see how the "real " Buffy & Spike worked out . Thanks for the Rec.

 

[sosa lola]

I've read a few stories were Willow is seen as the enemy and although the story is good, that aspect puts me off. Willow always seems okay with all Buffy's romances, and is pretty non-judgemental of her best friend.

It's way too out of character for me. The second Willow is being too anti-Spuffy, I can't complete the story. Willow was always supportive of all of Buffy's romances, even if Buffy and Spike publically dated in S6, Willow would have been supportive. On the other hand, a lot of Spuffy fics lately show Anya as a sweet angel towards Buffy while Xander and Willow are horrid to her. 🙄

I will check the fics you listed. 🙂

 

[ChaseRules]

So you saying that in a log of Spuffy Fic you been reading lately that Anya fine with Buffy dating Spike while Willow & Xander hate that ?

 

[sosa lola]

So you saying that in a log of Spuffy Fic you been reading lately that Anya fine with Buffy dating Spike while Willow & Xander hate that ?

There's big number of fics where Anya is friendly and polite towards Buffy while Xander and Willow are nothing but manipulative controlling jerks. I don't mind a fic where Anya and Buffy start growing a tight friendship, but there needs to be a build up for that because of all the Scoobies, Anya is the one who liked Buffy the least.

 

[HowiMetdaSlayer]

I generally avoid the Spike/Buffy ones. 😉 I did read a Lost Girl/Buffy crossover where Spike was dating Willow. Now that was pretty weird. 😉 Was well written otherwise. 🙂

 

[sosa lola]

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1) There Ought to Be Clowns by Aadler: “Buffy makes Xander a ‘no strings’ offer and Xander accepts. Funny how it becomes impossible to say what you really want once you’ve got what you asked for. I really loved the complicated Buffy characterisation in this story – it’s the road not taken, but feels very true to her character. And the use of repetition is an especially effective bell in her brain. Really good stuff.” Sparrow2000

“This is a tough story for me to read because Buffy’s in a hell of her own making and it’s so sad! But the story really is a great read. Just be prepared for angst.” Dragonyphoenix

“This is so heartbreaking and filled with so many misunderstandings and unspoken words.” @luscious2

2) The Cure Series by Lwbush: After Buffy’s return from the grave, she’s living with Dawn and Xander. Then she sees Xander in a different light and makes a proposal. Friends with benefits. But it turns out differently than she’d anticipated.

3) Surfacing by Only_Passenger: Set between S6 and S7. Buffy and Xander finally talk about all the S6 crap with the addition of booze. Those are the rules: drink "like men at a poker game. All the dirty secrets come out.” It’s character-driven with Buffy empowerment and that last line. Perfect. God, I just love complexity of the Buffy/Xander relationship!

4) Dusk Over Pompeii by Aadler: Some battles can’t be won. Some can’t even be fought. A sad background story that was never shown in canon, set in S4.

5) A Tall Ship by Sam_arkand: Xander had an extremely important decision to make. Possibly vital to the world. Apocalypse averting, even. The writing is so perfect, really good language and the very gradual development of Buffy and Xander’s relationship makes me swoon, so gracefully moving forward. Even if you don’t ship them together, you’re going to enjoy this one. (It also deals with “Kick his ass” very well, this will probably get you interested, heh)

6) If I Act (a Little Strange) by Waddis: There’s a difference between getting old and getting older, but neither one feels very good. Xander is turning 30… “Why, God, why are you doing this to us?!” Joey from Friends.

7) Lost and Gone Forever by Hkath: Buffy sent Angel to hell in S2 and left. She never came back. Heartbreaking piece about the Scoobies, especially Xander, dealing with Buffy being gone and living S3 without Buffy.

8) We All Fall Down by Coalitiongirl: Missing scene, takes place just after the last scene in “Killed By Death.” Xander helps Buffy heal in the only way he can. I really wish this missing scene happened. So powerful and gripping. I couldn’t stop reading.

9) Still Standing by Secondalto: Xander comes to Scotland to heal. Buffy and Giles are there for him. Especially Buffy.

10) Ordinary Guy by tesla321: You can read Part 2 here. Xander is in Africa, trying to get over Anya. Xander is heading to Rome, but doesn’t think Buffy will be at the airport to greet him.

11) Now I Live Here, Another Island by Glossing: “It’s not a Sunnydale summer without a funeral to kick it off.” After “Grave”.

12) Underneath the Shroud by Ladycat777: Post-NFA. Xander buries his face there, unable to really breathe from their shared warmth, her fingers in his hair, her other arm loosely curling over his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” she says.

13) Watcher Mine by peroxidepirate: Leaving Sunnydale, Buffy struggles to move on. Xander helps her deal. A fic between S7 and S8. My favorite types of fics, I really enjoy when writers try to fill in the blanks, and this fic shows how closer Buffy and Xander are getting.

 

[Priceless]

There's big number of fics where Anya is friendly and polite towards Buffy while Xander and Willow are nothing but manipulative controlling jerks. I don't mind a fic where Anya and Buffy start growing a tight friendship, but there needs to be a build up for that because of all the Scoobies, Anya is the one who liked Buffy the least.

A lot of writers seem to feel that because Anya is an ex-demon she and Spike would be close, and therefore by extension she becomes a friend to Buffy, which doesn't really ring true.

 

[ILLYRIAN]

Is anyone going to say anything good about the fan-fics here?

 

[ChaseRules]

I will . I see a lot hear which I like to /am going to read so this " list " here is pretty good.

There's big number of fics where Anya is friendly and polite towards Buffy while Xander and Willow are nothing but manipulative controlling jerks. I don't mind a fic where Anya and Buffy start growing a tight friendship, but there needs to be a build up for that because of all the Scoobies, Anya is the one who liked Buffy the least.

You know of any ones that are good 😕

 

[smgismyqueenjpg]

I read a lot of Spuffy or Spangel. Which I can't fluffy Spangel. So if anyone can link me to some, I'd love that. 😀
 
Shameless self-promo Travel By Queen Of Carnage

 

[Puppet]

What kind of fanfic do I like to read? I'm willing to dip my toe in most pools, so long as it's well-written, with the exception of any story that puts Buffy in any non-Spuffy relationship and shoves it into the foreground, I just can't, sorry. Don't mind Spike/Other, though, lol.

It would be easier to say what I don't read, so I'm gonna start with that:
I don't do AH, I want to read about my characters and that means Slayers and Vampires and magic and demons and so on. That doesn't mean Buffy's always gotta be the Slayer, but it needs to be supernatural. I also don't to PWP, not a huge fan of drabbles, and if it gets too fluffy, then I don't board the train.

I love angst! The more, the merrier, imo. I want to cry, I want to scream, I want to pull my hair out and growl at the computer screen! I love it, reading it, writing it, coming up with challenges for it. Can't get enough. Most of my top favorites are either chock-full of angst or has enough of it to warrant an angst warning 😀

I prefer Spuffy, but as a lover (and author) of ensemble pieces, they don't have to be the foreground couple. And, again, if it's well written, or the plot is unique, it can be Spike/other, like a Spander story I once read that I still can't get out of my mind (in a good way).

My favorite genre is time travel, it opens up so many ideas and what if scenarios, I also like what ifs without time travel, and I like switched universes (Slayer!Spike/Vampire!Buffy, Buffy went to LA/Angel stayed in SD, Cordelia is the Slayer/Buffy the popular girl and so on).

I'll leave you with a few recs, though none of them have links (too lazy rn, sorry) you should be able to just google them or you can pm me.

Origins Verse by Niamh. (Found on Elysian Fields - a Spuffy community)
(The official summary is vague, so I'll try my own version)
Immediately following The Gift, we follow the gang as they try to deal with Buffy's sacrifice. Spike and Dawn are leaning heavily on one another, meanwhile Willow is delving into dark magics to try and bring back her friend.

This does have a very dark Willow as one of the villains, but I like it here because of how well-written it is. It has two more lengthy sequels which are just as good as the first one. It has an absolutely perfect Tara/Oz friendship and made me believe in a Dawn/Wesley pairing.

Immortal by Sigyn. (Also on Elysian Fields)
While Buffy is living in Rome, she meets the Immortal, a mysterious figure with a dark past who may or may not be evil. But Captain Jack Harkness isn’t some common vampire, and Buffy Summers isn’t just a girl. Each is haunted by grief, by memories and regrets that cannot be dismissed. Immortality is more than just not dying. It’s learning to live again. Not exactly an Angel season 5 rewrite, more a "What else is happening behind the scenes." Crossover with Torchwood. Should be enjoyable even to those who only know Buffy.

Having never watched Torchwood in my life, I can promise enjoyment for those who also haven't. This is one of the few Buffy/Other that I can abide by, though mostly because it's still Spuffy in the end. It's long, but not drawn out, it's very character driven and, of course, very angsty 😉

Living Vengeance by Ariel Dawn. (Also Elysian Fields, lol)
It's 1880 and Elizabeth Cecily “Buffy” Underwood is forced to choose between her duty as the Chosen One and the young man who passionately loves her.

The author doesn't just have a few chapters in the past and then skips to a season of Buffy, she writes out Buffy's experiences for a huge chunk of it and it's very well-done. The side characters are charming (especially Buffy's relationship with Anyanka) the story is angsty but hopeful and the twists to canon entertaining.

Spirit Indestructible by Passion4Spike. (Guess where you can find this, lol)
Season 5. Begins with ‘Spiral’ in the abandoned gas station, and goes *far* off-canon almost immediately.
When Dawn makes the ultimate sacrifice to save her sister, friends, and the world, Buffy’s mind snaps. When Buffy's friends give up hope of her ever recovering, and become afraid that she’ll turn violent and uncontrollable, they call in the Council to help. Fearing what the Council will do, Spike, forgotten and ignored by her friends, steps in. Will he be able to reach the Slayer when no one else could? Will he be able to keep her out of the hands of the Council and away from her ‘helpful’ friends? How much heartbreak, guilt, and failure can one girl stand before her indestructible spirit finally resigns the fight and gives up hope?

WARNINGS: Threesome B/G/G action involving Spike, Buffy, and BuffyBot. Main Character Death. Plenty of angst.

Sunnydale Memorial Fanfic Awards
Winner: Best Characterization, Female: BuffyBot/Joan, Best Unconventional Pairing (Spike, Buffy, BuffyBot), Best Romance
Runner up: Best Plot, Best Unfinished Fic, Best Angst

This has an amazing character in Joan the Buffy!Bot, who gains her own personality, likes and traits, beyond Buffy or her 'love' for Spike. The angst is extreme in this, don't read if you usually don't do angst, but the time it takes Buffy to deal with her grief and guilt is very realistic and believable. And if you don't enjoy stories that make Xander and Willow and such out to be villains, don't worry, that isn't technically the case with this one. A gorgeous piece of fiction, but definitely not one you can read too often. I've read it twice, so far, still love it.

Welcome to the Hellmouth! Part Deux by OffYourBird. (Again, Elysian Fields) It's where I post, so I hang out there a lot.
It's been 20 years since the Hellmouth closed, and Buffy has realized that awakening the Potentials has had a vicious side effect. Or rather, several. Left with the choice to either lead or follow as the current present gets erased, Buffy risks everything to go back to the Hellmouth... and back to the one being she thought she'd never see again.

Basically this was a challenge inspired by the 20th anniversary this year and it asked for a Buffy in present day who gets to go back in time, seven times, once a year (one time for each season) and change the events in a 24 hour span. An author named Sunalso also took the challenge and also wrote a great story, but this wins out slightly as my favorite. The Buffy characterization alone makes it worth a read, she captures Whedon-speak sooo well.

American Girls by unknown author 🙁
Post-Chosen, Dawn-centric. Dawn feels smothered by Buffy and takes off on her own, joined by her new girlfriend and Slayer, an OC that is very well-written and not AT ALL a Mary Sue, trust me. This story follows their adventures, driving around America, killing vamps and demons, and getting into extremely hairy situations along the way. Definitely an angsty one (especially the ending)

sosa lola help me! I read this awesome Spander fic ages ago and I can't remember title or author!
Xander travels through dimensions by accident, I think, and falls in love with one of the Spike's that he meets on his journey. I won't say more for spoiler reasons, but I hope you know which one I'm talking about!

Phew, that's it for me, rn at least, hope some of you will give these a chance, even if you aren't Spuffy shippers 😉

 

[WillowFromBuffy]

I love angst! The more, the merrier, imo. I want to cry, I want to scream, I want to pull my hair out and growl at the computer screen! I love it, reading it, writing it, coming up with challenges for it. Can't get enough. Most of my top favorites are either chock-full of angst or has enough of it to warrant an angst warning 😀

I am writing a pretty angsty fic at the moment. The prologue is totally soft core. The first chapter, however, gets into business. So far, I have only posted the prologue. The three first proper chapter is coming soonish. You can check it out here if you want. I may not be a great writer, but angst, I can do angst. I breathe angst.