Recathon: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

[ficwize]

A few notes:

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6. Fics with multiple recs are indicated with an *.
7. Lastly, feel free to squee in the comments if you’re so inclined.



Fics

authoressnebula wrote Once Upon a Time. PG. Buffy/Spike, Dawn, OCs. Post-Chosen, Buffy and Dawn land in NYC, where Dawn goes to school. Buffy gets drawn into a storyteller hour at the city library, where she tells the kids the story of... her. In some ways, it lets her grieve for Spike, and she looks forward to it... but in others, it definitely tears her up. Angsty and fluffy (yes, really).

bite_or_avoid wrote Weight of Life. R. Buffy/Angel. This fanfic takes place after "Angel" ends and really feels like a great epilogue to that series. Throughout the story, Angel spends a lot of time dealing with his own pain and confusion. He's in a particularly dark time of his life, but he's helped to get some peace from other characters, such as Faith and Spike. Eventually, he has to make a decision about what to do with his future. The author does a really brilliant job of conveying his emotions and confusion.

cousinjean wrote:

And Miles to Go. PG. Spike/Buffy with Dawn, Angel and others. The summary: Spike plays Orpheus to Buffy's Euridyce. This is post-The Gift, so Spike and Dawn are definitely in mourning, and for some reason, are in LA, where they meet up with Angel and Cordelia (yes, it's technically a crossover, but Cordy and Angel used to be on BtVS, so we're gonna go with it). Spike gets a lead on a way that he might be able to bring Buffy back... go through the same trials that Angel did to save Darla. The way it plays out is all kinds of awesome.

Poetic License. R. Buffy/Spike. Post-Not Fade Away, Buffy finds Spike... doing a poetry slam in a bar in England while she's engaged in tracking down a demon. It's not easy to start over, but they manage, somehow. Buffy's plea for Spike to believe her is just wonderful. This fic has also got Spike and Buffy kicking demon ass. Afterwards, Buffy's plea for Spike to believe her is just heart-rendingly wonderful. *hearts*

deird1 wrote Whitehat. PG. Nancy (from the Wish!verse). What if after the Wish!verse went away, bits and pieces stuck around in some people's heads. This takes a minor Wish!verse character (and essentially a nobody in the regular canon) and has just that happen to her. It's an incredible look at how circumstances made her different in that life, and how maybe that's not entirely a bad thing.

Doyle wrote The Poetry of Logical Ideas. R. Anya/Cordelia/Buffy. Great writing and characterization make this rare pairing believable and moving and sexy

dreamsofspike wrote Because He Needs Me. R. Graphic torture/violence. Buffy/Spike, with Dawn, Anya, Willow, Xander and Angel. After doing the nasty with Anya at the Magic Box, Spike disappears and is gone for months. Buffy isn't sure she can forgive him for what he did with Anya. Then she finds where Spike has been all this time, and what's been done to him. DreamsofSpike loves to torture Spike in any way imaginable. This fic is no exception - and when I say torture, I absolutely mean it. Graphic violence and torture. But also lots of h/c for Spike.

Dreamweaver wrote:

Fated. NC-17. Buffy/Spike. Dreamweaver is an awesome author who likes to explore lots of "what if" scenarios. This fic shows Buffy's grief, as she returns to the crater that was Sunnydale 147 days after Spike died there. Then she gets a phone call from Fred, telling her that Spike's back. I really like the edge to her grief in this one, how she's grieving but angry at the same time, and how that anger immediately latches on to Spike when Fred tells her how long he's been back.

Her Way. NC-17. Buffy/Spike, the Scoobies. Post-Chosen, Buffy goes to see the Oracles and demands they send her back in time. Soon, all of future!Buffy's knowledge and needs are stuffed into her s2 self... just before Spike arrives in town. Somehow, she needs to deal with a Spike that is still soulless and evil... and whom she still loves.

enigmaticblue wrote Every Night. PG. Buffy/Spike. Spike told Buffy that he saved her every night. Post-Chosen, Buffy finds that she's doing the same. Every night, lots of different ways... she saves him. Deliciously angsty.

herself_nyc wrote Disenchantment. NC-17. Buffy/Spike. I love Buffy in this - she's older now, and very much independent... except she's still missing Spike in a lot of ways. She's sailing by herself in her own tiny little boat, and fetches up on an exotic island... and meets William, who could be Spike's twin. The way this story unfolds is lovely- Buffy pushing, William, who is a little amnesiac, pushing her away... until he remembers. The ending isn't completely happy, but it's about as close as Spike and Buffy ever get. Just beautifully written.

hollydb wrote:

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear. NC-17. Buffy/Spike, with the gang, and a couple of surprise guests. Buffy, post-Gone, is so not in the Christmas spirit, and her thoughts are totally consumed with Spike. She's not quite wishing she were dead again, but she can't quite be alive. But on Christmas Eve, she's visited by three Ghosts, Past, Present and Future... The presences Holly has chosen for the Ghosts are just awesome, and the Future part is particularly chilling. Buffy's realization is just beautiful.

Shades of Heaven. NC-17. Buffy/Spike, with brief appearances of Willow/Oz and Harmony. Holly has pulled post-Chosen Buffy and Spike back in time, given them a new timeline and basically told them to have at. It's wonderfully sexy (it opens with Spuffy sex against a wall and continues from there) and teary (definitely in a feel good way), and the brief appearance of Willow and Oz just brings a touch of the inevitable angst.

The Other Side of Midnight. NC-17. Buffy/Spike. Holly knows how to bring the angst. I first read this fic immediately after watching Chosen and it brought me to tears with every chapter. Buffy's apathy, the way she's just dragging herself from day to day is just so angstily drawn, and then, boom! To have the answer to all her prayers right there in front of her... not recognizing her... and coming to terms with that as best she can.

Idyll wrote Grid Systems. NC-17. Riley Finn/Graham Miller. Riley/Graham is a rare pairing in this fandom, probably because they seem so out of genre. They aren't teenagers or young adults snarking their way through one apocalypse after the other, they're soldiers. Grid Systems offers a look at post-Sunnydale Riley and Graham in a gritty, beautifully spare Graham POV that packs a whole damn lot of carefully restrained emotion. Graham is always there, one step behind, watching Riley's back, but this time, Riley looks back. It's a story about addiction and devotion, and Riley finally getting it.

immortal_spuffy wrote Fixing the Factors. R. Spike/Buffy, with Drusilla, Giles, Willow, Xander, Tara, Anya and a bunch of OCs. Spike and Buffy go "Groundhog Day"; they have to relive the same day over and over (and over...) until they figure out how to fix everything that's going wrong in their happy little town. And if they fall in love (and stake Angel nearly every day) along the way... well, that's just a bonus. I love how everything unfolds each day, how their frustration kind of gives way over time to respect and acceptance and friendship... and more. *hearts*
jAkl wrote Bitter Truth. FR-15. Buffy, Quentin Travers. This was written immediately post-Season5. Canon has killed the premise, but I still love the idea. This little story gives a perfecty plausible, and perfectly horrifying reason why slayers live such a short time, and manages to humanize Travers in the process.

lily_lovely wrote In darkness, their absence. PG-13. Faith/Willow. This fic absolutely chilled me to the bone. It's short, but those more or less 4000 words take you into a world you just won't forget.
Macha wrote descant descending. R. Buffy/Spike, with Angel, Willow, Xander, Dawn, Faith and Tara. The summary reads cante fable in ten parts about the hieros gamos or sacred marriage in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which Buffy descends to the underworld on Spike's behalf. This is not something for the faint of heart. It is long, it delves into a lot of the mysticism and mythology that is going on in the background throughout most of BtVS and brings it to light. (Remember how Psyche went into the underworld to do tasks for Aphroditie that she might eventually be reunited with Cupid? Or Orpheus and Euridyce? Definitely think on those lines.)

Maddog wrote Blueberry Syrup is a Crime Against Nature, and, by the way, Thanks for Saving the World. PG. Giles, Xander no pairing. I've seen a lot of post-Grave fics about how Willow is dealing, and occasionally a fic with Xander & Willow, but never another like this. It's Xander and Giles dealing with the aftermath, largely through manly Not!Talking. It's got a kind of sweetly hopeful ending, slides nicely into canon, and feesl very in character to me.

Madrog wrote Cretian Escape. NC-17. Spike/Buffy; with the Scoobs, Angel, Cordelia and some OCs. Spike doesn't get resurrected like he does in Angel s5, but he does get resurrected. He's all set to fly off to find Buffy when he hears news that she's back with Angel. What he doesn't know is that Buffy is really having a hard time with Spike being dead... especially since she's had to deal with a bunch of "William the Bloody" imposters. I like how Buffy is trying to simultaneously convince herself that this imposter both is and is not Spike... and then she gets captured by a powerful vampire clan. Spike to the rescue! With Angel's help, and the Scoobies' as well. I'm not terribly fond of the OCs, but they do serve a purpose.

megan_peta wrote:

Beyond Truth and Lies. R. Buffy/Spike, with Willow, Dawn, Andrew, Angel and... William... er, Spike. Post-Chosen, Buffy is completely in mourning for Spike, and asks Willow for a little help - a resurrection spell. The spell... does not work in quite the way she had hoped. Buffy's grief is so overwhelming, and it just kind of makes her crumble when she's confronted with William instead of what she'd hoped for. Dawn and Andrew are just very cool, too.

We All Fade Away. NC-17. Buffy/Spike, with Angel, the Scoobs and Andrew. Buffy was only "dating" the Immortal so she could kill him. When she returns from that mission, she discovers that Andrew has videotaped the big throwdown in LA... and in one moment, discovers both that Spike had come back and that he's died again. This fic is all kinds of painful, as Buffy deals with Angel, her own grief, and Spike's sudden reappearance. Just a warning: sometimes the prose does get a bit purple, but the emotions are always heart-rending.

moscow_watcher wrote Black magic, white lies. R. Xander/Faith. It's an alternate season 5, and it's full of twists and turns. It takes a while before you have any idea what is going on, and that's what makes it so fun!

Peasant wrote Chevachee. NC-17. Non-con, vampiric violence. Spike, Angelus, The Master. Because it gives one possible reason why Angelus was called The Scourge of Europe, and because the first-person narrative voice here is a wonderful thing.

penny_lane_42 AKA Lirazel wrote:

The Silent Stars Go By. PG. Buffy/Spike. Buffy learns that Spike is back from the dead, and immediately goes to be with him, because resurrection is hard and she understands. It's simply and utterly gorgeous. Lirazel writes so very lyrically; her every fic is a pleasure to read.

The Worst Thing. PG-13. Buffy/Spike. They've always been able to bring out the extremes in each other, and even now, with two continents, an ocean, and an apparent death separating them, they still do. Buffy and Spike have a lot of "the worst things" about each other that they want to share, and each piece rings so very true. Post-Chosen up through the big throwdown in Not Fade Away.

pfeifferpack wrote Gathering Loose Ends. G. Spike/Buffy, with just about everyone in the Buffy-verse along for the ride. Post-Not Fade Away. Buffy goes missing after the throwdown in LA, whisked away by the Immortal. Spike and the Scoobs and the remnants of the Fang Gang have to decipher clues in the song "Hotel California" to get her back. (Which, Hotel California? Dude. So very cool.)

queenzulu wrote Less than real. NC-17. Dawn/Faith. Because the characterization is absolutely amazing. Both Dawn and Faith are great, and I'm not even a real fan of Dawn.

Saone wrote A Strange Attraction. R. Xander Harris/Graham Miller. Graham is one of the most malleable characters in the Buffy fandom simply because there is so little information about him. He's a soldier. He's devoted to Riley. He doesn't talk much. He survives Sunnydale. Saone's take on Graham and his budding relationship with Xander is funny as hell, because her Graham might not talk much out loud, but, man, does he have an inner monologue. He snarks. He bitches. He wants out of the damn hospital and into Xander's pants. And he will never, ever forgive Buffy for playing with that troll hammer and putting him in traction. You'll probably end up wanting a Graham of your own.

slaymesoftly wrote:

Life Goes On. NC-17. Buffy/Spike, with Illyria, Giles and some baby Slayers, as well as Drusilla. The new Watchers Council gets word of the big showdown in LA after it happens and pulls in the big gun - Buffy - to help with the aftermath. She was unaware of Spike's resurrection, but now she's going to find him... if he's still alive. Or undead. I always love those fics where yes, Buffy really did love Spike that way and was just frightened of the way she felt... until it was too late. And Buffy's grief in dealing with that too-late part again... (Don't worry, there's definitely a happy - or at least, hopeful - ending.)

The Wind Beneath My Wings. NC-17. Buffy/Angel (a little - just close your eyes to that), Buffy/Spike, with Dawn, Willow, Xander and Giles. Takes place a few years post-Not Fade Away. Angel got the shanshu! Isn't that wonderful? And he's going to marry Buffy. Spike is not in the picture. This makes Buffy very sad, because she's not so sure she should be marrying Angel. Especially when she decides that maybe Spike isn't quite as gone as Angel said. I just adore Buffy's realizations in this one - that Spike is still undead and still loves her, that she's willing to break everything off with Angel to be with him, and just what Angel actually thinks of her. Definitely one of my favorites.

spikes_heart wrote Innocence Found and the sequel Redemption. R all told. Spike/Buffy, with Giles, Angel, Willow, Xander and Tara with appearances by Anya and Cordelia. Spike and Buffy are slimed by a demon. When Buffy wakes up the next morning, Spike has changed into a 5 year old vampire boy. She freaks and takes him to Giles to have Giles figure out what's going on. Giles is not spared as Buffy is also youthened. Eventually they are restored to theirselves... and attempt to come to an understanding. The fun continues in the sequel, where Buffy accidentally wishes that her friends could understand what she's going through. Both of these are utterly adorable and wonderful in every way.

Spikeskat wrote If Only. R. Character death. Buffy/Spike; Giles and the gang. In the beginning of my love affair with Spuffy, this was one of the first fics I devoured. I love the absolute agony Buffy goes through after going through the portal to see the Shadow Men in Get It Done, the way that what she sees there really brings home for her what she feels for Spike... and, maybe even worse, how she can't share what she saw with anyone.

spikeslovebite wrote With All My Heart. NC-17. Buffy/Spike, with the Immortal, Angel, the Scoobs, Anya and Whistler. Post-Chosen, Buffy can't take the hypocrisy of her friends, discovers they're plotting against her and decides to disappear. She's grieving Spike by herself in the Florida Keys when Whistler comes to call. Awesome description of Buffy's grief, and her determination to get Spike when Whistler tells her he's back. Also? Spuffy sex in an air shaft. It doesn't get much better.

st_salieri wrote The Quest. PG. Buffy/Spike, with Angel and Andrew. This was posted to seasonal_spuffy for the Spring '10 round, and it totally deserves to be recced because it is a choose-your-own-adventure fic. How can you pass that up?

talesofspike wrote Spike's Will Be Done and sequelae. NC-17 as a whole series. Spike/Buffy, with just about everyone in the Buffy-verse along for the ride. Instead of throwing out all of Willow's spell stuff in s6, Buffy gives it to Spike. Spike decides he's going to do the "Will Be Done" spell... just to make Buffy see. Cue an epic s6 and s7 re-write, running through 4 more fics, each longer than the last. "True Colors", "Ring of Fire", "Fumbling Toward Ecstacy" and "Angels and Demons" complete the set.

Viridian wrote The Pike and Benny Series. NC-17. Pike/Benny, Giles/Ethan, Xander. This starts pre-Buffy movie (1992) and goes into the series with cameos of Xander, Giles, and Ethan. It's not so much about vampires as it's about the fucked up relationship between two equally fucked up boys. Pike is a runaway with a history of abuse; Benny a rich kid sociopath who fixates on him. Viridian does an amazing job of blurring the lines between obsession and love until you can't help but feel that crazy Benny might have a point and Pike is most definitely best off with him even after Benny turns into a vampire.

waddis wrote Spiral. PG-13. Willow. This fic takes you into Willow's mind and through her journey with magic. It's an absolutely brilliant character studies and a must-read for everyone who likes Willow (or who wants to get a better insight in her mind).

Vids

aycheb vidded Scarlet Ribbons. R. Violence. Ensemble. This haunting song has the feel of a traditional fairy tale. That is to say it has the sound of a lullaby but the lyrics are creepy. Combine it with well edited Buffy footage for a haunting little number about the evolution of the slayer!

greensilver vidded There's a Kind of "Hush". PG-13. Ensemble. This vidlet is just totally squee worthy and adorable!

millylicious vidded Lucky Me. PG-13. Ensemble. This is creative and hilarious as Milly shows Buffy as a series of cheesy romance novels!

obsessive24 vidded Bachelorette. PG-13. Ensemble. This is a striking essay on the privileges men have in society and the way it affects the lives of women. This master vidder chose to use Buffy source material and all of her artistry to construct a blunt instrument to make you see and think. View it and pass it on.