Top 5 Personal Favorites - Long Fic

[clawofcat.livejournal.com]

Each of these fics will forever be standouts for me for their style, plot creativity, and impact. Athough the pairings differ, they each pack a powerful, angsty, emotional punch that will leave you breathless, hopeful, and anxious. In no particular order...

1. Of Infinite Space by redbrickrose 
Rating: R
Setting: Post-NFA ignoring comics canon
Pairing: Angel/Buffy/Spike/Faith and every permutation thereof 
Summary: In the chaos and uncertainty following NFA, both vampires and Slayers must break free of past hurts and habits if they ever hope to make a future for themselves... with or without each other. 

Comments: When I first read this story I was enchanted by the style of the prose and the clever use of past, present and future parallels that redbrickrose was able to draw between the A/B/S/F dynamic and that of the Fanged Four. A beautiful, thoughtful read that believably explores the relationships and roadblocks that exist between the shows forefront heroes.

2. Detour by Kindred
Rating: NC-17
Setting: Post-Chosen
Pairing: Spike/Buffy
Summary: When all that went before is erased, Spike proves that memory and experience are not the measure of a man.

Comments: This is my favorite Spuffy fic ever because it explores that grey area of what makes us us. Without our memories, do we still remain intact? Or do we lose our sense of self? Kindred tackles this issue when Buffy must come face to face with the man she knows and the demon she first met.

3. Family Reunion by shapinglight 
Rating: NC-17
Setting: Set five years after the events in Lullaby in AtS S3
Pairing: Spike/Darla, Spike/Angel Spike/OC
Summary: A dark AU story that asks us what might have happened if Darla hadn't had to die to give birth to Connor. 

Comments: Deb manages to juggle with amazing skill a panopoly of canon and original characters in this thrilling AU that takes us into the heart of London and its subway system. Prophecy, good/evil and loyalties are completely thrown by the wayside as we get to follow a truly evil Spike in his role as Darla's chosen soldier and lover.

4.Friday by girlpire 
Rating: NC-17
Setting: AtS S5
Pairing: Spike/Angel
Summary: When Spike finds himself and the employees of Wolfram & Hart caught in a time abberation, he must get to the bottom of the temporal loop and warn Angel before it's too late for them all. 

Comments: Christ. I don't even know where to begin. I cried. Hard. A fic has never made me cry, but the emotional rollercoaster that girlpire takes her readers on through this mystery is intense, frightening, and full of plot twists that are unpredictable. I was never a huge Angel fan until I read her work and both she and this fic made me see what I had been missing out on. 

5. This Wanton World by eurydice72 
Rating: NC-17
Setting: Majorly AU. Throw canon out the window. This is something completely different!
Pairing: Spike/Buffy
Summary: Los Angeles, 2003. For the first time since she was Chosen, Buffy's back in town. She never planned to return, but someone else had a different idea. This time, she comes with a purpose, power, and an assassin hot on her heels. She just hopes that this time... she doesn't die. 

Comments: What's fantastic about this story is the universe that Eurydice creates and the past that she weaves to bring us the hard-bitten, manipulated, and world-weary Buffy of this story. She's angry, she's been lied to and she has a mission that some rather unexpected allies aid her in. Plus, evil Spike whose got a soft spot for this battered Slayer. Fantastic premise and execution.  
     

Comments

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Great list with some of the best writers in the 'Verse. Thanks for posting.

[clawofcat.livejournal.com]

This Classic Rec session has been interesting for me because before I started writing I only read Spuffy. But since then, in the last two years, I've generally drifted away from the pairing.I anticipate that my Best of '08 recs will probably look very different from what I've just posted here. I'm all about rare het pairings with a smattering of slash now.

You guys should have an evolution of 'shipping rec session. I'm sure readers taste change or alter slightly the longer one's active.

[yourlibrarian]

I think that's very true, particularly for people in a large fandom. I think in small fandoms people tend to read more widely because there just isn't much being produced. But in something the size of the Buffyverse, there's fic and pairings out there people haven't even pondered before because there's so much being produced about the major characters.

Another possibility is that people just get tired of reading the same type of story over and over. In Supernatural fandom recently I've seen people falling on a new character like starving wolves. There are such a limited number of characters in that series, whereas in the Buffyverse you had one-shot characters like Jonathan, Amy or Anne end up appearing throughout the whole series (and beyond).

[clawofcat.livejournal.com]

That would be really cool if someone could gather together top 5 lists of other rare characters, like Kate or Illyria or Gunn or Lorne. They're all characters I had so much affection for on the show, but since they weren't part of really popular canon pairings or aren't typically slashable, we don't see much of them. This makes me sad... It's probably unlikely you'd even see those characters in five fics per year!

[yourlibrarian]

I think that's probably true of Kate and Lorne -- they were never written much even when the show was still running.

Around the beginning of December I'll be making the Wish List post, and you should go ahead and request those lists. Someone might be able to put one together!

[yourlibrarian]

I was enchanted by the style of the prose and the clever use of past, present and future parallels that [info]redbrickrose was able to draw between the A/B/S/F dynamic and that of the Fanged Four.

That sounds fascinating!

[clawofcat.livejournal.com]

redbrickrose doesn't really write BtVS fic anymore, but the few stories she has to her name are beautiful and thought=provoking. She has this amazing lyrical style and plays with time a lot. I always really admire writers that experiment with voice, POV, time, etc. It's so hard to do well.

I'd also recommend a one-shot of hers called As Dark Things Are Loved (http://redbrickrose.livejournal.com/151027.html). It's got Angel/Nina; there's so little of them!

[yourlibrarian]

There really is. We've had a few stories of theirs recced here but I certainly haven't seen much around.

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

Of the three I know - excellent choices. Wonderful writers, all of them.

[clawofcat.livejournal.com]

You should give the other two a try. I'm guessing they're "Of Infinite Space" and "Family Reunion?" shapinglight is such a good storyteller and that fic has such a huge ensemble cast. No joke - I used to have dreams about her OC vamp character, Erroll.

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure I've read other things by Shaping Light; but, yes, "Of Infinite Space" would be one that was completely unfamiliar to me - both fic and author.

[shapinglight]

Thanks so much for reccing my story, love. I really appreciate it. I'm glad that Erroll made such an impression on you. I sometimes think of going back and writing Erroll fic, but then I decide I'd probably better not.

[clawofcat.livejournal.com]

My pleasure. It's a fic I still think about and admire. I remember being so psyched whenever a chapter was posted. I would make notes as I read so that I could incorporate them into the comments. Also loved "Brief Encounter." You should try some more Darla. I love her in your hands.

Hee, Erroll haunts me. I usually don't care too much about OCs, but I got rather attached to him.

I know you're spending a lot of time on "Age of Unreason," which I'm not following, so I can't wait to see the seasonal_spuffy fic. I've been going through withdrawal!

[shapinglight]

Yes, Age of Unreason has pretty much eaten my fic writing brain this year.
I'm near the end of it now, thank goodness.

I would love to write more Darla. In fact, I have an idea for an Angelus/Darla historical fic that I hope to write next year.

[clawofcat.livejournal.com]

I have an idea for an Angelus/Darla historical fic that I hope to write next year

I am so there!

[shapinglight]

:)