Five Spander fics I enjoyed

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Sunshine by shadowscast
Part 1, part 2
Future Fic, NC-17.
Two tunnels diverged in a grimy subway.
And I, I don’t know which one the demon went down.
Well, shit.
- Xander Harris, with props to Robert Frost
Thirteen years after Spike had mysteriously disappeared, Xander meets him by accident in the London underground. Where has Spike been all this time, and what is he hiding? In my (highly subjective) opinion, shadowscast writes the best Xander ever; seeing her writing again after a year of absence was a great joy. In her new story she introduces a simple and effective plot device I never encountered before - a potion that allows vampires to walk in the sunlight for a brief period of time - and she ingeniously exploits the idea on both narrative and metaphorical levels.

Poetic Justice by lusciousxander (Sosa Lola)
Part 1, part 2
NC-17, post-Seeing Red. Anya uses Buffy's slip of tongue to turn Xander into a woman. The only thing that can turn him back into a man is sex with Spike - and the latter has disappeared... Writer uses the idea of sex-as-problem-solving (a very popular premise in fluff stories) but offers a serious and dark approach by making female!Xander a virgin. In this situation sex becomes much harder physically (the chip) and emotionally (rape issues).
lusciousxander writes the real, canonical Xander - a man who loves to be a male - and his reaction to the embarrassing situations he finds himself in sounds absolutely true. Desperation, humiliation, rage, pain, shame - everything is portrayed honestly and cleverly. Lusciousxander don't go for suspension-of-disbelief trick - she shows raw emotions and it really hurts. The story is full of small yet incredibly rich touches and the ending is bittersweet.

Towels by deird1
Post-Him, PG. Spike and Xander have disagreements about living conditions... Written in the form of letters and messages Spike and Xander leave to each other (because they stopped talking). As their antagonism escalates with every new twist and turn, the story becomes more and more hysterical.

Dawn Summers, Matchmaking Genius by snowpuppies
R, alternate season 6. Inspired by Harry\Draco fics, written secretly by Tara, Dawn decides to hook Xander with Spike. Post-modernist take on fanfiction in general and BTVS fics in particular. Great Dawn voice and inventive rewrite of season 6 events.

Seeing Things by eowyn_315
G, post-Him. Buffy brings Spike to Xander's apartment. The latter isn't happy his new tenant... is he? Poignant insight into Xander's mind.

Comments

[shapinglight]

More great recs. I agree with you about shadowscast. I don't read much Spander but I never miss anything of hers.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

It was her who first atracted me to the pairing. I could imagine Spike and Xander as buddies but couldn't see them as lovers, until I started reading shadowscast.

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

The four stories I've read are all excellent reads ("Towels" and "Dawn Summers..." made me laugh out loud), so I'm looking forward to "Poetic Justice." Thanks for another stellar list.

[sueworld2003.livejournal.com]

'Sunshine' was simply excellent! Another great selection of recs love. :)

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Poetic Justice's mood is different - it's an intriguing combination of a canonic!Xander and a typically fic-y situation.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Oh, I enjoyed it so much! I even tried to make a manip for it - but it turned out awful... :(

[yourlibrarian]

#3 was funny and 4 sounds delightful.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

4 sounds delightful.

You should read it. Srsly. It's a hoot from the first to the last line. :)))))

[lusciousxander.livejournal.com]

Awww thanks sweetie. I can't believe I'm recced with all these wonderful writers :)

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

I loved your story. Usually I'm a bit vary of realistic approach to BtVS, because it's very hard to write realistic reactions in a fantasy world; but you pulled it off.