buffyversetop5 | Five Fantastic Willow Fics

No surprise, I suppose, that Willow fics are the subject of my list, but it's still worth doing. These are five fics which I feel represent some of the best stories written about Willow Rosenberg - or any character - in 2013.

1) Less and More Than Friends (Willow/Angel) by

lilbreck: First of all, the writing is gorgeous - exquisitely opaque and delicate. Second, the story is dark at times, but in a quiet, insidiously creepy way that gets under your skin like a cold chill. Third... well, read it for yourself and you'll see everything I love about it and that you'll love too.

2) How To Mend A Broken Heart (The Missing Limb Remix) (Willow, Riley) by

snogged: A friendship fic that really gets it right. While the main characters are Willow and Riley, what also impresses me about this fic is how skillfully it depicts Buffy getting it wrong without in any way diminishing that she's a good person who cares about her best friend. This is one of my favorites of all of

snogged's stories and once you read it, it will be one of yours too.

3) Supernova (Willow/Riley) by

snowpuppies: Be warned, this story is dark and brutal in the classic

snowpuppies way, but it's a stunner and no one who calls themselves a dark!fic connoisseur can consider themselves worthy of the name without reading it. Her characterization of Willow under the most extreme and desperate of circumstances rings utterly, heartrendingly true.

4) Fire and Light (Willow, Buffy/Angel) by

librarian2003: This is the gifted Jo's first attempt at writing Willow as a major character and she knocked it out of the park, creating a believable portrait of Willow as she struggles to both be there for Buffy and save Angel from a terrifying fate. Let's all encourage Jo to write a sequel to this one.

5) Red (Willow/Spike) by

clockwork_hart1: Here's another one by a newcomer to writing Willow as a protagonist and it's also truly special. It's sexy and delicious and features some almost-naughty goings on in the dorm room on that famous night when Spike escaped the Initiative. Trust me, you'll really enjoy yourself if you click the link to this one.