Top 5 Mythical Creatures Smuggled into the Buffyverse

[thenewbuzwuzz]

Two well-researched products of international collaboration, two stories by people tapping into their own local lore, and a delightful joke oneshot.

(1) A taniwha from New Zealand, in Seek a Desolate Shade by wolf_shadoe a.k.a. Twinkles (Spuffy, NC-17, 23,737 words, complete)
The reason this list exists and the BEST THING EVER, because Twinkles is familiar not only with the folklore but also with its symbolic meanings in existing art and its presence in contemporary everyday life. And there's artwork. And this is thoughtful and magical and epic and fun. [ETA: I did want to mention that Angel is pretty evil in this story. Also, maybe there should be a sadness warning for parts of it... but still very worth reading, I thought.]

(2) Adlets from Canada, in Undercover Christmas by sandy_s (Spuffy, T, 10,121 words, complete)
It's been a while since I read this, but I do remember I liked the nuanced, poignant reasons for why the monsters were attacking people, and my notes say that the use of Inuit folklore was wonderful.

(3) Mystery guest :) in Dental Plan! by beer_good (Spike, Buffy, T, 1666 words, complete). AO3 link here, but the suspense is better on DW.
This was super entertaining and brightened my day by making me laugh a lot. :)

(4) A pūķis from Latvia, in Devour the Small by Cornerofmadness (Fred/Gunn, T, 10,102 words, complete)
I provided the monster of the week for this Angel Investigations casefic, and I adore how Cornerofmadness interpreted the creature's temperament and appearance and its relationship with its owner. Headcanon accepted!

(5) A vadātājs, also from Latvia, in Chapter 3 of Unicorns Are Totally Real by me (Buffybot & Harmony, T, ~10K words, WIP!!)
I hesitate to link my own very unfinished story, but I think this critter is unique in the Buffyverse, and I'm happy with how the chapter turned out.

Comments

[yourlibrarian]

What an interesting list idea! There aren't a whole lot of case fics in the Buffyverse, maybe because the series as a whole was not set up in a "case of the week" format, even though there were lots of episodic storylines. I think maybe Angel was better at that for a while, probably because of the whole business aspect of it.

[thenewbuzwuzz]

I've been planning this list for years! :D

I get the impression that a lot of Cornerofmadness' AtS stories are casefic-adjacent at least. She likes to go heavier on the plot and light on the shippiness.

[sparrow2000]

Oh wow, these sound fascinating.

[thenewbuzwuzz]

They really are if one is into folklore motifs.

[beer_good_foamy]

Thanks a lot for recommending my fic! I don't think I've read any of the others, I'll have to do something about that.

[thenewbuzwuzz]

I hope you enjoy if you do! :)

[double_dutchess]

I always love learning about new interesting magical creatures, and doing so while also enjoying a good fanfic makes it better still. I already read all of these except no. 3 -- so I just went and read that one too, and it was so much fun! Thanks for sharing!

[thenewbuzwuzz]

Makes me wonder what else you've noticed in this vein that I have missed. :)

[double_dutchess]

Probably not much, to be fair. And remembering is a whole other thing. For example, I know I learned about the chupacabra through Buffy fanfic, but if you ask me which fic ... ?

[thenewbuzwuzz]

...Ooh, I think I know that one! :D Was it Chupacabreunion by bewildered?

[double_dutchess]

Oh yeah, I read that one too, but I don't think that was the one that first introduced me to the chupacabra actually. I'm pretty sure it was an older fic, but which one still beats me...

ETA: oh, I think I have found it!

https://sockmonkeyhere.livejournal.com/3125.html

[thenewbuzwuzz]

Nice, thanks!