Your picks for everything fannish

Blood has always been an important element in the supternatural and magical context of the Buffyverse. As Spike says in The Gift, "It's always got to be blood. Blood is life. Why do you think we eat it? It's what keeps you going. Makes you warm. Makes you hard. Makes you other than dead." And, yet, on a show where blood was central to the conflict between vampires and humans/Slayers, as takers and givers of the substance, there was a limited amount of screen time dedicated to it. The following character studies delve into the symbolism and importance of blood on a personal level for both the human and vampire characters on the show. A number of these stories refer to or incorporate menstruation, so please be aware of that if the topic quicks you.  

1. Grown by Prophecy Girl
Buffy, PG-13, assorted seasons
Summary: Buffy comes full circle.

Review: It's amazing how much can be said in just 425 words. This wonderful character study takes blood as the key symbol in Buffy's evolution from Girl to Slayer and uses it to dramatic and insightful effect. It seems that the nature of the beast is born from within. 

( It's always got to be blood )

I love rare pairings and this particular pair tends to come about under very specific circumstances - Buffy's death or absence. The wrenching grief that both characters share over a sister and a lover that they've lost is haunting and lovely, as are the inevitable comparisons made between the two Summers girls. The first three fics reach through the numbness of mourning and/or sacrifice to touch the fire beneath. The last two non-shippy fics explore the obstacles of timelessness vs. youth and mortality. 

1. Departure by only_passenger
NC-17, post-NFA
Summary: A few years post-Chosen, Dawn lives with and cares for a post-traumatic stress disordered Buffy in Rome. When a trip to Los Angeles brings Dawn and Angel face to face, she must decide whose life she is going to live.      

Review: It's hard to know what to say about this story other than it's amazing and possibly my favorite one shot ever. Pass writes things real and hard and gritty, and she didn't pull her punches here. This story explores the difficult realities of what it means to be a caretaker to an ill person, the stresses it causes, the sacrifice it takes. Although the fic is really about Dawn's journey as she makes her way in the world, Angel's presence is like the catalyst for a big bang. He's dynamite and Dawn has the fire to make him explode.

( The hardest thing in the world is to live in it )