Entries tagged with cat: btvs s2

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5 great 2023 Summer of Giles fics

I think we're now in the Flash Forward part of the season to highlight fanworks from 2023. So to that end here's my usual round up of five fics that caught my eye at this year's

summer_of_giles. I love that the great and venerable SoG is still active and it gives me great joy to participate every year.

Only the Worthy by

il_mio_capitano is a great piece of Giles, Spike snark, in which our heroes try to work out how to release a sacred dagger from the hands of a mummy without triggering the curse. Don’t you hate it when you’re in that position? This is loads of fun and Giles and Spike bitching about their lot in life is gold.

( More Giles love this way... )

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Fanworks that are (mostly) new to me

Apologies. It's technically the 29th here as it's shortly after midnight, but I'm not focused on 2022 works with these fanworks. I just didn't realize how late it had gotten.

Buffy Summers by Veruca - something about Buffy's expression in this image just gets me
( The rest of the works are picking out their costumes for next Monday )

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Top 5 thinky drawings by snakeliciousbaby (2021)

Tumblr user snakeliciousbaby's artwork often explores interesting, unsettling concepts, and its tag commentary tends to turn into meta. I particularly enjoy the insightful and compassionate takes on Xander and the Scoobies.
All linked art is worksafe, but there can be profanity in the tags, some of which I quote under the cut.

Hands Heart and Soul (Xander, Willow, Buffy). Backup link.
#what does it mean to be 3 parts of a whole. what does it mean to be nothing more than a part
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Five Surreal Stories I Enjoyed This Year

Two that were written earlier.
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And three written in 2019.
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5 Classic Fics that make me shiver

Yay for the return of

buffyversetop5. Thank you to

petzipellepingo and

yourlibrarian for continuing to host this lovely celebration of our fandom every year.

Since we’re running up to Halloween, here are five stories that make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. This is a mixture of pairings and canon characters.

For All My Pains A World of Sighs by

baudown makes my heart ache at the same time as it gives me chills. This is mainly focused on Spike and his kills and is wonderfully written, and the short section at the end with Xander is haunting and beautiful. This has some slash.

( More fics that make me shiver... )

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5 Interesting AUs

Mostly Spuffy.

A Touch of Her Style
by myrabeth
(R, 49,339w, complete)
Author's summary: Season 2, but with a different pre-series history. Robin Wood moves to Sunnydale to back up Buffy in her on-going battles with Drusilla. But when Buffy's romance with Angel takes a dark and dangerous turn, Robin determines his assistance won't be enough, and calls in some back up of his own: the old family friend who wears his mother's coat.

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Favorite 2017 meta posts, in no particular order :

1. Meta on the vampires of the Buffyverse by

hannahforlove.

2. Meta on Fred and Illyria by

deird1.

3. Meta on Buffy's relationships with Spike and Angel by

itsnotmymind.

4. Meta on School Hard by

molly_may.

5. Meta on Faith's mental state by

itsnotmymind.

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So here are my Top 5 Post-Chosen Spuffy Recs that are superclassic (at least a decade old):

1) Disenchantment by Herself. This story made me fall in love with Spuffy! The depiction of a Buffy in her 30s, still alive, kind of ok, but just so lonely in a way she couldn't even articulate. Some angst, but the joy Buffy feels at her unexpected reunion with Spike truly makes me emotional, even upon re-reading. And the sex in this fic is so hot. There is an unfinished sequel I wish she'd finished.

2) The Butterfly Effect by CousinJean. A very beautiful fic where a post-Chosen Buffy travels back in time to Season 2. Buffy and Spike end up connecting in a sort of inevitable, visceral way that show how truly drawn to one another they are, regardless of the timing of their meeting.

3) Pinch Hitter by Dreamweaver. This post-Chosen Buffy gets sent into an alternated dimension early Season 5. Of course she goes to find Spike to bang! Spike is amenable. There is some pretty good biting in this smut if you're into that.

4) Only Time Will Tell by Damperandspoons. I had trouble deciding on which Victorian fic to include on this list, but ended up with this one. It's not totally historically accurate... but Buffy and William are very sweet in this fic, and the ending is satisfying. Enjoy!

5) My Life Closed Twice by Anaross. Being in a post-NFA Spike's poetry class is such a treat. It is worth a read, whether you agree with Anaross' take on Buffyverse lore or not.

Why did I decide to rec only decade-old Post-Chosen fic? No reason, just felt like it! Probaby you have all read these classic fics... they are very popular. But if you haven't, they are an excellent place to start.

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More classic meta posts, in no particular order :

1. Meta on the opening credits by

stormwreath.

2. Meta on Angel's role in School Hard by

elisi.

3. The Supernatural/Buffy cage match by

yourlibrarian.

4. Buffy came back wrong: Wrecked, Gone, and Doublemeat Palace by

gabrielleabelle.

5. Buffy and Spike are effulgent love by

angearia.

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Five Non-Spuffy Fics I Like

Don't fall over dead, I actually do read other pairings occasionally! (AO3 links this time)

( Fics, Not Candy, Sorry! )

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5 stories featuring the written word

1. What I look for in any story is the emotion. Solshine's The Letters has that in spades as it reviews Buffy's evolving reaction to Spike's letters. The story also has incredible details: the unexpected elegance of Spike's script, the inelegant sealing wax as if he's defending himself against the emotions expressed in his letters.

2. The Scooby's watch over Giles the summer after he's tortured by Angelus in Gilescandy's The Watcher's Watch Diary '98. I adore how the kids stand together to support Giles when he needs them, even when he isn't willing to admit he needs/wants help!, and how each character's personality shines through in their entries.

3. deird1 does an amazing job of juxtaposing humor with guilt and grief in The Very Secret Diary of Andrew Wells. Andrew's personality shines through and his journal comments, such as listing an ongoing debate over the prowess of Batman vs. Spiderman as strategy discussions and morale boosters, provide a humorous background against the growing realization that something's not just right with the upcoming battle.

4. Eee! il_mio_capitano's Distractions might be only a drabble but it is brill. I don't know what to say without giving too much away so go, read, and enjoy!

5. And I know this isn't generally done, but the whole idea for this rec list came from me wanting to rec my story The Letters (the 84, Charing Cross Road remix) in which we see Anya and Severus Snape's relationship through a series of letters, e-mails, and wedding invitations.

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Top Five 2016 Gen Fics

The Final Cut by

aadler: Dru is going after Jenny and Angelus is playing taunt the watcher. It’s Jenny, Giles, Ethan and Xander on a wicked adventure set in S2 after Angel lost his soul.
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Top Five 2016 Spander Fics and A Bonus Drabble

Facing the Monster by

snogged: What if Spike found Xander after the events of “Reptile Boy?” Deliciously dark.

Smoke by feathers-and-cigarettes: Set in BtVS S10. Xander smoking weed.

Frame of Reference by

baudown: This fic shows why I love Spander so much. Both Xander and Spike are equal.

Special Occasion by feathers-and-cigarettes: Xander is throwing Spike a surprise birthday party.

Notes by feathers-and-cigarettes: Spike is leaving notes for Xander in poetry form.

Bonus Drabble:

Temptation by

strickens_girl: This is the funniest and hottest threesome out there.

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Top 5 Wish List Fills

Dawn Meets Cordy by onegirlinalltheworld. So this isn't a fic about pre-series Dawn but I thought it was a nifty idea about how Dawn and Cordelia might have bonded in S2.

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Five Dawn-insert short fics

Some classic Dawn-insert fics, arranged from shortest to longest.

Small Spaces by

deird1. Dawn and Wesley slowly become friends. Starts from season 3. G-rated.

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Some favorite Buffy-centric shortfic of 2015

Or, it's "Buffy-centric angsty shortfic", to be more specific. Stories arranged from longest to shortest.

Third Wheel by

shapinglight aka Glassdarkly (Angel/Buffy & Darla, PG-13). Set during 'Surprise', this is a slightly AU BtVS season 2, in which Ethan Rayne's costume spell in Halloween had rather different consequences.
I'm a sucker for relationship studies where main focus is not romance per se but Buffy's development, and this one absolutely nails it.

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5 Buffy/Angel stories that could have been cannon..

In no particular order...
( the recs... )

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5 Classic Funny/Sweet Entries on Seasonal Spuffy

Kitty Spuffy Art by

dualbunny (PG) — Just look at the cute!

Attack of the Cookie Monsters by

rahirah (PG) — A Barbverse domestic adventure in picture book format.

She Will Remember Him? by

moscow_watcher (R) — An AU S2 from Dawn's less-than-reverent POV.

Just the Once by

st_salieri (R) — Post-series domestic fluff with drunk!Buffy! Win!

Spaiku by

mere_ubu (PG13) — Haiku retellings of the following episodes: Something Blue Spaiku / Crushed Spaiku / Intervention Spaiku

5 great 2023 Summer of Giles fics

Fanworks that are (mostly) new to me

Top 5 thinky drawings by snakeliciousbaby (2021)

Top 5 Dawn AU gifsets

Top 5 Magical Giles Smut Stories

Five Surreal Stories I Enjoyed This Year

5 Classic Fics that make me shiver

5 Interesting AUs

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

Five Non-Spuffy Fics I Like

5 stories featuring the written word

Top Five 2016 Gen Fics

Top Five 2016 Spander Fics and A Bonus Drabble

Top 5 Wish List Fills

Five Dawn-insert short fics

Some favorite Buffy-centric shortfic of 2015

5 Buffy/Angel stories that could have been cannon..

5 Classic Funny/Sweet Entries on Seasonal Spuffy