buffyversetop5 | Entries tagged with cat: btvs s4

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
( Read more... )

thenewbuzwuzz

Happy Ace Week, folks!

Asexual!Oz in "You're Too Picky, Man": An Ace Reading of Oz's Character Arc in BTVS by Coyote (osteophage)
This is really well thought out, and I can't believe I missed this reading until Coyote spelled it out for me in an essay. Honestly, there's no going back for me--the way I see Oz is changed forever.

( Read more... )

roselynnthornwood

1 “control” by The_Eclectic_Bookworm

Giles and Jenny switch up their usual roles for a change.

2 “The Edge” by TheSigyn

Spike and Buffy use role play and BDSM to overcome trauma in their pasts.

3 “Tradition and Protocol” by antennapedia

A dedication ritual between Watchers and their Slayers requires some painful experiences.

4 “Sanctuary” by DHW

A post-canon Buffy/Giles fic that puts Fifty Shades to shame.

5 “The Rough Stuff” by TheScholarlyStrumpet

Another Buffy/Giles PWP with BDSM vibes. What can I say, I clearly have a type. 😂

dragonyphoenix

Let's wrack up those negative emotions, shall we?

1. Twelfth Sister: The Council's always known kill one Slayer you get a new one, but now they realize they can kill one Slayer and revive her. It's so dark but so beautifully written. I just love this story. Here's a snippet: "Because, gentleman," he replied, his voice now tinged with a hint of acid, "why should we simply settle for another Kendra? Why should we settle for just one, when we could have a dozen? When we could have a hundred?"

2. Falling Like Icarus: Oh, this is so sad. I don't want to give anything away so I'll just say Xander/Anya and share the summary: She'd come so close to the sun, to joy, but now her wings are melting and she's falling, like Icarus. Xander and Anya's world is shattered with just one word.

3. Extinction: A drabble from Open on Sunday. I'm not sure anything I say here could do it justice. Powerful.

4. Mission Accomplished: Poignant. The unexpected difficulty of a Watcher's last duty to his Slayer. I adore the juxtaposition of the explanation of this terrible duty in Watcher training vs. the reality of having to face it.

5. Blackout: A dying Xander brings his daughter to Spike and Angel. Every time I read this - every time - I cry at the end. This story takes a tragic even and makes it heartwarming.

thewiggins

thenewbuzwuzz is a staple of the online BtVS fandom. She not only participates here each year, but helps run Seasonal Spuffy and the Sunnydale Herald. But one of her greatest contributions to the fandom, in my opinion, is her advocacy for poetry as a fanwork medium. I certainly never would have tried it if it hadn't been for her inspiration. Here are a few of my favorite buzwuzz poems.

The Limericked Adventures of Bob the Hellmouth Cop
This was the poem that started it all for me. It was the winner of a contest on the now sadly defunct Sunnydale Fanfic Club podcast and her episode opened my eyes to the potential of fandom poetry. (Actually, the podcast wound up introducing us both to each other's work, eventually leading to our ongoing beta exchange.)

The poem itself is priceless. Using the limerick format to explore the POV of a clueless Sunnydale cop is just too good. I mean, consider this stanza:
( Read more... )

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.]

( Read more... )

sparrow2000.livejournal.com

I love rare pairings fics. I’m so ingrained in the characters and the ships that I write that it’s a real joy to be challenged when I come across stories that make me take a step back and think wow, the author really makes that pairing work. (Where possible the entries are on A03, but unfortunately not all are available there.)

Slow Learners by

glossing is beautifully achy and bittersweet Devon/Xander. Oz has left and Xander is bereft. Devon provides solace even though Xander isn’t gay. This is gorgeous.

( More pretties under the cut... )

sparrow2000.livejournal.com

When I discovered fandom and fic back in the early 2000's, there are some stories that stood out because they made me realise just how wonderfully malleable canon could be in the right hands. That realisation expanded my universe! :)

I’ve recced Te’s stories many times before, but my love for her stuff bears repeating. Post Grad series blew my tiny, sheltered mind when I read it early on in my adventures in fandom. It made me understand the power of ‘what if’. This is Spike/Xander, plot, porn and so much ‘oh my goodness’ that it makes my eyes cross just thinking about it.

( More goodies this way... )

sparrow2000.livejournal.com

flowspuffy beat me to it with her crossover list, which looks terrific. (I was internetless yesterday, so am late to the party). Anyway you can never have enough crossover recs, so here's another five that I hope you enjoy.

A Girl Made of Sky by Doyle is a BTVS crossover with Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and features Dawn and the Cheeseman. I can’t say anything about this other than I wish I’d written it!

( More crossover lovelies... )

yourlibrarian

1) A Quiet Conversation by Rainne. "Two old enemies sit and have coffee." Not often one runs across a story featuring Buffy and Ethan in conversation and it's hard to beat this story's ending!

2) Halloween Portrait Collection by thedothatgirl. Drawings of less frequently depicted characters: Adam, the Master, the Troika, Giles as a Fyarl, Glory, Clem and Amy (in both her forms).

3) Dracula vs Buffy by beer good. "I like "Buffy vs Dracula." I think it might even be the best season opener the show ever did. Here's some thoughts on why, and how it fits into the larger scope of the series and season 5." See if you agree!

4) Fight Scene Appreciation by stalwartsandall. "I wanted to gush a little about the fight sequence in Two to Go in which Spike fights the Walking Action Figure. It just feels a cut above the rest in terms of choreography, combatants, editing and production value."

5) Rupert Giles by Laurel Hach. Nicely Halloween themed painting of Giles.

lusciousxander

1) Sands of Time by James and Wolfing: I can never describe how much this story means to me. It was the first fanfic I ever read. It holds a special place in my heart. It's Xander angst at its finest and I'm a huge Xander angst fan. I love the Xander/Giles relationship here, perhaps even more than the Xander/Spike relationship. I love the chapter about Giles' family and Xander meeting them for the first time. I also love the part where Xander tastes his father's blood on Spike's lips - so chilling!

2) The Giles Thing by DrSquidlove: Another Xander fic I adore! It had probably the best portrayal of Xander's parents that I've ever seen in fics, and IMO the closest to the show's canon. The author writes the relationships between the characters so perfectly, and the characters' reaction to the relationship between Xander and Giles, especially Buffy and Joyce, was amazing.

3) Cuckoo in the Nest by Liz-Marcs: Told completely from Tony Harris' unreliable narration! I loved watching the show through Xander's father's eyes! A wonderful character study.

4) Sidelines by Anna S: The perfect "What if Xander was the gay Scooby instead of Willow" fic!

5) Late Night Double Feature by Kimberly A: The sequel for Just a Jump to the Left which I adore because it's the closest of an unrequited love story where Xander is in love with Spike while Spike is oblivious that I can find! Xander faces the consequences of the time loop in the previous fic, and realizes that making changes in his relationship with Spike isn't quite as easy as he'd like.

thenewbuzwuzz

I tried to stay away from here, I did (because I'm running really short on spare time and attention). But I HAD to rec this first work, and then I threw some more poetry links around while I was at it.

1. Inky Drabbles by Twinkles
Alternative links:
http://nootloot.co.nz/index.php/inkydrabbles/
https://www.instagram.com/wolfshadoe/
Some images may be NSFW.
This is it, this is the best and most beautiful new poetry project I've seen in the fandom this year. Do not miss if Spuffy or free verse appeals to you at all.
( Read more... )

dragonyphoenix

or something close to a white hat anyway! I'm exhausted so this list may be shortish on descriptions but anything I recommend with Ethan in it will be near and dear to my heart.

1. Absent Friends by il mio capitano. Oh, yeah, awesome. I recently asked if anyone could find this story for me. Basically all I'd recalled was the pub crawl based on The World's End and that Ethan was in it. Turns out it features Giles rather than Xander but given how fond I am of Giles and Ethan together, that was hardly a drawback. This one's more white-hatish rather than an out and out white-hat tale.

( the rest of the links are busy putting me too bed )

thenewbuzwuzz

There is lots of excellent new Spuffy fic all the time, too much to rec all that's good or make any objective top list. So here's a semi-random selection of only a few recent favorites, from shortest to longest.

scared of what’s behind and what’s before
by MixSaysRawr (womanaction)
Rated M
( Read more... )

thenewbuzwuzz

I thought I didn't have time for this round, but couldn't stay away after all. *g*

Something Special
by sandy_s and eyesthatslay
(PG-13, 7773w, complete)
This collaborative story is visually gorgeous, heartwarming, and more thoroughly linked to canon than the summary might make it sound.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: thankful

sunalso.livejournal.com

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

( Fics, Not Candy, Sorry! )

thenewbuzwuzz.livejournal.com

Because nothing takes my mind off things like combinations of crack, fluff, smut, and Spuffy. When I think of every one of these fics, one of the first summaries that come to mind is "everything is happiness, and nothing hurts". None of the stories take themselves too seriously. Most of them are full of smut. All of them make me smile and laugh. (It's late. Sorry! I somehow thought the end time was midnight local.)

1. 10 Ways to Defrost Your Vampire Boyfriend by TerrusDacktellus (DactylGirl,

lady_sybyl). I think the title says it all.

( Read more... )

rbfvid.livejournal.com

Five favorite shippy shorts from the past year, and one vid as a bonus.

very good bad thing by spangel. Cordelia's POV on Buffy. So accurate that it hurts.

Waylaid by

beer_good_foamy (or AO3 link). Faith/Tara in the Wishverse, and it's surely the lightest and most hopeful Wishverse story I've ever read.

( Read more... )

punch-kicker15.livejournal.com

I'm a big fan of fics where a well-timed spell, a friend stepping in to help, or someone asking the right question at the right time can solve a problem from canon.

Here are five short classic fics in that category:

1. Apotheosis by Ephemeral Night (Willow/Tara, General Audiences). Willow stumbles upon the secret for carrying out the Thy Will Be Done Spell in a more effective manner, and comes up with some clever and audacious to eliminate nearly every threat the Scooby Gang will ever face, and then takes it even further into the ultimate fix-it fic territory. Tagged as "fluff and crack" in AO3, and it's high quality fluff and crack.

( The rest under the cut )

rbfvid.livejournal.com

Some Joyce fic recs, requested by

lusciousxander.

Unpacking by

minim_calibre. Joyce arrives to Sunnydale. Set around "Welcome to the Hellmouth", G.

( Read more... )

rbfvid.livejournal.com

Five Giles/Spike shortfics, by the request of

spikesjojo.

Four Step Programme by

brutti_ma_buoni, R-rated. Post ‘The Gift’, Spike and Giles have reasons to get closer. More humour than angst or romance.

( Read more... )

rbfvid.livejournal.com

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.

( Read more... )

sparrow2000.livejournal.com

Here are five Giles/Xander fics, which is my second favourite ship. These range from the ridiculously cute to the ridiculously angsty.

Starting with cute, The Beginning of Knowledge by

mireille719 is some lovely incremental snapshots of Giles and Xander’s relationship in which Xander buys post Valentine’s Day chocolate and Giles folds laundry.

( This way for the pretties... )

sparrow2000.livejournal.com

lusciousxander put up a wishlist entry for some Xander/Larry. It’s a pairing that can work wonderfully and it’s a shame there’s not more of it about.

I’ve got to start with

nwhepcat’s Things We Never Talk About. Xander suffering from the “aspect of the demon” thing from Earshot while Larry finds himself having a shock initiation into the trials and tribulations of Scoobydom. And there’s a whole complication with Faith that always has me on the edge of my seat. Welcome to boy world…

( More X/L fun this way... )

lusciousxander.livejournal.com

These are some thought-provoking Xander meta that I have enjoyed from 2014.

( 2014 Xander Meta )

rebcake.livejournal.com

Spike and Xander are a great odd couple, if you like that sort of thing. Obviously lots of people do like it, and here is just a small sampling of some of the classics of the genre, in order of length:

Rehearsal by

thebratqueen
A S4 basement of doom story in which Spike gives Xander instruction on the proper delivery of dirty talk. Pre-slash.
On LJ / On Author's Site / On Spanderfiles

( Hilarity ensues... )

velvetwhip.livejournal.com

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.

( More Wonderful Willow )

dragonyphoenix.livejournal.com

All of these are either part of a series or a rec for the series as a whole.
None of these are worksafe, but none are terribly squicky either.

1) Of Old Mystics by omphalos and Wolfling: Giles/Ethan - Giles, now head of the Council, rescues Ethan from the Initiative only to learn that they are a bonded pair, Order and Chaos, who must work together to save the world. One of my favorite go-back-to stories.

( The other five recs are eyeing each other and wondering who's going to clean up the mess from that Halloween bash ... )

yourlibrarian

When I Ruled the World by kallysten. Pretty apt choice for the Fanged Four, and a nice "story of us" to remember them by.

( Read more... )

zanthinegirl.livejournal.com

Time's Fool by Lady Jane at the Bloodshedverse, or at Elysian fields (may need to register to read at EF) Spike/ Buffy "eventually NC17" though it hasn't gotten there yet.

Future fic. Decades down the road Spike and Buffy meet up again for the first time since Sunnydale. Plotty goodness. A really interesting and believable future for Our Heroes. Great characterizations, and believable motivations. Also, the author gets the medical details right. I appreciate that! Warning: still a WIP

( long, plotty, spuffy goodness! )

moscow-watcher.livejournal.com

Dust by

knifeedgefic
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=knifeedgefic&keyword=DUST&filter=all
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6958651/1/DUST
http://www.bloodshedverse.com/stories.php?go=chapters&no=12728
WIP, 31 chapters, PG so far, NC-17 later. Alternate season 4. Buffy wakes in a Sunnydale that went utterly wrong... Everybody's asleep; the phones are dead; and there is no way out of the town. Buffy's only hope is a certain vampire who managed to stay awake and who was persistent enough to wake her up. Intriguing premise, genre storytelling par excellence, witty dialogues, funny insights into Buffy's and Spike's minds, overall creepy atmosphere -- the story's vitality and finesse make "Dust" one of the most exciting and gripping stories of the year.
( four more )

moscow-watcher.livejournal.com

Dust by

lusciousxander.livejournal.com

2011 was a great year for Spander fics. I discovered

baudown this year. Her writing is super, her character voices are super, and her fics are always a joy to read. Here are five fics I've read and enjoyed of hers.

( Click here )

molly_may

To finish off the early season S/B love, here are some S4 era fics.

Achilles Heel, by Elizabeth - I'm fairly certain this has been recced at Buffyverse Top 5 before, but it's always been one of my favorites. Buffy and Spike are cursed.

( Read more... )

molly_may

moscow-watcher.livejournal.com

Strangers by

lusciousxander
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=lusciousxander&keyword=Strangers+%28Buffy/Spike%29&filter=all
~ 83,000 words. PG. Starts in the eighth season of BtVS, in February 2005. Buffy, Xander and their Slayers are living in a castle in Scotland. Grief pushes Buffy and Xander to do something really stupid: they have consolation sex, Buffy ends up pregnant and eventually gives birth to a girl. Things get more complicated when she discovers that Spike is no longer dead. Earnest, detailed exploration of Buffy's dilemmas in season 8, this story is simultaneously epic and intimate.
( four more )

moscow-watcher.livejournal.com

Strangers by

moscow-watcher.livejournal.com

There already is a post by

snickfic dedicated to long Spuffy fics. She has collected five magnificent stories there, and I regard this post as a continuation of her work.

Where Pies Go When They Die by

ghostyouknow27
http://ghostyouknow27.livejournal.com/tag/where%20pies%20go%20when%20they%20die
R. Completed. ~ 17,500 words. Post-series. Spike has landed in a special Hell, courtesy of Wolfram & Hart. Buffy's rescue mission leads her... into a diner from Hell. Deliciously cracktastic tale in Lewis Carroll style with shadows of Tim Burton and Chris Nolan lurking at the corners. Inventive plot, powerful, well-crafted concept, great timing and sense of details - each of them works for a bigger plan. HeavenHell is very unusual - funny and creepy at the same time; Buffy's speech patterns ("What the pie?") as well as her reaction to SPN-skewed reality are priceless.
( four more )

moscow-watcher.livejournal.com

There already is a post by

snickfic dedicated to long Spuffy fics. She has collected five magnificent stories there, and I regard this post as a continuation of her work.

Where Pies Go When They Die by

shapinglight

Still no theme. I just liked them.

The Front Line by

rebcake. PG, Robin Wood and Gunn. Robin is an educator, and he hasn't always lived in Sunnydale. Wonderful, wonderful stuff.

( Read more... )

shapinglight

Still no theme. I just liked them.

The Front Line by

rebcake. PG, Robin Wood and Gunn. Robin is an educator, and he hasn't always lived in Sunnydale. Wonderful, wonderful stuff.

( Read more... )

ladycallie.livejournal.com

These five stories are some of the finest epic length W/T centric fics I've read. I have all of these printed and bound and they have brought me much joy. I should note that some of these fics deal with the canon events of Seeing Red, but all ultimately end happily.

Title/Link: The Gift of Sorrow
Author: The Rainbow Writers
Rating: PG, later chapters NC-17, all clearly noted
Pairing(s): Willow/Tara, gen
Spoilers: Everything up to and including all of season six.
Warnings/Triggers: Psychic trauma, depression, use of medication
Summary: It would be fair to say that the events in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Six created a schism in the fan base of this popular show. Not only did it divide all of the existing couples, it killed one of the most recent popular members of the cast, dragged one of the shows most beloved characters to the very depths of her soul, making her someone that people hardly recognized and made fans watch the moral demise of the slayer herself. It was a very hard season to watch, and caused many long term fans turn away from the show. We, like many were unhappy with the progress this season began, and decided to write our own next season, to address some of the issues that we felt needed righting. This story is the result.

The other chapters can be found HERE, towards the bottom.

Reccers Note: Sadly, this story is unfinished. The duo that is the Rainbow Writers were finally reunited several years ago and have since made a home together, yet struggle with health and real life issues that hinder the creative process. The story does stop at a stable point and is well worth your time. This is arguably my favorite fanfic ever.

( "Can we just skip it? Can you just be kissing me now? " )

Current Mood: hopeful

ladycallie.livejournal.com

Current Mood: hopeful

moscow-watcher.livejournal.com

A Buffyverse Alphabet by

shadowscast
http://shadowscast.livejournal.com/102567.html
А unique poem about 26 deaths in Buffyverse. One for each letter.
( click 4 more )

moscow-watcher.livejournal.com

A Buffyverse Alphabet by

shadowscast
http://shadowscast.livejournal.com/102567.html
А unique poem about 26 deaths in Buffyverse. One for each letter.
( click 4 more )

rebcake.livejournal.com

Five fun fics in which Spike and/or Buffy struggle against their attraction. But not that hard.

She Will Remember Him? by

moscow_watcher
Season 2 with Dawn and Andrew! Might be my favorite story from all of 2009! Irreverent and filled with Ideas both big and small. R

( But wait! There's more! )

rebcake.livejournal.com

Five fun fics in which Spike and/or Buffy struggle against their attraction. But not that hard.

She Will Remember Him? by

moscow_watcher
Season 2 with Dawn and Andrew! Might be my favorite story from all of 2009! Irreverent and filled with Ideas both big and small. R

( But wait! There's more! )

lusciousxander.livejournal.com

1- the boy & the beast by

snowpuppies: Set in S4. This is so dark, but in a good way. You've got a cunning Spike, who's still dangerous even with a chip in his head. Great character-voices and... I don't wanna spoil it more for you, you've got to read this one.

( Check the other four... )

lusciousxander.livejournal.com

Top Five Drabbles:

1- Joyce Anne by

spuffyduds: This drabble is perfect. And it's one lovely Buffy/Willow friendship.
( Check the other four... )

lusciousxander.livejournal.com

Top Five Friendship Fics:

1- Walking After Midnight by

aadler_: Sometimes the enemy you can count on is the friend you need most.
( Check the other four... )

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