Fic recs summer 2008

[moscow_watcher]

The summer is over and I post the list of summer fics I read and I'd love to rec.



A New Dawn by Kallysten
http://kallysten.insanejournal.com/tag/fanfic:+a+new+dawn
Finished, R, alternate season 5 in which Dawn is Buffy and Spike's infant daughter. All the other elements of the seasons are the same and Glory is still after her. Kallysten writes around the canon and invites the audience to be her accomplice and to fill the blanks with canonical scenes. This story is only posted on Insane Journal.

Closure by eowyn_315
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=eowyn_315&keyword=Closure&filter=all
WIP, R, 18 chapters so far. S4, Post - A New Man. BtVS, Veronica Mars-style. Buffy finds herself a victim of rape after a Lowell House party with no memory of what happened. She turns to Spike for help, because she knows he couldn't do it because of his chip. But turns out things are *very* complicated. Clever and ingenious story in which each plot twist serves new characters development.

Not My Beautiful House part 2 by Herself_nyc
http://community.livejournal.com/herself_nyc_fic/tag/not+my+beautiful+sequel
WIP, PG so far, but usually Herself's fics are NC-17. In the first installment, during the NFA battle, canon!Spike and Bittersweet!Spike get switched. Canon!Spike spends some time in the Bittersweets-verse where he is startled to find that Sunnydale flourishes, the Scoobies are his friends, he's husband to Buffy and a father to Jem - and most of all, that he's all this in his soul-less state. When he finally encounters Bsweets!Buffy, they have an informative and sharing experience, but she's shocked at what he says about his soul, and his apparent disappointment at her for accepting him without one. Not My Beautiful House-2 starts right after the conclusion, in which canon!Spike is reunited with canon!Buffy and Bittersweet!Spike - with Bittersweet!Buffy. Interesting exploration of canon vs. fanon collision.

Things That Go Bump in the Night by slaymesoftly
http://slaymesoftly.livejournal.com/tag/things+that+go+bump
WIP, R (with a promise of NC-17), several years after NFA. Dawn, who studies to be a watcher, asks Buffy to help her. She has to spend a night in an old haunted house. The resident ghost is known for his pranks: he hides his face, he can materialize and he likes to smack slayers's butts. Guess who he is. But it's not that easy - there is a twist, maybe more than one. Smiles, tears and banter. The premise works great on both narrative and metaphorical level, as it turns inside out the habitual situation of Buffy being unattainable and Spike trying to reach out to her.

Slayer Memories by hello_spikey
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=hello_spikey&keyword=Slayer+Memories&filter=all
Finished, PG-13. Post-Damage. Ten chapters. Buffy meets Dana and tries to puzzle out why Dana talks about Spike in present tense... Writer develops interesting narrative structure as she alternates Buffy perspective in past-tense and Dana perspective in present-tense.

Bought and Soulled by hello _spikey
http://hello-spikey.livejournal.com/18993.html
Finished, R-ish, Post-Hell Bells, slightly AU. Buffy keeps her affair with Spike a secret but Dawn figures it out... Rewrite of the second part of season 6, with different events leading to the same outcome - Spike's quest for his soul. Follow-up tо the fic Bite Whore.

We Will Remember Them by Lilachigh
http://community.livejournal.com/writerconuk/55609.html#cutid1
http://community.livejournal.com/writerconuk/56141.html#cutid1
http://community.livejournal.com/writerconuk/65755.html#cutid1
WIP, 3 chapters so far, NC-17. Timeline: 1943 and 2001 (post-Smashed) In 1943 Spike has been captured by the British army and forced, with Dru's life forfeit, to fly to France to rescue a Slayer. In 2001, Quentin Travers persuadesBuffy to go back through time to 1943 to do the same thing, because the future of humanity is at stake. But can Travers be trusted? Terrific premise and a lot of potential.

Essence by quietviolence13 (Heather Perl)
http://quietviolence13.livejournal.com/tag/essence
WIP, Post-Chosen, NC-17 overall, PG-13 so far.
Author's summary: Buffy reacts differently to Spike's denial at the end of 'Chosen,' and they both make it out alive. Except Spike's vamp healing seems to be gone, and now they have to deal with each other, the losses they've suffered, and their new chance at life.

These False Starts by crackers4jenn
http://crackers4jenn.livejournal.com/301466.html
G (so far), WIP. End of AtS season 5. Buffy makes a phone call to W&H. The first person she talks is Harmony then she talks with Angel. And every time they want to tell her that Spike is there in LA, something distracts them... Great fun!


Every Silver Lining’s Got A Touch Of Gray by rahirah (Barb C)
http://rahirah.livejournal.com/332219.html
Finished, R, Future!Fic. "Every Silver..." takes place in the same universe as “Raising In the Sun,” “Necessary Evils,” and “A Parliament of Monsters”, where Spike is half-vampire, half-human, and he and Buffy are a family and continue fighting evil. Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, the vampire CEO of Wolfram & Hart, has hidden the muo-ping containing his soul and Angel wants to find it and re-ensoul him. Angel convinces Spike to go undercover and infiltrate into W&H, but there are complications, and Buffy together with Angel has to organize a rescue party to extract both Spike and the soul mojo. Kickass action, sharp dialogs and great insights into Buffy and Spike's characters.

Because You Know He Reads It by Barb C (drabble)
http://rahirah.livejournal.com/330567.html
Spike and Dawn discuss Twilight spoilers. Buffy is at loss. :)
Like Father by Rahirah (drabble)
http://rahirah.livejournal.com/323740.html

Birthday Girl by st_salieri
http://st-salieri.livejournal.com/298842.html
One-shot, post-NFA, R. Buffy has a birthday. Spike makes her a present. Delightful schmoop.

Bad Medicine by darklingdawns
http://darklingdawns.livejournal.com/31225.html
Middle of season 6, NC-17. Buffy has a headache. Spike thinks he can heal her... Smutty. :)

The Sunnydale Files by redeem147
http://redeem147.livejournal.com/391778.html
PG. BtVS s 2 \ The X-Files s 6 crossover. Mulder and Scully arrive to Sunnydale. Buffy's task is to convince them that vampires and slayers don't exist. But who is that bleached guy in a black duster who lurks near her house?

Let's Go Kill Something! by spikeNdru
http://spikendru.livejournal.com/153841.html
PG-ish. BtVS\Dr. Who crossover. Post-Something Blue. A new kind of demons appear in Sunnydale. Buffy recruits Spike to help her investigate them.

Heaven on Earth by debris4spike
http://debris4spike.livejournal.com/173619.html
Season 6, just before OMWF. PG. Spike invites Buffy to a moonlit horse ride.

Kaleidoscope by Lirazel (LJ user penny-lane-42)
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4347012/1/Kaleidoscope
or in slightly different formatting
http://penny-lane-42.livejournal.com/35486.html
AU AtS season 5. PG-13. Spike and Buffy's reunion on the eve of the final battle, seen through the eyes of different characters. Ambitious idea and skillful execution, with every character's voice sounding true.

Love's Bitch by wehavedental
http://wehavedental.livejournal.com/2273.html
One-shot, PG. A short nice Buffy and Spike's post-coital moment in season 6.

Just One Wish by lilachigh
http://lilachigh.livejournal.com/258363.html
G, one-shot, season 6-ish. Spike releases a genie who agrees to grant him a wish...

Backwards With Time by crackers4jenn
http://crackers4jenn.livejournal.com/300735.html
or
http://spikeluver.com/SpuffyRealm/viewstory.php?sid=31728
R, one-shot, early season 6. Buffy and Spike kiss earlier than what we saw on the show. Written from Buffy's POV, great insight into her character.

My Favorite Late Night Someone by crackers4jenn
http://crackers4jenn.livejournal.com/308519.html
One-shot, season 5, G. One typical Buffy's visit to Spike's crypt. Snarks'n'sparks.

Princess of Hollywood Way by pepperlandgirl4
http://pepperlandgirl4.livejournal.com/859596.html
One-shot, NC-17, the summer between season 2 and 3. Buffy and Spike meet in Caritas. Lorne's anti-violence spell makes it impossible to hurt the customers, so... Inspired premise and good insight into characters.

Jesus To A Child by ms_scarletibis.
http://ms-scarletibis.livejournal.com/31018.html
One-shot, PG, post-Seeing Red. Buffy and Dawm catch Spike on the cemetery when he prepares to leave Sunnydale.

Sex and the Vampire Slayer by c_woodhaven
http://c-woodhaven.livejournal.com/177970.html
One-shot, NC-17, post-NFA. Friday night and Spike expects the Cleveland Slayer headquarters to be empty. Instead, Buffy's returned early. Fun!

Back Porch by penny_lane_42 (Lirazel)
http://penny-lane-42.livejournal.com/38324.html?view=359348#t359348
or
http://www.bloodshedverse.com/stories.php?go=read&no=9961
One-shot, PG, post-Chosen. "When she lets herself think of him, she thinks of the back porch." Insightful character study, lyrical, sad and uplifting at the same time.

The Secret Ingredient by hils
http://fandomcorner.livejournal.com/49359.html
G, post-NFA. Spike gives culinary tips to Buffy and Dawn as they make themselves at home in England... Fun!

For Her by larabeckinsale
http://larabeckinsale.livejournal.com/11951.html
One-shot, PG, during "Chosen". A glimpse into Spike's mind. Heartbreaking.

Testament by beer_good_foamy
http://beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com/85758.html
One-shot, PG-13, Post-NFA. Faith, Giles and Wesley; some Buffy/Spike. On the eve of the last battle Wesley wrote letters to Giles and Faith while Spike tried to make a phone call... Masterfully written and very sad.

Cold Shoulder by seductivembrace
http://seductivembrace.livejournal.com/76887.html
One-shot, NC-17 Post-Wrecked. Buffy and Spike are so good at making things complicated...

Spuffy drabble by married_n_mich
http://community.livejournal.com/open_on_sunday/2206192.html
Sometimes they play kinky games... :)



Nothing Ventured by shapinglight
http://shapinglight.livejournal.com/748843.html
One-shot, NC-17, Slightly AU post Hell Bells on BtVS and Couplet on AtS. On his way to Africa Spike visits Angel in LA. He talks with him about Buffy without naming her. Angel thinks they're talking about Dru and gives him some advices... Terrific idea and masterful execution: sharp dialogues, insightful if minimalist descriptions, spiced with lethal irony. A character-study-cum tearjerker-par-excellence.

The Road to Byzantium by Rahirah (Barb C.)
http://rahirah.livejournal.com/327858.html
http://rahirah.livejournal.com/327984.html
http://rahirah.livejournal.com/330758.html
WIP, PG-13. Post-Gift. After Buffy's death the Knights of Byzantium try againto get rid of Dawn - just in case. Spike takes her out of the town in his De Soto and Anya joins them for a ride. Kickass action and great character voices.

Conduit by chrisleeoctaves
http://chrisleeoctaves.livejournal.com/232660.html
One-shot, R, Season 6. Buffy/Spike, Spike/Angel, Buffy/Angel. Author's description "Spike is used by both Buffy and Angel" - made me smile. Chrisleeoctaves started her ficwriter's career with a season 6 fic in which Buffy dusts Spike after having sex with him. Today she regards Spike's relationship with Buffy and Angel as more complex and fascinating mix of love, pain, guilty pleasures and quiet desperation. The story is focused on Spangel relationship with great insights into Angel and Angelus' mind but there are brilliant flashes into Spike's psyche ("sky was still a spilled ink stain against the sand and ribbon of highway" is clever and subtle reminder that the character used to write with an inkpen and the phrase "Angel always hanging around was the icing on the proverbial cake if the cake was made of mud and the frosting was shit" is vintage Spike :)

The Missing Piece by Authoressnebula
http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=nebulas_fic&keyword=The+Missing+Piece+%28S/B/A%29:+R+to+NC-17&filter=all
or
http://www.athenewolfe.com/justrewards/viewstory.php?sid=399
Finished, R to NC-17. BtVS/ The Phantom of the Opera crossover. Mostly post-NFA, with flashbacks. Buffy/Angel, Buffy/Spike, eventually Buffy/Angel/Spike. Buffy discovers an old Watcher's journal dedicated to the research of the connection between vampires and slayers. She finds out that the Council is taking extreme measures to prevent their mutual attraction. From now on her life is in danger.

My Immortal by Elisi
http://elisi.livejournal.com/tag/my+immortal
PG-13, WIP, 5 chapters so far. BtVS\AtS\Torchwood crossover. Pairing: Buffy/Immortal!Jack. Setting: March 2004. Spoilers: post-Chosen/pre-S1 of TW; S2 of TW eventually.
At the end of XIX century Jack Harkness discovers that his future self created a past identity for him - that of a powerful and rich Immortal, who rarely visits his Roman palazzo (once in 300 years qualifies as "rarely", doesn't it?) Under the guise of The Immortal Jack meets Angel and Spike in XIX century. Looks like their paths may cross again in 2004 when Jack, who is already a leader of Torchwood team, arrives in Rome to investigate a wrecked spaceship and meets Buffy... Elisi weaves a tantalizing story in which Jack and Buffy discover how much they have in common.

FFL Spaikus by mere_ubu
http://mere-ubu.livejournal.com/27829.html
During FFL. William meets Drusilla.

Fragments in Hard Voyages by germaine_pet
http://germaine-pet.livejournal.com/2008/08/17/
Post-NFA, R, finished. Spike/Angel, Spike/Buffy, Buffy/Angel. Buffy has an instant flash 11 years in the future where she lives with Spike. Shaken by the vision she goes to Los-Angeles to investigate. Turns out there is another apocalypse a-brewing and they have to deal with it. Intriguing story about choices - or maybe the lack of them.

Looking For Trouble by NautiBitz
http://community.livejournal.com/nautific/25924.html
One-shot, R, post-Checkpoint. Spike\Lydia, Spike\Buffy. Author's description: Spike's Number One Fan gets a tumble. Buffy is shocked and appalled. S/B at heart.

Just Shiny by pepperlandgirl4
http://pepperlandgirl4.livejournal.com/855608.html
PG, AtS s1. Wesley discovers Angel's jacket from WTTH in his wardrobe and starts blackmailing him. Hysterically funny.

Don’t Bet Against a Summers Girl by Wolfie Gilmore
http://www.buffyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2936
One-shot, G, Season 8. Dawn and Andrew made a bet about Buffy's love life.

The Client List by Wolfie Gilmore
http://www.buffyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3340
One-shot, PG, middle of AtF s5. Lorne's assistant sends him a memo regarding Rob Lowe, Paris Hilton, Prince Harry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Brad and Angelina, Zac Efron and JJ Abrams. Deliciously funny and evil ficlet.

Still Standing by Jancola
http://www.geocities.com/jancola_c/stillstanding.htm
PG-13, Spangel, Future!Fic. When Buffy discovers she is dying she decides to visit Angel and Spike.

Comments

Yay!

[mere-ubu.livejournal.com]

Oh happy day! I always look forward to your seasonal recs. Adding to memories now! Thanks a lot, sweetie.

Re: Yay!

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Enjoy, honey! The summer was rich on good stories - hopefully the trend will continue *knocks on wood*

[shapinglight]

Thanks very much indeed for reccing my story, Moscow.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

It's a pleasure to to rec such a wonderfully twisted and multi-layered story. (BTW I'm incredibly happy that you signed on for the next round of Seasonal_Spuffy :)

[shapinglight]

Thank you, though so far I only have a very vague idea of what to write.

[rahirah]

Thanks for the rec! Though Spike is sitting in the back on my head grumbling that he's all vampire, darn it. :D

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Though Spike is sitting in the back on my head grumbling that he's all vampire, darn it. :D

I hope you'll continue In a Yellow Wood and introduce Buffy to different versions of Spike! :)

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

I, too look forward to your recommendations. I can't believe how many of these I've missed. It was last year's recommendation of Kallysten's "A New Dawn" that alerted me to that wonderful story. Thanks for doing this.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Thanks for kind words!

And the funniest thing? It's a drop in an ocean. I mostly read LJ, but there also are many fanfic archives that are regularly updated, as well as forums and other types of communities. BtVS fanfiction is blooming.

[riccadonna.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! Your recs are precious and I'm all excited at the idea of finding stuff that I missed, and I really appreciate your little notes about them, and how clearly you put all the useful information.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

*blushes*

Thank you for kind words!
And - without the notes i would have forgotten 90% of the stuff I read. My head is like a sieve. :)

[cordykitten]

Adding to memories again; so I can check out the ones I haven't read yet :)
Sounds like a good selection!

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

I hope you'll enjoy these fics. I did.

[elisi]

Thanks for the pimp! And your summary is excellent - I'm very impressed.

The only problem with writing, of course, being that I have so little time for reading... *deep sigh*

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

It's a pleasure to pimp such a delicious story. I know you're very busy and I appreciate that you find time to continue working on My Immortal.

[elisi]

I can't *not* write it - it is eating my head. Which is awkward, because I swore that I was going to concentrate on 'Divided Destiny'... *deeper sigh* (I am SO GRATEFUL that I decided against posting it as a WIP. I think there are limits to people's patience and memory.)

[gabrielleabelle.livejournal.com]

Oooo....reading list. This will keep me occupied for a bit. I appreciate the time that must go into making something like this. Thanks!

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Enjoy!

Actually, I'm collecting links and notes in a separate file as I share my LJ discoveries on my home board, CDS. (http://www.fuzzyshark.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=11)

[louise39.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your postng recs.
So many great stories and you find them all.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

You're welcome!
So many great stories and you find them all.
Not all, alas... But I agree that there are many interesting fics to keep us well-fed. :)

[lynnenne]

Thanks for the recs list, and for including me on it. :)

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

I started replying that it's a pleasure to rec a great story, then I realised that I wrote the same phrase several times on that thread. So - it's an honor... no, too pompous. A feeling of connection? Sure, but it's not the point. In any case, I'm happy if you find my recs useful and I loved Fragments a lot. I adore stories with complex, twisted plots *and* great writing style.

[lynnenne]

Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed reading it. :)

[chrisleeoctaves.livejournal.com]

Awesome list and I am not just saying that because you've included me. *g*

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Chris! Recently I reread Conduit and it blew me away again so I couldn't resist writing a couple of words about it.

[lilred26x.livejournal.com]

I have so little time to read right now, so your rec lists are even more enjoyable. I've bookmarked this for when I have more time to read. It's so nice of you to put this together! Thanks!

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! I hope you'll have more time for reading in the future!

[bluekaty.livejournal.com]

Great list and very useful for me as I don't have much time to read fanfic and need to select carefully. Thank you.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Enjoy, honey - I'm very happy my little notes may be useful for other fans! :)

[jamalov29.livejournal.com]

Wonderful collection.I enjoy your comments as well . I haven't read several of the fics listed...
yet. ;-)

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I hope you'll like the fics you haven't read yet. *smooches*
And - I'm flattered that you use my avi :)

[lynnalso.livejournal.com]

Thank you !!!! And not a single "Buffy is a secretary and Spike a CEO all human" fic here. These are all wonderful. And see? good writers still writing my favorite fanfic.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Oh, the richness of BtVS fanfiction never ceases to amaze me. And I noticed that I can't read human AUs. The further from canon, the less attractive to me. But a friend of mine, who reads HP fiction says that it's the opposite to her - she cant read stories that are close to canon HP, she finds them jarring. :)

keep working!

[(Anonymous)]

Greets! Really amazing. Big ups! Tnx!

keep working!

[(Anonymous)]

Greets! Really interesting. Big ups! Tnx!

[drakasmit.livejournal.com]

видео nfs undercover (http://needforspeedundercover.ru/forum/video/nfs-undercover-xbox-360/page-1/) всё EA подпитывает нас свеженьким видео ;)