A Rec, Voting, and Awards
Over Christmas, only_passenger posted a really wonderful canon-based Buffy/Xander fic set between seasons 6 & 7 called Surfacing. I'll admit, it's not a pairing I really ship, but it's a pairing that has intrigued me for some time mostly because no one writes it. You'd think there'd be more, but I couldn't even point to one story I've seen that pairs the two of them. Lately, I've really been enjoying the idea of Xander and the more I write him, the more sympathetic I am to his character and his strengths, such as his loyalty. He can be an utter douche, judgemental and harsh, but he's also proven to be a true friend, heroic, protective and a stand-up sort of guy. Pass weaves together a scenario that does a lot explain how the rift between Buffy and Xander in S6 was closed by S7. It's beautifully written, true to character, and brings closure and healing to the two of them and their friendship that was never adequately explored on the show (without much angst!). Go, read, enjoy. It's wonderful and I only wish there were more thoughtful character explorations like this story out there.
Voting is now open at Spuffy Awards, so I encourage all the Spuffy fans on my flist to go over, check out the nominees, and cast your vote. Two of my Spuffy fics - The Cross/Burn Marks and Pre-Nuptial Bliss - are up, as well. I'll also throw in a reminder that Fang Fetish Awards can still use nominations for their current round, which closes in mid-January.
I've picked up a few pretties for a handful of recent fics at the rwsawards and the SunnyD Awards. Every time I receive an award at a fan voting site I'm always really shocked, so thank you so much to those of you that voted. It means a lot. And, of course, thanks to the judges, graphics people and fandom members that do the nominating. My hat's off to you guys.
And the winners are:
Off Route 17 ~ Buffy/Angel, R Season 6
I'm really over the moon about this one because I put so much work into this fic and really, really love it. I think it may be one of my best to date.
Severed and Sewn - Buffy/Faith, R, post-NFA
Similarly, this is also a fic that I really like. It hits some beautiful emotional notes and really serves as a eulogy, in its barest sense, to the deaths of Angel of Spike. Who would these two have been without them? Also, it's my first femmeslash, so woot woot!
The Hard Choices - Angel, Joyce, Buffy, PG, set during Forever in S5
This was a great concept. I wrote it in a very bare bones sort of style and I think it came off rather well. Angel POVs are not my fortay, but I think I managed to pull it off here while exploring his thoughts on a relationship we got very little from in canon - Angel & Joyce Summers.
Wool Over My Eyes - Dawn/Xander, NC-17, post-NFA
It's in second person, it's a pairing I'd never written, it explores the strength one finds in BDSM, and it was inspired from a fantastic prompt. For me that's pretty much a recipe for fic love. I had a mission with this baby, and I accomplished it.
I've been thinking about writing a meta/process post on sex scenes. I've thought about doing this before, but I wasn't sure what I wanted my focus to be. Simply going at it from the angle of "how to write a good sex scene" is a bit played out and a matter of opinion. Anything I say will be subjective, so I was wondering if my flist had any feelings or were particularly interested in a specific area of erotic writing. A few things that I think might be worth discussing are word usage (something I'm very careful about), tone, and pacing. All of these things, hand in hand with characterization and the other elements that contribute to an effective piece of writing, are on the table. Any thoughts?