Fanfic Rec
It's rare that I do fanfic recs at all.
It's also rare that I do a rec of a Buffy fic that's not femmeslash in some way.
And I have *never* recced a fic where a great deal of the writing is about Spike's 'redemption' or 'niceness' in any way, shape, or form, because a) most of those fics are Buffy/Spike, which, ew; and b) I didn't even like good guy Spike on the show itself, much less in fanfics where he can be the tortured, really sweet on the inside vamp.
And also, I think this fic is about four years old.
Nevertheless, the fic Elysium, by Dana Woods, and its two sequels, are ASTONISHINGLY good. They're addictive to read, she writes a fantastic Tara, and the whole thing is realistically handled. The basic premise is that everyone died in the battle against Glory except Dawn, Giles, Tara, and Spike, and we view the aftermath and fallout. But... *dang*, it's really good. Check it out. It's pretty much gen, btw, no ships.
Also, while I'm at it, there are three excellent stories by HonorH that deserve reccing as well. Go here and check out Dawn and the Dead (towards the last third of Season 5), and Elegy for a Fallen Heroine (post-Gift and Buffy's death), then go here and look for The Ties That Bind (in the summer right after Season 5). All very good fics, this author writes a fantastic Cordelia, and has some nice A/C without it being romantic or sexual, but these are also, again, mostly gen.
Now back to fluffy femmeslash. :)
It's also rare that I do a rec of a Buffy fic that's not femmeslash in some way.
And I have *never* recced a fic where a great deal of the writing is about Spike's 'redemption' or 'niceness' in any way, shape, or form, because a) most of those fics are Buffy/Spike, which, ew; and b) I didn't even like good guy Spike on the show itself, much less in fanfics where he can be the tortured, really sweet on the inside vamp.
And also, I think this fic is about four years old.
Nevertheless, the fic Elysium, by Dana Woods, and its two sequels, are ASTONISHINGLY good. They're addictive to read, she writes a fantastic Tara, and the whole thing is realistically handled. The basic premise is that everyone died in the battle against Glory except Dawn, Giles, Tara, and Spike, and we view the aftermath and fallout. But... *dang*, it's really good. Check it out. It's pretty much gen, btw, no ships.
Also, while I'm at it, there are three excellent stories by HonorH that deserve reccing as well. Go here and check out Dawn and the Dead (towards the last third of Season 5), and Elegy for a Fallen Heroine (post-Gift and Buffy's death), then go here and look for The Ties That Bind (in the summer right after Season 5). All very good fics, this author writes a fantastic Cordelia, and has some nice A/C without it being romantic or sexual, but these are also, again, mostly gen.
Now back to fluffy femmeslash. :)