BSV Forum - General - The Bloodshedpub

Writers: What's Your Spuffy Signature?

Mar 23 2007 08:28 pm   #1DreamsofSpike

Okay, here's a new topic of interest that came up while chatting on messenger...

It seems that most writers have their own sort of "thing" that characterizes their writing -- a "signature", if you will... (Oh, God, I sound like Andrew :P) But what I'm talking about is that certain common thread that seems to be present in all your fics...it could be something very broad, like a certain genre that all your fics seem to fall into -- it could be a certain element that always seems to be present in your fics, like, say, buffy getting pregnant.. :P lol

What's yours, and why?

I'll start, though I'm sure you all already know....

The common thread in my fics is a suffering Spike. The hows and whys of the stories I've written vary, the means of getting him into those situations, but that one element seems to be present in all of them -- Spike gets put through horrors of situations, and comes out on the other side either healed, or on the way to healing...

As for why...personally, I just enjoy dark, angsty fics, and I've got a bit of a kinky side when it comes to slave-spike, spike with all the whips-and-chains type trimmings... :P

Also, I've got a weakness for fics that highlight emotional and psychological trauma, with an emphasis on the healing after the fact. I've got a huge interest in psychology, and so for me that sort of fic is the most interesting, to read or to write...

Okay, step up to the mike, y'all...who's next?

Mar 23 2007 08:37 pm   #2fallen_angel

Ok. Already told you on messenger but lets make it official. Considering I'm only only a one-shot and WIP old, it's hard to tell but my signature is Buffy chases Spike for a change. If school work doesn't kill me you can probaly depend on me to dishout a minimum on 3 fics fitting in that 'genre'.

Reading wise I like tortured Spike and Spuffy with a dash of Spike/Other. Angst and comedy, complete opposites but those are my addiction.

It's a secret no one tells
One day it's heaven one day it's hell
And it's no fairytale take it from me
That's the way it's supposed to be

You will fly and you will crawl
God knows even angels fall
No such thing as you lost it all
God knows even angels fall

--Linda Davis

Mar 23 2007 09:18 pm   #3pfeifferpack

Even though Spike is usually front and center (being my favorite character in any medium) I love ensemble work. 

I love to weave into canon when possible with "one slight  change" or something like that and see where it goes based on how I perceive the characters would react.

  I love the "why's" of actions ...like "why is Xander such a bully on screen yet a sympathetic character at other time?" or "Why is Spike so unique?"  Then I like to explore those reasons.  For example, with Spike I see much of William in Spike and much of Spike in William and love to point that out in story form.  I love figuring out why the characters are the way they are.  I can go dark or light but I have to have happy endings for my own emotional reasons.

Kathleen

Mar 23 2007 09:35 pm   #4weyrwolfen

Hmm...  Now that I think about it, I've got some funny quirks.  So far, all of my fics seem to contain the following:

 1. Retiles or reptile-like things

 2. Mythology

 3. Tangents about the mundane details of demonic life, such as doing laundry

 4. Spike fighting dirty and frequently, but not always winning

 5. Lots of sciencey details, historical factoids, and gallows humor

 6. A happy ending, even if getting there was a trial

 7. An open-ended ending

Mar 23 2007 09:46 pm   #5DreamsofSpike

see, that's the kind of stuff i'm talking about!!!! it can be something wide and all-encompassing, or just those little details that most people might not even notice...i think this topic is so interesting, can't wait to see some more responses :)

Mar 23 2007 09:48 pm   #6fallen_angel
Lots of sciencey details, historical factoids, and gallows humor

That's your USP weyrwolfen. I love all the mythology and sciency details in your fics.

It's a secret no one tells
One day it's heaven one day it's hell
And it's no fairytale take it from me
That's the way it's supposed to be

You will fly and you will crawl
God knows even angels fall
No such thing as you lost it all
God knows even angels fall

--Linda Davis

Mar 23 2007 10:07 pm   #7Scarlet Ibis

Hmm... besides leaving my fics in WIP hell you mean?

Okay, I often switch POVs.

I like to knock Buffy up a lot of the time.

I also like to put Buffy through some kind of emotional trauma, forcing her to see the errors of her ways.

Spike showing his romantic side.

Not having Xander be a complete bastard all the time.

Oh!  And I love hijacking episodes, and bending them to my will...

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."
https://www.facebook.com/FangirlNovel
Mar 23 2007 11:34 pm   #8GoldenBuffy

Well I'm totally clueless. I guess if anyone has read more than two of my fics you might be able to help me out, lol.

I think my main thing is having Spike not so weak. I also like him to be growly and not afraid to show emotions. Other than that I guess it's open to how I feel or were Mr. Muse takes me. I mean I've did a vamp Buffy, working on a pregnant Buffy. Put my spin on OMWF, and did a teen slasher flick fic, so I really don't know. See  DoS, now I'm confused lol. All your fault.

And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along
Mar 24 2007 12:12 am   #9Always_jbj

I don't think I have any themes that follow through into all my fics... I have a tendency to dust Angel *shrugs* I don't set out to dust him, it just happens. lol But that is only in a few fics.

Aim from the heart
Some will love and some will curse you, baby
You can go to war
But only if you have to 


Fanfic ~*~ Artwork ~*~ Live Journal
Mar 24 2007 12:29 am   #10LadyYashka

I also have a theme of having WIP fics. It's not my fault the stories end up spinning wildly out of control and end up needing to be rewritten. Okay so one needs a rewrite and another is very close to being done, it just seems that the muse doesn't want to cooperate. It's irritating.

As for the themes in my stories I've got a thing for giving Spike visions and making him the "hero" of the fic. I also like my Spike to have a backbone and not let Buffy walk all over him.

I've got one fic going that has Spike and Dawn as the central "heroes" while Buffy being the slayer means nothing because the world I set it in has no use for slayers. I thought it was about time it wasn't "all about Buffy." :D

Btw-I forgot that I use songs either in the titles, intro, or simply for inspiration. A song title even provided the name for one of my "Big Bads".

Tomorrow may be hell, but today was a good writing day, and on the good writing days nothing else matters. — Neil Gaiman
Mar 24 2007 12:38 am   #11Eowyn315

I think I'm a lot like Kathleen... most of my stuff is ensemble, because even though I love Spuffy, and they're usually the main focus, I also love everyone else. And I always thought the show worked best when there was a good group dynamic. The seasons when they were more fractured, IMO, were worse off for it. I also like to stick fairly close to canon, in terms of relationships and character development. Also, because I like "fixing" things. :)

Um... I also have a theme of keeping Buffy and Spike apart. I am not an instant gratification kind of girl, there has to be a slow build. In fact, none of the stuff I've posted so far even gets them really "together" - the closest they got was one kiss. (I intend to fix that in my next fic though.)

I love the Spike/Dawn friendship, so anything season 5 or later contains at least something with those two. And... this is kinda random, but most of my fics contain Willow proposing an idea to the group that causes a stir, but eventually gets used (the power-sharing spell in Evil Me, and the Buffybot in Beyond This Life... and she has an idea in the sequel to The Hardest Thing, which I won't say yet).

Angel tends to show up in my fics... in a surprisingly benign way. He doesn't get dusted, and he gives Spike a hard time, but he's nowhere near as horrible as he gets portrayed in a lot of Spuffy fics.

Writing should feel easy, like a monkey driving a speed boat.
Mar 24 2007 03:02 am   #12weyrwolfen

United States Penitentary?  Just kidding.  Thanks. :-D

Forgot one though, I always, always drop things about Spike's past into the story, ranging from mentioning an old belonging to a full blown flashback.

Mar 24 2007 03:50 am   #13Scarlet Ibis

Oh yea, forgot one too- Just like Lady Yashka, my chapter themes or titles or fic titles are inspired from or come directly from songs.

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly."
https://www.facebook.com/FangirlNovel
Mar 24 2007 04:11 am   #14Caro Mio

Ooo, gosh....True Confessions, here....

Hmm, let's see.....in my stuff, Spike is as well-rounded as possible, and never treated like an idiot. And always, whether I'm writing Spike/OC or Spuffy, he ends up with a girl that's worthy of his affections.

I loved the Dawn/Spike comaraderie, so they always have a good relationship in my stories. If it's canon, then they repair their friendship post-Chosen.

My OCs are as realistic as possible, and there for a good reason, not just because they might be able to "fix" things. I just always set out that way, before I knew what a Mary Sue was.

My stories are also always grounded in the real world as much as possible, as I think it makes the fantastical/mythical elements more believable. I never want to insult the intelligence of the readers by making you assume something that just isn't true and we all know it.

Um, I always try to be as fair to the characters as possible, and true to canon for them. There's no character I despise, though, so I guess that helps. I'm not going to make Angel a villian just because, or Riley, or....you get the drift. There's NO bashing in my stories. Angel and Spike usually end up working out their differences...at least enough to be civil.

Oh, and I'm a scifi/movie geek, so there's always at least one quote or reference in my stories to those. Might only be funny to me, but it's in there.

Uhhh...if anyone's noticed something I'm missing, feel free to point it out! :P

What If I'm Not the Slayer? now updated with chapters 22 and 23.
Mar 24 2007 04:12 am   #15Caro Mio

Weyrwolfen - all that stuff is one of the reasons I LOVE reading your work! I'd totally fangirl on you.

What If I'm Not the Slayer? now updated with chapters 22 and 23.
Mar 24 2007 10:19 am   #16fallen_angel
United States Penitentary?

LOL. USP= Unique Selling Point

Caro Mio, you write Spike/OC? Can I have a link, please.

It's a secret no one tells
One day it's heaven one day it's hell
And it's no fairytale take it from me
That's the way it's supposed to be

You will fly and you will crawl
God knows even angels fall
No such thing as you lost it all
God knows even angels fall

--Linda Davis

Mar 24 2007 10:34 am   #17Guest

Well in most of my Spuffy stories I kill Buffy.  

What?  I have issues.  Now granted in Me and a Gun/Twists of Fate/Welcome to Hell/Prophecy Vamp/Obsession I kill Buffy and then turn her.... and in Guardians I send her back in time after her I kill her, then in... well you get the idea.. but I do have this strange tendency to kill her *evil grin*

But now that I am thinking about it .. I also kill everyone in Pizza Party, Spike in Baby shoes, dawn in several of my non-spuffy fics, xander...

yeah so my signature - death served with, the majority of the time, a side order of vamping

Mar 24 2007 10:56 am   #18fallen_angel

Death is your gift. Hey maybe you are channelling Buffy, which would just make you sucidal. It's a unique signature though, not everyone has the guts to write character deaths.

It's a secret no one tells
One day it's heaven one day it's hell
And it's no fairytale take it from me
That's the way it's supposed to be

You will fly and you will crawl
God knows even angels fall
No such thing as you lost it all
God knows even angels fall

--Linda Davis

Mar 24 2007 11:20 am   #19Caro Mio

Here's my profile listing of all my stories at ff.net: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/748357/   I think everything's marked whether it's Spuffy or not. An Offer of Hope is the most recent one I've finished.

What If I'm Not the Slayer? now updated with chapters 22 and 23.
Mar 24 2007 11:37 am   #20fallen_angel

Thanx. Got my last exam on 28th then I'll get to it.

It's a secret no one tells
One day it's heaven one day it's hell
And it's no fairytale take it from me
That's the way it's supposed to be

You will fly and you will crawl
God knows even angels fall
No such thing as you lost it all
God knows even angels fall

--Linda Davis

Mar 24 2007 02:08 pm   #21Guest

And you all *really* need to read the story by Caro Mio listed above, "An Offer of Hope"...it's really incrediby awesome!!!! I don't usually do OC's, don't usually care for them, and this fic had me riveted, in tears in places, very very awesome!!!!

And by the way this is DoS, too lazy to sign in :P

*hugs*

DoS

Mar 24 2007 03:55 pm   #22slaymesoftly

Hmmmm - I don't think I can do this. It would be easier to say what I don't write.  (baby fics, all-human, slave fics, dom/sub stuff, threesomes, probably some other things).   I suppose, if nothing else, I would have to say that everything I write - even if its S/O, B/O, whatever - is Spuffy in one way or another.  Sometimes the Spuffyness is just a background theme if the fic is about other characters, but it's always there.  Spike, the character, is what brought me to fan fic; but Spike and Buffy together (or not) is what got me writing.  Certainly the theme in all of my first stories (and in just about all of my season vi fics) is "Buffy gets a clue" or "Spike grows a pair". Either one, or both, something has to happen to shake up the relationship and allow it to end happily (most of the time).  I tend to leave a lot of open-ended endings - not so much because I intend to write a sequel (although that does happen a lot), but because that's life.  Happy endings are really just interludes in an ongoing story and I like to leave hints that the characters are not going to remain frozen in place.  I don't think I throw a lot of non-Buffyverse things into my fics - certainly nothing like the interesting things we learn from authors with lots of outside interests and knowledgeto offer.  I guess mine are all set very firmly in the world Joss created and rarely is the rest of the universe even mentioned. :)

If there's a common theme, other than the above-mentioned Season VI "get a grip, you two!" kink, I don't know what it would be.  Other than the fact that Spike loves Buffy and Buffy (willing or not) love Spike.  Sometimes I bash or dust Angel, sometimes he gets to step in and be a hero; sometimes Xander is an ass or worse; sometimes he is an understanding friend. Ditto for Willow, Giles, et al.  Spike and Dawn are always close in a brother/sister kind of way - so I guess that's theme, although not one that always shows up.

Would someone like to tell me if I have "signature"? Please?

I am not a minion of Evil...
I am upper management.
Mar 24 2007 07:14 pm   #23fallen_angel

Buffy gets a clue is definitely your signature. I mentioned this to DoS when we first discussed this on msg, you write great smut. I don't skim over it. Oh and perfect grammar.

It's a secret no one tells
One day it's heaven one day it's hell
And it's no fairytale take it from me
That's the way it's supposed to be

You will fly and you will crawl
God knows even angels fall
No such thing as you lost it all
God knows even angels fall

--Linda Davis

Mar 24 2007 09:08 pm   #24slaymesoftly

Thanks, FA - yeah, if I had to narrow it down to one thing, I would guess that would be it.  I don't know if I've ever written anything where she doesn't get around to appreciating Spike sooner or later - even if it is after she has lost him forever.  Yay! I have a signature!  LOL  And thanks for the kind words about my smut - I used to worry about/obsess over that part a lot. :)


PS I doubt that my grammar is perfect, but at least I try to make it readable. :)

I am not a minion of Evil...
I am upper management.
Mar 25 2007 03:49 am   #25Spikez_tart
Interesting topic DOS

 

When I write Buffy it's usually about

1.  Buffy and Spike falling in love slowly and without being ripsnorting mean to each other (not that I mind that).  Jealousy, misunderstandings, stupidity is all okay.  Also, I like to see them working out the real problems in life that would come up if they had a real relationship, instead of sneaking around behind everyone's backs - working, having a baby, taking out the garbage, dealing with the in-laws.  Maybe I've been married too long?

2.  So far, Spike has always been chipped, but I'm working on one post Beer Bad where he isn't. 

3.  It's always Spuffy and always comedy.  I just can't seem to write angsty Spuffy, although my non-fanfic stories are really angsty.  Maybe it's because my stories have so far at least started in Season 4, when things were still mostly humerous. 

4.  I decided to give my chapters titles, because it's easier for readers to keep track of where they are in the story, but I found the titles gave focus to the chapters as well, in an ironic way.  The titles usually apply to what is happening to more than one character. 

5.  Angel usually gets short shrift in my stories, although I'm not anti-Angel like a lot of people.  For me Angel falls short.  He supposedly loves Buffy, has a BIG problem and just walks away.  His whole reason for getting out of the alley was to help her and he doesn't.  (End of Rant).

6.  Cliches - I like to take the cliches that come up inevitably in the first draft (and the 15th) and twist them around. 

7.  I like to add new characters, although I don't spend much time with them.  Just don't want to always write about the same bunch.

Thanks everyone for the interesting posts. 

 

 

 

If we want her to be exactly she'll never be exactly I know the only really real Buffy is really Buffy and she's gone' who?
Mar 25 2007 08:17 am   #26GoldenBuffy

Like mentioned above I draw a lot of my chapter titles from songs, oh and I like to use quotes. And I think it's safe to say I like to have Spike and Buffy end up to gether by the end of the fic. And no matter what chapter I update with I always add a summary, so the readers know which chappies they've already read. I like to think it helps, since I hate it when I read a fic but forget which chapter I left off in then I have to go back to the reviews to find were I need to pick up again.

And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along
Mar 26 2007 01:03 am   #27Lilachigh
This is very interesting. I have no idea if I have a signature or not. Hopefully readers could let me know what they think. I know I have too many wips but am trying really hard to finish some soon. I used to stick severely to stories in canon, but am now branching out in different directions. I suppose a signature is when you read a story and can make a good guess who wrote it without knowning. I have no idea if this applies to mine. Buffy and Spike are at the heart of everything I write but I have a growing liking for Anya and adore William. I usually know in advance what the first chapter of a story will be and the last. What happens inbetween is sometimes extremely surprising to me as I watch it happen in the text that appears on the computer screen!
 Lilachigh
Mar 26 2007 12:49 pm   #28spikes_wish

Well in the stuff I'm writing at the mo- that's yet to be published, then uit's probably Buffy and Spike having a huge argument, saying really hurtful things, then one of them going out and almost dieing through some kind of fatal wound.  just like writing how the characters respond to it and each other :P

Mar 27 2007 04:45 pm   #29Caro Mio

DoS - you're making me blush again!

What If I'm Not the Slayer? now updated with chapters 22 and 23.
Mar 27 2007 06:51 pm   #30weyrwolfen

Don't throw stones, CM.  You made me blush first. ;-)

Mar 27 2007 07:04 pm   #31DreamsofSpike

honestly, i'm not just saying this just to flatter you, CM, that's like the only OC/Spike fic I've ever read that I actually, really cared about...it made me cry in places, laugh in other places...I mean, that's one of those rare fics that goes on my "all time" list, you know? that handful of fics that just stands out and you remember it forever?

i loved it, and you all seriously need to go check it out :)

Mar 28 2007 12:39 am   #32Dead Man Walking

Oh, i can't read CM's Offer of Hope if it's SpikeOC. While i'm sure its amazingly well-written, like all of CM's work, it'll just make me want to break something.


I can't put down what i always do, but i can put down what i never in think about touching.  

  1. Spawn. Just ewwey.
  2. I can never get my head around going from Bangel to Spuffy. it just doesn't work out, i let my fingers do the walking, and someone ends up dead before i realize what happened.
  3. evil!Xander. He's just to... not evil.
  4. song fic. no songs i know match Spuffy. like, two lines might, but not the entire song.
  5. Season Seven and past. Kennedy just annoys me to much, and i can't write her out. Damn.
  6. WillOz! i've dabbled, many a time, but Willow is Tara's girl forever. Sorry, Oz!
Mar 28 2007 03:21 am   #33Guest

Thanks, DMW - It is SpikeOC, but Spuffy is there for most of it, and resolved pretty fairly. I knew I couldn't just say "Oh, Spike loves another girl now", because it would be totally out of character. So, he had to make a free will choice based on all the evidence.....and he's not even totally in love at the end of the story, but he's made a healthy choice for himself. LOL, you could actually read up to about halfway through the last chapter and still have it be Spuffy. :P  :D

Mar 28 2007 06:55 am   #34DreamsofSpike

and let me just add that it's done very realistically and believably...it *is* very well resolved, and the relationship really just draws you in even before it's *that* kind of relationship, you know?

i really, really recommend you read it anyway :P

*hugs*

DoS

Mar 28 2007 08:30 am   #35GoldenBuffy

I would read it if I could, but the thought of Spike or Buffy with someone else like forever and never getting back together makes me pissy. I'm getting hot (angry) just thinking about it, lol.

And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along
Mar 29 2007 06:03 am   #36TwilightChild

  I, personally, have a thing for angst...you know, in case of the very off chance that some of you haven't noticed...

  But, I don't stick with one theme.  I do have a thing for Buffy crawling back to Spike in some way or another, or at least acknowledging that she had wronged him.  I don't have such an obsession with that for Spike, because Spike actually did do all of the above on cannon.

  I've also got a thing with souls.  You'll rarely find a fic of mine that doesn't involve Spike getting a soul or having gotten one.  Mostly, I think that's a repeated attempt to re-write season 7, because even though Buffy did treat him better, and try to help him, she just didn't go far enough.  In my opinion, she should have reacted a bit more to something that huge, and I like to explore the scenarios.