A Favorite Fic: Stranger Things (S/X)

[shakatany]

Stranger Things by tolerik/Esmeralda is a very long series that veers off canon in the 4th season. In the first story "The Deal", Spike, in order to rescue Xander from becoming a demon sex toy, needs to prove his "claim" on the boy. Unable to be the one to penetrate a virgin Xander because of the possible pain setting off the chip, he must persuade and guide an astonished Xander to be the "doer" in front of his demon captors. In the next story, "The Arrangement" Spike and Xander decide that they have something real but the chip is an obstacle so Spike takes Xander to LA so Angel can "break him in" with Spike in attendance. Esmeralda stage manages the three of them beautifully and logically but of course Xander is Spike's and eventually he can claim his boi. In subsequent stories Doyle joins in the fun as Angel's companion and there is a time or two that it's the BtVS version of "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice". However the series is more than just PWP. There are major obstacles in the path to happiness like the return of the Initiative and Angelus.

Esmeralda is a very capable writer and her characters ring true even as they depart from canon into slashheaven. The first story "The Deal" was written in 2000 and since then this series has grown into 9 complete multi-chaptered stories and a 10th which is a WIP. It's up there with "Repossession" and "Quantum Xander I&II" in the length department. There are not many writers out there who have been writing as long as she has and is still producing fabulous fics. Go and enjoy.

Comments

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

God this is a good one. The concept for the original story sounds so clichéd, that it could have gone terribly terribly wrong, and yet she managed to make it totally and completely believable. Awesome recommendation

Rec

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

Shakatany

[lusciousxander.livejournal.com]

This is my third Spander fic to read, it had made me a fan of Spander to extremes and made me enjoy sex scenes... I used to be sweet and innocent. Slash made me naughty.

I loved her characterazation in this:

Xander: The youngest of the four. Insecure, shy boy who develops into a confident young man by time (most notable during The Task and after)

Spike: Bad ass, rude, sexy vamp who barely says I love you to Xander even though he's completely in love with him, but 'I love you' makes him less manly I suppose.

Angel: Oldest memeber of the team. Broody, serious and the leader.

Doyle: Decent young man, who comes out too jealous sometimes.

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

I think Esmeralda is one of the best writers out there and I'm glad that after a hiatus caused by RL she's back in the game.

I began reading Buffy fanfic in S6. Back then I was a fan of Spuffy but as the season progressed and she treated him so abominably I thought she was no longer worthy of him. I wandered into Spangel as the vampiric sire/child relationship made sense to me but then I realized that such fics often turned Spike into a brat so I found Spander where the 2 bois are usually equals and I've been happily enjoying those fics ever since. Glad to see you've joined the club.

Shakatany

[lusciousxander.livejournal.com]

It has been four years since I've joined the Spander club :D

The reason I watched Buffy was Spander. I remember I wasn't into the show coz I wasn't a fan of supernatural shows, but I remember I was attracted to Xander's character, his looks and wit. It was until my sister and cousin started reading Spander that I came curious, first fic I read was "The Road to Freedom." then "Sands of Time." (Which made me adore this pairing and the father/son relationship between Xander/Giles (which the show sadly lacked.) and my third fic was "The Stranger Things Series." (this one made me come an official Spander fan))

I really feel sad about how Xander was treated on the show. The character has so much potanial, you can see it clearly in the earlier seasons (my fave Xander will always be High School Xander, when the writers cared enough about him.) I believe many of the Xander fans nowadays fell for him after reading fanfiction.

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

Sorry. I meant to answer this earlier but RL got in the way *pushes RL back to where it belongs*

I didn't really care for Xander in canon as he was so antagonistic toward my Spike. It took the fanwriters to showcase what a great guy he could be (ME certainly has a lot to answer for). I think one of the first such fics was Alexandria's "Waiting Here" - a very powerful examination of his life. "Sands of Time" was another early series that made me wish that ME had done something similar. I don't believe I know/recall "The Road to Freedom" (too many fics too little brain *g*).

Shakatany

[lusciousxander.livejournal.com]

It's Roadtrip to Freedome :D It's an okay fic, short, however, it's ver old, remember the days when Tara was hated by the fans, yeah, Tara bashing. That's why I said Sands of Time was the first to open my eyes.

First time I saw Xander was in S2, and I fell for him so bad. I wish Xander and Spike had developed some sort of friendship during S7. Scenes like the lighter scene (S5 Spiral), Xander saving Spike in Doomed, Spike saving Xander's other eye in Dirty Girls just show how these two need to get along.

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

Is that "Road Trip to Freedom" by Tienco? I've just re-read it (too many fics too little memory - I really need to upgrade my brain *g*)
Supposedly there's a sequel called "Dancing with Death" - do you know where it can be found? I'd forgotten that Tara was once hated. In most fics nowadays she's Mother Theresa Tara.

I too loved the scene with Spike and Xander in "Spiral" and when Xander said "Okay, I so need male friends" in Bargaining Pt.2 I had such hopes that ME would let them become pals. Instead they alienated Spike from everyone - grr argh! At least the Spander writers can rememdy that.

Shakatany

[lusciousxander.livejournal.com]

LOL @ Tara being Mother Theresa, so true!

About the fic, I've searched for it but I couldn't find it :(

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

I so dislike the ephemerality of stuff on the web. It's why I bought the fanzine version of "Twilight Time". I think we're in the 2nd generation of BtVS fans - the first became fans during the run of the show - and those who come to BtVS via syndication or DVDs will have little knowledge of the rich trove of fanfics produced earlier.

Shakatany