Challenge Prompt:
The Scooby gang was the heart of BtVS and, sadly, a heart that got damaged and all sorts of scarred by our canon writers. But still, the relationships between our core group - Buffy, Giles, Willow, Xander (and depending on the season, Oz, Cordelia, Anya, Tara) - are a huge part of what makes the show so amazing. It can be a useful dramatic tool to have any of the characters turn antagonistic, but what I'd love to see here is some major Scooby loving.
I don't care what the plot is, what season this is, or how long the fic is, so long as it addresses the Scooby Gang as they in some way work through life together. I'm not looking for fluff here, either, but a realistic exploration of people going through their different stages and challenges of life on the hellmouth.
Reqs:
- Exploration of Scooby friendship. Doesn't need to include everyone, but no Scoobies are allowed to become villains. Tension is fine, but the ultimate end should be growth and stronger (even if altered) relationships
- Balanced presentation of character flaws and virtues. Please no Saint Buffy or Saint Spike. Character flaws are beautiful things!
- Spuffy, of course. Bonus points if friendship growth leads to our favorite pair getting together (and a happier existence for Spike in the group)
- End leaves us with a strong, (at least relatively) happy Scooby group
Artists: None
Characters: Ensemble
Genres: Angst, Dramedy, Fluffy/Comedy, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Warnings: Buffy/Other (Temp), Character Death, Spike/Other (Temp), Violence
Challenges: The Friends That Grow Together....
Completed: No Chapters: 7
Word count: 26,834 Hit Count: 5,338 ePub Downloads: 40
Published: July 02, 2019 Updated: August 15, 2021
Print or Download Story:
View All Chapters
1. Teacher's Final Lesson by FictionRedhead - Likes: 25 Comments: 15 Word Count: 2,581 Hit Count: 1,622 Published: July 02, 2019
This is my first Spuffy fic, so I'm very excited to share this with you. As soon as I saw OffYourBird's challenge I knew that I had to do it, as I've often thought about how different the series would be if the Scoobies had talked to each other honestly. This is my chance to explore that.
Some dialogue taken from "Teacher's Pet" and "Prophecy Girl."
2. Powerful Girl by FictionRedhead - Likes: 20 Comments: 10 Word Count: 1,902 Hit Count: 740 Published: August 01, 2019
In all the excitement of posting my first fic last month I committed the grave oversight of forgetting to thank my beta, stalwartsandall. Stalwarts is incredible and this fic would only be half as good without them.
3. (Relative) Innocence by FictionRedhead - Likes: 19 Comments: 9 Word Count: 2,430 Hit Count: 763 Published: September 05, 2019
A special thanks as always to stalwartsandall. You're magic.
First Spike appearance in this chapter!
4. Lovers (And Others) Talk by FictionRedhead - Likes: 24 Comments: 14 Word Count: 2,243 Hit Count: 651 Published: November 04, 2019
Sorry this chapter took so long. Senior year of college is a pain.
Oh stalwartsandall, my dear beta. What would I do without you?
5. Buffy's Wish by FictionRedhead - Likes: 24 Comments: 14 Word Count: 8,613 Hit Count: 637 Published: March 03, 2020
This took way too long and I'm so sorry. I hope once you read you understand why it did, as this chapter is the longest yet and took a lot of thought.
A thank you to OffYourBird for the beautiful story banner, and my additional apologies for taking so long to reveal it. (The chapter was further delayed by just staring at how amazingly detailed it is.)
Once again, thank you to stalwartsandall for making sense of my incoherent ramblings and poor descriptions. You always know exactly what I mean to say.
6. Hush (Part 1) by FictionRedhead - Likes: 18 Comments: 7 Word Count: 5,019 Hit Count: 482 Published: June 13, 2021
So like everyone else, this year has been a doozy for me. Dreams dashed, but new ones forged. Anxiety up the wazoo. I am extremely fortunate that my loved ones were safe and sound throughout, but there was still not much mental space for creating fanfic. Now that things are getting back to normal though, I could feel the fog in that corner of my brain dissipating and I couldn't wait to get back to it.
This chapter is a long time coming. I promise that the next part will be up by next week because I already have most of it all planned out and I have a new beta-thank you trevino!-keeping me on an actual respectable posting schedule.
I want to dedicate this chapter to the readers that never gave up on this fic and reassured me that it wasn't forgotten. You guys rock.
7. Hush (Part 2) by FictionRedhead - Likes: 15 Comments: 7 Word Count: 4,046 Hit Count: 443 Published: August 15, 2021
I'm gonna skip over my usual apologizing for taking longer than I wanted, but still take a second to once again thank trevino, who does God's work.