We have new Scoobies of the Month Interviews! From this month on, the interviews will be posted on the 15th of the month to give the Scooobs time to respond and the rest of us a deadline. Where did July go?

Commenter of the Month for July 2023, Marina Eulalia

How did you come to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

My daughter has been watching Buffy at least once a year for the past twenty years, and she'd occasionally tell me that she wanted to watch it with me. I kept wondering why in the world? She knew I was not into sci-fi, fantasy, horror... and teen shows? I was 73, and my TV and film tastes were pretty well established. Then her dad passed away quite suddenly last April (2022). As he was truly my BFF, even after we separated eons ago, his loss and the subsequent grief hit us both like a freight train. The following September, I went to her place to spend some time and share some mutual comfort with her, and she got me started on the show. I was immediately fascinated by the unusual mix of genres, and the constant humor lacing through it, which we both really needed. Not to mention the exceptional way it was filmed, the wonderful dialogs, the outstanding acting. Each episode seemed to me to have been produced like a feature film. We watched all 144 episodes in record time, then once I was back home, I did two more rewatches back-to-back. Needless to say, it took half a second for Spike to become my favorite character—I have a history of attraction to bad boys who are also smart, have an acute sense of sarcasm, great looks, can show deep devotion, and are basically rebels, all of which was made evident as soon as we met him. Of course, given the circumstances, "The Body" had me shamelessly sobbing. I love musicals, and when we reached "Once More With Feeling" I was jumping out of my shoes. The growth over the years of each of the characters blew me over. The whole show was both cathartic and gripping, with its myriad levels of depth and meaning, even triggering a lot of metaphysical thinking.

When and why did you decide to read fanfiction for the show?

Along the way, I discovered that YouTube had an infinite amount of BtVS videos, and Spuffy videos in particular. I watched, and watched, and watched. I joined and became active on the James Marsters Facebook page, where I documented his entire acting career, because I'd found him to be such a superlative actor, surely he'd have been given other formidable roles (IMHO, no, not really). In this overall tableau of my basically Spuffy obsession, I kept returning in my mind to the fade-to-black scene:

18 INT. BASEMENT AT BUFFY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Spike holds out the amulet in front of him, letting it dangle from its chain, and stares at it thoughtfully. Buffy walks down the stairs. Spike stands and faces her. [Thank you, SAD Transcript  Library!]

I'd read that Whedon had decided to leave how that night played out to the viewers' imagination. Okay, but I needed that imagination to be properly fleshed out. I'm primarily a reader. I can't remember when I haven't started and ended each day with some reading, sometimes whole week-ends and the bulk of my vacation time. I'd never even heard of fanfiction, but in my various Facebook BtVS wanderings I began to see some references to it, so I pulled up my search engine with a single goal, which was to find how others had written out that "missing scene." The first of these that came up was on SAD (yay!). I decided to join last November, but I got all muddled with remembering my ID and password, couldn't get back in, and finally in February, I wrote to the SADmins, got an immediate and very friendly reply, and then just... closed my eyes (metaphorically speaking) and dove into the deep end. And WOW! I had no idea! The multitude of genres, the brilliance of the writing, the warm and fuzzy sense of community among the authors... I was thrilled to say the least. At first it was something of a maelstrom. My first read was The Time We Had, by Dusty. Not a sci-fi fan, remember? But I kind of liked time travel, so I tried. Can say I was enchanted but mostly confused, and then, whamo! It was a WIP! WTF? Then the March drabble event kicked in and I gleefully joined the daily crazy spinning of that carousel!

Anyway, long story short, after nearly drowning in a whirlpool of long and short completed or WIP stories and trying out every genre (I had never read any smut, and was quite taken aback! though not unpleasantly...), figuring out the acronyms (most of them, anyway), the frequency of updates, I managed to whittle my appetite down to what I pretty much knew I was going to like, what parts of the show I needed to have "fixed" (because yes, to me BtVS as is, is pure genius, and part of that is the absolute NEVER a happy ending for anyone, ever, and that is pure frustration, which is part and parcel of, well, life... so thank you you talented writers, for mitigating the inherent frustration of life), how to pace myself in the reading, etc.  It's been quite a ride :).

Why do you love Spike and Buffy?

Well, first it was Spike (see above). I was running around feeling like a teenager in love with a fictional character. Geez. That had never happened to me. I was totally Spike POV and was angry at Buffy. On the rewatches, though, I began to be able to put myself in her shoes too. And bam! Their story crystallized in the form of one of the truly Great Love Tragedies—The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, The Tragedy of Tristan and Isolde, The Tragedy of Bérénice and Titus (Racine), The Tragedy of Spike and Buffy. They may be characters in a pop-culture TV show, but to me they are way up there among the Greats, in how they materialize, in a sense, the impossibility of absolute love. They trigger a lot of thinking on the power of love (I'm from the peace-and-love generation, Love has been the only form of power I have mostly managed to wield in this life, and by now I know it's not enough. Essential, but not enough). Not to mention that Spike personifies unconditional love, and devotion, with and without a soul. Also, Taoism has been a great help to me in the often hard task of living. Buffy and Spike, to me, are like the Yin Yang circle of life; she is the light with a permanent spot of darkness, and he is the darkness with a permanent spot of light. Without both, there is no life. I was a Philosophy student way back then, and that never stops, somehow. Oh, and did I mention that I'm in love with Spike? And Spike would not be Spike in all his depth without his love object, which can onlybe Buffy. Voilà.

What words of advice would you give other fans who comment or are considering maybe commenting on fanfiction?

Just do it. You have a legion of authors of all ages, all degrees of experience, living in different parts of the world, in the midst of their very busy or not-that-busy part of their respective lives, simply giving you the fruits of their talent, creativity, and imagination! If you're an avid reader, you know books are expensive. And all of this is yours for free. Now, you also know that when you've "created" something, anything (could be a fancy meal) your reward is for those to whom you've offered it to tell you that they liked it, and even better, how they liked it. So do it. 

At first, I was just "liking," Facebook style. Sometimes adding a this-made-me-feel statement. I read others' comments, and was a little intimidated. Mostly they seemed to come from other authors (I later found that was not always true), and how could I be up to such standards! Not a writer, here! Just a reader! I soon overcame that obstacle and just went ahead, in the above-mentioned diving fashion. It is, for me, the best way to show my appreciation. I'll write all kinds of comments, depending on the time of day, on whether I'm reading on my phone or on my computer, how much time I have, and many other factors. Sometimes I wonder if what I write makes any sense. It can be a description of my emotions, I could be zooming in on the effulgence of the writing, could be wondering about what's actually happened and what will happen next. Don't feel there is any particular "format" for commenting. Write what comes naturally. I actually always read others' comments, which are fascinating, and also useful because some commenters actually help to get a "previously on" for WIPs that you don't remember well since their last installment—Magnus comes to mind: thank you, Sir! Many authors respond to your comments (don't forget to set your notifications for those), which is totally wonderful, and sometimes delightful conversations ensue. Some authors do not appear to respond to the comments, but I will provide comments anyway, because I assume other readers must also, like me, read the comments too, whether or not the author has responded. I also have a bunch of stories set aside with a "review!" injunction tagged to them because I hadn't had time to comment when I'd read them and really wanted to. I will. Maybe. Eventually. Hopefully.

So comments all around, everybody, and yeah, just do it.

From Maggie:

As a commenter myself, I like receiving responses to my comments and/or seeing in the author notes that authors are happy to receive feedback. Do you have a favourite kind of interaction with authors, in this sense?

Of course, I love to receive responses to my comments. It's kind of like the beginning of a distance relationship ;), and in any case makes the authors a lot more real to me and gives me some insight into what fuels them to offer their creative work so generously, which remains something of a mystery to me. So that is definitely my favorite kind of interaction. I always read the author notes, which may very well inspire me to give some feedback even if my time is short when I'm done reading. In fact, I sometimes respond to the author notes instead of to the story! I am particulary impressed that beyond the time the authors carve out of their real life to write, they also take time to respond, even if it's just a "Thank you!"

Again, though, even if there is no response from the author, which I totally understand (see above, not enough extra time, or maybe even they might have taken a break from fanfic... I sometimes read stories that were written quite a while back and anything is possible), that will not necessarily keep me from commenting, because I may not be the only person who also reads pretty much all the comments attached to a story. There are many factors that will determine whether or not I comment, but I never, ever force myself to do so.

Do you have a favourite kind of genre/category of fic to comment on, and why?

That's an interesting question. But I have no real answer to it. I do have genre/category preferences to read, so those will be more likely to inspire me to "say something"... sometimes anything, really. I could possibly be "categorized" as a canon-nut. I'm still mesmerized by Whedon's genius (and that's unlikely to change)--which included putting together outstanding actors, writers, and crew members--but obviously, if I'm here, it's because I need more, or simply need things to turn out differently. I believe I've tried out all the available genres and categories, to find that for instance, Horror is not my cup of tea, so (in that one experimental instance), that's all I was able to say, all the while impressed with the talent involved in the writing of it. Discovering the wealth of genres and categories has been quite a ride! Back to canon, though, since I will never read the comics but I'm still very post-series curious, my comments will probably involve questions (did this really happen or is this you making it happen?). Dunno. I'm really kind of a haphazard commenter :).

I’ve seen from your bio that you’ve discovered this fandom (and Spike!! Same on the falling madly in love with him!) recently, and that it makes you feel young. I love that! Do you want to tell us more about that side of your fanfic experience?

This is almost an embarrassing question, innit? Having a humongous, all-encompassing, mad, teenage-type crush on Spike at my age was a complete shocker to me. I did not resist it, though. On the contrary. That crush energy is so good and delightful. Also, it was a first, because even as a pre-teen, the objects of my fantasy crushes were real people (singers, or actors--not the characters they may have played), unattainable but real. Then as I grew older, said objects became attainable real people, not necessarily attained but attainable. The fact that Spike was a fictional character made the attainability factor disappear. So no holds barred, and nothing to expect ergo no heartbreak or disappointment on the horizon. No pain, all pleasure. Does that make sense?

Giving it some deeper thought and consideration, though, and if I really must pinpoint what makes me feel young, particulary in the fanfic I've discovered, I can safely say that it's given me a place in my imagination to rekindle my, ahem, long-expired-in-real-life sex drive, a.k.a. Eros, a.k.a. the life drive, which, I have to say, is a great asset in the very latter part of the life cycle, which is basically where I am now. Having, I might add, fully taken advantage of the life drive in the part of my life when it could be fulfilled, so no regrets.This is just an unexpected bonus, and is adding enjoyment to my life overall. Powerful stuff, you witchy, talented writers!

And okay, the age regression can materialize in the fact that I sometimes imagine that the pillow I'm hugging when I'm falling asleep is... Spike's sexy-and-also-comforting chest, which I read so much about in fanfic. I can almost feel his arm around me as I'm drifting into dreamland. 

I hope anyone who's reading this is laughing. I am!

Author of the Month for July 2023, MaggieLeFay

How did you come to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

I’ve never been a fan of vampires (I’m still not, with the exception of the BtVS ones haha), and I had a bit of internalised misogyny back then, so whenever I encountered mention of Buffy online, my first reaction was “A blonde girl killing vampires? Noo thank you”. (Yes, I was that obnoxious. I apologise to the world for my past self.)

But then I watched Firefly by Joss Whedon, and fell in LOVE. Back then I still used facebook (it was 2015!), so when the same nerdy page that raved about Firefly kept sharing Buffy posts… I had to give it a chance.

And then I fell in love again! This time much, much more long-term.

When and why did you decide to write fanfiction for the show?

My memory isn’t the best, so I honestly don’t remember a precise moment, or a precise reasoning behind it. I just know that at some point I started imagining a post-series reunion, and slowly but surely I started writing more and more of it, until it was done! It was incredibly exciting for me, because while it wasn’t my first-ever fanfiction, it was my first-ever in English (not my native language) and definitely my first-ever LONG story. Before writing that I genuinely did not think I’d be capable of writing a story longer than 2-3 chapters and finish it. It was amazing!

Why do you love Spike and Buffy?

The very first reason is that they make me laugh. I’m not the greatest fan of the bad boy trope in general, but Spike worked so well for me because he was ridiculous so often. Absolutely NO shade to anyone who loves the trope through and through, but my favourite thing about arrogant characters is when they’re ridiculed, so the fact that he was fun and hot AND that at some point he became comic relief, too, was part of the charm for me! And then, the writers kept giving him real feelings, passion, development, and real growth… all that mixed with the fun made such a powerful mix that I’m still smitten haha.

And Buffy, of course, is absolutely hilarious too. Her language is one of the very first things I fell in love with! As I mentioned, I used to have a bit of internalised misogyny, so some of her more feminine-coded characteristics made it harder for me to like her at the start. But I am so glad I grew out of that, and through rewatching the series I’ve fallen in love with her, too.

I love the two of them together so much because I find them brilliant. I didn’t like the s6 sex era because I don’t like seeing characters I love hurting each other like that, but the rest of their story is just, beautifully captivating. And the ending, with Spike’s sacrifice and the fact that they weren’t back together, has made me thirsty for more, so here we still are!

Which three fanfics that you’ve written are your favorite? Why are they your favorite?

This is not super easy to answer! But I’m gonna go with:

The (Demon) Parent Trap: this one is the first one that came to mind, even though when I started it I didn’t like it. But it is so full of banter and UST and flirting and tenderness and shameless fun, basically everything I’m looking for these days in fics haha. (Well, there’s smut too, but I haven’t written that yet!)

Wrong Place, Perfect Time: I have fallen so in love with these characters, it’s almost stupid! This is also full of banter and fun, and when I was writing this story I was really starting to try and be more realistic with my writing (of course, not always managing that!), and I love the result of that effort.

The Blue Eye of the Storm: I consider this story far (faaar) from perfect, but it’s my second long story that I’ve finished, and I’ve learnt soo much about writing while doing so (THANK YOU BOOKISHY!!). I remember writing it so consistently, and for so long, and being worried about it being too basic and not entertaining enough… but in the end, it’s just as slow and tender as I wanted it to be, so I love it for what it is.

What words of advice would you give other fans who write or want to write fanfiction?

Try! And if the SAD drabble event taught us anything, maybe try with drabbles. ;) They’re so much fun, and the word count limit can be helpful, when you’re not sure you could write a long story!

The other big advice I’d give is to fantasise. Not all writers do it this way (fantasise about the story first, write it after), some want to discover the story as they’re writing. That sounds like magic to me! But personally, fantasising a lot about a certain story makes me want to tell it.

Last but not least: if you can, find a beta. Someone who can help you out and join you on the journey as they help you write your story the way you want to tell it. Try to be as clear as you can with what you’re looking for in this relationship, and go for it!

Is there a particular Spuffy moment from the show that you go back and rewatch for inspiration in your writing?

Ah, I hope you won’t retract my Spuffy fan card for this but I don’t really rewatch the show anymore haha. But the Spuffy moments that might have inspired me the most are probably the Fool For Love slayer-killing speech (with all those amazing Spike flashbacks!), the Intervention kiss (after Glory’s torture), the conversation between them in Never Leave Me (after the First has triggered Spike to kill people) and the Touched speech (after the Scoobies send Buffy away in s7). I think it’s these scenes because here I can really see the best in their character development, and the way he and Buffy can actually be so incredibly good for each other, if given the chance.

From Marina: 

I've noticed that you sometimes write in the All Human category. To me, it's hard to imagine Spuffy without Spike's status as a vampire. What is it that pulls you in the All Human direction?

You know, I think there’s several factors! The first thing that really matters is probably inspiration. The AH stories I’ve written so far are all part of the same “universe”, and my inspiration for the very first story in this collection was quite casual (a podcast that has nothing to do with Buffy, ‘Welcome to Night Vale’). From there, I kept going back to this version of the characters… and I fell in love with them. 

The other big factor is that AH versions of Spuffy, while usually a bit further from the original characters, can still retain some chore Spuffy characteristics that I enjoy a TON. To me, what truly matters is that I can enjoy a fic’s version of these characters, whatever that may be.

Plus, it might also help that I’m not a fan of vampires in general. I’m a fan of and love these vampires, and these characters, but I love them even as flawed and complex human beings with no supernatural elements added to them.

There's also a fair amount of your work in the Erotica, Porn with or without Plot, etc. genre. If it's not too personal, can you elaborate on your source of inspiration?

Oh, I love this question haha. I think there are two versions of my answer, the short and long one.

Short version: I am rather horny, plus I’m a bit of a nerd about sex. ;)

The long version is that, aside from my own (pretty compelling) imagination, I actually have plenty of sources of inspiration when it comes to smut scenes. First of all, other fics! Fics have taught me so much about my interests, my curiosity, my kinks, and all the things that aren’t for me but that I still find fascinating.

Then there’s my nerdiness. When I say I’m a bit of a nerd about sex, I mean that I love love love learning about it. All of it! Psychology, relationships, physiology, sex toys, kink and sex (kink and no sex, too!), how things can be done, how they can go wrong, communication, bodies, connection, mistakes, improvements… I find everything about sex endlessly fascinating. I realise that for many people, it’s better to have sex than to learn about sex, but honestly I’m equally interested in both (if not more in learning about it, if I’m honest!).

So, this nerdiness is a HUGE fountain of ideas when it comes to smut scenes. I read fics with smut, read straight-up erotica, watch educational videos on these topics, listen to podcasts, read articles, and all these things give me ideas and make me think, What if Spike and Buffy did that? What if they tried this act/kink/position, but did it differently in X and Y ways? And then, well, I want to write about it.

I could honestly go on and on about this, so thank you for this question!