Happy September! We're so happy to bring you our Scoobies of the Month! But ... is anyone else wondering how on earth it's this close to Christmas again so soon? Seriously! 

First up, we have our Author of the Month: CheekyKitten

Tell us how you got into Buffy the show and Buffy fanfic.

I can't even remember how I started watching Buffy, but I do remember it was on its initial run, and I was just a kid. I watched most of the show when it came on TV, along with the week-long waits between episodes. But I know I missed things then. Loved it then and have loved it ever since. Rewatching reruns and then my own copies over and over. 

I don't think I got into fanfic until the series ended, and I was SO incredibly disappointed with Spike dying. The first fic I read (and also the first fic I've ever written on college-ruled paper that will never see the light of day) had to do with Spike coming back. 

And then at some point in the last few years, I had rewatched it for some umpteenth time and on a whim started looking for fanfic communities and found my way back into it all. 

Where do you find inspiration for your stories?

That's a bit of a doozy of a question. Not sure I have a good answer. Sometimes a song. Sometimes, a crossover with something else I love. Sometimes, a conversation with a friend. Or a weird dream. Or just a random what if thought. I wish I could pinpoint it, but in reality, it just hits when it hits, and sometimes I'm excited enough to follow through and actually write it. 

Who is your favorite character to write and why?

Favorite is definitely Spike. His general attitude and cadence are just fun. Plus, I think I just kind of get him. Ultimately, I think he's my favorite because I spend enough time trying to get into his head that he's the one character I feel like I can plop into virtually any situation and still know what he'd do. His arc is very heavily rooted in self-reliance, and this attitude of making himself the best version of himself (whatever that means in the moment) and it appeals to me. Of everyone on the show, he gets the least help or support, and he still manages the unimaginable. I love putting him in situations where he gets just a bit more love to see what he can really blossom into. 

That being said, I generally like to treat them all kindly, so I spend a great deal of time trying to get in their heads and make the characters are fully human as I can. I want to write them all with some degree of empathy, even when it all hits the fan. 

Which story of yours are you most proud of and which was the hardest to write?

The Zeppo in Time is my favorite. Getting to help Xander live up to his potential in a way he wasn't able to on the show just felt good. Plus, Spike and Xander have this amazing buddy-cop potential, and I had a blast writing them as good friends. They just have such a fun energy together. I think it turned out better than I ever expected it would and is just overall a fun world to put together. 

Morning Stretches, I think, was the hardest to write. It's not quite, but almost all smut. And while I think it actually turned out great, I struggled quite a bit with keeping the tone where I wanted. As much fun as smut is to write, I actually find it fairly difficult and worry the most about how it's turning out. So that fic (with 6 of 8 chapters) being built up and smut) was absolutely the most challenging to date. 

As a writer, what would you have changed on the show and why?

Oh God! So much. Haha. That's why we write fic, isn't it? If everything had been exactly as I wanted, there would be no reason to write anything. I'd just keep watching it and write in other verses. What makes this world so fun to explore is all the potential for other avenues that things could have gone. I write a lot of fix-its and season re-writes, so, clearly I can see a lot options for how it could have gone. 

If I had to pick only one thing? It would be a Spike + Buffy real relationship earlier in the series and giving them some together, them vs. the world time. A change to the middle/end of season 6 and then Season 7 with them taking on the world really together with a lot of their mess sorted out would be my jam. 

Yes! YES! We wanted to see a real relationship happen on the show, too. Even if it was only a few episodes! Write that next, please! :) Thank you for being here! We're so thrilled to have you!!

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Next up is our Commenter of the Month: Jen

Tell us how you got into Buffy the show and Buffy fanfic.

I was like 13 when the movie came out, and as I have said since ’92: “If a budding feminist in the target age range doesn’t like it, then that tells you something.”  I knew the show had good reviews, and since I live in this world, I knew major plot points, but I still thought, “Pfft, I’m not watching that.” And for the first three seasons, I didn’t.  Before Season 4 premiered, my friend told me that Cibo Matto had played The Bronze, and as a big Cibo fan, I decided to give the show a real chance.  By “Hush”, I was majorly hooked.  By the Season 5 premiere, I was having watch parties in my dorm (I remember the absolute screams of everyone at the end of “Out of My Mind” and my boyfriend went as Spike for Halloween that year).

I had bought The Watcher Guide to bring me up to speed, and my boyfriend and I scoured the internet to try to figure out how to watch “The Wish” (there wasn’t—we had to make do with transcripts and screen grabs), and that’s when I found fanfic.  I wasn’t a shipper per se (and honestly, I’m still not) so I would read Bangel and Spuffy indiscriminately. As long as it was well-written, doesn’t dunk on Buffy, stays true to character if the fic is not AU, I’d give it a whirl. 

I got back into the fandom after I wanted to see if Buffy held up for me after I read Evan Ross Katz’s book.  It did, and honestly, I think I get more out of the show now, and I love the character of Buffy so much. It was also interesting to start from the beginning because Spike’s arc is really profound.  I started wracking my brain to remember the fics that I had read so long ago.  I found SAD on Instagram since I had liked other Buffy stuff and that’s what brought me to this site (thank you!!).

What motivates you to leave comments?

Guilt isn’t the right word, but I feel like I need to make amends to the authors from 20+ years ago that I hungrily waited for updates from and didn’t say anything. If a busy person is writing something that I really enjoyed and is giving the world such a gift for free, then dang it, I should say something.

Do you also write or are you strictly a reader?

Reader.  I enjoy writing, and I can write a mean essay or personal narrative, but I have never been good at fiction. 

Were you a lurker before you started leaving comments or did you comment right away? 

Lurker all the way, and then I would inbox people.  I just looked at when I started leaving feedback last year, and I think what shook me out of being a lurker was the fact that I read stories that made me cry. If you are writing fiction about a show that ended over two decades ago, and it brought me to tears—you deserve some public feedback.

How important is it to receive a reply from the writer when you leave a comment?

It’s not necessary, but I’m not gonna lie—it feels really nice!

I want to add that I love this community!  I know that all fandoms have their toxic components, so I really enjoy the positive vibe that the folks on this site have (and that nothing seems to be taken too seriously).

Jen, this is where I tell you that you are SO WELCOME to write some essays for the site using the META tag! We would love that! And we love that you found us and are enjoying SAD! We really want people to walk away from here at the end of the day feeling like it was a positive experience! So, thank you for that! Essay essay essay! :) 

And that's a big ol' wrap on SOTM for September! Y'all have fun with Missing Pieces! 
<3
Chelle, Dusty, GetItDone, and GriefCounseling