Winners of the Spike/Female divisions!
The Spike/Faith will be posted here when it's finished; we'll make a separate post to update everyone on when that occurs.
The words under each award are the words from the judges.
Best Spike/Dawn
We had a tie for the winner!
I chose a joint first because these two fics are both deservedly very popular, but they are both very different and show quite different aspects of our hero and heroine. Forbidden deftly presents a portrait of adolescent sexual awakening, and nicely depicts Spike’s self-doubt. Temptation takes the cliched naughty schoolgirl scenario and manages to do something new, witty and hot with it, whilst keeping the characterisation real.
Ten Years After has an inventive plot and good characterisation, and lots of nice attention to detail in terms of setting.
Best Spike/Willow
Set in an AU Season 4, “Closer” has everything a Spike/Willow lover could wish for: tenderness, romance, humour, and angst - but even pain is functional to the story, for it's only through suffering that we can earn the final prize. Purplefeen's language turns out to be poetic often enough, and it suits William the poet's thoughts as well as Spike the vampire's. The story is so plausible that you can see it happen, and in the end, it's only natural that Spike and Willow find their balance amid darkness and light to be together.
A year after being shot to death by Warren, Willow finds herself in Sunnydale as a ghost, and the only one who can see her is Spike... “Soul Remains” is a mystery revealed word after word, where the lead role unquestionably belongs to magic which, as Jennillu states through the narrator's voice, sometimes gives just what we were unconsciously asking for. A wonderful Spike/Willow that renders beautifully every character and shows us that, sometimes, certain feelings are only buried under the surface...
Best Spike/Tara
This story is, hands down, one of the greatest long Spike/Tara stories I've ever read. This is what cousinjean was to Spuffy, and what lazuli_kat is to Spander. This story hones in on Spike and Tara interacting with the other characters as they forge forward in an odd friendship soon turned fantastic relationship. Spike's mindset, broken into three parts, plays with you and is ever turning. If you haven't read this, you need to.
A whimsical but sensual tale of a Spike and Tara relationship had they never met in Sunnydale, but instead on an island they've been deserted on. Beautifully written from Tara's mindset, with twists and turns as they both realize they're more than meets the eye. Wonderfully written.
Best Spike/Dru
A wonderful story with excellent characterization - this story is both intriguing and fun. 1920’s Spike and Dru were simply brilliant! The story was beautiful written, well-researched and excellent supporting characters as well. I felt as if I was there!
Very intriguing storyline and interesting characters. A wonderful read and great story!
Best Spike/Fred
The fact that I absolutely love this story came as no surprise to me. I always love Nebula's work. It was hard judging this category as it contains some friends, including Nebula, but I did my upmost not to be bias and I can assure you I love this fic because of the beautiful way it’s written and not just because Nebula wrote it. This is a story of Fred and the changes she is going through, which are clearly described and obviously had plenty of thought go into them, and her blossoming friendship and romance with Spike -with some twists along the way. A truly amazing piece of work, you’re missing out if you’re not reading it.
Another wonderfully written piece. Sexymermaid’s work is always worth the read and she won’t disappoint you with this one. It’s the story of what happens when sparks literally fly between Spike and Fred, with an original storyline. Spike and Fred’s journey starts with some flirting and experimenting and moves swiftly on from there, it’s hot and intriguing and the conclusion explaining the sparkage is unlike any other story I’ve read. Read it!
Best Spike/Harmony
A Two Part Harmony has a fabulous Harmony voice, which is why I chose it as the winner - lots of authors can do a good Spike, but Harmony is hard to pull off. Very witty, but it also made Harm very sympathetic.
Shagging Harmony - a great deal of pathos in here. These interlinked drabbles are very nicely done. Spike’s sorrow and despair are deftly etched.
Best Spike/Joyce
A beautiful Spike/Joyce relationship that is so perfectly realistic you won't believe it's not canon. The characterizations are spot on, the supporting characters enrich the story, and it leaves you aching for more and believing every word is golden. Excellent excellent story!
Powerful story in such few words! Very well done!
Best Spike/Other Female
Short, sweet, poignant, beautiful. I loved the hope that the reader was left with in the end (Don’t want to spoil, just read it!). The best part of this fic for me is that I really believed S/C as a couple, and usually that ‘ship really squicks me out.
Well written, spot-on voices and interesting. My favorite part of the whole thing (what stuck with me the most) was Spike mourning the loss of Nicki’s coat. Awesome story.
Best Spike/Original Female
I may be (slightly) biased, but I just love everything Herself writes. I love her Spike, and the fact that this is just Spike being himself in what was probably his height of evil was…intriguing.
Okay, I love Spike, and I love books…so this one was really a win-win situation. Spike is such a perv sometimes, but I guess it goes to show you can take the boy out of Victorian England, but you can’t take the Victorian out of the boy. Loved that he treated the book like a woman.
Best Spike/Faith
As much as I love Faith, I never expected her death to be just as amazing. With Spire as her sire, Faith is given a new layer of dark that...well anymore would just ruin it for you all now wouldn't it?
This story proves why Spike/Faith should have been canon. The fact that it's a human AU is irrelevant. PWP has never been as hot, spontaneous and wrong.
~Nebula
The words under each award are the words from the judges.
Best Spike/Dawn
We had a tie for the winner!
I chose a joint first because these two fics are both deservedly very popular, but they are both very different and show quite different aspects of our hero and heroine. Forbidden deftly presents a portrait of adolescent sexual awakening, and nicely depicts Spike’s self-doubt. Temptation takes the cliched naughty schoolgirl scenario and manages to do something new, witty and hot with it, whilst keeping the characterisation real.
Ten Years After has an inventive plot and good characterisation, and lots of nice attention to detail in terms of setting.
Best Spike/Willow
Set in an AU Season 4, “Closer” has everything a Spike/Willow lover could wish for: tenderness, romance, humour, and angst - but even pain is functional to the story, for it's only through suffering that we can earn the final prize. Purplefeen's language turns out to be poetic often enough, and it suits William the poet's thoughts as well as Spike the vampire's. The story is so plausible that you can see it happen, and in the end, it's only natural that Spike and Willow find their balance amid darkness and light to be together.
A year after being shot to death by Warren, Willow finds herself in Sunnydale as a ghost, and the only one who can see her is Spike... “Soul Remains” is a mystery revealed word after word, where the lead role unquestionably belongs to magic which, as Jennillu states through the narrator's voice, sometimes gives just what we were unconsciously asking for. A wonderful Spike/Willow that renders beautifully every character and shows us that, sometimes, certain feelings are only buried under the surface...
Best Spike/Tara
This story is, hands down, one of the greatest long Spike/Tara stories I've ever read. This is what cousinjean was to Spuffy, and what lazuli_kat is to Spander. This story hones in on Spike and Tara interacting with the other characters as they forge forward in an odd friendship soon turned fantastic relationship. Spike's mindset, broken into three parts, plays with you and is ever turning. If you haven't read this, you need to.
A whimsical but sensual tale of a Spike and Tara relationship had they never met in Sunnydale, but instead on an island they've been deserted on. Beautifully written from Tara's mindset, with twists and turns as they both realize they're more than meets the eye. Wonderfully written.
Best Spike/Dru
A wonderful story with excellent characterization - this story is both intriguing and fun. 1920’s Spike and Dru were simply brilliant! The story was beautiful written, well-researched and excellent supporting characters as well. I felt as if I was there!
Very intriguing storyline and interesting characters. A wonderful read and great story!
Best Spike/Fred
The fact that I absolutely love this story came as no surprise to me. I always love Nebula's work. It was hard judging this category as it contains some friends, including Nebula, but I did my upmost not to be bias and I can assure you I love this fic because of the beautiful way it’s written and not just because Nebula wrote it. This is a story of Fred and the changes she is going through, which are clearly described and obviously had plenty of thought go into them, and her blossoming friendship and romance with Spike -with some twists along the way. A truly amazing piece of work, you’re missing out if you’re not reading it.
Another wonderfully written piece. Sexymermaid’s work is always worth the read and she won’t disappoint you with this one. It’s the story of what happens when sparks literally fly between Spike and Fred, with an original storyline. Spike and Fred’s journey starts with some flirting and experimenting and moves swiftly on from there, it’s hot and intriguing and the conclusion explaining the sparkage is unlike any other story I’ve read. Read it!
Best Spike/Harmony
A Two Part Harmony has a fabulous Harmony voice, which is why I chose it as the winner - lots of authors can do a good Spike, but Harmony is hard to pull off. Very witty, but it also made Harm very sympathetic.
Shagging Harmony - a great deal of pathos in here. These interlinked drabbles are very nicely done. Spike’s sorrow and despair are deftly etched.
Best Spike/Joyce
A beautiful Spike/Joyce relationship that is so perfectly realistic you won't believe it's not canon. The characterizations are spot on, the supporting characters enrich the story, and it leaves you aching for more and believing every word is golden. Excellent excellent story!
Powerful story in such few words! Very well done!
Best Spike/Other Female
Short, sweet, poignant, beautiful. I loved the hope that the reader was left with in the end (Don’t want to spoil, just read it!). The best part of this fic for me is that I really believed S/C as a couple, and usually that ‘ship really squicks me out.
Well written, spot-on voices and interesting. My favorite part of the whole thing (what stuck with me the most) was Spike mourning the loss of Nicki’s coat. Awesome story.
Best Spike/Original Female
I may be (slightly) biased, but I just love everything Herself writes. I love her Spike, and the fact that this is just Spike being himself in what was probably his height of evil was…intriguing.
Okay, I love Spike, and I love books…so this one was really a win-win situation. Spike is such a perv sometimes, but I guess it goes to show you can take the boy out of Victorian England, but you can’t take the Victorian out of the boy. Loved that he treated the book like a woman.
Best Spike/Faith
As much as I love Faith, I never expected her death to be just as amazing. With Spire as her sire, Faith is given a new layer of dark that...well anymore would just ruin it for you all now wouldn't it?
This story proves why Spike/Faith should have been canon. The fact that it's a human AU is irrelevant. PWP has never been as hot, spontaneous and wrong.
~Nebula