The Adventures of Captain Peroxide and Deadboy
The Angel/Spike Zone of the BtVS Writer's Guild
The Usual: A Look at Common Plot Devices
by Nemi
I've read a lot of Spike/Angel fic, and there's certain elements, actions and things that keep coming back, over and over. Here, I have listed some of the most common elements in a Spike/Angel fic. Please remember that the things listed below aren't bad things or things I'm tired of reading over and over - but it's things you *might* want to avoid if you're trying to be as original as possible. Also, please realize that there is a difference between Angelus/Spike stories and Angel/Spike stories. One is the soulless vampire, the other is the soul-filled vampire.
Suck him & fuck him!
Angel & Spike are having fun. Angel sucks Spike to orgasm. Angel then fucks Spike to another orgasm. One of the most used sex scenarios I've seen, where one of the guys first suck the other one, then fuck him. And the bottom always gets two orgasms. If things were like that with me, I think things could get boring eventually...
Feeding while having sex
Used in about 8/10 of the stories out there. Angel, Spike or both changes when they orgasm or when they're close to orgasm, and then they feed off each other. The blood *always* pushes them over the edge if they haven't orgasmed already at the point they feed.
Automatically going game-faced when having sex
Related to the last one, but not necessarily the same. The intense pleasure they're feeling causes fangs to pop out. Sure, okay - but what if they're in a nice 69-position and suddenly Spike can't hold back any more and orgasms? Ouch! That's gotta hurt Angel! Changing while having sex isn't necessarily a bad thing - I just think the story loses a little credibility when they *always* change.
Spike tells Angel 'I hate you' when he really wants to say 'I love you'
Applies for romance. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, because I do believe that Spike has a hate for Angel after the things he did as Angelus in season 2, that won't go away anytime soon. So when he falls in love with Angel, he's somewhat 'disgusted' by himself and confused, because he was supposed to hate the guy. It can be overused, though, if it happens too much. Spike really isn't the 'Sense & Sensibility' guy, so I can't see him saying 'I love you' just like *that,* but he won't always say 'I hate you' instead.
Angel's curse being anchored to him
Okay, so this is a necessity if you're writing Angel/Spike romance. But how about *not* using any spells to do it? I've read stories where The Powers That Be get control over his soul, where Angel still have (weak) feelings for Buffy, thus not achieving true and pure happiness and other inventive solutions. If you're going to use a spell, try to make it different. Not just throwing around some herbs, say something in latin, and *poof* - Angel's got a permanent soul.
Sex immediately after the first kiss
This also applies if you write romance. So, Spike and Angel kiss and immediately falls into bed together. HUH? Come on, Spike hated Angel's guts throughout the entire second season, and then he just sticks out his ass after *one* kiss? Not too likely, unless they've bonded *seriously* first (in the non-pelvic way). I believe that sex in the vampire world means more than emotions and hormones - I also believes it's a matter of dominance and mating, and I really don't think Spike would accept that kind of bond with Angel (again?) after season 2.
Angel tops Spike to show his dominance
Why does always the larger top the smaller? Why does Angel still show his dominance? If I were a guilt-ridden, sould-filled vampire, I'd be as humble as a doormat. Unless you're writing Angelus/Spike, that is. Then, it's *very* believable.
Spike's hostility/love for violence/whatever mysteriously disappearing
There's been quite a few of these stories - I've written some of them myself. Spike is a killer who *loves* to crack open heads and break bones. If you're doing a season four scenario; he can't feed off humans anymore, but there's still demons, right? Have him fight a whole gang of demons or an entire vampire clan with a snide, sarcastic remark in between. If you're doing a post s5 scenario; you can be *really* sure he won't give up killing humans just because Angel says so! You'll have to come up with something else, I guess...
One finger, two fingers, three fingers, dick
And yes, I shamelessly plugged that line from Minotaur's site. Get over it. So they're about to get one with it, Spike's preparing Angel and... in goes first one finger, Angel adjusts, Spike adds another finger, Angel adjusts and Spike places a third finger in Angel's hole. Overused much? Try something different, like *just* one finger or all three at once. Or who said it had to be fingers?
***This essay was originally posted at Our Armageddon and is used with permission, reposting without the author's written permission is forbidden***
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