The Great Advantage of Being Alive

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Fanfiction
Title: The Great Advantage of Being Alive
Author(s): enigmaticblue
Date(s): ~2004
Length: 89,562
Genre(s): het AU
Fandom(s): Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Relationship(s):
External Links: Vampire's Kiss (archived), Elysian Fields, Ao3

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The Great Advantage of Being Alive is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfic by enigmaticblue, featuring the pairing Buffy/Spike. In this work, the Initiative use Mohra blood in their experimentations on vampire and Spike is turned human.

This fic has a sequel called All the Graces of the Dawn, an alternate S5 with an established Buffy/Spike relationship.

Reactions & Reviews

An AU where Spike becomes human. Now, I'm normally not a big fan of human!Spike fics, but even I'll make an exception for this one. Enigmatic Blue does a lovely job showing Spike's adjustment to his new 'handicap' and how the Scooby Gang react. Not to mention she describes one of the most believable developments of the Spuffy relationship out there.

kantayra[1]

It’s Fic Back Friday, and today’s recommendation is The Great Advantage of Being Alive by enigmaticblue, a Spuffy S4 AU where the Initiative uses Mohra blood on Spike instead of chipping him, and after he escapes he goes straight to Giles and spends a lot of the fic struggling to deal with being human and the guilt of having a soul again. I first read this on Elysium Fields and was delighted to find it again years later on AO3 because it is such a beautifully written fic, especially regarding Spike and his interactions with the Scoobies, most of whom are sympathetic towards newly human Spike, and his relationships with Giles and Joyce are among the standouts, though the gradual friendship (and later relationship) with Buffy is also sweet - it takes a little while, because she’s resentful of the fact that he gets a true second chance while Angel doesn’t, but relents when Willow calls her out on this, and it’s just such a great read and human!Spike is adorable.

avatarskywalker[2]

References

  1. ^ Kantayra's Recommendations page. Accessed 13 April 2024.
  2. ^ Fic Back Friday a Tumblr post by avatarskywalker, Mar 18 2023. Accessed April 17 2024.