Barbverse
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Barbverse |
| Author(s): | Barb Cummings |
| Date(s): | 2001-2021 |
| Length: | 1,004,974 words, 146 works |
| Genre(s): | AU, futurefic |
| Fandom(s): | Buffy the Vampire Slayer |
| Relationship(s): | |
| External Links: | Author's site, Elysian Fields, AO3, seasonal-spuffy archive |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Barbverse by Barb Cummings is a sprawling alternate universe series branching from Buffy the Vampire Slayer canon after 'The Gift', in which Buffy's resurrection comes about differently. There are three novels (one incomplete), eight novellas and a wealth of shorter material spanning half a century, written over 20 years and totalling over 1,000,000 words.[1] The series brings in almost the entire cast of BtVS and AtS, plus original characters, with the main pairing being Buffy/Spike. The writing has been described as plotty, detailed and inventive.
Stultiloquentia describes the Barbverse as one of the best-known sagas in the fandom, and a B/S classic.[2] The series is widely recommended, with some fans preferring its plot lines to the official seasons 6 & 7. The Barbverse has also been called the ultimate “redemptionista” fic, as a story that suggests Spike can become a good man without a soul.[3] Despite this, the series still found favour with many fans who were not typically fans of Spike or the Spuffy pairing.
Many stories from the series have won awards, including Halo Awards, Spark and Burn Awards, Spuffy Awards and Vampire Kisses Awards.[4] The fic Necessary Evils was Winner for Best Saga at Love's Last Glimpse Awards in 2004.
The author originally posted their works on their personal website and the Spuffy archive Elysian Fields. Barb later crossposted and continued the series at Ao3. While technically incomplete, the author has repeatedly stated that she plans to finish the series.
Author's Notes
The author introduces the series as:
A saga of sex, violence, violent sex, pizza, gods, demons, ex-demons, ghosts, road trips, black magic, white magic, sorta greyish magic, felonies and misdemeanors, cooking with pig's blood, ethical dilemmas, the importance (or not) of the soul, tying the knot, the care and feeding of small children (demonic and otherwise), life after undeath, the founding of dynasties, the folding of laundry, Ultimate Evil, blood play, channel surfing, true love and (ooh, that word) redemption, in which is explored the question of whether or not one Buffy Anne Summers, vampire slayer extraordinaire, and one William the Bloody, vampire of infinite heart and limited ethics, can reach a certain degree of mutual accommodation after diverse discourses and considerable ass-kicking.
The main pairing of the series is Buffy/Spike, but many of the stories are gennish and/or focus on other characters. It currently comprises two and a half novels, half a dozen novellas, lots and lots of short stories, and more drabbles than you can shake a stick at, and spans some fifty years of the characters' lives.
I know, it's a dorky name for a series. Shut up.[5]
The main works in the Barbverse are:
The author has also written DVD commentary and answered asks about the series on her Tumblr[6].
Reactions & Reviews
Barb Cummings began to write this series following Buffy's season 5 finale, The Gift. In this episode Buffy dies, sacrificing herself to save the world and her sister, Dawn. This AU was one of many post-finale fanworks focusing on the aftermath of Buffy's death and resurrection. While Barb was eventually jossed by canon, there are many fans who believe these stories are superior to Season 6 canon.
Terrific character development here, and plot that works. "A Raising" gives us a Buffy resurrection that's better than the official one![7]
I especially recommend the first major stories, A Raising in the Sun, and Necessary Evils. They give a version of Buffy’s time dead and resurrection that feel honestly more believable than canon. What’s interesting is that it started being wrote before season 6 aired, so rather than being in response to it, or following it like AUs nowadays, it feels completely original. After that, it starts getting more AU, and characters start having children, so if you don’t like that or OCs you might want to stop there. All of the stories are great, though, giving a world that feels real and connected and characters that develop over time. Some of the stories are unfinished, though still worth a read.[8]
The Barbverse is a Redemptionist story, depicting a relationship between Buffy and a Souless Spike. As Spike was a series regular in season 4 & 5, the possibiltiy of the souless vampire becoming one of the good guys and redeeming himself, without a soul, was hotly debated by the fandom. See Redemptionistas vs. Evilistas for futher information. The Barbverse is often praised for depicting a Souless!Spike/Buffy relationship which feels in character, and again, many fans prefer Barbverse's depiction of Spuffy to the canon depiction of their relationship.
In this story, Barb gives Buffy and Spike the chance that Marti refused them. It deals with similar themes to S6 - the aftereffects of Buffy's resurrection and Willow's dangerous magical leanings - but in a way that's mature and more *ahem* sophisticated than what we were dealt in S6. Barb's not afraid to handle serious glitches in Buffy and Spike's relationship, as well as philosophical differences, but what she ultimately portrays are two characters that have grown up through their experiences together. This is S6 as it should have been.
When it comes to Spuffy, there's no better way to start a rec set than with Barb's wonderfully inventive novel, "A Raising in the Sun," which is one of my favourites in the BtVS fandom. This is one hellofa long, detailed, involving story, dealing with all the reasons that Spike and Buffy shouldn't work, yet finding a way to make them work despite it all. Best of all, "Raising" doesn't take the easy way out, vis a vis the soul issue. / This is a top-notch, well-plotted het fic...[10]
Starts off as an s6 rewrite and metastasizes into the one ring of Spuffy fanfic. One series to rule them all, one series to find them, one series to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. Without a doubt the best depiction of a soulless!Spike x Buffy relationship you’ll ever see. Unmissable. [11]
The deftly-written, plot-packed, sexy and often hilarious Barbverse trilogy (plus a few extras) ... starts with a re-imagining of Buffy's resurrection and goes on to explore, seriously, what trials and tribulations might have occurred had Buffy allowed Souless!Spike the title of "boyfriend." [12]
Barb's writing is often praised its worldbuilding and characterization.
"Necessary Evils" does not have any cold dead seed magically healing sex or character bashing. What is does have is an intricate storyline with an impressive big bad and plots for everyone. The voices are all well done and no one really gets the short stick in terms of characterization. It deals with Season 5 & 6 issues a whole lot better than they were dealt with on the show.[13]
Thoughtful, strongly plotted, and filled with deep character-study goodness, Barb's BtVS fic are satisfying, novel-length reads.[15]
One of the classic Buff/Spike series of all time! Excellent characterization and character voices from everyone. It delves into the whole soul debate in a way that’s more interesting and thought out than almost anything else I’ve read. While it’s a Buddy/Spike series overall, my favorite part is the exploration and depth that even minor characters are given. The author never takes the easy road of bashing unpopular characters, and everyone is given depth. Buffy even gets a stepmother that isn’t vilified! It also manages to make some sense of the shows worldbuilding in an interesting way. If you like continuity, this is the series for you.[8]
I read parts of the Barbverse recently for the first time and it was good. More sappy and back-and-forth on Buffy/Spike than I'd like at times, but it really felt like BTVS to me.[16]
Related & Inspired
Fanfiction
- second thoughts (in the third degree) by frogfarm, 2017. Inspired by Parliament of Monsters.
Fanart
- Mood board based on rahirah's Necessary Evils by thenewbuzwuzz, 2017
- Clarence the Harrier demon from the Barbverse by thenewbuzwuzz, 2019
Further Reading
- The Barbverse by Barb Cummings (Rahirah) discussion at Buffy Forums started by TriBel, Dec 2017.
References
- ^ Barb C's BtVS Fan Fiction: Timeline (accessed 19 April 2012)
- ^ Fanlore: Barb Cummings (17:40, 26 July 2009) (accessed 19 April 2012)
- ^ Shipper Manifesto: Buffy/Spike, Buffy the Vampire Slayer posted at hetreccers, 31 Aug 2010. Accessed 5 Apr 2024.
- ^ Barb C's BtVS Fan Fiction: Awards (accessed 19 April 2012)
- ^ Archive of Our Own: The Barbverse (accessed 19 April 2012)
- ^ Barb's Place – posts tagged #barbverse, Archived on 19 March 2023, Tumblr. (Accessed 16 April 2024)
- ^ Bugger This: BtVS & AtS Recommendations (accessed 19 April 2012)
- ^ a b Ao3 Bookmark Comment by Octavia_Octopus, bookmarked 15 Apr 2023. Accessed 4 Apr 2024.
- ^ Kantayra's Recommendations page. Accessed 14 April 2024.
- ^ Crack_van: A Raising in the Sun by Barb C (R) (accessed 19 April 2012)
- ^ Can you recommend any good spuffy fan fic?, tumblr post by soulfulspikethekiller, reblogged by rahirah, February 2016. Accessed 5 Apr 2024.
- ^ Stultiloquentia's Jossverse Recs (accessed 19 April 2012)
- ^ Better Buffy Fiction Archive: Barb (accessed 19 April 2012)
- ^ Blood and Weetabix Recommends (accessed 19 April 2012)
- ^ Just Stake Me: Fanfiction (accessed 19 April 2012)
- ^ Comment on fail_fandomanon, Nov 9, 2016
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