Cues and Balls
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Cues and Balls |
| Author(s): | estepheia |
| Date(s): | 2003[1] |
| Length: | 10,293 words |
| Genre(s): | slash, NC-17 |
| Fandom(s): | Buffy the Vampire Slayer |
| Relationship(s): | |
| External Links: | Ao3, estepheia.com (archived link), All About Spike (archived link), The Spander Files (archived link) |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Cues and Balls is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fic by estepheia pairing Spike/Xander.
This story was originally posted on the author's personal website and archived at All About Spike and The Spander Files. In 2012, estepheia also archived her work on Ao3
On the Title
In a discussion about imagery as metaphor in fanfiction, estepheia had the following to say:
I used 'Cues and Balls' for a Spike/Xander story of mine. On one level it's about a game of Eight ball, which in itself is a nice metaphor for cause and reaction, for conquest and rivalry. However on a second level the story is about 'balls' as in courage. And on a third level it's about how certain utterances are cues that trigger certain responses. S pushes X's buttons, then X responds in a predictable manner, etc - only in this story both characters occasionally have the balls to ignore the cue and give a response that is not part of their persona but more genuine.And on the final level it's of course about how fictitious characters use cues, i.e. how the rules of cause and effect work from a storytellers point of view. I wasn't determined to have a consistent metaphor for the piece, but I had great fun adding the layers. It's a shallow little PWP, but adding layers gives it a bit more substance. :-)
Similarly, in my Spike/Anya story Body Language I fiddle with language imagery (poetry, body language, written pages etc).
I don't expect the readers to notice these things (usually they don't) but using the craft like that makes *me* happy - and that's what counts.[2]
Reviews and Reception
The nostalgia has struck again. I love good old fashioned Spander banter, especially when Xander is really holding his own. This is also a hot, hot thing and I’m seriously a fan.[3]
References
- ^ Stories added today at All About Spike includes estepheia's Cues and Balls, 17 October 2003. Accessed 18 May 2024.
- ^ Metaphors and similes a post by knotted_rose at porch_talk with comments by estepheia, Dec 27 2003. Accessed 18 May 2024.
- ^ Recommendation by Isabelle Disraeli, Mar 22 2020. Accessed 18 May 2024