Spike (Buffyverse)

Spike is a vampire from the Joss Whedon TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel the Series. He was played by James Marsters.
Spike was an enormously popular character. Orginally introduced as Season two's Little Bad, Spike became a series regular in season four after many guest appearances. Although people had been writing about him ever since his introduction in season two, Spike-centric fanac exploded during season five, with his shift from comically obnoxious antihero to lovesick woobie (evil woobie, thanks very much. but still: woobie). This change in his function on the show, and every subsequent change for the next four years, provoked vast amounts of angst, joy, wank and fanac. Fans were compelled by Spike's slow, fraught shifts of allegiance, and argued vigorously about whether a soulless vampire could ever really propel himself into redemption. 
In season five, Buffy/Spike emerged as a potentially serious canonical rival to Buffy/Angel. This resulted in the Bangel vs Spuffy ship war. 
==Fandom==
===Redemtionistas vs. Evil!Spike===
Within the Spike fanbase, there were two distinct groups of fans. Some fans, known as Redemptionistas, liked Spike's story of redemption and the others, the Evilistas, preferred to explore his evil side. These terms were in fairly widespread use before there was any hint of Spike's redemption arc in canon, and early theories focused on his ability to be redeemed when he lacked a soul. There was very little discussion of the possibility of Spike regaining his soul, as this appeared highly unlikely. According to the fandom glossary on Tabula Rasa:
In early seasons some show writers showed a noticeable preference for Evil Spike on public discussion forums, on which they interacted with fans. Writer David Fury was dismissive of any storyline which could result in a less evil Spike beginning a romance with Buffy, and some fans viewed his comments as insulting towards Spuffy shippers and redemptionistas.I’m dying to know why the heck David Fury would insult his own fanbase an ask on rahirah's Tumblr, 2018, accessed 9 June 2019.
In fact it seems that a sizeable number of Redemptionistas were also early Spuffy shippers, who wanted to see a romantic relationship between Buffy and Spike, which would be impossible without a redemption arc. Spuffy was initially a rarepair and a crackship with other pairings more popular for both characters, and a large portion of the fandom did not understand the appeal. By season 5, Spuffy redemptionist fans felt unwelcome on fandom forums and lists and began to create their own fannish infrastructure. 
Storylines in Seasons six and seven escalated the flame war between the evilistas and the redemtionistas. Spuffy became canon in season 6, but their relationship remained antagonistic. In episode 19, Seeing Red, Spike attempted to rape Buffy, in a scene which is referred to as the AR (attempted rape) or the Bathroom Scene. This was a hugely contentious scene which also escalated tensions in the Spuffy vs. Bangel ship war. 
In the Season 6 finale, Spike succeeds in the Trials and his wish is granted; his soul was returned to him. There was debate in fandom about whether or not Spike intended to restore his soul when he wished to be made what he was. Remptionistas were more likely to believe Spike choose his soul, while fans who view Spike as principally an evil vampire were more likely to wonder if Spike's wish was misinterpreted. Some fans believe Spike intended to wish away his behaviour modification chip which prevented him from hurting humans. Redemtionistas and Evilistas remained entrenched in their opinions. 
Years after the TV series ended, the Buffy comics reignited debate about Spike's redemption and the role of his soul in that redemption.Jossverse morality: updated? (musings on recent IDW comics) livejournal post by moscow_watcher, Mar 2011.What Spike's Soul Means to Me livejournal post by gryfndor_godess, March 2011 In the mini-series, Spike, by Brian Lynch, Spike's soul was removed, but the character remained good, and did not revert to his evil ways. This was something Redemptionist fans had wanted back in Season 5 and 6; evidence of a soulless redemption. 
===St. Spike vs. Buffy the Bitch===
Season six was when Spike's relationship with Buffy became canon but the way their relationship developed (to some fans) left much to be desired. The character shift during that time was a source of much debate (in the fandom, as well as among Buffy/Spike shippers).
A certain tendency in fanfic could be noticed during that period where Spike was depicted as self-sacrificing (even before the soul), doing the right thing kind of guy, whereas Buffy was portrayed as more unstable, abusive partner. The tendency to portray Buffy as abusive was most common in fics pairing Spike with another, more understanding character. This was usually either Xander, who fans also believed was overlooked or abused in canon, or Angel, who understood Spike was not to blame for his terrible deeds because he was a vampire without a soul. However even in works pairing Buffy and Spike, the Scoobies could be portrayed as abusive towards Spike, with Buffy learning the error of her ways as the two embark on a romantic relationship. The portrayal of Spike in fics was a source of much discussion.
In the years after the show ended, there has been a tendency to portray Spike as the abuser rather than the abused. 
thumb|"But for the Thorns," an undated illo by Suzan Lovett
===Spike in Fanfic===
Spike is the little black dress of Buffyverse fandom. He's been paired with everybody from Joyce Summers to Mr. GordoPairing list at allaboutspike.com, accessed 14 March 2009., and a zillion crossover characters besides. Based on works on Ao3, his most popular ship is Buffy/Spike3200 works in Buffy/Spike list at Archive of Our Own, archived link from 13 October 2016., two other most popular pairings - Spike/Xander1650 works in Spike/Xander list at Archive of Our Own, archived link from 11 October 2016 and Angel/Spike906 works in Angel/Spike list at Archive of Our Own, archived link from 06 October 2016 - are following far behind. However much of the works produced in this fandom were originally housed on personal sites, Livejournal and a multitude of unconnected archives. As a result, Ao3 stats may not give an accurate representation of the popularity of these ships. There are substantial bodies of work pairing him with Tara, Illyria, Drusilla, Wesley, Willow and Giles. Spike/Tara has 14 fics on AllAboutSpike and 45 works on Ao3. The gen pairing of Spike & Illyria has 2 works on AllAboutSpike and their romantic pairing has 48 works on Ao3. Spike/Drusilla has 48 works on All About Spike and 564 works on Ao3. Spike/Wesley have 19 works on AllAboutSpike and 155 works on Ao3. Spike/Giles has 8 works on All About Spike and 148 works on Ao3. Spike/Willow has 13 works on All About Spike and 361 works on Ao3. All stats as of 5 June 2019 See pairing pages for overviews of pairing-specific trends, influential authors, etc.
Spike-centric gen often explores his history before he came to Sunnydale, his brotherly relationship with Dawn, or his struggles with his self-identity and moral code.
After Spike earned his soul at the end of season six fandom, responded with A LOT of fanfic. Even before season seven premiered, fans wrote fics (in major part basing Spike's possible reactions on Angel) about how Spike deals with the soul. When the beginning of season seven showed Spike insanity as a result of getting back his soul, fanfic writers responded with a lot of Hurt/Comfort fics.
==Example Fanworks==
===Notable Gen Stories===
* Rise (He Buys Cigarettes) by Kawcrow (BtVS4)
*The Stranger's Portrait by Rowan (pre-series)
* The Wanton Folly of Me Mum by Sylvia Volk (AtS5)
* Second Hand by Kita (AtS5)
* Seraph by Snickfic (Spike & Dawn, mpreg, BtVS S4)
* The Stranger's Portrait by Rowan
* A Raising In The Sun by Barb Cummings (Post BtVS S5)
* Lost Luggage by Spikedru (Spike & Joyce, BtVS S5)
* Lydia Chalmers' Thesis on William the Bloody by multiple (in-universe fake academia/meta on Spike)
* Here Comes a Candle by wiseacress (Spike & Xander, BtVS S5 or S6)
* Descent by Indri (Post BtVS S6)
* Red Frame, White Light by sparrow2000 (Spike, Xander, BtVS S7)
* Company in Hell by Glassdarkly (AtS S5)
* Dial N For Nancy-Boy by deird1 (Spike & Angel, BtVS S4 - post-series)
* The Ghost of Maggie Walsh: Doll by Chris Geary-Durrill (futurefic)
===Notable Fanart===
* Rock Star Spike by CantonHeroine (2006)
* Spike.2 - Details by SayaDarkholme (2009)
* Smile Time: the Comic by AstridV (2009)
* Well? by sueworld (2009) (manip that gets mistaken for an actual James Marsters photo most often)
* Join the Scoobies by MyShoesAreOnFire (2011)
* Randy Giles by Pomegranate-Pen (2012)
* Killing the Slayer by deidarairuka (2012)
* First drop of blood... by syllirium (2012)
* Bring on the Night by LadyCerbero (2012)
* Spike by scary-cherry (2013)
* Spike print by muin-an-staers (2013)
* Get that kitten off your shoulder, Spike! by thesanityclause (2013)
* William Spike Pratt by MorganeDeMatons (2014)
* Chains by sueworld (2014)
* Nevermind the BloodLoss by kgullholmen (2014)
* Spike illustration by Kira Beaudoin (2014)
* William by skiddiejoan (2014)
===Notable Vids===
* Closer by Sisabet (Angel/Spike)
* Schism by Vrya (warning - vid is not uploaded on YouTube by the author)
* Still Breathing by Charmax
* Origin Stories by Giandujakiss. Although not Spike-centric, this vid presents an unusual and compelling argument about Spike's privileged position on the show.
* So Sad, So Lonely by sdwolfpup
* Black Black Heart (Spike/Spike's Duster) by dualbunny
* Tragedy by dualbunny
* Respectable by Charmax
* No Self Control by thedothatgirl
* Sail by Afterthebattle
* Who Are You, Really? by Afterthebattle
===Meta===
For all Buffy the Vampire Slayer meta essays, see :Category:Buffyverse Meta
* Spike's Soul as a Metaphor by Kimberly A.
* You Want Chips With That? by James W.
* Kissing a Fool: Smashing, Wrecking, and Rebuilding Spike's Identity by rowan
* Fandom makes you do the wacky, post by Gwyneth Rhys in 2003 focusing on James Marsters' comments at the con Moonlight Rising
* Why Spike as Rapist Feels Like Character Rape to Me or, Seeing Red Over Seeing Red by Gwyneth Rhys 
* Lydia Chalmers' Thesis on William the Bloody by multiple (in-universe fake academia/meta on Spike)
* You Might Have Post-Traumatic Joss Syndrome by shipperx
* by gabrielleabelle
* Season Six in Review: A Letter to Mutant Enemy by Barb Cummings (2001)
* Of Course Spike Would Get a Soul by Serina 
* Thematic Crossovers Between Buffy and Angel by Melissa Rogerson 
* Where We Were, Are, and Are Going by Rose 
* From Fool for Love to Love's Bitch and Back Again by Rowan 
* Spike's Redemption—Subverting or Supporting Canon? by Barb Cummings 
* Shades of Gray: A Redemptionista - Response to David Fury by Sanguine 
* Spike's Hero's Journey by Beth (AKA Peggin, AKA SISTAH "Sweet on Spike" Beth) 
* Bite-Sized Redemption? Spike And Dawn by Aurelio Zen
* The Gift as Transcendence for Buffy ... and Spike by LAWard 
* The 'Seeing Red' bathroom scene: Why ME went there, gender relations in the Buffyverse, and the future of Buffy/Spike by ariana (fall 2002)
* Why Redemption? by Laura at All About Spike
* Barb's end-of-season review-cum-letter to ME by Barb Cummings on the topic of Seeing Red.
* The Redemptive Force of Love: Spike and the Hero's Journey by magpie
* The Redemption Issue by Jessica Walker, an Evilista's argument against Redemption. 
==Resources and Communities==
* All About Spike, a Spike-centric site that collected stories from 2002-2005, and remains open as a valuable read-only archive.
* The Bloody Awful Poet Society (BAPS), a fan website and mailing list (now offline)
* JamesMarstersFans
* Nekid Spike - members-only (18+) Livejournal community, still active in 2016
* Noel of Spike - seasonal (Christmas) Livejournal community, still active in 2016
* Soulful Spike Society (inactive)
* Sparklies (inactive)
* Tea at the Ford (inactive)
==References==
Category:Buffyverse Characters