Why I love Spander...

[suki_blue]

Firstly, I’m going to ask the question why do I like Spike? He is, after all, one half of the pairing in question, the yin to Xander’s yang or the yang to Xander’s yin. Or maybe Fang to Xander’s Hawaiian shirts. Opposites, is what I’m trying to say. Badly.

The first part of why I like, no, love, Spike I only figured out a few days ago when I told a friend that I had a crush on the lead singer of My Chemical Romance and I particularly liked his bleached hair. My friend wasn’t surprised and merely said “Oh, it’s the Billy Idol thing.” So, after two years of lusting after my Spikealicious, I’ve finally figured out my physical attraction to him. It’s the Billy Idol thing.

Why else? He’s English, like me, dresses in black and leather, has a great, dark and dry sense of humour and has an attitude that would make any teenager proud. Nothing makes me sit up and take notice of a character more than a bad attitude. But the clincher is how good the badness is, how clever and how justified. Spike isn’t just a badass vampire who smokes a lot and always makes it look cool. He’s so much more than just a demon, a one dimensional monster that goes grr and sometimes bites – when he can. He oozes something more, something that was never taken away from him along with his soul. It’s the reason he survived so long where other vampires perished. It’s the reason he was loyal to Drusilla, to Buffy and even to Angel in the end. It’s the reason that he wasn’t the crazy megalomaniac Angelus was.

And the fanfiction version of Spike is not much different. He can love, and when it’s given to another it’s so deep and so fantastically beautiful that I can’t help but fall in love with him even more. Spander Spike loves to the point of no return. He adores Xander and would die before Xander is even so much as bruised. Spike protects him like a polar bear would protect her cub. He would never cheat, never hurt him and certainly never make him feel like less than he really is. That’s what makes my Spike a champion and that’s what makes him my dream boyfriend, even if he is technically a walking corpse. But that just means that he never ages and most importantly of all, he never truly dies. He survived Sunnydale and we all know he survived that alley way. We know.

Xander: Physically, he’s my perfect guy, just what I go for. Tall, dark hair, dark eyes and a big smile. And his personality holds so much more. He’s a genuinely nice guy and damn funny to boot. Yes, he can be obnoxious and I’m sure if I knew him in real life he’d irritate me immensely. But he’d charm me immensely, too. And like Spike, he’s loyal to a fault, and that’s something that translates well to fanfiction!Xander, along with his attitude. Let’s face it, Xander has a sharp tongue and despite the apparently bad high school grades, he possess a wit which is cleverer than most. Again, this is a quality that I admire greatly. It’s the reason I love characters such as Xander and Spike, McKay and Sheppard, Mal, House and Wilson (The later holds no slash interest as of yet, even though they’re hot and clearly meant for each other). I wouldn’t last a second in a row with any of them and that just puts them on a higher pedestal for me. Hmmm, and now I’m wondering if we shut all of them in a room together who would be left standing. I guess that would depend if Spike was chipless, if Sheppard had his P-90, if McKay had a laptop and a strange ancienty device, if House and Wilson had a vile containing an infectious disease, if Xander had a sword and both eyes or if Mal had Jayne.

Anyway, I’ve digressed, as I so often do. Why do I like Spike and Xander as a pairing, especially considering the lack of screen time they had together? Because they have a spark, chemistry, something that makes my heart boom. And mostly? It’s fanfic that’s done this to me. I began reading Spander even before I really knew who Spike was. I knew who Xander was because I owned the first season on DVD, but I hadn’t seen any episodes beyond that. I had a vague idea who Spike was and what he looked like, but apart from that I got my information from slash fics and it all sealed the deal.

For me, Spike and Xander are the perfect couple. They are so similar and so opposite at the same time. They’re oxymorons! I wonder which one is the moron and which one is the oxy. What’s an oxy? They’re passionate, fiercely protective of each other, ever-loving, best friends and the part that really works for me is that they’re forever. Always forever. Immortality, man, in two senses: Firstly, one day, somewhere, somehow, Spike will always turn Xander and Xander will stay the same bouncy, young, happy and light boy forever. Vampire Xander with a shiny soul and a demon on his arm. I don’t need that in a fic because I know it will happen anyway, afterwards. Secondly, Spike and Xander are immortalised through words, through our fanfic, through fandom. We’ve immortalised them.

Forever is an important factor for me. In real life, where everything around you withers and dies, where everything ends and changes, it’s comforting to have something that will always remain the same.

Spander is a fandom great, a classic, the Ferrari of slash, a phenomenon that will never be forgotten and often turned to. Fandom will never die and neither will Spander. My boys are forever and that’s why I love them.

But that’s just me. What do you think? Discuss while I hit the sack. Go!

Comments

[mygothangel.livejournal.com]

You know, if you want us to discuss something, please give us more reasons to disagree with you than the Billy-Idol-thing, would you?
LOL

I really agree with everything you said (again, without the Billy-Idol-thing) and if you think that was badly written, thank God you wouldn't see mine (mostly because I wouldn't dare write any meta post).

That said, I'm even an hour ahead of you so I'll join my cat on my bed. OMG I rhymed again! Must go to sleep. Night night.
*yaaawn*

[jans-intentions.livejournal.com]

I think lit_gal points out in her mini Buffyverse intro that why spander works is the capacity for love and loyalty in both of these characters. Joss ruined a lot of my love of the scoobies in later seasons, so I always wanted some happiness. I think Spike and Xander are the most deserving of it and it seems logical they find it with each other.

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

I LOVE THIS ESSAY!!! Don't you dare put it down! It's better than the lion's share of the pseudo-intellectual, pompous wanking that passes for meta these days, and that's a fact!


Gabrielle

[kaleecat]

Not sure how coherant I'll be as I'm still rather woozy from new year's eve. I agree with what sexymermaid just said, and what you said about spike, xander & spander.

I entered the realm of spander very late, but once i read my first story (no idea what it was but it was on bloodclaim) i realized how 'right' it was. and wondered how the show would have been different if they had gone the gay route with xander instead of willow. though they would still have had to find a way for tara to be there, maybe as xander's supportive new friend? i'm sure there's a fic out there that isn't all human au. but I am seriously digressing here.

Its the snark you see, and the ugly orange chair, that they both are passionate about their "family", spike saving xander from caleb, . . .
They just fit. And I really can't imagine not reading Spander, and although I'll wander into xander/other people because I can & so many write it so well (note to self: see if ame has updated the xander/nightwing fic). It's Spander at the heart of it, which is why I re-read certain spander stories at least once a month. Plus, Spander led me to some pretty great people in this big, bad internet world.

And I agree so much with what you said, I'm just going to quote you to you (because I'm weird that way) --
For me, Spike and Xander are the perfect couple. They are so similar and so opposite at the same time. They’re oxymorons! I wonder which one is the moron and which one is the oxy. What’s an oxy? They’re passionate, fiercely protective of each other, ever-loving, best friends and the part that really works for me is that they’re forever. Always forever. Immortality, man, in two senses: Firstly, one day, somewhere, somehow, Spike will always turn Xander and Xander will stay the same bouncy, young, happy and light boy forever. Vampire Xander with a shiny soul and a demon on his arm. I don’t need that in a fic because I know it will happen anyway, afterwards. Secondly, Spike and Xander are immortalised through words, through our fanfic, through fandom. We’ve immortalised them.

Forever is an important factor for me. In real life, where everything around you withers and dies, where everything ends and changes, it’s comforting to have something that will always remain the same.

Sigh. I do believe i'll finish my sentinel fic, and then go find a favorite spander story. Sleep well my dear.

[tabaqui]

Heeeeee. Like i'd argue! Spander works because they are, deep down, a lot the same. Insecure guys whose heart is the biggest thing about them, who don't give themselves lightly, but when they do - they give everything they've got.

Plus, yeah, different. Spike goes for fists and fangs, Xander would rather outsmart the enemy, but in the end they'll stand up for what they believe is *right* and for what they love.

Spike, Xander = otp4evah!
:)

[darkhavens.livejournal.com]

beautifully put. They're equals and opposites. They both have an amazing capacity for love and loyalty and a hunger to belong. And oh, lordy, the snark!

[taruma16.livejournal.com]

There's nothing to discuss!
You are so right! It's a great essay too!

And I still say, Joss and co did think about putting them together in season 4. They just weren't courageous enough to do it! *sigh*

[sweet-exile.livejournal.com]

Spike's a funny character. I love reading about him in Spander but the last few seasons of BTVS I wanted to throttle him and possibly the writers. I think that was mainly due to what they'd done to one of my favourite characters.

There was something pre-chip that was much more appealing than post=chip Spike. It's down to that badboy attraction again I think.

I'm glad there is a place where the fandom still lives on. No matter which pairings you love.

[kitty-poker1.livejournal.com]

Beautifully put, hon. They have physical differences, like cool and warm, blond and dark, small and broad, but that just makes them more attractive to me. Opposites attracting and all that. But they have much more in common in character, like their whole-heartedness and strength and bravery.

Joss did consider having Xander as the character who turns out to be gay rather than Willow, I remember reading. I wonder who he would have paired him with. It should be have Spike and I wish he'd had the courage to do it! I guess he and the network figured it'd be more acceptable to have a gay female than male couple. Yet now gay couples are popping up in movies and tv shows all over the place.

[shakatany.livejournal.com]

I love Spike as he's the vamp who learned better but I was never too crazy about the Xander I saw on TV. When I first enocuntered BtVS fanfic at the beginning of S6 I was into Spuffy as was canon but when she mistreated him so I felt she wasn't worthy of him and so I drifted into Spangel where the Sire Childe relationship made sense. Eventually though it riled me as the fics tended to make Spike so childish. I then found Spander where the 2 bois are equals (for the most part) and the Xander of fanfic has really grown on me thanks to all the great writers out there.

Someone told me that ME had plans for Xander to turn gay until Seth Green decided to leave and then Willow was the one to be made gay. I wonder if Seth had stayed with the show if ME might actually have paired Spike And Xander? Somewhere out there is a parallel universe where that happened and I would love to be able to peek in. Until them the fanfics will have to suffice.

Shakatany

[liliaeth]

I guess what I like about spander is the similarities between them. When I read spangel or spuffy, it's because of the differences, but when I read spander, it's because at the core, they're very much alike. In fact, in many ways they're too alike, which is why I think, they'd like to fight so much as well.

They're both nice guys who tend to hide that behind a biting form of humor. They're very human, very much so, even though Spike is a vampire. In fact, from what we saw of vampire Xander, it was already obvious that he was using the same methods William used when he became Spike, to seem the tough guy.

And it's that very humanity that attracts me to them. It'ts for that reason that I prefer keeping Xander strictly human. No vampire Xander, no superpowered Xander, just Xander. Because that's who he'd want to be. And showing Spike's devotion in staying with that Xander even as he grows older and goes wrinkled and finding new things to like about his face, no matter how it changes with age.

Xander isn't my physical type, neither is Angel for that matter. I never found either of them all that attractive, but characterwise I could definitely see him with Spike. Mostly because spander is one of the few relationships with Spike, that is a relationship of equals. Now I prefer Spike as a sub, but with Xander I could see them both switching places depending on the mood. (though I still have a hard time seeing Spike topping anyone, unlike with Angel, I could actually see Xander bottoming, which is something I could never ever see Angel do, unless he's topping from the bottom.)

[lil-miss-maddie.livejournal.com]

I really can't do anything but agree.
There's just something that makes Spander feel *right*. I'm a big slash fan and it feels like I've read most pairings, but no matter how much I stray I always come back to them.
Spander Spike loves to the point of no return. He adores Xander and would die before Xander is even so much as bruised. Spike protects him like a polar bear would protect her cub. He would never cheat, never hurt him and certainly never make him feel like less than he really is.
I feel the exact same thing! That is a huge part of why I adore Spander Spike, he is he protective, possessive and loving lover I think most of us want to have.
I must admit that I had never payed that much attention to Xander a a chacarter on the show before I became a Spanderholic. Then I was facinated by what so many writers seemed to see in him. That loyalty, depth and the possible reasons to why he made himself the zeppo of the group. I hadn't seen much of the earlier seasons and was rather oblivious of the hints about his awful homelife. I was to busy drooling after Spike in season 5. When I finally saw the beginning I noticed what the rest already had, and my compassion for him grew.

You shouldn't stop writing down your thought on these lovely boys, it's nice to think of it when reading your fics.