So, I'm the sort of fan who only rarely wanders outside the Spuffy subset of the fandom. While I don't hate Xander, he's never been one of my favorite Buffyverse characters. I really dislike "Halloween"-based Xander epics. This fic is one of those.
This fic is awesome.
After living his entire life, Xander is sent back in time to his junior year of high school- specifically, the night of the Ethan Rayne's Halloween spell. High-school Xander now possesses all the knowledge and experience that the previous version of him ever obtained, and he's determined to put it to good use. In fact, he's determined to fix as many of his past mistakes as possible, while giving others the information necessary to do the same.
The fic alternates between "chapters", which tell the story of what Xander and everyone else does with Xander's second chance, and "interludes", which are snippets of future!Xander's life. It works really well, allowing the author to flesh out future!Xander and show us how he came to be the way he is. It's great to see him grow up so much, and it's great to see how and why his attitudes have changed from what they were the first time around.
The fic contains scenes of just about every tone, and they're all done well- the world-building with regard to magic is really interesting, the romance works, the comedy is funny (I remember laughing out loud in places), the more tragic aspects of the futureverse made me go all misty-eyed, the action is gripping, and there are scenes that are nothing short of adorable. I didn't know I needed to read about Jonathan introducing Kendra to Star Trek, but I did. I needed this in my life.
This is a fic that took characters I actively disliked before reading it, and presented them in such a way that they were fascinating. I didn't just tolerate Xander, I loved every chance to see more of him and get inside his head. I didn't just tolerate the romantic subplots, I got totally invested in ships that I normally avoid. If that's not the sign of a great fanfic and a great writer, then I don't know what is.
Wholeheartedly Recommended.
So, I'm the sort of fan who only rarely wanders outside the Spuffy subset of the fandom. While I don't hate Xander, he's never been one of my favorite Buffyverse characters. I really dislike "Halloween"-based Xander epics. This fic is one of those.
This fic is awesome.
After living his entire life, Xander is sent back in time to his junior year of high school- specifically, the night of the Ethan Rayne's Halloween spell. High-school Xander now possesses all the knowledge and experience that the previous version of him ever obtained, and he's determined to put it to good use. In fact, he's determined to fix as many of his past mistakes as possible, while giving others the information necessary to do the same.
The fic alternates between "chapters", which tell the story of what Xander and everyone else does with Xander's second chance, and "interludes", which are snippets of future!Xander's life. It works really well, allowing the author to flesh out future!Xander and show us how he came to be the way he is. It's great to see him grow up so much, and it's great to see how and why his attitudes have changed from what they were the first time around.
The fic contains scenes of just about every tone, and they're all done well- the world-building with regard to magic is really interesting, the romance works, the comedy is funny (I remember laughing out loud in places), the more tragic aspects of the futureverse made me go all misty-eyed, the action is gripping, and there are scenes that are nothing short of adorable. I didn't know I needed to read about Jonathan introducing Kendra to Star Trek, but I did. I needed this in my life.
This is a fic that took characters I actively disliked before reading it, and presented them in such a way that they were fascinating. I didn't just tolerate Xander, I loved every chance to see more of him and get inside his head. I didn't just tolerate the romantic subplots, I got totally invested in ships that I normally avoid. If that's not the sign of a great fanfic and a great writer, then I don't know what is.
Final Verdict: A+