First, we want to say another huge thank you to everyone who came and conquered Short & Spuffy. It's so much fun to see all the prompt interpretations! So, thank you again! 

Next, we're so happy to bring you our April Scoobies of the Month! How is it already April?! We were just having Christmas ... 

Anyway, first up, our Author of the Month is: LadyInQuest

Tell us how you got into Buffy the show and Buffy fanfic.

BTVS was always on my orbit! Growing up, stuff like Charmed and Xena was my gem, but I Buffy always seemed kinda darker and scarier for little me, due the to being broadcasted on the channel that specialized on horrors and thrillers. So I never got to watching it up untill the spring of 2025, when I was burned out and a bit sad. What better will restore my spark, I figired, if not the ship that everyone and their mother on Tumblr called the ultimate enemies-to-lovers? I believe I've already attemped to start season one about ten years ago, but it never clicked. Not to the literal chills as when Spike rolls out on screen in School Hard. 

The first time round I binged only spuffy/Spike-infused episodes, but by s4 inevitably fell in love with the whole show, characters and tone.The show that everyone told me was really good turned out to be really good? Shocking twist! I'm a firm believer that media always found us at the right time, so my way to Buffy was long, but it's ended up being almost as if tailor made for my tastes! Campy, with a delicate balance between drama and humor, telling by a complete accident the story of a couple who respect each other's game even at their worst. 

With fics, I think I started to dig into them halfway through the season 5, cause I'm chill with spoilers. And then, in summer, EF Drabblemania came around, which seemed like a great cure for my burnout and a handy language practice. 

Where do you find inspiration for your stories?

From the most random places, slips of tongue and jokes. My writing is primarily a comedy, at least in the ideas' foundation. The process is usually picking a place in the show's timeline, imagine some "what if" scenario and then dance from there. 

Who is your favorite character to write and why?

Buffy because of her unique way with words. Anya and Harmony, because they always say what's on their mind, even if for different reasons. I want to write for Dru more in the future, cause you can make her babbling as whimsy and gore as you wish.

Which story of yours are you most proud of and which was the hardest to write?

The one I'm the most proud of is Girl's Girl, cause I for once I actually had a plan and finished most of parts before posting. I'm a bit of writting goblin, in a way that I usually have a tone of ideas which I'm greedily sit on and daydream of, but struggle to write it down since it's easily could become a long-term commitment. 

The hardest to write was While You Were Sleuthing, which is by coincidence was a Secret Santa gift for our Commenter of the Month, zinjadu. Naturally, I wished to publish it not the last minute before the deadline and do my very best. However the initial idea kept becoming more and more cumbersome and chaotic, although some pieces of puzzle seemed to be working just fine. Turns out, whoopsie-daisy, they belonged in a completely different plot. Which I ended up finishing on NYE, in between baking Pavlovas and gift wrapping. The lesson here is, I guess, that sometimes it's better to admit defeat sooner and start fresh. 

As a writer, what would you have changed on the show and why?

As much I accept almost anything in canon as a necessary, even if ugly or dumb, part of the journey, I think Seeing Red is way too emotionally sadistic from the credits to the end. More more metaphors please, less on voyeuristic punishments front. 

On a lighter note, I wish we had more fun with college setting! Some weird undead professors, peaceful demons as students, Buffy focusing on some class other than psychology. 

Maybe a proper crossover with ATS, where both teams need to solve the issue together? I wanna see the chaos, I wanna see how's Dawn with everyone, I wanna laugh at some truly random character partnerships. 

Also in s7 I would get rid off all vile priests and hypocritical-cryptic-old-ladies ex machina, to make The First more developed villain and true puppeteer.

We are right there with you on the vile priest (though Nathan Fillion dominated that role really evilly!) and would have fleshed out The First more! And by the way, thank you for being here! You ROCK!

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Next up is our Commenter of the Month: Zinjadu

Tell us how you got into Buffy the show and Buffy fanfic.

I watched the show back in the day, and I read fanfic in uni, but never felt the urge to write. Then back in 2024 I was doing a rewatch for nostalgia enjoyment. Somewhere in season 5, I started digging into AO3 for fanfic because I knew what was going to happen on the show anyhow, and I needed more Buffy (and Spuffy) in my life and brain. And my brain has been on lock ever since. 

What motivates you to leave comments?

Mostly, when an author has done one of two things: 1) hit me in the feels so hard I have to yell at them about it; or 2) have made me laugh. Luckily, that happens pretty frequently! Spuffy is designed for both feels and humor, and there are some great authors out there. It's great to let an author know how well they've done, and to contribute to the community feeling that fanfic has. Fanfic belongs to the whole community, and so taking part in that is part of the fun. 

I also write (answer to the next question), so I know how great it is to get a comment. Sometimes I don't comment as much as I wish I could, but where I can, I know how great it feels to get an effusive and specific comment. All the same, getting hearts or gifs is also fun. :)

Do you also write or are you strictly a reader?

Also a writer, for my sins. ;)

Were you a lurker before you started leaving comments or did you comment right away?

I lurked a little (on AO3), but left comments fairly quickly as I started going through the backlog of fanfic there. I try to be a little more proactive on SAD because the community is more targeted and more closely knit.  

How important is it to receive a reply from the writer when you leave a comment?

It's nice, but not necessary. I know writers are doing their level best to write and do that thing called real life. Sometimes the glut of comments can also be overwhelming (case in point: Short-n-Spuffy; madness, y'all). I don't think I'm ever owed an answer, but they are nice. 

We are so happy to have you here and can't wait to see what else you have up your sleeve in the future! Thanks so much for the wonderful comments!!

And that's a wrap! 
Until next time!
Chelle, Dusty, GetItDone, and GriefCounseling