Yahtzee
Yay for Yahtzee! A Joyce story that I actually like. More than like, actually. We saw the fight between Joyce and Buffy in Becoming, and we saw Joyce's tearful discovery of Buffy's goodbye letter. Yahtzee gives us the next day, as Joyce struggles to understand all that has been kept from her. But it's more than that. Yahtzee uses details like a master chef uses seasonings. Joyce's tomboy childhood, the seventeen-year-old daughter who leaves the curling iron on every morning but saves lives every night, and Xander's broken arm are given to us in just the right amounts and in just the right places.
"Named" is another look at the dividing line between Buffy Summers the girl and Buffy the Slayer, this time through a lover's eyes. He is her companion in the hunt, her physical release in bed, but is he anything else? We've seen Buffy's attitude towards slaying change over the years, and we're learning of the personal cost she pays. "Named" hints at the price that others pay for her devotion to her Calling - the terrible joy as well as the loneliness. (This story was recommended to me months ago, but I forgot by whom. If it was you - thank you!)
I have to say that in "Phoenix Burning", Yahtzee has written one of the best Buffy characterizations I've ever read. And on top of that, she's introduced an entire cast of original characters who are engaging and whole. This is a great story and a fun read - dark in places, funny in others, and totally enjoyable.
Continuing her history of excellence, Yahtzee gives us "Captive of the Soul". This story won the (TDSoS sponsored) Black Onyx Award for Outstanding Darkfic in the 2001 Undead Awards. It's wonderful - chilling and funny and creepy.