As an avid fanfic reader, I have acquired a certain amount of things that irk me when reading a fiction piece_bad grammar and spelling, for example, but I refuse to turn into an English teacher for you. No, above even this simple irk comes the mother of all importance: Characterization. Even the man himself, Mr. Joss Whedon, has gone on record saying he chooses characters over plot, and I have to heartily agree. The characters of BtVS and Angel are all well developed, complex and wholly realistic beings that deserved to be treated as such; unfortunately, many writers out there bungle up the character's traits while writing their fic, and most of these bungles are easily avoidable. So, in the ever-loving tradition, I have compiled short lists of what to do and what not to do, when writing Spike and Tara. I am by no means trying to insult people by my above statements by the way, I'm just trying to help the fic writers of the world who want to improve their skills.

When Writing Spike, DON'T:

1) Force British slang out of his mouth.

Yes, Spike is British (and just for reference, his accent is North London_unless you're writing in the past as his human self. William spoke with a softer, upper class London accent) and your audience will know he is British. This means that every other word out of his mouth will not be: bloody, ponce, nonce, soddin', effin', shagging, etc, etc. The British slang is a colorful addition, but if you don't know it well, it's better to leave it out than use it incorrectly.

2) Force Scooby slang out of his mouth.

Spike is still British here, he's not going to ask "what's the what" or say something like "color me confused", with the possible exception of mocking someone. Any type of slang is important, especially for Spike, because his language is different than most of the other characters on BtVS.

3) Let Spike start hurting humans again without an extremely good explanation.

And I do mean extremely. Ideas such as the chip crapping out or kidnapping a doctor to get it out don't cut it anymore; the show has pretty much nixed them.

When Writing Tara, DON'T:

1) Force the girl to stutter all the time.

Tara rarely stutters anymore to begin with, and when she does, it isn't much, and the emotions are running high. If you're writing an earlier Tara, when she did stutter, keep in mind what she usually stuttered on. In this blonde's case, it was small words (a, I, the) Ws (witch, would) and Cs (can, case).

2) Make her Uber Wicca Wielding Chick.

It's canon that Willow had more power than Tara, and that Tara rarely uses her magic for more than Scooby related purposes. (Remember, she and Wills are on the outs because Willow used the magic too much, so Tara definitely isn't going to go overboard on it)

3) Use the "I'm cured, I want boys now!" mentality if giving Tara a Het partner.

I guess this Don't is a little more opinionated than the others, but I think it's pretty tacky. Give an explanation as to why Tara's with a guy (in the case of this website, Spike). Has she always been bisexual, and it's just never come up? Has she had a mentality of simply not labeling herself to a specific sexuality? Is she with this guy just for the experience of being with a guy, or for comfort sex? If not something like this, then Tara's probably going to have some original reserves and self-doubts about a relationship with a man, and this should definitely be addressed.

When Writing Spike, DO:

1) Know your background on Spike's life.

We now know when he was sired and by whom, and what he was like as a human. It's official canon, people, so use it to your advantage. If you're going to veer from this canon, please give a very good explanation. (The only one I can see in this case is that you're working with an AU)

2) Be bold when writing Spike's character.

He is one of the most complex on the show, so allow him depth and don't restrict him to a stereotype. This isn't a license to make him bipolar but it is a suggestion to look beyond the crust of his character and take into account all of his sides. Yes, he can be a ruthless killer, but he also lets women use and abuse him, remember this kind of stuff.

3) Let Spike get in a spot of violence when the occasion arises, but write fights realistically.

He's a vampire, and a decently old one, but he can probably only take on what Buffy could, as best. This means no "Spike massacres a platoon's worth of demons" or "the fledging newbie vamp kicks Spike's booty". As with most things, there can be exceptions to this, but as a general rule, Spike can realistically take on a few vampires on at once, or a demon or two. Not much more without help.

When Writing Tara, DO:

1) Let the girl have a backbone.

Tara is not by any means a weak or submissive character; she is shy around new people and in public, but that does not equate into someone that can be walked on. We have recently seen very strong evidence of Tara's firmness and strength, so unless you're writing a fic that takes place in her past, let her be that character.

2) Feel free to give Tara a more fleshed out background, but always (and I do mean ALWAYS) stick with the canon the show has given us. Her mother cannot suddenly be alive, or her brother suddenly not exist. (Again, the only exception to this an AU)

3) Reference magic if the need arises, but do your research on it first. It's okay to make up your own spells and magical items, but you still need some research in order to make sure what you're writing sounds plausible. Tara's a Wicca gal, which is a religious practice as well, and there are plenty of sites that are dedicated to giving information on the subject, so utilize them if you need to. ( http://wiccacenter.net is a great place to start; it's a Wicca information search engine.)