What I Read on Friday (6/6) - BA, original fic pimping
Didn't read a lot of stuff Friday. See, I forgot to go to bed Thursday night ... fell asleep with a long nap in the evening, woke up at 3:30am to feed the cats and do my meds, then stayed up till after breakfast, then crashed after The Sentinel. Slept on and off the rest of the day/evening. So, first I finished reading "Fifteen Years" by imajiru (see previous post), then I played on LiveJournal a bit (posting, commenting, making a poll, answering questions).
So, I really ended up reading only one other (long) fanfic story. So, a bit longer commentary about this one because ... well, because I got carried away. Oh, and pimping of original fiction by myself and a friend at the end. Because -- well, because it's my journal. *grin*
Buffy-verse: Spike/Xander
Who Wants to Live Forever, chapters 1-16 *WIP*
by metaforgirl
I've been seeing mentions of this story in different journals lately. I was just about to make one of those plaintive requests for a link when somebody (I don't remember who now) posted the link in their journal. So I bopped over there and started reading. Future fic, and goes AU sometime during/after season 6, I think.
I have to admit that my inner Xander picture is a bit more idealized than the fucked-up, all-to-human king of denial that Xander is in this story. And, I was disturbed by this Xander at first. But then, slowly, I began to see the sweet side of him underneath all the BS. It was probably through Spike's POV, thinking back to why he fell for Xander, that did it. Now, this Spike, on the other hand, is a bit too sweet. Yeah, souled version, understood. But he's such an emotional pushover, let's Xander use him as a doormat for so long. It -- hurt, watching Spike go through that, watching Xander *do* that. And then there's Xander's health. I have a hard time relaxing into smut and general activities of life when there's a health threat that huge going on. I want it *dealt with*, dammit. At least via conversation, telling one's nearest and dearest what's been going on. At least that's begun now. But the tension of waiting for it to happen really distracted me from losing myself fully into the story. (Note: This is a personal taste/quirk, not a flaw of the writing. I've had the same thing happen to me in other stories -- including when I read The Lord of the Rings trilogy once the gang split off in different directions. *arrrgh*)
I'm also not sure about the use of the rest of the cast. Willow in particular feels very one-dimensional and not much like an older version of the character I know from the series. Her appearances thus far have been fairly brief, though, so maybe this will improve if she gets a larger chunk of the action. Then there's the casual use of the fanon convention of "claiming, marking, mating", partly as a D/s kink, partly as a bit of half-legendary vampire lore, partly as a plot twist. I rather *like* this particular bit of fanon, but I've read many posts from people who don't (or, maybe, who don't want to *admit* they get into/off on it...). I'm also a bit irritated with the unreasonable, arbitrary, dictatorial, officious, lunatic-fringe, accidentally eVILE Watchers Council -- but I'm pretty sure I'm *supposed* to be irritated by them.
Story structure -- eh, it's hard to pace a story well when it's a WIP. Letting people read an in-progress story can be a bit like letting your party guests into the house before you've finished cleaning, cooking, and getting dressed. So I can't really fault the author for a few creaky and confusing structural moments, though I want to warn that they're there. Mostly, it's awkward transitions with flashbacks, of which there are quite a few. Or a few lengthy ones, or-- See, I got confused.
Still, for all the caveats I've listed (and likely a few more that I'm forgetting), I'm looking forward to the next section. Because the author *does* know how to create tension and suspense, drops cool little hints of coming complications and build them from hints into major plot points, and because, even though *her* vision of Spike and Xander is different from *my* vision of them, her portrayal of them is consistent and supported by her backstory. All hail the judicious use of good backstory! Long may it be spun into long and complex stories!
And I'm a sucker for a love story.
**very recommended, with caveats**
__________________________________________________
pimping:Been reading some original fiction over at phoenix_tales. I have a hard time keeping up with most original fiction being written by my friends list (suspect there's an essay there about the why's of this). The difference with the Phoenix Tales stories is that Ben used to be my co-writer, so I know some of the characters and part of the story already. Plus, we're still the closest thing either of us has to a "writing buddy", which is different from a co-writer. It's somebody you bounce ideas off of (plot, characters, whatever), do reciprocal beta/editing stuff for/with, and generally poke with a pointed stick to improve productivity. It only works so far, since Ben and I are both masters of procrastination. But we're trying.
Anyway, right now Phoenix Tales is friends-locked. The story is in rough draft form, just beginning to take shape as he writes, and he's really looking for some constructive feedback, to improve his writing and the story, but also to encourage him to write more. A worthy goal and one I definitely understand. The story is an urban fantasy with some horror elements.
So, if you're interested, just drop Ben a note (at gayphoenixkc@aol.com) and he'll add you to the journal's friends list.
For that matter, if you've feeling especially generous, my own original fiction can be found over at carons_crossing (urban fantasy mixed with dark fantasy, horror, science fiction, and other stuff), and at djinanna_fic (classic fantasy -or- urban fantasy -or-science fiction). I'm trying to break past a writers block that predates my illness and which is hanging on most stubbornly. I'm not very productive and, like most writers I know, would benefit from some encouragement. Not that some people aren't already *trying* to encourage me, but a few more wouldn't hurt, eh?
Thanks for your indulgence.
/pimping
So, I really ended up reading only one other (long) fanfic story. So, a bit longer commentary about this one because ... well, because I got carried away. Oh, and pimping of original fiction by myself and a friend at the end. Because -- well, because it's my journal. *grin*
Buffy-verse: Spike/Xander
Who Wants to Live Forever, chapters 1-16 *WIP*
by metaforgirl
I've been seeing mentions of this story in different journals lately. I was just about to make one of those plaintive requests for a link when somebody (I don't remember who now) posted the link in their journal. So I bopped over there and started reading. Future fic, and goes AU sometime during/after season 6, I think.
I have to admit that my inner Xander picture is a bit more idealized than the fucked-up, all-to-human king of denial that Xander is in this story. And, I was disturbed by this Xander at first. But then, slowly, I began to see the sweet side of him underneath all the BS. It was probably through Spike's POV, thinking back to why he fell for Xander, that did it. Now, this Spike, on the other hand, is a bit too sweet. Yeah, souled version, understood. But he's such an emotional pushover, let's Xander use him as a doormat for so long. It -- hurt, watching Spike go through that, watching Xander *do* that. And then there's Xander's health. I have a hard time relaxing into smut and general activities of life when there's a health threat that huge going on. I want it *dealt with*, dammit. At least via conversation, telling one's nearest and dearest what's been going on. At least that's begun now. But the tension of waiting for it to happen really distracted me from losing myself fully into the story. (Note: This is a personal taste/quirk, not a flaw of the writing. I've had the same thing happen to me in other stories -- including when I read The Lord of the Rings trilogy once the gang split off in different directions. *arrrgh*)
I'm also not sure about the use of the rest of the cast. Willow in particular feels very one-dimensional and not much like an older version of the character I know from the series. Her appearances thus far have been fairly brief, though, so maybe this will improve if she gets a larger chunk of the action. Then there's the casual use of the fanon convention of "claiming, marking, mating", partly as a D/s kink, partly as a bit of half-legendary vampire lore, partly as a plot twist. I rather *like* this particular bit of fanon, but I've read many posts from people who don't (or, maybe, who don't want to *admit* they get into/off on it...). I'm also a bit irritated with the unreasonable, arbitrary, dictatorial, officious, lunatic-fringe, accidentally eVILE Watchers Council -- but I'm pretty sure I'm *supposed* to be irritated by them.
Story structure -- eh, it's hard to pace a story well when it's a WIP. Letting people read an in-progress story can be a bit like letting your party guests into the house before you've finished cleaning, cooking, and getting dressed. So I can't really fault the author for a few creaky and confusing structural moments, though I want to warn that they're there. Mostly, it's awkward transitions with flashbacks, of which there are quite a few. Or a few lengthy ones, or-- See, I got confused.
Still, for all the caveats I've listed (and likely a few more that I'm forgetting), I'm looking forward to the next section. Because the author *does* know how to create tension and suspense, drops cool little hints of coming complications and build them from hints into major plot points, and because, even though *her* vision of Spike and Xander is different from *my* vision of them, her portrayal of them is consistent and supported by her backstory. All hail the judicious use of good backstory! Long may it be spun into long and complex stories!
And I'm a sucker for a love story.
**very recommended, with caveats**
__________________________________________________
pimping:Been reading some original fiction over at phoenix_tales. I have a hard time keeping up with most original fiction being written by my friends list (suspect there's an essay there about the why's of this). The difference with the Phoenix Tales stories is that Ben used to be my co-writer, so I know some of the characters and part of the story already. Plus, we're still the closest thing either of us has to a "writing buddy", which is different from a co-writer. It's somebody you bounce ideas off of (plot, characters, whatever), do reciprocal beta/editing stuff for/with, and generally poke with a pointed stick to improve productivity. It only works so far, since Ben and I are both masters of procrastination. But we're trying.
Anyway, right now Phoenix Tales is friends-locked. The story is in rough draft form, just beginning to take shape as he writes, and he's really looking for some constructive feedback, to improve his writing and the story, but also to encourage him to write more. A worthy goal and one I definitely understand. The story is an urban fantasy with some horror elements.
So, if you're interested, just drop Ben a note (at gayphoenixkc@aol.com) and he'll add you to the journal's friends list.
For that matter, if you've feeling especially generous, my own original fiction can be found over at carons_crossing (urban fantasy mixed with dark fantasy, horror, science fiction, and other stuff), and at djinanna_fic (classic fantasy -or- urban fantasy -or-science fiction). I'm trying to break past a writers block that predates my illness and which is hanging on most stubbornly. I'm not very productive and, like most writers I know, would benefit from some encouragement. Not that some people aren't already *trying* to encourage me, but a few more wouldn't hurt, eh?
Thanks for your indulgence.
/pimping