Gyaaaahhh, I finally finished reading! Fortunately no tornadoes struck during my enjoyment of the completed fic! :D
This? Well, it was just great. Congratulations to you for doing such a brilliant job with your first action/adventure outing! It was exciting and suspenseful from the start, great pacing and edge-of-your-seat situations for the characters which mirrored the emotional upheaval they were experiencing at the same time. I was also damn impressed with your research. I know you are a stickler and you know I spend a lot of time researching even when information won't make it into the body of a fic, but there was so much content woven into this that it really made it obvious how hard you worked. From the Icelandic geology/geography to the details about ice climbing equipment, Paris-y things, mythology things and all the rest... research FTW!
The Buffy/Giles relationship is handled so well here; the animosity they felt at the beginning of the fic was palpable and well-characterized, and you worked them through their uncertainties and stubbornness very skilfully. You always do so well with the dialogue between these two, I can hear it quite clearly in my head! In the end, I think you were correct when you surmised that they needed to take that physical step to cement their relationship and really be secure in their togetherness. And it's quite lovely to imagine them living in Paris together! Giles will just have to switch himself onto Mariage Frères tea. LUCKY BOY!
In other news, Dawn and Ethan BroTP! That was a masterstroke, what you did there with the mythology of Janus. Like, duh, why didn't anyone notice that before?! And hey, having more Ethan around is never a bad thing-- I'm sure it will drive Buffy and Giles absolutely crazy when he pops up to sprinkle a little Chaos into everybody's lives from time to time while he's being all godfatherly with Dawn. Just think of all the terrible ideas that Ethan might have concerning what that entails... hopefully nobody will lose any limbs! <333333
That's about it, I guess! Hope you are okay with a mega-comment, because I had a lot to say. You deserve giant paragraphs full of praise and other goodness. This was awesome!
Thank you! I am very proud of it. Yeah, I usually write about places I've been if I stick them in some place other than Sunnydale, but this time I broke my own rule doing so and set the fic in Iceland. The research was a lot of fun though and now I have an itinerary for when I do go. Think I will avoid the glacier though. LOL
I'm glad you thought so too, regarding the physical step. I had originally intended that the fic be rated T, but I just couldn't bridge the gap. In my opinion, so many words had been spoken before, such bad things in the past, that words sort of didn't have the weight that actions did. And it was throughout the fic that the actions brought them closer. Words kept them apart. So, when it came time for them to commit to their feelings, they needed to show each other. After that, the words had weight. And I felt it important that Giles give up his place near the Council for her, since he chose the Council over her before. So yes, a Paris romance. :)
Ah, I am so glad you pointed that out. What I did with Dawn and Janus. I was quite proud of that. And it was so tough keeping that close when I would talk about the fic. And yeah, Ethan as Dawn's godfather/brother through Janus, such fun. Also known as "how to piss Buffy and Giles off in less than ten seconds flat". But, it ensures everyone's safety. He'll watch over Dawn in New York without her knowing. And I am sure he'll still find ways drive the Watcher and Slayer crazy at family functions.
Thanks for the comments! I am so glad you came along for the ride! :)
This? Well, it was just great. Congratulations to you for doing such a brilliant job with your first action/adventure outing! It was exciting and suspenseful from the start, great pacing and edge-of-your-seat situations for the characters which mirrored the emotional upheaval they were experiencing at the same time. I was also damn impressed with your research. I know you are a stickler and you know I spend a lot of time researching even when information won't make it into the body of a fic, but there was so much content woven into this that it really made it obvious how hard you worked. From the Icelandic geology/geography to the details about ice climbing equipment, Paris-y things, mythology things and all the rest... research FTW!
The Buffy/Giles relationship is handled so well here; the animosity they felt at the beginning of the fic was palpable and well-characterized, and you worked them through their uncertainties and stubbornness very skilfully. You always do so well with the dialogue between these two, I can hear it quite clearly in my head! In the end, I think you were correct when you surmised that they needed to take that physical step to cement their relationship and really be secure in their togetherness. And it's quite lovely to imagine them living in Paris together! Giles will just have to switch himself onto Mariage Frères tea. LUCKY BOY!
In other news, Dawn and Ethan BroTP! That was a masterstroke, what you did there with the mythology of Janus. Like, duh, why didn't anyone notice that before?! And hey, having more Ethan around is never a bad thing-- I'm sure it will drive Buffy and Giles absolutely crazy when he pops up to sprinkle a little Chaos into everybody's lives from time to time while he's being all godfatherly with Dawn. Just think of all the terrible ideas that Ethan might have concerning what that entails... hopefully nobody will lose any limbs! <333333
That's about it, I guess! Hope you are okay with a mega-comment, because I had a lot to say. You deserve giant paragraphs full of praise and other goodness. This was awesome!
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Thank you! I am very proud of it. Yeah, I usually write about places I've been if I stick them in some place other than Sunnydale, but this time I broke my own rule doing so and set the fic in Iceland. The research was a lot of fun though and now I have an itinerary for when I do go. Think I will avoid the glacier though. LOL
I'm glad you thought so too, regarding the physical step. I had originally intended that the fic be rated T, but I just couldn't bridge the gap. In my opinion, so many words had been spoken before, such bad things in the past, that words sort of didn't have the weight that actions did. And it was throughout the fic that the actions brought them closer. Words kept them apart. So, when it came time for them to commit to their feelings, they needed to show each other. After that, the words had weight. And I felt it important that Giles give up his place near the Council for her, since he chose the Council over her before. So yes, a Paris romance. :)
Ah, I am so glad you pointed that out. What I did with Dawn and Janus. I was quite proud of that. And it was so tough keeping that close when I would talk about the fic. And yeah, Ethan as Dawn's godfather/brother through Janus, such fun. Also known as "how to piss Buffy and Giles off in less than ten seconds flat". But, it ensures everyone's safety. He'll watch over Dawn in New York without her knowing. And I am sure he'll still find ways drive the Watcher and Slayer crazy at family functions.
Thanks for the comments! I am so glad you came along for the ride! :)
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