Happy Nearly Birthday to geyer

[talesofspike]

It's that time of year again. A couple of years ago it was The Moonlight Gamblers. Last year it was A Better Reality. This year my offering for the occasion of my beta's birthday is a lot less on the fluffy side. In fact, it may well be the darkest fic I've written so far, but I'm hoping she'll like it anyway. Happy Birthday -3 to geyer! Chapter 2 to

Comments

[zanthinegirl]

Good Lord, you need to be inspired to write "dark" often! This is wonderful. I'm a big fan of season 4, but particularly of this arc. I love the way you capture the disconnected, distrustful mood of the MOG in this period. And you make me want to smack Connor, or possibly hug him. Come to think of it, that's about par for the course! Great Gunn; I really bought his brief appearance.

I love Faith's "Lack of hygiene world" line from "Orpheus"; it blends seamlessly into her dialog in your AU. Very nicely done!

I like the look and Wes's childhood-- worse than I pictured. The curtains and bucket are chilling; very nicely thought out details. Yikes! And I love Angel sizzling as he immaterially drifts though the walls. Great touch!

She stepped through into a garden with neatly trimmed herbaceous borders and flowers that didn't dare do anything but grow straight and upright. Great detail; and exactly what I picture too

[talesofspike]

Good Lord, you need to be inspired to write "dark" often! This is wonderful. I'm a big fan of season 4, but particularly of this arc. I love the way you capture the disconnected, distrustful mood of the MOG in this period. And you make me want to smack Connor, or possibly hug him. Come to think of it, that's about par for the course! Great Gunn; I really bought his brief appearance.

Okay, before I forget... MOG??? Lol! Not sure how good it would be for my sanity writing 'dark' a lot, but I can manage a few chapters now and then. For some reason, when Chris asked for Wes, this was what I found myself drawn to. I could have written something nice and fluffy from the SWBD 'verse but this was the story that wanted to be told. Connor, have to admit, almost straight out of the transcript... As was almost all the Gunn...

I love Faith's "Lack of hygiene world" line from "Orpheus"; it blends seamlessly into her dialog in your AU. Very nicely done! Again, it blends because it's mostly as it happened. With these sort of things, where you're

[zanthinegirl]

Hee-- MOG= "Ministers of Grace" as in "Angels and ministers of grace, defend us". The MOG thing is from the old Television without pity Angel boards-- I used to hang out there back in the day (before the reviews from season 5-- the reviewer hated Spike, and it bugged me. Loved the snark, but it had stopped being funny by that point). Why yes, I am a huge geek! It's how I've always thought of Angel's gang; didn't remember that you were originally primarily a BtVS fan. I was always bi-fanual!

I remembered the cupboard, but hadn't put it together with the bucket scene. BTW that's one of my favorite Wes scenes-- absolutely chilling. Eep!

I've pretty much taken some guesses and filled in the blanks. It's not pretty by a long shot but hopefully it'll feel 'real'.

I think that's what fan fiction ideally should do; expand canon (the cupboard, or the alcoholic mom) into logical speculation (the bucket connection; the dead father) and go from there. That it's so well thought out here is part of the brilliance; it's seamless and

[talesofspike]

Lol! I've always watched Angel since it started, but I never had the urge to check out any of the 'chatty rooms' or anything and I never really read much in the way of fanfic, despite crossing over into LALA land a few times myself, and once I kidnapped Wes and brought him back to Sunnydale I had the most interesting character, anyway.

Bad reviewer. I hope the Spike fans all rallied to his defence.

Yep, there's something worrying about a guy who can keep someone locked in a cupboard.

Here's hoping that it's all still making sense when you get to chapter 4... assuming I get to chapter 4...

[zanthinegirl]

I have to admit that I didn't really get "into" Wes until her got dark. I actually sort of resented him at first-- I blamed him for Doyle dying. I loved Doyle!

So I have to admit that I have a hard time seeing Wes as anythig but dark...

[talesofspike]

Right there with you... Pout!