New Fic, A Rec, Some Blathering
The parents are still with me but they've taken themselves out for the day so I've got some time to myself *happy sigh* Even when they're not being hard work it's still hard work because I'm on tenterhooks waiting for them to become hard work... if you know what I'm saying. Anyway, I have two new Spuffy fics from seasonal_spuffy to present to you all (or those of you who haven't already seen them...)
Reciprocal [LJ] | [AO3] | [EF]
Buffy/Spike, NC-17, ~10,000 words
S4, goes AU during Harsh Light of Day but set mostly post-Hush. What it all came down to, Giles told her, was that claims were largely thought to be fiction these days, and even then no one had ever heard of it happening in such a manner. Warnings: dubious consent due to sex magic/claim, cliché-wallowing, kink
Making It [LJ] | [AO3] | [EF]
Buffy/Spike (Joyce/Hank), PG, ~1,500 words
Positive thoughts bring positive results, that’s what Joyce always used to tell the girls. It’s her polished-up, momish version of ‘fake it until you make it’. (Coda to Reciprocal)
The first one, as I've already written about at length, was a bit of a pig. I wanted sexytimes and I couldn't figure out where all the plot was coming from. But in the end I think it came out well, and the plot supports the porn, which probably makes for a better reading experience. The kink aspect seems to have gone down well, too, which makes me happy! The second one was a bit of a surprise as it started off as a 600 word round-up scene at the end of Reciprocal, got cut for being a lame attempt at fixing the end (it needed a different fix, as it happened), and was left languishing for a few days with the vague plan to clean it up and post as a little extra on free for all day. Then I kept hearing yavannie82's voice in my head, telling me to resist making every peripheral character only ever think or talk about the main couple, and so sat down on Friday evening (the parents safely tucked up in bed) with a glass of wine and the intent of making Joyce her own character. Once started, it came surprisingly easily and I realised that, actually, we do know quite a bit about her, for the amount of time she was on screen, and inferring other details seemed to come naturally. It was fun, is what I'm saying, and I really enjoyed writing in her headspace :)
This is the first time I've participated in seasonal_spuffy, but it seemed to me like a very successful round -- there was so much Spuffy goodness I haven't managed to check it all out yet, but I can't help but rave a little about By the Click of Someone Else's Slippers by Quinara [NC-17, ~33k].It's set in S6, just barely pre-Smashed, when Buffy is at her inarticulate worst and Spike is... well, Spike's disappeared actually, into another dimension where he feels this weird compulsion to rescue animals. He has no memory of Sunnydale, or Buffy (the Sunnydale slayer in this dimension will make you cackle with delight), so when Buffy comes to bring him back he can't help but wonder - why? The thing I love about this story, besides the stunning prose and subtle, subtle character work, is that we get to see Spike meet Buffy again for the first time, and watching him try to figure out both her and their relationship (about which she's being characteristically tight-lipped) is a complete pleasure. Getting to see Spike turn his perceptive mind to the problem of Buffy without prior knowledge or prejudice is incredibly interesting and stunningly well-written. Just, mmmmmph. Go read.
I've been suffering mildly the last week or so with a cough/cold thing that's had me lose my voice almost completely (yes, it has already been pointed out how suspicious the timing is with my parents' visit, har hardy har) so last night while I was spluttering away and generally failing to sleep, I started reading through some of the comments I've been left on various stories on EF - I ended up reading them for about an hour, and by the end, I felt so inspired I re-read the last chapter of The Soul Lies Down before spending another hour or so scribbing down notes for the next chapter. Chapter 9 is troublesome because I know the story needs it, but it was not in any version of any plan for the story (much revised as it has been) and all my notes and Big Ideas are for the subsequent chapter (Adult!Dawn's return, if that's of interest, though I serverly doubt anyone but me even remembers the plot after so long D:) Maybe I needed... uh... seven months of space to figure it out. Anyway, I finally have a structure for it! *air punch* That's not to say anything's going to be forthcoming soon, because I know better, and my brain is a bit all over the place at the moment (I also have an outline for a third story in the S4-verse above) but this is still a major break-through and I will do my best to get it done before the next round of IVF knocks me flat.
And now, to go reply to some of those more recent comments :) Happy Monday, all.
Reciprocal [LJ] | [AO3] | [EF]
Buffy/Spike, NC-17, ~10,000 words
S4, goes AU during Harsh Light of Day but set mostly post-Hush. What it all came down to, Giles told her, was that claims were largely thought to be fiction these days, and even then no one had ever heard of it happening in such a manner. Warnings: dubious consent due to sex magic/claim, cliché-wallowing, kink
Making It [LJ] | [AO3] | [EF]
Buffy/Spike (Joyce/Hank), PG, ~1,500 words
Positive thoughts bring positive results, that’s what Joyce always used to tell the girls. It’s her polished-up, momish version of ‘fake it until you make it’. (Coda to Reciprocal)
The first one, as I've already written about at length, was a bit of a pig. I wanted sexytimes and I couldn't figure out where all the plot was coming from. But in the end I think it came out well, and the plot supports the porn, which probably makes for a better reading experience. The kink aspect seems to have gone down well, too, which makes me happy! The second one was a bit of a surprise as it started off as a 600 word round-up scene at the end of Reciprocal, got cut for being a lame attempt at fixing the end (it needed a different fix, as it happened), and was left languishing for a few days with the vague plan to clean it up and post as a little extra on free for all day. Then I kept hearing yavannie82's voice in my head, telling me to resist making every peripheral character only ever think or talk about the main couple, and so sat down on Friday evening (the parents safely tucked up in bed) with a glass of wine and the intent of making Joyce her own character. Once started, it came surprisingly easily and I realised that, actually, we do know quite a bit about her, for the amount of time she was on screen, and inferring other details seemed to come naturally. It was fun, is what I'm saying, and I really enjoyed writing in her headspace :)
This is the first time I've participated in seasonal_spuffy, but it seemed to me like a very successful round -- there was so much Spuffy goodness I haven't managed to check it all out yet, but I can't help but rave a little about By the Click of Someone Else's Slippers by Quinara [NC-17, ~33k].It's set in S6, just barely pre-Smashed, when Buffy is at her inarticulate worst and Spike is... well, Spike's disappeared actually, into another dimension where he feels this weird compulsion to rescue animals. He has no memory of Sunnydale, or Buffy (the Sunnydale slayer in this dimension will make you cackle with delight), so when Buffy comes to bring him back he can't help but wonder - why? The thing I love about this story, besides the stunning prose and subtle, subtle character work, is that we get to see Spike meet Buffy again for the first time, and watching him try to figure out both her and their relationship (about which she's being characteristically tight-lipped) is a complete pleasure. Getting to see Spike turn his perceptive mind to the problem of Buffy without prior knowledge or prejudice is incredibly interesting and stunningly well-written. Just, mmmmmph. Go read.
I've been suffering mildly the last week or so with a cough/cold thing that's had me lose my voice almost completely (yes, it has already been pointed out how suspicious the timing is with my parents' visit, har hardy har) so last night while I was spluttering away and generally failing to sleep, I started reading through some of the comments I've been left on various stories on EF - I ended up reading them for about an hour, and by the end, I felt so inspired I re-read the last chapter of The Soul Lies Down before spending another hour or so scribbing down notes for the next chapter. Chapter 9 is troublesome because I know the story needs it, but it was not in any version of any plan for the story (much revised as it has been) and all my notes and Big Ideas are for the subsequent chapter (Adult!Dawn's return, if that's of interest, though I serverly doubt anyone but me even remembers the plot after so long D:) Maybe I needed... uh... seven months of space to figure it out. Anyway, I finally have a structure for it! *air punch* That's not to say anything's going to be forthcoming soon, because I know better, and my brain is a bit all over the place at the moment (I also have an outline for a third story in the S4-verse above) but this is still a major break-through and I will do my best to get it done before the next round of IVF knocks me flat.
And now, to go reply to some of those more recent comments :) Happy Monday, all.