Drabbles - Nineteen Days

[eowyn_315]

Another one from the depths of the WIP folder. This is actually from a post-"Chosen" fic I wrote years ago, and reading it over now, OMG it's the sappiest, most saccharine thing EVER. slaymesoftly actually said she couldn't believe I wrote it. I'm having trouble believing it myself. (Someday, if I feel like being self-deprecating, maybe I'll post some passages

Comments

[xc_runner50]

Oh wow what a fantastic set of drabbles...poor Buffy only getting 19 days.

[eowyn_315]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

[brunettepet]

This sharply written set of drabbles paints a vivid picture of the aftermath of "Chosen." Bufy's emotional state is always just under the surface until the tsunami of grief in VI, then it's all pushed back down as she's forced to soldier on.

The last line is fantastic. You actually make me feel for Buffy in her new role. Who wants to be the old lady to a bunch of upstarts?

[eowyn_315]

Thanks for the comments! I wasn't sure how many people would get the last line - it's actually a reference to the season 8 comics, where Buffy says, "Everybody calls me ma'am these days." Kind of the first sign of her new life. But I figured the imagery of Buffy being set apart from the other Slayers worked regardless of whether you read the comics. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[servus_a_manu]

I should probably qualify my comment first by saying that I haven't read everything you've ever posted.

Of what I have read, which is a lot, this is the most visceral, the most immediate in terms of connecting me -the reader- with the Buffy on the page.

Maybe it's the medium; drabbles by definition have to pack a swifter punch. But these in particular convey a willingness to sift through uncertainty until character is found. Whether that was your intention with the characterization, or a reflection of where you were as an author when the material was originally written I don't know. Either way, it's very effective.

brunettepet is right, all are sharply written, but III and VIII were my favorites, for purely selfish reasons.

[eowyn_315]

Wow, what a thought-provoking comment! I don't know if this sheds any light on the subject, but drabbles I, II, V, and VI were the ones that came from the original fic (sometimes almost verbatim), and the others I wrote over the last couple days to fill in the gaps and round out the story.

I kind of see it as a bell curve of sorts - Buffy starts out emotionally withdrawn, and gradually she works her way up to spilling that grief, only to be forced to tamp it down and put up a strong front for the Slayers. It's like she's right back where she started. Buffy thought the empowerment spell would change her life, but she doesn't seem to have any more freedom or less responsibility than she did when she was the one and only.

Also, because I'm curious - what are these "selfish reasons" of yours? :)

[servus_a_manu]

Mere projection, my dear. I've experienced those things myself, and if you're going to express it in as few as 100 words, then what you have here is a very accurate encapsulation of how it works.

[eowyn_315]

Ah. Well, thank you!

[louise39]

The drabbles have a staccato feel. Quick and punched out.
Buffy and the aftermath.

Like #6. Buffy had to admit, when she came up with the idea, she hadn’t thought this far ahead

[eowyn_315]

Thank you! I thought those who criticized Buffy's decision as not well thought-out might appreciate that line. :)

[rebcake]

Days 12 & 13 must've been harsh. You don't say, but she probably didn't let her friends (or Angel) in for that, either. Sigh. So heartbreaking, all of these. As you say, she makes no progress, no new connections. Net: zero, for Buffy. But the sun keeps shining. Well done.

[eowyn_315]

Yeah... I leave that to your imagination. :) In the original fic, Angel was actually there when she broke down and cried, but this has a very different feel to it, so she goes through it alone. Thanks for commenting!