She Always Wanted to Be Harriet the Spy

[ubimod]

Rating: PG13
Word Count: 875
Characters: Dawn, Tara
Genre:  angst, drama
Disclaimer:  Not mine; no money.
AN: Slightly AU take on ‘Villains’ (front door not wide open when Dawn got home).  Dawn and Tara friendship.

Written for still_grrr and posted there.

Award winner - details here.

Comments

[firefly124]

Oh Gods, even knowing it was coming, that last part just ripped my heart out. Brilliantly done. *sniffles*

[ubiquirk]

Thanks! I'm so glad to hear you liked it and found it moving! I can only imagine what that was like for Dawn, so I tried to make it resonate even more.

[hawkedup]

Wonderful. I really enjoyed this, and I thought the Harriet the Spy thing was clever.

[ubiquirk]

Thanks! It's lovely to hear you enjoyed the fic! Also that the Harriet thing worked - I was trying to add an extra layer to Dawn being the one who finds her.

[anonymous]

Hi

[ubiquirk]

Thanks! I'm so glad you like it and all the foreshadowing in it! I was trying to build that if the front door hadn't been open, something else would make Dawn go looking with unease, though I was also working more on the whole 'do you really want to be the person who finds things all the time' thing

[anonymous]

Hi,

just to let you know that I recc'd this at BBF. I got what you meant about the silence being external. That's patly what I meant about my 'quibble' not taking away from the effectiveness of the writing - ye gods! - the quibbles I have with his Jossness' writing are legion, but they certainly don't minimise the effect his characters have on me.

I've just had this story in my head of little Dawnie sitting in silence, unable to move away from the horror in frontof her, until her big sis arrives... and finally frees her from her - I dunno, I'd almost say coma? Stupor might be a better word, I'm not sure.

I'll try to read 'Braids' asap, but I need to print it up to read it - and that's just not possible on the computer I'm using today. I just hope you get some more readers. Your writing certainly deserves it.

still under Willow & Tara's spell,
Ray (kerkevik@btinternet.com)

[ubiquirk]

I've just had this story in my head of little Dawnie sitting in silence, unable to move away from the horror in frontof her, until her big sis arrives... and finally frees her from her - I dunno, I'd almost say coma? Stupor might be a better word, I'm not sure.

That could happen too, but I guess I like her having more agency than that and choosing to stay with Tara instead of leaving her alone once she'd found her. [Though not together enough to call 911.]

I mentioned Braids because it's got a lot of Dawn.

And thanks for the kind words on the readers. I write in another fandom where I hear a lot more back from people. Writing in BtVS, which is my first love, is a little harder because there's not much feedback to figure out how it's going when I try new things.

[anonymous]

I love reading Dawn fic, and this one is so good because it's her voice and her experience as someone on the outside looking in, wanting to belong. I like how you've paralleled Dawn and Tara and showed how Tara went out of her way to include Dawn, probably because she knew how it felt.

Very emotional and solid work. I loved it. I enjoy it when Dawn is treated as more than an annoying kid.

[ubiquirk]

Thanks! It's wonderful to hear you liked the story and found Dawn's voice in-character! I see her as becoming more mature by that time (and very much so in s7), so I agree that she's more than 'an annoying kid.'

[seraphcelene]

I've seen this rec'd plenty of times and I'm so glad that I finally read it. It's shocking and sad, even though we know what's coming. I really love the way that you build the moment. From the second Dawn opens the door to the moment she finds Tara is a tightening spiral. Really wonderfuljob.

[ubiquirk]

Thanks! I'm so glad you enjoyed this and the way it built to the final moment!