I AM EVIL...ask anybody...

[rabid1st]

Okay...so I was just sitting there throwing darts at a picture of Joss Whedon when he struck back at me hard by pointing out that I am just as evil as he is. "You are evil, too," he said. "Let me show you how evil you can be!" And so I wrote out this part to Sweet Spot AU and sent it off to my Beta Babes.

And there was a great wailing and gnashing of teeth...as the extent of my wickedness became apparent.

And then bluefern wrote some happy feedback to me...and...now I am thinking...I don't want to be so very evil.

So, basically, I wasted three days on a chapter that will never see the light of day...and that's a shame if you like pain and angst...'cause ALLY? CAIA? Can I get an AMEN on the level of painful, angsty hotness of this lost chapter?

SIGH! I suppose...however that my Beta Babes have a point...Sweet Spot AU is about healing...if only Joss had had Beta Babes to step in and verbally bludgeon him every so often...maybe he too would be able to control his evil tendencies.

Rae
feeling chipped but like a better person...you know?

Things I have to do:

1) Read Orbis
2) Read 2 Caia Essays
3) Start Ficcing for my Mistress Kes
4) Think about SS-AU 7
5) Finish out the day at work (no...wait...that maybe should come first).

Comments

[zyrya]

Nooooo!!! Evil is good! Gah! I LOVED the chapter!

clasps chapter to her bosom

And there's oodles of healing in it. Of course, I'd have to see how it is integrated into the rest of the story, as it's disorienting to leap ahead like that, but still!

SEND FEEDBACK SOON

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

Or as soon as you have E-MAIL...as I also felt the healing...and such...but then...

I know what else is happening. The concern of my other Beta Babes...is that Buffy will not be able to recover from this...

I, too, clasp the chapter to my bosom...cause it was such a joy to write.

But you must admit...EVIL and PAINFUL too.

Rae
not wanting to give too many details here...because chapter is so far away in context...we will reassess when we are closer to it I think...

Re: SEND FEEDBACK SOON

[thisficklemob.livejournal.com]

Okeedoke. As you know, part of my Issue was a misunderstanding about the current State of Affairs when that chapter happens. And yeah, further context could make or break it.

Re: SEND FEEDBACK SOON

[zyrya]

Augh! Stupid email problems! I sent the beta back this morning ... I'll try re-sending it now.

Again - I loved the chapter (loved! was disturbed, but LOVED IT!) and I definitely think it could work in SS-AU. And I think it ought to be MADE to work, because SS-AU is a very practical, realistic look at a whole lot of aspects of Buffy's life, one of which is dealt with in chapter 10. And it's one that very few other writers even bother to tackle.

I got your BETA...more about that FB later...

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

...in e-mail. But to be cryptic again. This is what I wanted to do...disturb people...shake them out of the S6 pattern in a way...and yet...allow the relationship to heal and rebuild.

I hope it comes across when I put it in context that Buffy isn't being malicious here...she's just doing what she's done all season long...only this is what it takes to wake her up...not Riley showing (because that would be lame ;-D ) and not attempted Rape because making Buffy the victim when she is such a user was a bad creative decision.

But I think a pattern breaking wake up call is in order...I think Buffy has to be made to feel like a monster and then reject THAT rather than reject Spike.

Rae

[zyrya]

It is thematically and dramatically more interesting to throw curves into the plot. Rather than a gradual, inevitable road where all issues are dealt with in turn and the character/s follow a linear path of growth, it's far more realistic and credible to have them stumble and flail around at times ... to have them wander down paths that are revealed as dead ends, or as dark journeys that they turn back from. Yes, chapter 10 is confronting and challenging, but that's as it ought to be.

And from the perspective of someone who is not a die-hard Spuffy shipper, it's also more interesting to have Buffy explore her feelings for Spike and to grow into the relationship, rather than having the writer start with the assumption that it's Spuffy 4eva and not take the time to show how and why this pairing has merit.

Yes...but then...there is something to be said...

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

...for the alternative Beta stand of Buffy already being several clicks below Spike as far as most Spuffy readers are concerned. I am very pro-Spuffy...and this in no way detracts from that for me. But I don't want to alienate the audience to the point where they can't love Buffy anymore.

I think when we get to this point in the story...I will wrap it all together with the next part...and we will see if everyone can agree on tone.

Then if we don't have agreement...I will have to take my bludgeoning (from one side of the fence or the other) like a man...I will not be wishy-washy like JW and try to please everyone only to have my characters stagnate anyway.

Rae

[zyrya]

I assumed that the chapter would be altered in order to integrate it with parts not yet written ... that's inevitable when one works on a fic out of sequence. This is why I can never post a WIP ... I'm always going back to change the tone slightly, or bring a neglected aspect to the fore, or put in a missing bit.

If you end up removing chapter 10 from SS-AU then I hope you write it as a separate fic, because I was enthralled by it and would hate to have it junked altogether.

[thisficklemob.livejournal.com]

Aww, po' Rabid. We bludgeon because we love. And hey, you didn't actually send me chappie, you sent me snippets! Did I miss a chapter?

Furthermore, you can take your revenge by eviscerating my essays. Just remember, I plan to turn them in in a few days... so you shouldn't destroy my ego too too much. ;)

If it makes you feel better, we like you evil as well as fluffy and chipped. Even if we do make the noises of Meep.

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

If it makes you feel better, we like you evil as well as fluffy and chipped. Even if we do make the noises of Meep.

I agree.
I personally wouldn't mind to see the 'evil' chapter, but you the author decide what to do with it.

You trust me GOBI...

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

...and hopefully I will not betray your trust and leave you sick at heart. And, yes, I will decide about the chapter one way or the other...this isn't the first time there has been Beta disagreement in the Rabid camp and to be fair the Beta babes who disagree with the choices in this chapter know a little more about what else is happening in the fic than most people. So they may well be right...but I like to have alternative views...so I can see how I am moving the audience. It is very easy to just be swept away in the creative flood of ideas.

Rae

[keswindhover.livejournal.com]

3) Start Ficcing for my Mistress Kes...

Flicks whip negligently against thigh length leather boot.... waits.

Toiling already, mistress!

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

Toil! Toil! Checks for screen caps of W/T in S4! Outlines story...TOIL!

Rae

[allyv.livejournal.com]

You know I love you and the chapter WAS hot, it was just equally as horrible and heart-breaking. Evil, bitch Buffy.

So, I propose you keep the chapter the hell away from SSAU where I have to watch everything implode after and recycle it as a really hot standalone and post it to your site anyway.