Happy Holidays

[rabid1st]

Ichnobate 12 is up!

Find it at:

http://www.geocites.com/rabid1st/ichnobate12.htm

And hopefully 13 and 14 are right behind. We will see if my Beta Babes can be talked into working next week. Meanwhile, I hope you all enjoy this chapter which continues the drama we started in Chapter 11. Let me know if you like it, as always I will write for feedback. ;-D

And I hope you all have a festive Festival Season.

Rae

Comments

part 1

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the new chapter, Rae.

Hmm, where do I start? This chapter ran me through a gamut of emotions: wonder, excitement, squee, snark, amusement and last but not least, sadness (you know for whom).

After having read the highly enjoyable core Scooby Gang discussion in ch.12 (and thinking, "Who are you and what did you do with Willow and Xander?!?") I went back and reread parts of ch.11 and Willow and Xander's comments made a lot more sense. And the whole chip saga. Did I mention that I very much like your chip back story.

Individual squee inspiring quotes from that section:

Buffy's friends and family had given her an edge over other Slayers. But she'd lost that. Now, Spike was her edge. He let her rest.

[nod, nod]

"He hit you!" Buffy interrupted. Alarmed, she twisted around so she could peer at his injury.

Buffy's reaction to Xander's nose is interesting in the light of her inability to show concern in the 'eye' hospital scene in S7.

Actually much of that Scooby discussion about the chip saga is quoteworthy. I really enjoyed all the references to Spike's possible motivations in the past seasons and his inability to kill Buffy (or really try).

The reverse psychology bit was very satisfactory, I can't explain why. It was great to see the Scoobies talk about the issues.

"...You aren't that kind of girl, Buff."
"Maybe I am," Buffy suggested.

[nod, nod] Buffy is that kind of girl, and I don't mean that in a bad way. Like Xander says later on, he's been humming tunelessly with fingers in both ears. Btw, Willow's comment about star-crossed lovers trying to hate and failing miserably is priceless.

"And you're really okay with it? Both of you?"
"Remember how okay you were with me and Tara? I'm like that...only with less twitching."

Hee! Good point, Rae.

I like the image of Giles coming down the front steps and the Potentials parting like the Red Sea.

continued in part 2

I stand humbly...hand over heart, Gobi

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Thank you! What else can I say? Once again you gave the kind of feedback every ficwriter dreams of...concise and supportive.

I see you got all my points (hopefully that was because you are very smart rather than because I am transparent ;-D ...I am going with Smart Gobi all the way). You even drew a line between the hard to connect dots: like Xander's eye/nose.

As for the Scoobies coming together again. I am trying to make a sharp distinction between human Buffy and hard-ass Slayer Buffy. Life isn't just about fighting and dying...there needs to be more out there.

And so the way things are handled in my Verse...vs...the Jossverse (as well as the use of some terms) is important. It takes some mulling over to get it to work and I am always happy to see someone picking up on things. Giles as Moses (representing the old world religion and rules from on high) is a good example. Another one that springs to mind is early on when Spike refers to Buffy as bruised and beatiful like a fallen angel. I wanted to have that exact image, for the feeling of her fighting on the wrong side and being as ethereal as she was deadly.

I think that JW missed the boat entirely by not showing us "What a Slayer is" in S7. And by not drawing a sharp distinction between Buffy and all those other girls. The corollary of "What A Slayer is" would answer the bigger questions he set up at the core of the series: "Who will this girl we all love grow-up to be? Who is Buffy Summers?" The show was, we were told over and over again, about "growing up."

"Cookie Dough" is not a good answer to the core questions. It's like saying when I'm finished I won't be done yet. Anyway, I hope I give you a better answer to the core questions in the end.

Happy Holidays, Gobi!

Know you made mine brighter but giving so generously with the commentary.

Smooches, Rae
Oh...and...even though I don't like Andrew...I wanted him redeemed. I, too, teared up a little writing that final scene.

Re: I stand humbly...hand over heart, Gobi

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

Ah, good, I was afraid my lengthy comments were a little like overkill... on second thought, no, just enough kill (wink, wink). Hey, great fic inspires feedback.

I think that JW missed the boat entirely by not showing us "What a Slayer is" in S7.

I was just thinking about this yesterday. How it's not enough to leave Buffy half-baked and beat in the message of female empowerment. I think it's more interesting and even informative and empowering to show her journey and her reconciling the source of her power and what it all means. I mean, in the end we have all these girls with slayer powers, but having the power doesn't mean that their lives will be perfect or easy. Grr - Argh. Enough ranting.

part 2

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

On to Andrew's part. When he spots the pink bike and imagines a Harley with a painted steed and fancy armor and then reality intrudes from time to time on his fantasy, I'm reminded of Storyteller. Until the very end, when he tries to appreciate the poetry of his death. Btw, I'm in love with that line.
That entire dying scene (is he really gone, though?)is superb, especially with the addition of Katrina's ghost. If it indeed Andrew's end, it's very well executed.

Ah, Faith being Faith. With the feet on the table and the loud TV and the smoking and the attitude. And Willow getting warm and sticky! Faith does sizzle, doesn't she?

When Giles suggests to divide the group and actually gets away with interrupting Buffy and adding to the decision making process, I cheered. I can't help but compare this to the scene in Chosen, when everybody unilaterally agrees (or doesn't voice their questions or have a meaningful discussion/discourse of any kind) to Buffy's somewhat questionable plan.

When Buffy offers Faith to lead the other half of the slayerettes (Faith: You want *me* to lead them?), I cheered again. I know I said this before, I really like how you take certain elements of S7 and turn them around.

My other favorite bit in this section is the entire firepower discussion. Thank God somebody brought this up (thank you, Spike!). Finally somebody remembered that damn bazooka and that it can be used for more than a joke. Digression: it really irks me why they didn't use something like this in Chosen, instead of walking into the pit under the seal, facing off the thousand+ Uber Vamps. I understand that it wouldn't make great television for the gang to wait around the seal and pick them off as they climb out or use firepower, but still.

I keep the spare ammo in the closet."

Hee!

And now the fic equivalent of dessert - the young predator game acted out by Buffy and Spike. Oh dear. That's exactly what they do, don't they? I finally know what it reminds me of. I agree with Buffy, that was for mature audiences only.

Happy holidays to you, too, Rae!

I am so tempted to channel JW here...

[rabid1st.livejournal.com]

...and tease you about Andrew being dead/not dead. But I won't. You just wait and read and find out.

I am chuckling over your comments and cheers and imagining myself in the writer's room while Joss was off Romancing the Firefly. Fury would say let's do THIS and I would say, "What about the bazooka?" And it would go on and on:

"They said 'Salt the earth'...but they meant 'shut the door?' Where's the salt?"

"What is wrong with Giles?"

"Can you tone down those girls or at least give them a reason to exist?"

"Why is Angel there exactly and why doesnt' someone ask him? And come to think of it...why are we using an amulet of evil to defeat evil?"

"And that's your Big Bad...an insubstantial annoyance? Puhleez!"

Eventually...they would ask me to wait out in the hall whenever they discussed plot points. :-D

Rae

Re: I am so tempted to channel JW here...

[gobi-rex.livejournal.com]

Channel Joss all you want, Rae, he's more cuddly when you take over his body/mind.