Re: Fic: All's Fair 4/4 Vampire Stories B/W/X NC17

[Mike McD <cdreramius@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Don't knock yourself, you can definately write.
Setting aside your choice of ship in this, this is a
well written story in itself. Then remind yourelf that
this is a well written B/W/X story and you can safely
pat yourself on the back (B/W/X is one of the hardest
ships to write well, trust me. Even Tony found it hard
and he damn near invented the ship).

I think the key to writing good Scooby shipping fics
is getting the balance of the dynamics right between
the three. I touched on the B/W v's X dynamic before,
but the other dynamics (B/X v's W, W/X v's B, and
B/W/X) are worth looking at too.

B/X have the whole sire thing going on between them
which might be different between B/X than between B/W.
Then we have Xander's memories of his feelings that he
had for Buffy (both good and bad), Buffy's memories of
her previous penis preference, and Willow's memories
of her insecurity/hurt when it came to B/X feelings
for each other.

W/X have memories/feelings of/for each other
practically burned into their DNA. They had a
connection in life that was insanely deep (how that is
changed now they don't have souls is gonna be
interesting). It could be very easy for Buffy to feel
like an outsider now that their memories of each other
are such a big part of how they relate to each other
(the other big part is their blood relation, ie who
sired who).

As much as B/W/X are at times outsiders to each other,
they were even greater outsiders to the rest of the
world. Now that they are undead they find themselves
neither part of humanity nor the demonic world. B/W/X
are different from each other, but even more different
to everybody/everything else. If the VampScoobies ever
hope to find acceptance/peace/belonging/contentment or
whatever the hell it is that VampScoobies want with
the rest of their unlives, they are only gonna find
that in each other.

Hmmm... I wonder if the Scoobies are like normal
vampires (pretty much devoid of feelings), or are they
like Spike (able to feel a bastardised vampire version
of love)? I think it's the latter (it hurts me to hope
that the Scoobies are in any way like Spike).

Any ways, by the looks of it, you've got a far better
understanding of how a Vamp B/W/X ship works than I
ever will.

I also wonder how long it's gonna be before Giles and
the others come looking for and/or discover that B/W/X
are now members of the reflect-me-not club? How much
is this going to fuck with the G-man's mind? Are we
gonna see a war between the core Scoobies and the new
band of white hats? How much more can this story rock
before my head explodes?

The best complement a writer can get is that their
story not only entertained people, but it also made
them think.

You've entertained me and you've definately got me
thinking.

Mike McD

--- Crys Loch <pagansoul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: 
> Damn, Mike, this is enough to make a girl think
> maybe she can write.  
> You're dead on with your observations and the
> questions you bring up for 
> the future of the series.  Thank you for the
> detailed feedback.  It's 
> reassuring.  Never fear, I don't think Xander's an
> asshole and it won't 
> play out as easy as two against one.  Or the same
> two against the same 
> one.  Or that one not actually having the power. 
> I'm only getting 
> started.  I'm going to try and pull this off.  Thank
> you for your 
> patience and staying with me for the ride.
> Crys
>
> Mike McD wrote:
>
> >I was only reading the first part of Vampire
> Stories
> >on the weekend and was wondering if we'd ever see
> this
> >series continue.
> >
> >First off I'd like say this is great work (as
> usual).
> >I love how you've made the Scoobies react
> differently
> >to their new unlife. They are clearly vampires but
> >they are also clearly different from other vampires
> >(kind of like how Spike was different to other
> >vampires in seasons 2 and 3 before Joss screwed
> up.)
> >
> >I also liked how their unresolved issues have
> carried
> >over from their previous lives. Should make for
> some
> >interesting (and for me, painful) reading as the
> >Scoobies confront how they fitted into each others
> >lives when they were living, and what changes will
> >happen between them as they try to adjust to their
> >unlives together.
> >
> >*-*-*-*-*-*
> >Xander laughed behind them.  "Whatever."  He
> settled
> >back in the seat and watched out the window,
> content
> >to simply follow them now.  He felt calmer, but
> still
> >ached to be out in the night, hunting.  It wasn't
> >hunger now, he had his fill.  There was still the
> >call, muted some compared to the night before, that
> >urged him to come help destroy the world.  They
> were
> >right though, he belong with them.  The bond they
> >shared after the trials of all those years could
> not
> >be broken by any demon or calling. 
> >*-*-*-*-*-*
> >
> >Of all of them, Xander seems to be closer to the
> >typical vampire than either Buffy or Willow, which
> >makes sense as Xander was the closest to being a
> >normal human being of the three of them (note
> >'closest' ie. not actually normal, but 'closest to
> >being' normal).
> >
> >***
> >And even if I have to let you drain me 30 times,
> >you're not gonna be one, either.  You're gonna
> evolve,
> >damn-it.  There's gonna be some Darwin happening,
> even
> >if it kills you."
> >
> >"So, I'm not like you."  Xander closed his eye in
> >defeat.  "I'm still not like either of you."
> >***
> >
> >Even in unlife Xander is still the outsider.
> >
> >In life Xander had a deep seated rage burning
> >underneath which you've shown glimpses of coming to
> >the surface now the he is undead. I can see that
> rage
> >and desire to get revenge on the world that had
> >screwed him over in life as a potential problem.
> >
> >'He belonged with them'. As a Scooby shipper I say
> 'No
> >shit Sherlock'. Buffy, Willow, and Xander belong
> with
> >each other.
> >
> >However...
> >
> >The question is: will Xander continue to think he
> >belongs WITH them, or will he start to feel like he
> >belongs TO them?
> >
> >The phrase 'he belonged with them' implies a
> measure
> >of equality between all of them. In life the power
> >difference between him and the girls was huge. He
> >wasn't their equal (power wise anyway) and that
> caused
> >friction between them occasionally when he felt
> like
> >he wasn't being treated as an equal (eg The Yoko
> >Factor). In their unlife he still isn't quite as
> >powerful as Buffy or Xander but the power
> difference
> >is much smaller than it was when they were living.
> >
> >***
> >"So, you're just following along with this now,
> this
> >big plan.  Will really is the boss of us.  I
> remember
> >how well that worked out last time."
> >***
> >
> >If Xander's rage and destructive impulses becomes a
> >problem to Buffy and Willow and they try to control
> >it, he may grow to feel that he belongs TO them, ie
> >he's now 'Minion Xander' which would piss Xander
> off
> >to no end, thus making him 'Asshole Xander' and
> thus
> >pissing me off to no end (one thing I absolutely
> HATE
> >is stories that make Xander (or one of the other
> >Scoobies) an asshole as a method of bringing one of
> >the other Scoobies -usually Buffy- closer to
> whoever
> >they want her to end up with -usually Spike, or
> Angel,
> >or Willow-.)
> >
> >*-*-*-*-*-*
> >"I'm good with that."  He shrugged.  He had cast
> his
> >lot in with them earlier in the night and saw no
> >reason to second guess his decision now.  'Or
> ever',
> >he honestly admitted to himself.
> >*-*-*-*-*-*
> >
> >Keep thinking that Xander, for the love of god,
> please
> >keep thinking that.
> >
> >Another thing I liked was the fact that as vampires
> >they have no in built boundaries, but they still
> have
> >memories of boundaries (ie. Buffy's
> heterosexuality,
> >Willow 'killing her own kind', Xander thinking it's
> >wrong 'to get an appetizer too').
> >
> >Maybe, just maybe, the Scoobies can find the peace
> in
> >themselves to be able to settle down together
> >somewhere and enjoy their their just reward.
> >
> >Each other.
> >
> >Mike McD

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Buffy:  "I kinda love you."
                     'Choices'

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