Reviews for Thirteen Steps -10- A Stranger Ahn 2007-09-09 id # 6330 I enjoyed the story it was intense and emotional. If and hopefully when you write more I can't wait toread it! Anon 2007-09-12 id # 6340 Hi there. This is actually a review of all ten parts to this story. Seeing as they were all posted at once, it made sense to praise it as a whole. I've been pretty much blown away by this story: it seriously is one of the best I've read in quite some time. Your writing is very good and the stories themselves are, quite simply, utterly captivating (the story with Witiko, in particular, I couldn't 'put down,' so to speak). In fact, my only quibble is that Willow seems to refer to Giles as 'Mr. Giles' but, not having read The Long Way Home, I don't know if that's something that was introduced in the comics. I would understand if you didn't carry on writing: anything that drags up bad memories is difficult to voluntarily do again. I would say this, though: I hope you find that you are able to continue writing. If not this series, another. Any Willow/Buffy story that has this much effort put into it will surely be just as enjoyable to read. Best wishes -Chris- Valyssia 2007-09-12 id # 6341 Thank you! *beams* Kay...so... The Mr. Giles thing isn't a carry over from the comic. In point of fact, neither of the two characters have been in the same room in the comic yet. I noticed on the show that particularly at the beginning Willow addressed him that way as a sign of respect for his Watcher-y-ness and the fact that he was a teacher. She really only slipped to fully casual mode when he lost his jobs, both of them in S4. In S8 Mr. Giles is now Grand Poobah of the Watcher's council and Willow's boss. I put that formality back because I thought it right for the character to give him that ounce of respect. It just seemed like something she would do. *wink* Purely character interpretation on my part. Sorry it bothered. The Giles character himself has changed in the comic. He's actually someone you wouldn't necessarily trust. I tried to let that seep in with the idea that he might be actually tracking Buffy and Willow's movements. I may go on to do something more with that, but for now...simply keep in mind that power always corrupts. The other radical character change from the comic is the Satsu character. She's another speaker of Whedonese in the book and it just felt wrong to me. I've had too many Asian friends over the years to buy that a person who speaks English as a second language, their first language being of the Non-Romanized variety would use so many contractions. Contractions do not exist in the Asian languages therefore they do not come easily or naturally. It annoyed me so I formalized the language. My take...get over it... LOL There are some very radical story differences as well. Amy Madison and Warren Meers are still at large in the comic and Dawn is still super-sized. This was my take. I met Whedon only in The Noose and Pet, nowhere else did the story collide. I have in no way stopped writing. Never fear...I'll be back! I just needed a break after the emotional stress of writing a true hydra. That is, a person who is diagnosed type 1 bipolar with manic episodes AND schizophrenic. The idea being that there is no cure. You cut off one personality and two fill its place. Like the hydra only with the mythical beast it was heads and not personalities. Keep in mind that Hercules needed help to destroy the hydra in the myth. It was the only one of the Twelve Labors he needed assistance with. This was one really disturbed girl, but you got that. Dana was an absolute pussycat by comparison. I wanted something that would resonate and leave lasting scars. Just like with the wendigo (witiko) I built the character up to meet the need. Val bhv virgotex@gmail.com 2007-09-14 id # 6366 Like the previous review this is also for the whole thing. Damn, girl! Just.... Damn Certainly the most ambitious fic I've read in a while. I'd like to see more too but it obviously involved some exorcism so it's understandable you'd have to set it down. I posted another review in one of the chapters mentioning some mild annoyances, and I just read your "Mr. Giles" explanation, so I'll leave those be. However, I will suggest you find a top notch beta reader. A story of this scope is just too good to have spelling errors, minor grammatical probs, and some POV shifts. Those are tiny things and when the muse is moving you, it's completely understandable to let them go. But later, it's good to let a second set of eyes do some housekeeping for you and tidy up a bit. Take the " pedals" off those flowers and give them back their "petals.". This amaziing tale of yours deserves the TLC, trust me! I think you can still find betas over at mystic muse, NHA, even the B wants W list. Thank you for the story- it was fun. I even put aside a Mary Russell story I'd been engrossed in to finish this. I guess Ms. King will forgive me... GreAt job! Valyssia 2007-09-14 id # 6372 I have a good beta reader. Trouble is I was just a bit too prolific for her. She foundered around the second chapter of Blue. Really though...this was about finding my voice, learning to put a story to paper and make it flow in an engaging fashion. On some level I obviously succeeded. If you move from The Outsider to this story, the development is pretty starkly obvious. One of these days I may rework this project from the beginning, but like I said...I'd have to be pretty damned bored. I'd almost rather it remain a testimony to how I began...something I can look at later on and say, "Yup...I sucked." ROFL I almost sound conceited, that's so not the goal. I still see myself as being a long way from home. I can be better. I know I can. Every word I write makes me so. Anyway...I'm pleased could entertain you. As a side note... I'm 11K words into story 11. *wink* I just sent the first two chapters to beta this afternoon. Miss Nightsong will play with them over the next few days, I'm sure. If not she'll be suffering from severe Valyssia buggage. Val bhv virgotex@gmail.com 2007-09-14 id # 6373 sorry bout the double post. i was on a blackberry. it was possessed by evil