gwyn | New story

A holiday weekend probably isn't the best time to post a story (at least, it's a holiday weekend for us Yanks), but I was kind of bored and restless, and didn't want to break my back in the garden when it got sunny after all. I'd planned for rain, dammit! Seattle never, ever delivers on the kind of weather you want, when you want it.

This story, The Perfume of Kismet is a slightly different take on Spike and Buffy together, including Angel's effect on both their lives after Becoming. I think it's kinda dark and smutty again, but I honestly don't know -- I'm a terrible judge of what people in this fandom consider dark or smut-filled. I personally wouldn't call it that, but I realize I'm a bit out of step in general.

(And for those of you who gave me the thumbs up about the title, the scoop is that I did use a line from a previous story. I'd originally called this Enemy of My Enemy, and titles play a huge role in how I write -- I can't actually write unless I have a title. But then when I started plotting it out, a very good story came out with that title, and so I had to find something else. I used the title I was currently attaching to chapter 3 of the WIP, but it wasn't right, and Spike talks a lot about fate in this story, which reminded me of this line from The Living. Maybe the whole thing is pretentious crap after all, but hey, I probably appear that way already, so why worry?) A gajillion thanks to

sweet_ali for the comments and edits, and for helping me even in the midst of all kinds of big life changes. I wish I could find a way to repay you.

Grumble, grumble... it's still sunny out. Must go toil and sweat.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Gah! You made me cry. Just...there's no words. Thank you.

Thank you! And sorry about the crying. ;-)

Lovely. I love me some morally ambiguous Spike. I was going to say EVIL Spike but he (you) are right when you point out that

"Everything you thought you knew about him was wrong. He was far, far worse than you could ever imagine. Killing that teacher and scaring the Little Rascals is a step down on the reputational ladder. Fact is, I don't think he showed you even a trace of his old self, because none of you would be alive if he had.

Calling Spike EVIL leaves no room for what Angelus is. Buffy would have left the hotel room in pieces if she was with Angelus. Or he would not have saved her in the first place.

I love Angel but he is a different kettle of fish that Spike. Nice job.

Anyway - liked the story

That's a really great point, well made, about how if Spike is the embodiment of evi, where does Angel fit in when he's soulless? I like that.

I guess that's what really motivated me to write stories with Spike, when I didn't with Angel in the early days -- that he's so damn unusual, he would save the girl, he would go to diners, etc., just because it's fun and different. He's so far outside the boundaries everyone else lives within, that he gives you room to explore, and it's endlessly fascinating.

Well, as my life does not revolve around the 4th of July weekend (mostly because I had to work) I was around to read this lovely fic and say thank you. It was good for my heart.

A kindred spirit! I just hate this holiday (I've always thought Independence Day and New Year's were, like, holidays for assholes because everyone wants to blow stuff up and set things on fire), except that it gives me a day off from work. Poor you that you had to work! I'm glad I could give you a little something to perk you up, though.

This was wonderfully dark but really touching too. I loved the way you described how S2 Spike could feel for this broken Slayer:

Spike could absorb her pain, drink it in like a fine liqueur. He's moved by it in a way he hasn't been moved by anything in one-hundred and twenty years, except for the rare sad voice of a singer or two, and he wants to give it to her, that pity, for everything she's had to go through when she had no choice. "It's yours."

And the ending just broke my heart. Beautifully written, Gwyneth ... thanks for this ;-)

Oh, thank you! I'm really glad the ending came over as well as I'd hoped. I rarely feel good about anything I do, but I was so happy with it that I thought I might be jinxing it!

I've already told you how much I loved this, but I'll say it again: The Perfume of Kismet rocks.

I love the redemptiony path Spike has travelled and I don't think he can or should go backwards. But at the same time, I love reading fics set in past, that explore the amazing muddle of contradictions that was Big Bad Spike. I think you've captured him beautifully in this story. It was just plain lovely.

Aw, thank you, sweetie! I'm finding myself drawn more and more to the past, to what it means for Spike to be so different and to think outside the box the way he did. There's still more to explore in later years, but the past is a big draw...

I really enjoyed chat!

That was perfect. And the ending just smacked with a two by four so very well. I loved it.

Heeee! I love that - smacked with a two by four! I kind of feel like, hey, my work here is done. ;-)

Oh, I followed the link over from

onetwomany's LJ and I'm so pleased I did. I loved thereference back to School Hard with Buffy dropping the weapon- its making me see that scene in a new light.
Also, "Oh, the pathos" made me laugh way too hard. It was perfect Spike.

::little happy dance:: I'm so glad you did drop by and that you enjoyed the story! (I did love writing the pathos line -- I imagine him with his hand on his forehead, saying it very dramatically.) thank you!!

gwyn: LOVE the new story, and ending it w/a bite!
satisfied my longing for evil spike, and came
during one of my favorite "off world" moments--
what else happened to buffy when she was ANNE?
good choice to *go there* for your story.

since you have are THE QUEEN and have the expert
chops to turn out excellent fic, i propose to you:

i know it doesn't fit her character, but have
you ever written one where buffy gets vamped?
i have been thinking alot about spike coming
back as human, the parallels to lestat in THE BODY
THIEF, and how much he will *hate* it...or will he?

and what if the shoe was on the other foot...
kind of like "gift of the magi"--spike is human,
and buffy is vamped? the never-gonna-get-together
saga. *sigh*

also read your SOMNILOQUY these week and about died.
you are so good, gwyn, and i'm recommending your fic
all over the place, esp. to a spuffy fan in bath, UK--
keep feeding us our fanfic drugs, gwyn!

xoxo, anne

Thank you, Anne! I'm really thrilled that you liked it. :-D

Gift of the Magi! Oh, I love variations on that story, and that's a really interesting way of thinking of it, the two of them reversing their positions. I've always wondered if slayers can be turned. They never addressed that, especialy in the Nightmares episode, but I always wished they would, because what would happen? So many holes left unfilled....

Thanks so much for the kind comments!

That really is a gorgeous title and I'm sorry I couldn't get back to you about the edits(I'm actually still away right now), but from what i see, all went well *g*

New story

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Kismet

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you the queen

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