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Beneath Us by ClawofCat Outstanding - a great treatment on "Beneath You" - congratulations. I am usually very long winded. Words are sort of my thing. After reading this however, I felt the need to be quiet...to just let your story wash over me...to entrench myself in it. I was there with them in that chapel, I felt their pain, smelled the burning flesh, and tasted the forgiveness. In short, you put me in the moment, in their minds, so completely, that for a few brief moments I was Spike and Buffy. Thank you for that experience. Thank you for the lovely review. I can certainly respect the fact that certain pieces of writing call for silence. I like to let my work have breath and cadence to it, as though there is a conversation happening in the actual pacing of the text. And this is definately a quiet, whisper of a piece. So, your reaction seems like a completely appropriate response to this story. I'm glad that I was able to transport you to that place in time, so that you could really feel and I know what this moment meant to the both of them. Sometimes visuals are not enough, and in a scene like this one, all that was left unsaid seems as important as what we did get from Joss & Co. on screen. She sobs now, nodding, understanding at last. She can’t get rid of him. He’ll never leave her, never. He’s hers whether she wants it or not; hers to have, hers to love or destroy. and this is just the truth of the matter... Thanks for the review. It's always nice to see this oldie still touching new readers. The scene had so much power and that emotional catharsis translated really well to this one-shot. analise 09/16/2008 03:56 am One-Shot "tasted forgiveness" -- Beautiful. thank you, I wish they let the characters be so much kinder to each other in the actual series. Dang soap opera. It's great to see readers still coming back to this piece well over a year after I wrote it. That short FiTB seems to have a very strong resonance with people. This fic literally woke me up in the middle of the night to be written. As for the characters being kind, Spike tells Buffy in "Touched" that he's "seen her kindness and her strength," and I always firmly believed that she would not let him burn on that cross. That's not my Buffy. The First Slayer tells her to "love, give, forgive," and that's the motivating thrust of this story. Buffy's realizes her part in Spike's fate and doesn't abandon him in his time of need. I'm glad you enjoyed it. analise 09/16/2008 03:34 am One-Shot "tasted forgiveness" -- Beautiful. thank you, I wish they let the characters be so much kinder to each other in the actual series. Dang soap opera. you write such wonderful, passionate and powerful words about these two - all your short stories have given me so much inspiration to do graphics from them. Excellent Works - That's wonderful that you find inspiration in my work. Passionate and powerful are how I would describe the characters themselves. If my words match the essences of who they are than I've more than done my job. It's always a pleasure to dig deep and see what makes them tick. In this particular fic, I wanted to plumb the depths of Buffy's little seen kindness. The first Slayer tells her to "Love, Give, Forgive. Embrace the pain." Those words are what drive her here as she truly sees Spike's suffering and realizes her role in it. Keta 08/22/2008 08:58 pm One-Shot it was really touching.. powerfull and brilliant.. Thank you. This is probably my most well-received story, so it's wonderful to hear that people are still continuing to enjoy it well over a year after it was written. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment. A really good picture of Spike's torment and Buffy's reaction. So well written! Thanks so much! Glad you liked it. Very, very beautiful and well done. Bravo! *bows* Thank you for the kind words, hun. I'm very glad you enjoyed this. Emma 06/05/2007 03:19 pm One-Shot Ooohh! that was so good. Please continue this piece. Thanks for reading, Emma. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Sorry to disappoint, but there will be no continuation to this. I accomplished what I set out to do -write the missing scene between "Beneath You" and the following episode. beautiful read, thank you. Thanks for reading, vladt. I'm glad the experience was a good one. akarinacj 06/04/2007 09:32 pm One-Shot Wow, what a fantastic one-shot. It almost made me cry when he was praying... I could really see this happening on the show. And the ending... (Sigh... I want more) akarinacj 06/04/2007 09:28 pm One-Shot Wow, what a fantastic one-shot. It almost made me cry when he was praying... I could really see this happening on the show. And the ending... (Sigh... I want more) Thank you for the lovely review, akarinacj. It's deeply gratifying to hear that it touched you so deeply. It's really what I strive for with my writing. As for more...there won't be a continuation of this, but I do deal with similar themes of renewal, hope, and healing with all my fics. If you haven't already, check one of the one-shots out. Bridget 06/04/2007 05:16 pm One-Shot Very nicely done. Beautifully written. If only it happened on the show. "If only it happened on the show." Amen to that. Thank you for reading and reviewing, Bridget. I loved sharing this with you all. You captured it just perfectly. I am in awe Thank you so much, Avalon. I'm deeply flattered and I'm glad my depiction rang true to you. What they left us with on the show just wasn't enough. LadyYashka 06/04/2007 06:52 am One-Shot That was heartbreaking, and wonderful. It made me cry. Great job. I'm glad it touched you so, Yash. It's really what I'm after when I write. To connect with the reader. Thanks for reading and commenting! It's a great end to a ham-handed episode. It's nice to see some pity for Spike, but I wonder if we should see some for Buffy too? Is the Magdalene too much to expect from a chick who burned down two schools? In any case, the cadence of your prose is masterful as usual. I love these bits by you. Even minus sex, you manage to nail these characters to the wall. Bravo. Hm, yes, but Spike always did have extreme views of the women he loved. While he sees the truth of her, he also idealizes her, which I think might have been heightened in his crazy state. Not thinking lucidly, I could see her easily falling into familiar arch-types. Thanks for the lovely review, LB. I was happy with how this came out. I'm pleased to know I can, in fact, write things without sexual content that still pack a punch. Now, show me what ya got with Clocks. I know you're going to wow me. Beautiful fic. I really wish we could have had something similar on the show. Without actually seeing what transpired after the crucifix scene, Spike's comment "You ran away" followed by Buffy's "You scared me a little" seemed very cold. You've managed to fill in the blanks in a way that is both realistic and tender. And the last line? Just perfect. Well done. :) Thanks for the review, UB. Seems like that last line was a winner with most. Very glad you liked it. I actually used the lines you quoted as a way to guide the story. How did he get out of the church? How did his burns heal so quickly? Why did she run away? Why was she scared? All of those colored the content of the story. *sigh* Fanfic is such a great thing. ..."he has never tasted forgiveness." Great imagery of Buffy's forgiveness in her blood, feeding and healing Spike's body, giving him life. I always thought that the show should have at least alluded to how Buffy reacted to Spike in the church and how he got out of the church. You've given a cathartic spin to things. One note, though. Spike was raised in Victorian England, so he was likely Anglican. I don't believe that Anglican's say the "Hail Mary" or have confession. Although, I do see why you used it here with Buffy, etc. I'll have to ask my very lapsed Anglican husband :-) ..."he has never tasted forgiveness." Great imagery of Buffy's forgiveness in her blood, feeding and healing Spike's body, giving him life. I always thought that the show should have at least alluded to how Buffy reacted to Spike in the church and how he got out of the church. You've given a cathartic spin to things. One note, though. Spike was raised in Victorian England, so he was likely Anglican. I don't believe that Anglican's say the "Hail Mary" or have confession. Although, I do see why you used it here with Buffy, etc. I'll have to ask my very lapsed Anglican husband :-) *nods* They did really cop out on that scene. There was never any resolution. It's all hope and healing with me. I'd like to think that she was able to see the reality of the situation and gift him at last with something - her forgiveness. While I wrote this, it did occur to me that Spike was likely not Catholic, but it worked with the story and I really liked using the Mary imagery with Buffy as well as both of them juxtaposed with images of Christ (both resurrection and pieta). And, you know, he was crazy and a former poet. Maybe he just likes reciting Catholic liturgy. It could happen, right? a beautiful and heartbreaking tale that I wish had been shown on the show. We never saw much of Buffy's compassion and kindness so thank you for this look at her heart. Kim Adams I totally agree with your second comment, Kim. And it was my pleasure to open her up so you could all take a peek inside. Buffy is such a complex woman, and I love delving into the mysteries of her heart and her pain. I, too, wish they had done something like this on the show. It was a terrible and wonderful place to end the episode. It left us all wondering... oh wow. that was absolutely beautiful. thank you for writing it, for sharing it with us. Thank you, BT. I loved writing it and it has been my pleasure to share it with you all. That last line was just lovely. Very nice BTL. (small voice - Thanks for reading and reviewing. Ah, good catch on the typo! I'll go and fix it. Away, errors, away! Great one-shot. You nearly made me cry. Thank you. *hands Inzey a kleenex* FetchingMadScientist 06/03/2007 11:00 pm One-Shot Thank you for writing this! This is the kind of resolution we needed, but didn't get, from Joss and Company. Good job! You're welcome, FMS! I'm glad you bought into my version of the scene. What they left us with just wasn't enough. Syndyloo 06/03/2007 10:02 pm One-Shot Oh my, what a beautiful, beautiful piece of writing. That touched my heart and had tears in my eyes. Thanks for the great story. Thank you so much for the kind words. It was my pleasure to write this. And if I was able to touch you so deeply than I feel I've accomplished my goal. Writing should kick up feelings in the reader. adraztea 06/03/2007 09:27 pm One-Shot A very good story! Thank you! Very touching. There were nearly tears involved. Absolutely love it. I do like to pull on the heartstrings and if I could make you connect that deeply with the writing than I have done my job. Thanks for reading, TC. Words are kind of failing me, so I don't know how to review. I guess all I can say is, I loved it. It was beautiful. Thank you. Thank you for the kind words, Alia. I love your reviews, even when you're speechless ;) love, this is possibly the most powerful piece of fanfiction i've read in months...and one of my favorites ever, i promise :) i left you a more thorough review on lj, but this is just too wonderful for words, pet, literally brought tears to my eyes, which is kind of a rare thing for me :) thanx so much for giving us this lovely little piece :) Reading it over, it is surprising the punch this little ficlet packs. Thank God for my restless subconscious. If I hadn't gotten up in the middle of the night to write this, it could have been locked away forever. I am deeply honored to hear that it is one of your favs. *bows to you* | |||
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