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WIP meme
When you see this, post a little weensy excerpt from as many random works-in-progress as you can find lying around. Who knows? Maybe inspiration will burst forth and do something, um, inspiration-y.
I have all of these plotted out and know all the key points that need to happen and how they will all end, in most cases it's just the in between stuff and a lack of inspiration that seems to be getting in the way.
Official works in progress (at least one chapter has been posted):
Duty Bound
Here's an extract from the latest chap (which isn't saying much as the 'latest' chap is about 2 or 3 years old. I think the problem I had with continuing this was that I had written myself into a bit of a corner and didn't quite know how to get out of it, but I was looking the fic over recently and realised there are things that I have never liked about it, so I will be pulling it down sometime in the forseeable future and reworking it (don't worry, there won't be any major changes plot-wise...just little things that have niggled at me for a while) and hopefully that will help me to pick up from where I left off.
“I think it should be safe enough for us all to return to our own homes as of tomorrow,” Giles said. “But remember, no one goes out after dark—that includes you,” he looked pointedly at his slayer. “I’ll tell Principal Snyder that I require the girls for a special project in the library tomorrow, so we’ll be able to continue our research as well as work on a plan for rescuing Xander.”
“Tunnels,” Spike said, shaking his head. “Angelus was boasting to Dru that there was sewer access straight into the school library—said he could waltz in there and pluck you out from under the Slayer’s nose whenever he wanted.
“Then why hasn’t he?” Giles asked.
Spike shrugged. “Who knows. Didn’t feel like it? Time wasn’t right? He was too busy stealing lumps of rock? Pick a reason. Point is, we hurt him tonight—he may have got away with the boy, but he didn’t get away unscathed. He knows I’m working with you lot now, and he’ll be pissed, looking for a way to hurt Buffy, to pay her back for my desertion.”
“He captured Xander,” Giles pointed out.
“Yeah, and taking the boy is only the beginning. He’ll come at her where he can do the most harm. He’s gonna want to keep her disoriented, not only to keep her from interfering with his plans, but because the bastard gets off on it. So you,” he inclined his head towards the watcher, “and Joyce are prime targets; and the school is a public place, no need for an invite.”
Giles sighed, deflating. What Spike was saying made perfect sense, he just hated having to admit it. “What do you suggest?”
Spike shrugged. “Don’t go. Stay inside with your books and suss out what this new big bad is.”
“Do you know where he is?” Buffy asked.
Spike shook his head. “Sorry, love. I know where he was, but there’s no way he’d still be there.”
“But you can find him,” she stated.
“Yeah, I can.”
“Good. Tomorrow night you find him, and we go in and get Xander out.”
“You can’t. You’re injured!” Joyce protested.
“I’ll be all better by tomorrow. One of the perks of the job,” Buffy added with faux chirpiness before turning back to the vampire. “Spike?”
“I’ll find him,” he agreed reluctantly. “In the meantime, you need sleep if you want that ankle to heal.” Without waiting for a response he scooped Buffy up into his arms and headed towards the basement door.
~*~
If You Don't Love Me
My Lie to Me re-write...this one is actually on hiatus. I was pressured to post the first chapter when I wasn't really ready to do so and that is pretty much where it stalled--I'm not sure if it is because I wasn't ready to start posting it, or because I don't much like it, or WHY, I just don't seem to be able to muster any enthusiasm at all for this fic.
Buffy walked along the roof, her eyes peeled for any sign of danger. Her slayer senses tingled and she moved carefully towards the edge of the roof.
"This can't go on, Drusilla. It's gotta end," Angel protested. His voice carried clearly on the crisp night air.
She tilted her head, reaching up and capturing his mouth in a brief, almost chaste kiss before pulling back fractionally to breathe against his lips, "Oh, no, my pet. This is just the beginning. Almost time for the lost to come home."
She pulled away and smiled knowingly at him, and as he reached instinctively for her waist to hold her to him she twisted easily out of his grasp. "Tsk, tsk. Bad daddy's forgotten the rules." She held his gaze as she backed slowly away, her eyes promising forbidden delights that made both his soul and his demon cry out with need. "The stars will sing such a pretty song and we shall dance until the nasty sunshine comes to ruin all our fun." With a soft tinkle of girlish laughter she turned and skipped away.
Angel watched, entranced, until Drusilla disappeared from view, and then with a quick shake of his head, he turned and melted into the shadows.
Buffy stepped away from the edge of the roof, her lip trembling as she turned and ran.
~*~
A Grain of Sand
This one is so close to being finished, and I was actually making some progress on it before Real Life got in the way, now that the wedding is over I really need to reread the fic to refresh my memory and try to pick up from where I was.
“So, where is everyone?” Buffy asked, shutting yet another book and pushing it aside with a weary sigh.
“Hmmm?” Giles dragged himself away from the passage he’d been reading and blinked.
“You know, Willow, Xander... the rest of the gang?”
“LA, I believe,” Giles answered distractedly, his eyes flicking back to the book.
“The Dingoes had a gig in LA Friday night; Xan had the weekend off, so Faith and him decided to go with Willow and Oz and make a weekend of it,” this dimension’s Buffy answered, rolling her eyes at her watcher’s typical lack of interest in anything not slayer related. “They’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Xander and Faith?” Buff asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. “You mean as in... together?”
“See,” this dimension’s Spike said, turning to give his Buffy a smug look, “‘m not the only one wonders what she sees in the boy.”
“No, I...” Buffy snapped her mouth shut, deciding it was better not to correct Spike’s misconception. She frowned, silently wondering why she ended up with the homicidal Faith in her dimension. “Never mind,” she added when they continued to stare at her expectantly.
Spike’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied this other-world version of his love for a moment, before giving her a brief nod and returning his attention to the book in front of him.
“Rupert,” Jenny called from the doorway. “Would you mind checking over my notes for me?”
~*~
Like the Corners of my Mind
Yet another one that I don't really like very much...it's hard to write something that you're just not enjoying yourself. *sigh*
“Call security,” Angel ordered the hovering blonde. “Now,” he barked when Harmony continued to stare.
“Is he…?”
“Now, Harmony.”
“What’s going on?” Gunn asked, emerging from Angel’s office with Fred and Lorne in tow.
“You were supposed to watch him.”
“Didn’t know he was a prisoner,” Gunn bristled.
“He’s… not,” Angel conceded. “I just don’t think he should be roaming around. For his own good, you know. I mean, he was dead. And now he can’t remember anything. Who knows what else is wrong. Gonna have the doctors check him out.”
“Maybe I could…” Fred began, chewing on her lip.
“No. You have more important things to do. Don’t worry, the doctors know what they’re doing. They’ll make sure he’s okay,” he soothed as the security team arrived.
“Take him down to the hospital wing,” he ordered. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
~*~
To Live Again
This one breaks my heart. It is the non-Spuffy sequel to my first Spuffy fic and has a very, very special place in my heart but it also has a very complicated time line and family trees etc that I had all worked out for it and then I lost them all (along with the almost finished next chapter) when my computer died. I keep telling myself that I will sit down and work it all out again, but everytime I think about doing it I just remember how much work was involved in doing it all in the first place and I give up, so I don't know when I will actually get around to doing it.
Wherever he travelled in the world he fought against the forces of evil, forces of which he was once a member. The fight had once been a joy. A shared dance with a partner who anticipated his moves before he made them, a partner whose grace and beauty, strength and power had constantly left him awestruck. Now he fought her fight for her, knowing that this is what she would want. He fought for her, for her watcher and her friends; people who had become his friends. For her sister who was like a daughter to them both. For their memory, and for their descendants.
Time moved on and loved ones passed, leaving behind flesh and blood reminders of the lives they had lived. He had watched their children grow, some he had even held in his arms, tossed high in the air and caught up again in strong hands that never faltered. After she had passed he'd stopped visiting. He would watch over them—guard them from dangers, cherish their joys, and ache for their hurts but he left them alone; left them to live their lives.
But as years passed children grew, married and had children of their own. All of those he had once been close to were now gone, yet it was for them he continued to fight; continued the work they had dedicated their lives to. He travelled constantly, not staying in one place for more than a year or two then moving on to a new destination, a new threat.
It was this, which had brought him within close proximity to the majority of the slayers to be called since his love’s death. He had helped them without their knowledge; taking out threats where he found them, doing what he could to aid their cause. He had not, however, taken it upon himself to guard these slayers. He did what he could whilst he was there, and then he left.
Slayers lived short, brutal lives. He had learned years ago that attachments to humans caused nothing but pain. So he kept his loved ones in his heart, and moved through this world with their company alone.
~*~
Non-official works in progress (no chapters have been posted and only my beta and/or a few friends have seen them):
Sweets for my Sweet
A Band Candy re-write that I won't be posting until it is complete (my new resolution is no more WIPs, so once the above wips are complete I will only be posting fics once they are complete.)
This one is a lot of fun to write, and I think it should be a fun fic, but I haven't written very much of it as I REALLY need to try to concentrate on the wips.
“Woo-hoo!” Giles shouted, jumping back down from the shop window to the sidewalk and kicking the heavy bin to one side.
“Oh, Ripper! Wow, that was so brave!” Joyce said, her eyes dancing with delight. She allowed him to help her into the coat before slipping her arm around his waist and snuggling in to him.
“Well, well. What have we here? Slayer know her mum’s steppin’ out with the watcher? Or are you keeping the kiddies in the dark ‘for their own good’?”
“Hey, Spike.” Joyce gave Spike a friendly smile and a wave from where she was tucked against the watcher’s side; his arm tightened possessively as he turned to glare down at her. “What?” Joyce asked innocently. “It’s Spike, he’s a friend of Buffy’s.”
“No I’m not!” Spike spluttered indignantly.
“No, you’re not,” Giles agreed. “What you doin’ here? Thought my slayer ran you outta town. Have to have words with that girl.”
“Ran me outta town?” Spike laughed, a short humourless bark. “The lying bint... I left ‘cause I wanted to, got it? Had things to take care of. Now,” he paused for effect, arms outstretched, “I’m back.”
“Yeah?” Giles challenged, drawing himself up to his full height and stepping between the vampire and Joyce.
“Yeah,” Spike said, brow quirked. “What you gonna do ‘bout it, Watcher?”
~*~
I think that's it, I did have about 3/4 of a chapter written for a Right Side of Wrong sequel, but it went the same way as the To Live Again notes and chap. *sigh* I have a heap of bunnies in the 'Evil Bunny' folder, but they haven't made it past the quick outline stage and I don't know if they ever wll.
I have all of these plotted out and know all the key points that need to happen and how they will all end, in most cases it's just the in between stuff and a lack of inspiration that seems to be getting in the way.
Official works in progress (at least one chapter has been posted):
Duty Bound
Here's an extract from the latest chap (which isn't saying much as the 'latest' chap is about 2 or 3 years old. I think the problem I had with continuing this was that I had written myself into a bit of a corner and didn't quite know how to get out of it, but I was looking the fic over recently and realised there are things that I have never liked about it, so I will be pulling it down sometime in the forseeable future and reworking it (don't worry, there won't be any major changes plot-wise...just little things that have niggled at me for a while) and hopefully that will help me to pick up from where I left off.
“I think it should be safe enough for us all to return to our own homes as of tomorrow,” Giles said. “But remember, no one goes out after dark—that includes you,” he looked pointedly at his slayer. “I’ll tell Principal Snyder that I require the girls for a special project in the library tomorrow, so we’ll be able to continue our research as well as work on a plan for rescuing Xander.”
“Tunnels,” Spike said, shaking his head. “Angelus was boasting to Dru that there was sewer access straight into the school library—said he could waltz in there and pluck you out from under the Slayer’s nose whenever he wanted.
“Then why hasn’t he?” Giles asked.
Spike shrugged. “Who knows. Didn’t feel like it? Time wasn’t right? He was too busy stealing lumps of rock? Pick a reason. Point is, we hurt him tonight—he may have got away with the boy, but he didn’t get away unscathed. He knows I’m working with you lot now, and he’ll be pissed, looking for a way to hurt Buffy, to pay her back for my desertion.”
“He captured Xander,” Giles pointed out.
“Yeah, and taking the boy is only the beginning. He’ll come at her where he can do the most harm. He’s gonna want to keep her disoriented, not only to keep her from interfering with his plans, but because the bastard gets off on it. So you,” he inclined his head towards the watcher, “and Joyce are prime targets; and the school is a public place, no need for an invite.”
Giles sighed, deflating. What Spike was saying made perfect sense, he just hated having to admit it. “What do you suggest?”
Spike shrugged. “Don’t go. Stay inside with your books and suss out what this new big bad is.”
“Do you know where he is?” Buffy asked.
Spike shook his head. “Sorry, love. I know where he was, but there’s no way he’d still be there.”
“But you can find him,” she stated.
“Yeah, I can.”
“Good. Tomorrow night you find him, and we go in and get Xander out.”
“You can’t. You’re injured!” Joyce protested.
“I’ll be all better by tomorrow. One of the perks of the job,” Buffy added with faux chirpiness before turning back to the vampire. “Spike?”
“I’ll find him,” he agreed reluctantly. “In the meantime, you need sleep if you want that ankle to heal.” Without waiting for a response he scooped Buffy up into his arms and headed towards the basement door.
~*~
If You Don't Love Me
My Lie to Me re-write...this one is actually on hiatus. I was pressured to post the first chapter when I wasn't really ready to do so and that is pretty much where it stalled--I'm not sure if it is because I wasn't ready to start posting it, or because I don't much like it, or WHY, I just don't seem to be able to muster any enthusiasm at all for this fic.
Buffy walked along the roof, her eyes peeled for any sign of danger. Her slayer senses tingled and she moved carefully towards the edge of the roof.
"This can't go on, Drusilla. It's gotta end," Angel protested. His voice carried clearly on the crisp night air.
She tilted her head, reaching up and capturing his mouth in a brief, almost chaste kiss before pulling back fractionally to breathe against his lips, "Oh, no, my pet. This is just the beginning. Almost time for the lost to come home."
She pulled away and smiled knowingly at him, and as he reached instinctively for her waist to hold her to him she twisted easily out of his grasp. "Tsk, tsk. Bad daddy's forgotten the rules." She held his gaze as she backed slowly away, her eyes promising forbidden delights that made both his soul and his demon cry out with need. "The stars will sing such a pretty song and we shall dance until the nasty sunshine comes to ruin all our fun." With a soft tinkle of girlish laughter she turned and skipped away.
Angel watched, entranced, until Drusilla disappeared from view, and then with a quick shake of his head, he turned and melted into the shadows.
Buffy stepped away from the edge of the roof, her lip trembling as she turned and ran.
~*~
A Grain of Sand
This one is so close to being finished, and I was actually making some progress on it before Real Life got in the way, now that the wedding is over I really need to reread the fic to refresh my memory and try to pick up from where I was.
“So, where is everyone?” Buffy asked, shutting yet another book and pushing it aside with a weary sigh.
“Hmmm?” Giles dragged himself away from the passage he’d been reading and blinked.
“You know, Willow, Xander... the rest of the gang?”
“LA, I believe,” Giles answered distractedly, his eyes flicking back to the book.
“The Dingoes had a gig in LA Friday night; Xan had the weekend off, so Faith and him decided to go with Willow and Oz and make a weekend of it,” this dimension’s Buffy answered, rolling her eyes at her watcher’s typical lack of interest in anything not slayer related. “They’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Xander and Faith?” Buff asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. “You mean as in... together?”
“See,” this dimension’s Spike said, turning to give his Buffy a smug look, “‘m not the only one wonders what she sees in the boy.”
“No, I...” Buffy snapped her mouth shut, deciding it was better not to correct Spike’s misconception. She frowned, silently wondering why she ended up with the homicidal Faith in her dimension. “Never mind,” she added when they continued to stare at her expectantly.
Spike’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied this other-world version of his love for a moment, before giving her a brief nod and returning his attention to the book in front of him.
“Rupert,” Jenny called from the doorway. “Would you mind checking over my notes for me?”
~*~
Like the Corners of my Mind
Yet another one that I don't really like very much...it's hard to write something that you're just not enjoying yourself. *sigh*
“Call security,” Angel ordered the hovering blonde. “Now,” he barked when Harmony continued to stare.
“Is he…?”
“Now, Harmony.”
“What’s going on?” Gunn asked, emerging from Angel’s office with Fred and Lorne in tow.
“You were supposed to watch him.”
“Didn’t know he was a prisoner,” Gunn bristled.
“He’s… not,” Angel conceded. “I just don’t think he should be roaming around. For his own good, you know. I mean, he was dead. And now he can’t remember anything. Who knows what else is wrong. Gonna have the doctors check him out.”
“Maybe I could…” Fred began, chewing on her lip.
“No. You have more important things to do. Don’t worry, the doctors know what they’re doing. They’ll make sure he’s okay,” he soothed as the security team arrived.
“Take him down to the hospital wing,” he ordered. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
~*~
To Live Again
This one breaks my heart. It is the non-Spuffy sequel to my first Spuffy fic and has a very, very special place in my heart but it also has a very complicated time line and family trees etc that I had all worked out for it and then I lost them all (along with the almost finished next chapter) when my computer died. I keep telling myself that I will sit down and work it all out again, but everytime I think about doing it I just remember how much work was involved in doing it all in the first place and I give up, so I don't know when I will actually get around to doing it.
Wherever he travelled in the world he fought against the forces of evil, forces of which he was once a member. The fight had once been a joy. A shared dance with a partner who anticipated his moves before he made them, a partner whose grace and beauty, strength and power had constantly left him awestruck. Now he fought her fight for her, knowing that this is what she would want. He fought for her, for her watcher and her friends; people who had become his friends. For her sister who was like a daughter to them both. For their memory, and for their descendants.
Time moved on and loved ones passed, leaving behind flesh and blood reminders of the lives they had lived. He had watched their children grow, some he had even held in his arms, tossed high in the air and caught up again in strong hands that never faltered. After she had passed he'd stopped visiting. He would watch over them—guard them from dangers, cherish their joys, and ache for their hurts but he left them alone; left them to live their lives.
But as years passed children grew, married and had children of their own. All of those he had once been close to were now gone, yet it was for them he continued to fight; continued the work they had dedicated their lives to. He travelled constantly, not staying in one place for more than a year or two then moving on to a new destination, a new threat.
It was this, which had brought him within close proximity to the majority of the slayers to be called since his love’s death. He had helped them without their knowledge; taking out threats where he found them, doing what he could to aid their cause. He had not, however, taken it upon himself to guard these slayers. He did what he could whilst he was there, and then he left.
Slayers lived short, brutal lives. He had learned years ago that attachments to humans caused nothing but pain. So he kept his loved ones in his heart, and moved through this world with their company alone.
~*~
Non-official works in progress (no chapters have been posted and only my beta and/or a few friends have seen them):
Sweets for my Sweet
A Band Candy re-write that I won't be posting until it is complete (my new resolution is no more WIPs, so once the above wips are complete I will only be posting fics once they are complete.)
This one is a lot of fun to write, and I think it should be a fun fic, but I haven't written very much of it as I REALLY need to try to concentrate on the wips.
“Woo-hoo!” Giles shouted, jumping back down from the shop window to the sidewalk and kicking the heavy bin to one side.
“Oh, Ripper! Wow, that was so brave!” Joyce said, her eyes dancing with delight. She allowed him to help her into the coat before slipping her arm around his waist and snuggling in to him.
“Well, well. What have we here? Slayer know her mum’s steppin’ out with the watcher? Or are you keeping the kiddies in the dark ‘for their own good’?”
“Hey, Spike.” Joyce gave Spike a friendly smile and a wave from where she was tucked against the watcher’s side; his arm tightened possessively as he turned to glare down at her. “What?” Joyce asked innocently. “It’s Spike, he’s a friend of Buffy’s.”
“No I’m not!” Spike spluttered indignantly.
“No, you’re not,” Giles agreed. “What you doin’ here? Thought my slayer ran you outta town. Have to have words with that girl.”
“Ran me outta town?” Spike laughed, a short humourless bark. “The lying bint... I left ‘cause I wanted to, got it? Had things to take care of. Now,” he paused for effect, arms outstretched, “I’m back.”
“Yeah?” Giles challenged, drawing himself up to his full height and stepping between the vampire and Joyce.
“Yeah,” Spike said, brow quirked. “What you gonna do ‘bout it, Watcher?”
~*~
I think that's it, I did have about 3/4 of a chapter written for a Right Side of Wrong sequel, but it went the same way as the To Live Again notes and chap. *sigh* I have a heap of bunnies in the 'Evil Bunny' folder, but they haven't made it past the quick outline stage and I don't know if they ever wll.
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Gabrielle
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I'm really excited about the last one. Band Candy is my all time favorite non-Spike episode and your putting him in there!
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LOL Of course people will want the Band Candy one that I am NOT supposed to be writing until I finish at least one of the others. *grin* Band Candy is one of my favourite eps too, so it should be fun to throw Spike into the mix--not sure that it will be overly 'Spuffy' in any respect other than them both being in it and having to interact with each other.
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With the Band Candy story, I'd be more interested to see Spike and adolescent Giles interacting. Would be fun what ever you do with it.
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I've never tried free writing, but I often find that going off and writing some drabbles does help (or playing in PS if I am just totally fed up with the sight of Word). I had got myself into the habit of writing a little every day (I set myself a minimum of 100 words/day, which isn't much but after going for 6 months without writing anything it was quite a struggle some days), but with the wedding organisation etc I haven't written anything in months, so I guess I need to get back into the habit again.
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*waves* Hi to you too.
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To Live again has 6 chaps posted, I think, but the thought of recreating all that lost data... *cries*