The Cross by ClawofCat

12/17/2011 07:27 pm
The Cross/Burn Marks         

Grimm but very good -

07/30/2009 05:16 pm
The Cross/Burn Marks         
This is "fluffy spuffy" to me. The complexities of their relationship are what keep me riveted even years after the show has ended. I really enjoyed this piece. I especially liked how you addressed Angel, and loving him, and then how she changed and possibly grew out of that love. My all time favorite Buffy and Angel moment was when they cross burned into his chest during that kiss in season 1. I like how you contrasted that moment with how Spike took the burns from her during sex.  So many Spuffy writers tend to diminish Angel - but I have always felt he was a big part of who Buffy is (for better and for worse), and the same came be said for Spike. A real Spuffy story has to include the "Angel factor".

This is the line that really spoke to me.

Fisting the cross in her hand, she wonders if he’ll burn as easily as Angel.

It hit me in a few ways...her own disgust at taking up with Spike and thrashing her chances at normal that Angel left her to have or maybe it is that "burning" is a metaphor for how the men in her life abandon her - and adorned with a cross she goes to see how far she can push Spike until he will do the same. Or maybe she just wants to remember a time when her pain was less...

I am still pondering it all...

Woo, girl! If you consider this fluffy Spuffy, I’d hate to see what you consider angst. ;D This is Buffy at rock bottom and it doesn’t get much worse than this (at least in my mind) when it comes to self-loathing. That said, I’m pleased that you enjoyed it. Angel was such a big presence in this particular set of ficlets because of the prompt it was generated from. I had to use the episode “Angel” as a jumping off point, so it was fairly integral that he be included. Before Spuffy became a concept, I was a Bangel fan and his influence in her life is a huge factor in how she grows emotionally and sexually through the show. In many ways, I think Angel is the specter that haunts the rest of the series, in so far as the Scoobies’ feelings about vampires, her budding and then hidden relationship with Spike and Buffy’s own feelings about Spike and the concept of soul vs. soullessness. Frankly, I think Angel wrecked her in some very serious ways and she never really got over that first, fragile and volatile relationship. These two short pieces are a bit metaish in how the idea of vampirism and being with vampires prior to and subsequent to her death really informs her image and sense of self. For so long she defined herself in opposition to the demons she was sworn to slay, but as the series goes on that strict division becomes very blurry, especially when her moral compass is knocked off kilter in S6 and she commits some very serious acts of violence and uses psychological abuse to try and feel power when her existence denies her it at every turn.

 

It’s great that the particular line has you pondering over the burning metaphor. This story actually generated a fair amount of meta discussion on my livejournal, so if you’re interested in reading what commenters had to say in response, I’ll direct you to this link: http://clawofcat.livejournal.com/44218.html. Part II, which is linked at the bottom of “The Cross” post, actually has most of the comments.

 

I’d also like to direct you to a Bangel fic I wrote that takes place in early S6 and acts as a sort of background piece to inform how or even why Buffy may have gone there with Spike later in the show. It was constructed to answer a lot of those questions, so if you’re feeling adventurous, here it is: http://clawofcat.livejournal.com/56549.html. It’s my favorite self-authored fic.

12/16/2008 03:31 am
The Cross/Burn Marks         
"The belt of her thighs around his waist keeps her anchored to him,

the constant movement her version of busy work until she can figure out what she’s really after. 

The cross bisects her chest straight down the center, an arrow pointing north and south to her throat and her cunt. "

All these lines are intriguing to me for some reason and add something to your story, making it stronger, pulling it together.

You have written a strange little story with a very twisty end, you did not telegraph your punch--wonderful.
Oh, quotage! Thanks for pointing out the lines that work for you. I love picture painting and, for this ficlet, the descriptions came to me really naturally. Maybe the lines are intriguing because they draw parallels that aren't obvious?

Very satisyfing to hear that you didn't see the punchline coming. I'm a fan of tidy, strong endings. Endings that resonate and leave the reading going "Wow" or "Hm..." Thoughtful, character-driven porn is some of my favorite to write. Thanks for reading!

mazza
09/04/2008 01:15 pm
The Cross/Burn Marks         
spine-tingling, excellent, well written and superb. Thanks.
Thank you. I thoroughly enjoyed writing both. I'm glad that my vision translated well to paper. Buffy's dismall mindset is such a thing a beauty.

09/03/2008 07:56 am
The Cross/Burn Marks         
Second reading - this is one powerful piece - congratulations -

And a tragic one, at that. Poor Buffy is so often maligned for her treatment of Spike by Spuffy 'shippers that when I write, I often try to explore why it is she does these things. There is so much hurt inside. I feel for her.

09/01/2008 09:13 pm
The Cross/Burn Marks         
It may not be fluffy spuffy  , but it made me shiver . just the way I like my fics. Thanks so much.
Shivering is always good. I'll take a shiver and a tear-drenched kleenex any day of the week! Thanks for reading and commenting.

08/31/2008 04:24 am
The Cross/Burn Marks         
very nicely done, thank you.
You'rer welcome  :)  Thanks for reading.

08/31/2008 03:16 am
The Cross/Burn Marks         

That was very powerful.  Thankyou

I was going for powerful. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!

08/30/2008 11:03 pm
The Cross/Burn Marks         
Enjoyed that - thank you for sharing :)
Glad you did!