Do You Believe? by Rebcake

sister cuervo
01/02/2013 03:09 pm
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Love your style!  I like how you've entertwined the episodes with the story and made it work.  Excellent writing.
Thanks so much! I am expecting readers to have enough knowledge of the show to follow along without a lot of explanation, so I'm really happy that this worked for you!

relurker
10/17/2012 04:36 pm
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This is one of the most refreshing thing I read about season 4!
An unusual point of view--how much Buffy's life is screwed up by magic--but once you've heard it, it really makes sense.
I think I read this back then at S.S., and I'm glad I found it again; it's well written, fast, with lively and credible characterization...a lovely, fun little piece.

Thanks! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I do love Season 4, and I love to share the love! This story requires that the readers have a fairly thorough knowledge of the show and the season, or it will leave them in the dust. It's great that it worked for you. Thanks for taking the time to let me know!

Thanks. :-)
06/27/2010 05:20 pm
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pearlseed
05/16/2009 10:14 pm
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This is and you are adorable!!  You are dead on for the voices and gestures of the crew--a big old basket to carry with all the many wonderful personalities.  I love sweet and slightly (sexually) frustrated Buffy--she's almost a whiner and it's precious how Spike refuses to accept what she intends as heavy duty put downs.  This made me laugh, felt like a hug and like they say "so of the good".  Thank you for your lovely story.
You are so sweet! Keep it up and I'll think you like me or something! I'm so happy that you enjoyed this. It was great fun trying on all the different characters (especially Joyce & Giles) and trying to keep Buffy in a Season 4 "happy place". She was still pretty perky at this point, even while taking the slaying seriously, and I wanted to keep that in the forefront. She and Spike have very different perspectives at this point, so there's plenty of opportunity for humor and misunderstanding. IMO, it's even funnier when they do understand one another, but refuse to face it! Silly Spike and Buffy. Don't you know it's fate?

Thanks so much for leaving such a kind and detailed review! And now, a virtual hug: ((-))

01/15/2009 11:57 pm
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excellent read. thank you.
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting!

12/21/2008 03:37 am
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She knew this from her Intro to Western Civ core class. - too too funny.  This is a great story - lots of fun Spuffy dialog.  Excellent banner also.
Hooray! In all the comments I've received (here and on LJ) nobody mentioned that line! I thought it was a corker, too, so I'm glad at least one other person noticed it! Hee!

I just recently discovered how much fun it is to write dialog, and Buffy and Giles in particular just flow from the pen. Well, the keyboard, anyway. IMO, the world could do with a lot more Spuffy banter, don't you agree?

I'm glad you liked the story. Thanks so much for commenting!

BTW, the beautiful banner was created by the always excellent alwayjbj. *blows kisses to Australia*

IT
12/17/2008 08:56 pm
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Great fic.  Thanks!

IT
12/17/2008 08:56 pm
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Great fic.  Thanks!

I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting!

12/17/2008 12:53 am
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Great piece! Truly magic did get to Buffy that year... But I loved this Spuffy twisted look on her feelings about it. Would be interesting to see how the rest of Buffy's summer went... canon? or not canon....? =P really can fit both ways! Which is just another thing that makes this fic so good!
I'm a canon-loving gal. There's so much there to work with. Like you say, just a little twist here, and little lifting of the veil there, and voila! Spuffy magic!

All we know right now is that Buffy has decided to give Spike a shot at fighting the good fight. It's entirely possible that over the summer, well, he'll do something stupid. What do think are the chances? If so, there we'll be at Buffy vs. Dracula, with him mopey and isolated in his crypt and Buffy dating Riley. Maybe. Or, Riley could be such a pain that he'll trot off to South America early, leaving a clear field. Or maybe both could happen. A clear field AND Spike in the doghouse. Oh, the possibilities! I hadn't planned a sequel, but maybe I'll reconsider...

I'm glad you liked this. It was a fun one to write!

All4Spike
12/16/2008 02:32 pm
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Smashing! Buffy and magic are really not mixy things, are they?
Thanks! Well, Buffy and magic seem to come to a truce there at the end, but for the most part magic is a disaster for Buffy. And Spike. And Giles. And, it will continue to be a disaster, as we all know. Thanks for commenting!

sin_amatic
12/16/2008 10:58 am
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Great telling of this tale.  It always seemed funny they didn't address the magic issue more.  You made it come alive and I could actually feel sympathy for Buffy.

In fact, I really enjoyed how you handled Buffy  I actually enjoyed reading what came out of her mouth.   For once she was more then her Spike basher self... It was a nice tack for her to take. 

Now I'm off to see if you've written anything else.

Ta!
I'm glad you liked this. Most people who read this story say that they never noticed how much magic was in Season 4. Maybe the Initiative/technology aspect was a bit more glitzy, and overshadowed (or camoflauged) the magic. After all, the big bad of the season was Adam, who wasn't a creature of magic, which is how he ultimately meets his end. The magic was presented as a side issue, but it's everywhere! I know I didn't really feel the full impact until I started writing this story!

I'm so pleased you were able to feel some sympathy for Buffy here. We Spike lovers tend to focus on how mean she is to him (silly girl), but she's so much more than that. Otherwise, why would he fall in love with her? Don't answer that! But yes, she's Giles' Slayer, Willow's buddy, Joyce's daughter, a smart cookie, and she's just 19! I was trying to find a believable way for her to, inch-by-inch, move toward a greater understanding of Spike, setting the stage for future Spuffiness! Which we all know is The Way It Should Be(TM).

Thanks for commenting! My other stuff (and there ain't much) can be found at rebcake.livejournal.com. I should warn you that it isn't all Spuffy. None of it is anti-Spuffy, though.

12/16/2008 10:50 am
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zanthinegirl
12/16/2008 09:46 am
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So much season 4 love! 

Really enjoyed this story.  Interesting technique too; the "magic jerks Buffy around" framing works beautifully.  You write Buffy dialog well.  Hope to see more from you!
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it. Again. (I still remember your nice comments for this story at seasonal_spuffy at LJ). I'm especially happy you liked my Buffy dialog. She was fun to write!

I'm glad you think my framing works, 'cos it could have easily gone off the rails. Since I didn't use any scenes or dialog from the actual show (but it's still canon), I worried that I might lose people who aren't too familiar/obsessed with it. Of course, if they're not, why would they be reading here? And if they did get lost, would they bother to comment: I don't get it? Alas, probably not.

I have a couple of Spuffy things I'll post here in a while. I primarily write Spike, with or without Buffy, so not everything fits the Bloodshedverse criteria. Thanks for commenting!

Cas
12/15/2008 07:00 pm
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Very nice.  You put a new and very Buffy-centric spin on season 4 - and did it all in one chapter!  Now that was quite an accomplishment.
I do like to fill in the blanks. There's so much in a year that doesn't make it onto the screen, as it were. I thought this made as much sense as anything! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

12/15/2008 06:08 pm
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OH I really liked this.  Funny how I never snapped to how much of a role magic played in S4 till I read this!  Love the perspective from poor Buffy, yes she WAS used like an old rag doll by every magic user to roll into town!  Love the awareness budding in Giles and Buffy where Spike is concerned as well.  Nicely told story.  Even keeping in canon you put your brand on it and made it  new.

Kathleen
Kathleen, you are my very first Bloodshedverse reviewer! *throws confetti*

Thank you for the very kind words. I'm so pleased you liked it. When I started this, it was from poor Spike's perspective, and how ill-used by magic he was that season. Then I started to realize that Buffy was even worse off (on the magic side, anyway), which had never occurred to me, either. Plus, doing it this way made it easier to include the gang, which was fun to do. Giles and Joyce are especially fun to write!

So, you think I have a brand? *preens* Very flattering!