The Other Woman
Hello! Just finished reading this and immediately made an account to leave this review and more, as I make my way through your wonderful fanfictionography!
I loved this story so much! It was so inventive and I really admire the levels of details you put into your writing to paint a really precise image of each scene, without it ever feeling redundant or heavy. You really transported me into that universe, and even though I could have stayed longer in it, the ending felt really satisfying so I was fine to let go of it.
You had me do the thing I do with when I read a really good novel and there's most of the book left to read but so much has already happened and I feel like I have it all figured out so I wonder what could possibly still happen that will fill so many pages before the denouement, but then I'm carried through a really ingenious plot full of awesome twists and I've reached the end before I know it!
I loved the plot line about the guardian angels! I figured out who they were when they went to Rack, and I had a lot of fun looking out for clues to confirm my hunch and feeling like I was part of the secret! The place you took that was really beautiful and touching, even somewhat healing.
I'm not gonna dwell on your characterization because it's perfect, as usual! I know it, you know it, everyone reading your fics knows it :P
Author's Response:Hi!! Well, first of all, I'm sorry that there's no cabin in this story. Past me let our OT3 down by not thinking of it. Second of all, thank you so much! It's always amazing when people find/read my older stuff and leave a review to let me know, especially when it's a thoughtful one like this! If you feel the need to review everything else you read, I won't complain. :p
I feel like this story ended up going to different places than I originally imagined, so it was an interesting writing experience (and it also took me a really long time to finish perhaps for that reason). The "angels" were fun to write, because I think Tara at least would fly completely under the radar, but Anya is more in your face with her Anya-ness. I had expected more people to ask me mid story if it was Tara and Anya, but I don't recall anyone suspecting it now. I'm glad you picked up on it and had fun with that part! I love Tara and wanted to go for a more direct Willow/Tara meeting, but this ended up feeling right.
I really appreciate you making your way over here and delving into the back catalogue, so to speak. I hope you enjoy whatever else you end up reading! :)
I'm so glad you finished this awesome story!! I loved it so much, thank you for taking the time to circle back around to it and finish it off. You are the best!!
Author's Response:Yay! I'm so glad you loved it! This was one of my favorite stories to write just because it was a bit different than others I've done. Thank you for coming back and finishing it off after I took so long to complete the story! YOU are the best! 😭🥰
The last scene of this chapter between Buffy and Faith is incredible. The way you convey their feelings is so palpable, I think I've never read anything so intense and delicate at the same time. Also, thé progression and simplicity of the dialogue as they beginn to open up to one another was very realistic to me.
Beautifully written !
Author's Response:Thank you so much! That scene was my favorite in the whole story. I wrote it early on and knew I had to make everything else work around it. 😊 I hope you enjoy/enjoyed the rest of the story. Thanks for taking the time to comment! 😁😁
Very awesome story can't wait to read the next
Author's Response:Thank you! It may be coming in not TOO long. I'm working on something at the moment. 😊😊
Yay! Oh I love it so much! Thank you for this, the distraction from what's going on in the world and your lovely writing and of course, sexy times! This story is absolutely wonderful and you, my dear, are an incredible writer!
Author's Response:Thank you so much. 🥰🥰 Glad you enjoyed it! As always, I don't know why it took me so long to finish haha. Hope to have something else new finished soon. 😊😊
This was worth the wait! So glad you were able to go back to this story to conclude the tale. Really happy for the resolution of the characters. Sad for Willow and Xander, but they've got closure in their own way.
Can't wait to see what else comes from you now you've got a little more time to write 😆
Thanks!
Author's Response:Thank you for coming back to read the conclusion! 😊😊😊 Being trapped in my house has definitely given me time to write lol. I'd like to say I had the self discipline to be writing something I could share soon, but in reality I have three long stories and a one shot in various stages of completion, and at this point I'm just working on whatever I feel like doing, because some writing is better than no writing. 😂😂
Also I forgot to say how excited I was to see this update! Can't wait for the last chapter d84;
Author's Response:Did you nearly keel over dead in shock when you saw it? Feels like I nearly keeled over dead when in the span of like five days I finished both this chapter AND the next one. We may be in a global pandemic but it turns out being a prisoner in my home helps motivate me to write. Who knew?
FAITH. Get your shit together bae! You're missing out on a ton of lovin' right now! (Although it is super in character for her to feel guilty over something she had no control over) please give us smooches soon!
Author's Response:The smoochies are coming--in fact I just posted them and they are now here! <3 <3 Hope you enjoy the final chapter. :)
Super story. Very moving including Tara and Anya like that. Would love to see it finished.
Author's Response:Thank you! it's getting finished! Slowly but surely.
I don't know why it took me so long to read this but I'm SO GLAD I DID. MY GOD. Buffy immediately knowing something was off because Faith stopped flirting with her😂 the conversation on the bed, Buffy's encounter with Diana, Willow guiding Faith back from the brink, I have so many FEELS! I am excited to see that the latest chapter was recent so I can't wait for the remainder even if it's just some good old fashioned and well deserved sexing for our girls! This is so damn lovely and I can't tell you how much I love this, you are such an incredible storyteller that I honestly just read this in one sitting. Okay I'm going to take a breath now but thank you! I can't wait for more!
Author's Response:I feel like you should have waited just a little longer to read it, and then maybe I'd have finished it lol. Now you're doomed to wait six months or whatever it takes me to finish this off! 😬😬😬😂😂😂 I will try not to drag it out too long. I really do want to get this done. Thank you for your kind words! This has been kind of a different story for me, with the challenges of one of them being incorporeal and all haha. I'm really glad you've loved it so far. That is definitely motivating as I think about what I need to do to finish it off! Honestly I've spent several hours on the next chapter, and nothing feels exactly right. I'll take another crack and see where I end up.
Now that was an interesting twist, curious to know what the violation of nature's law that Tara did though.
Author's Response:That as referring to them bringing Buffy back from the dead. 😊😊
I loved this!!!. Can't wait for next update... Pleeeease!! =D
Author's Response:Thank you!
Super amazing brilliant wonderful unexpected uber twist!
I couldn't wait to read this update and I'm so glad I didn't delay. Their world's falling into place, however you did have my heart in my throat when Faith was reaching out for the doorknob.
Awesome job can't wait for the next few chapters as this story rounds out.
I'm in this, your fan.
Author's Response:Yay! Thank you! I’m glad you didn’t wait too. 😊 I’m glad you were surprised by the twist with the spirit guides! I figured if anyone gave it away, it would be Anya since she’s spending the afterlife complaining and DVR’ing shows about money. When I was writing this chapter, I was thinking, is this too anticlimactic to have Faith get back in her body without one last hurdle of some sort, but ultimately I thought she’d been kicked out like ten chapters ago and it was about time for something to go right. 😂😂 Hoping to get the remaining chapters out pretty quickly (by which I mean probably one a month like this one). I’m excited to write Buffy and Faith together now that Faith’s back on solid ground, pun intended. 😂😂 Thanks again for sticking with me on this one!
OMGOMGOMG. I just discovered your prolific Fuffy works and blasted through them all in about a week. This one MAY just be my favorite!? Which is high praise cause literally everything you write is gold. Can't freaking wait for the ending!! :')
Author's Response:Oh hey!! I’m glad you enjoyed my fic! So interesting that you chose this one as your fave. I don’t know if it’s been anyone’s favorite before. 😂😊😊 You picked a good time to start reading since this one was sitting around collecting dust for a very long time before I finally picked it back up. Check back soon! I hope to have the next chapter or two out this month.
Omg yes, I cant begin to say how glad I am to have this update!! I honestly thought this was a lost one, so many wires have let great pics go but I now have possible updated to look forward too 🤗 thank you for coming back, hope real life is treating you well
Author's Response:Thank YOU because you asking about it motivated me to get the next chapter done! 😊😊 I am going to finish this come hell or high water. Hopefully it’s neither lol. I am working on the next chapter now! Check back soon. 😊😊
Holy Shit!!!!! You’re back!!!!! I just happened to check in to see if there was anything new and there was an update! Totally made my day! Thank you!
Author's Response:I’m baaaaaaaack! 😊😊 Hope to have the next chapter done without too long of a wait. I’m working on it now. If you haven’t checked back in a bit, I also published two other stories recently, one in June and one in July. 😁 I have been productive.
Without breaking a sweat you're knocking out the hits! So excited to read an update to this fic. I felt it when Buffy's sweet reassurance came from Willow and how that not only helped Faith but also helped to rebond her and Willow 😊
Author's Response:Haha! I am trying for sure! To be honest, the reason this took me so long to get done was because it’s always harder for me to write non-Fuffy scenes. I didn’t want to skip this stuff because it was important to the plot but I also wasn’t chomping at the bit to write it. 😬 Now that the gang’s all reunited, I hope to get the next one out faster. I don’t know exactly how many chapters are left but not TOO many. Thanks for coming back and still caring what’s going on with this after I took such a long break! You’re the best. 😊😊😊
Yay!!! Now that you're out of retirement we can get an update 🤗🤗 ! I was pretty excited to see a new story , please keep them up
Author's Response:OMG hahahaha. I love that you saw a new story from me and came over here to nudge me into updating. That's awesome. As yet ineffective as I haven't gone back to this next chapter--but I promise it will come. In 5-10 years maybe, lol. But it WILL happen.
Like all your stories this one has me right on the edge and I tried not to read it when I saw it was incomplete but the reviews were lit and now I’m counting the months until the next update ! I really like the pace you set with faith and Buffy , it’s funny and the personalities are spot on please don’t keep us hangin I’m dying of suspense here , I can’t wait for for this to be complete d84;a039;Hope you’re RL is treating you well c6;🏽
Author's Response:Hi Theory! I'm so sorry I didn't respond to this sooner! I didn't know there was a review here waiting. Oops. Anyway, it's been like a year now, and I haven't updated this since your review. I know, I suck. I do promise to finish this at some point!
So, no surprise that I love this story. You always write the good stuff. I've enjoyed this more innocent take on Faith, seeing her vulnerable in the face of imminent death. It's interesting to see a story where Buffy and Faith realise their feelings but can't act on them - not because of boyfriends, overwhelming angst, or other common Fuffy tropes - but because they can't physically interact. It's a good way of having them talk things through without resulting to violence or sex like a lot of stories do. I also loved the flirtations between them in the early chapters and Buffy biting to the bait; made more believable by the fact they've both been 'feeding themselves' for a while now and are stuck in a house together.
Your characterizations are on point. The humour is great. The scares are effective. The call backs to past demons, goddesses and incidents really helps flesh the story out and make it feel like part of the show. I do wonder where Kennedy, Wood and Andrew are but it's not like I feel their inclusions would improve the story. If anything it's nice to have just the main players. Though do you have any reasoning behind this choice?
I look forward to reading more, and as someone who is also guilty of leaving fics without update for months *cough*years*cough* on end I emphasize with the pressure to keep writing when life and procrastination have other ideas. I hope you're doing well in all respects and I'll always have an eye out for anything new by you.
Mike
Author's Response:Oh hey, 1.5 years after you left this review, totally acceptable timeline on review responses. I somehow didn't know this review was here (email snafu where I didn't get my review alert I think--I need to investigate this). Thank you! Apparently I've decided to join you on the letting shit languish for years train. I do have a sort of good track record on finishing things eventually, so I do think this one will be the same way. Honestly, the next chapter was going to be fight scenes and in nearly two years I haven't developed more interest in writing those... lol.
Re: your question on the missing people--my only reasoning is that I don't like those characters so I left them out. :D :D :D I also realistically could probably not do them much justice since they are from season 7 which is one of my least favorites that I'm uninterested in watching. That's all I've got.
Otherwise, life is good! I'm getting married early next year. So if I still haven't finished this, we'll blame the wedding. I hope you're well too! Now, please give me an update on Not My Generation. ;)
A story of yours I haven’t read? And it’s not only a brilliantly written, interesting story but effectively scary? Oh, how I’ve missed you.
Author's Response:Please forgive my fail on not responding to this sooner. I didn't know it was here. D: Thank you!!
Have just stumbled upon this tonight. Please update this awesome story soon 🙂 the suspense is gonna kill me.
Author's Response:Dude, I hope you didn't die as I still have not updated this. D: I know, I suck. It will get done eventually--I promise! Thank you for leaving a review to cheer me on!
You do more than get it done, you knock it out of the park every single time! I was worried about the choice but the way you resolved it was perfect. I love for your updates!
Author's Response:Austen... I'm sorry that I didn't respond to this. I didn't know it was here somehow. I am major fail. Thank you for reading this and your comment! I promise I will come back to this fic and finish it off. I hope soon. <3
Hey!! So nice to see I don't have to organise a search party for you!!
Thanks for the update...get to M rating for Pete's sake. Haha.
Seriously, beautifully written as always. Looking forward to the nect update...if I get to live that long. Lol.
Keep writing!
Author's Response:I'm sorry that I apparently never noticed this review or responded to it. FAIL. FAIL ALL OVER MY FACE. I know you organized a search party for me since the time you left this review (I totally saw them and I hid out-haha). I hope you're still alive! I am, and I promise that I will finish this story. I don't promise on when, because I know myself too well, but I haven't left anythign unfinished yet. So... it's coming. :D
Lol.right!