Real name: Mike
Gender: dude
Member since: 07/29/2013
Beta-reader:
Bio:
Rated: Mature
[Reviews - 140]Part 2 of the 'Wishing' Saga. Just as Buffy is getting her life back together Faith wakes up from her coma. As dark forces gathering around the pair can Buffy hope to save Faith from the Intiative, the Watcher's Council, the Police or even the Scoobies? What's more, can Buffy save Faith from her own darkness?
Category: Season > Season 4, Relationship > Buffy/Faith
Characters: Adam, Anya Jenkins, Buffy Summers, Ethan Rayne, Faith Lehane, Joyce Summers, Maggie Walsh, Riley Finn, Rupert Giles, Spike, Tara Maclay, Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris
Genres: Action, Adventure, Angst, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Warnings: None
Series: None
Chapters: 25 | Completed: No | Word count: 217407 | Read count: 37971 | Published: 05/11/2014 | Updated: 03/29/2019 | Latest Chapter
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Date: 11/11/2014 Title: Chapter 12: Picking Up The Pieces: Part 1 (Fresh Wounds, Open Graves)
I finally came back to the this story after getting sidetracked with, erm, life, I guess.
I had about 4 juicy chapters waiting for me and I'm glad to see Faith and Buffy interacting again. It wasn't as fun when the two were separate, it lacked all those moments the story before this one had.
This fic seems to be heading to something big with all the pieces in motion coming to a head, I'm very curious to see what that is and to see how Buffy and Faith reconcile. There was a lot of misunderstanding for a while there and it was getting a bit silly. Just stop and talk, guys, jeez. I think it's harder to believe Buffy would assume the worst of Faith when she's already experienced everything with the wish. But it presents drama and such so I suppose I get why you did it.
Characterizations are pretty much on point and I like the dialogue you come up with; Faith's "eyes are the windows to the pink squishy thing" being a good example. I do think your Buffy, Giles and Willow sometimes - only sometimes - come off slightly as caricatures of themselves. But those are my only gripes. This review comes across more critical than praising but I really do love this story in its entirety.
I hope you update soon! :)
Author's Response:
You mean you put your own life ABOVE reading my fics...ah, that's cool. Life is pesky sometimes. :)
Well you're right to a certain extent, they'll be lots of 'little' things coming to a head over the course of the next few chapters. Some evil plots have a lot of moving parts. But we have seen the last of Buffy and Faith being separated, at least for a long while to come.
The thing with Buffy is...she's confused (understatement) she has TWO Faith's in her head and she doesn't know if her feelings for one were clouding her judgement with the other. When she saw Faith threatening her Mom (her neglected Mom) she kind of lost it momentarily- and she feels guilty for that.
To a certain extent Buffy still is second-guessing herself (I always thought Buffy could be very hard on herself, especially in those earlier seasons) in regards to Faith, her own feelings and what she thinks Faith's feelings are towards her. It's all gloriously messy...hopefully.
Some of that will end soon enough when the two of them start to reconcile, and then all those slushy, mushy feelings may make themselves known again...nothing is ever simple for the Buffster. :)
Thank you- I'm finding it easier and easier to write Faith-isms, and I seem to get into her head fairly easily.
As for caricatures...my only excuse is that I may have spent too much time juggling plot elements that I short-changed decent characterisation. As the plot becomes more stream-lined there will be more 'room' for the characters to get there voices back- if that makes sense.
Thank you very much for the feedback, I like specifics/details in my reviews, it lets me know what I'm doing right! :)
Date: 12/08/2014 Title: Chapter 14: Picking Up The Pieces: Part 3 (Rest In Peace)
Well that was an unexpected end to the chapter. I honestly didn't see Faith turning on Buffy again - not entirely 100% sure why she is. But I'm sure you know. And to think I was going to reprimand Willow for being so mistrustful of Faith. Boy, don't I look silly now.
Great chapter, nice to see a victory for the good guys after things looked pretty dire last chapter. Can't wait to see what the hell's going on!
Author's Response:
The whole Faith turning on Buffy will hopefully become a little clearer by the end of this chapter, and yeah-Willow is concerned about Buffy's behaviour and distrustful of Faith- so of course she's going to rely on magic.
When in doubt that's what Willow does for a quick fix (and no, that wasn't a magic as drugs pun- THAT doesn't come up until S6...).
Yeah, the demon is dead, but the baton has been passed to a familiar face form the past. :O
Next chapters up.
Date: 12/13/2014 Title: Chapter 15: Picking Up The Pieces: Part 4 (What Was Lost And Found)
Very satisfied with Faith's sudden attack on Buffy and how it was handled and explained, drawing (I'm assuming intentional) parallels with her meltdown fighting Angel in the show.
It was really cool seeing it play out with Buffy instead of Angel and I'm eager to see what comes next. These shorter chapters are great because updates come faster. I hope the next one is more of the same!
Author's Response:
Yep- I shameless stole...I mean I was 'inspired by' the awesome Angel S1 two-parter. Just added some Fuffy-ness where it made sense- plus a couple of callbacks to WCE. There will be another one of those next chapter. :)
Thanks for the kind words, although obviously this chapter took its sweet time. It was beyond my control, I'm totally blaming Christmas for distracting me and stuff...:)
Rated: Everyone
[Reviews - 12]Buffy and Faith, coffee and a crossroads. Drabble. Post Chosen.
Category: Season > Post-Chosen, Relationship > Buffy/Faith
Characters: Buffy Summers, Faith Lehane
Genres: Drama
Warnings: None
Series: None
Chapters: 1 | Completed: Yes | Word count: 1213 | Read count: 6248 | Published: 05/29/2014 | Updated: 05/29/2014 | Latest Chapter
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Date: 05/29/2014 Title: Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Well this was a nice snack-sized surprise! A very enjoyable little drabble. Which makes me miss seeing your writing more often.
I won't kick you but I will give you maximum puppy dog eyes of guilt.
-PUPPY EYES INTENSIFY-
That aside, this is a perfectly crafted little scene of what could have taken place after the fall of Sunnydale. The dialogue is light yet spot on and I like that you left us with very subtle subtext rather than a full on show of affection or something similar. Nicely ambiguous.
I hope to see more from you soon. Of anything. All your writing rocks my teacups, which is a British saying I just invented.
Author's Response:
I'm more of a pussy cat girl myself, so your puppy eyes will do no good. :D
Thank you, and I appreciate the new British phrase all for me lol. Next chapter of Girl is forthcoming. Soon!
Rated: Mature
[Reviews - 133]After leaving Sunnydale a smoking crater, the scooby gang sets out to regroup. They're settling into their new home, but Buffy can't shake the feeling that something isn't quite right.
Category: Relationship > Buffy/Faith, Season > Post-Chosen
Characters: Buffy Summers, Dawn Summers, Faith Lehane, Rupert Giles, Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris
Genres: Drama, Horror
Warnings: None
Series: None
Chapters: 16 | Completed: Yes | Word count: 79643 | Read count: 77832 | Published: 02/05/2016 | Updated: 09/15/2023 | Latest Chapter
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Date: 02/15/2018 Title: Chapter 4: Chapter 4
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!!
Date: 02/16/2018 Title: Chapter 12: Chapter 12
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
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.
Author's Response:
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. ;)
Rated: Teen
[Reviews - 13]“You knew, too?!” Buffy accuses, before flopping back against the mat. “How is this possible?” She mutters under her breath. “How does everyone else know about this?”
The one where everyone knows how Faith feels except sweet, clueless Buffy.
Category: Relationship > Buffy/Faith, Season > Post-Chosen
Characters: Buffy Summers, Dawn Summers, Faith Lehane, Rupert Giles, Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris
Genres: Comedy, Romance
Warnings: None
Series: None
Chapters: 1 | Completed: Yes | Word count: 6170 | Read count: 4430 | Published: 06/21/2019 | Updated: 06/21/2019 | Latest Chapter
[Report This]
Date: 07/26/2019 Title: Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Short but oh so sweet.
Really this was a perfect little fuffy fanfic with a gooey centre. I loved the interactions between Buffy and Faith especially at the end and I enjoyed the idea of them setting up in a haunted boarding school.
In reply to your response to my other review: 1) Congrats on the getting married thing! I hope your big day goes amazingly.
2)I know I suck at updating my fics. Big time. I make promises then fail to keep them.
That said.
I currently have a lot of free time that I've mostly been investing in writing a book. I have however been meaning to finish my Buffy stories and after seeing that you're still at this, well, it's a bit of a motivator.
Watch this space...
Author's Response:
You are in good company with the sucking and the failed promises! :) Not that I want to take you away from writing a book that one assumes will earn you money and give you great pride and joy to see out there in the world, but YES PLEASE. THROW THAT BOOK TO THE WAYSIDE. If you finish your fics, I will be over the moon lol.
Rated: Mature
[Reviews - 16]“When Angel came to give me the amulet, we talked a little,” Buffy says, “about the future. About our relationship.”
“I guess his arm isn’t tired yet from carrying that torch,” Faith mutters darkly.
They saved the world. Again. Buffy starts thinking about what comes next. Part of the Ten Roads Series, ten times B/F could have connected with each other. Set immediately post-Chosen.
Category: Relationship > Buffy/Faith, Season > Post-Chosen
Characters: Andrew Wells, Buffy Summers, Dawn Summers, Faith Lehane, Kennedy, Robin Wood, Rupert Giles, Willow Rosenberg, Xander Harris
Genres: Romance
Warnings: None
Series: Ten Roads
Chapters: 4 | Completed: Yes | Word count: 14971 | Read count: 4529 | Published: 07/29/2019 | Updated: 08/12/2019 | Latest Chapter
[Report This]
Date: 08/10/2019 Title: Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Another story! A continuation of the Ten Roads Series?! Oh, you minx, I've missed you.
*COUGHCOUGHWHEREISMYNOTMYGENERATION??* Oh hey! Yes, another story lol. I tried to pick something from my drafts folder that I could quickly finish... and then I promptly wrote thousands more words and it wasn't quick at all. You know how it is. How are you? How's the book, and the aforementioned possible fic updates? :D
Author's Response:
Date: 08/10/2019 Title: Chapter 2: Chapter 2
“You were right, back then. You said everything in the ugliest way possible, but you were right. I was afraid of how much like you I was.”
As I watched the show it always struck me in hindsight how bang on the money Faith was about Buffy and I'm glad you've noticed that and brought it up in this story. They used Spike as the stick to poke Buffy over into her 'dark side', but a lot of what he said was echoing Faith's words from Season 3 and 4.
Really enjoying this, looking forward to chapter 3. Kind of want a story that follows the scoobs through their slayer school years now.
Author's Response:
That's good insight into the use of Spike that I never thought about! They were a bit heavy handed with some of Buffy's later season dialogue mirroring Faith's from earlier seaons. Oh man, do not tempt me to write the continuation of them in the slayer school. I have multiple unfinished stories waiting for my attention, haha. I have THREE long ones I'm excited about, which all have multiple chapters done (since, you know, I started these like 2012-2014ish). So those are next on my docket. Also finishing The Other Woman since it's so close to being done and I need to get off my lazy ass and complete that.
I do feel a little bad that you said you're looking forward to chapter 3 of this since I know you will not enjoy it lol. This story came about because I had an explicit sex scene I cut from another story (can't for the life of me remember which one now, maybe Flowers?), and I had planned to write the barest little intro type scene and just put it out there as porn without plot. But I am incapable of not having some kind of plot, so I got carried away with the 'filler' I was writing. So to be honest, most of next chapter is the porn that's been waiting. I know how you feel about the sex scenes, so I foresee skimming in your future. D: D:
Might you be tempted into writing the 'following the scoobs to slayer school' fic? :D
Date: 08/17/2019 Title: Chapter 3: Chapter 3
I survived! I joke. It really wasn't that bad. I think it was fairly toned down compared to your earlier fics, but still heated enough to make most warm blooded men and women get hot under the collar. I really liked the pool scene at the start, seeing Faith hang out with the gang and everyone getting a moment (even Andrew!) and I enjoyed the build up from Faith's POV.
I also thought that it was a really nice touch that you referenced how Buffy worries she'll be alone after a new sexual encounter because of how her first time with Angel went.
I sent you a message on here, but I've had no reply to it so I assume you never got it! I replied to a bunch of stuff you said in the last review I did and haven't a clue what you asked now! Find it if you can!
Author's Response:
Oooh, huzzah! Thank you for the heads up. I found the email in my spam. For some reason gmail sometimes identifies my C2 emails as spam (I have them forwarded to my gmail), so good reminder for me to check there. I am currently bingewetching Season 2 of Mindhunter, so I will email you back tomorrow! I did get a good laugh/snort though when I read your comment about using “her sex” in a story since I def did that lol. Oh well, you lived. I did not use cunt though. But now next time, you know I will, just to be a shit. You know I’m kind of a hater of some of the Scoobies in the later years, so I’m glad they cooperated in my mind for this scene. And glad it came across well. :D
Date: 08/17/2019 Title: Chapter 4: Chapter 4
At first I thought "wow, Willow's really being a dick! It's like she wants Faith to flip the table."
Then I realised the twist. The Giles outburst was a perfect touch. I look forward to your next venture into fuffy shennanigans.
Author's Response:
Thank you! Giles was critically underutilized and he needed a win. Lol. For this fic and this fic only, Willow is not a dick. Tune in next time when Willow will surely return to form. :D :D