Brainstorming in here

[Llywela]

Welcome to our temporary home, for huddling and brainstorming over Written entries if and when Buffyworld proper goes down, as it seems to distressingly often.

[Llywela]

Ooh, good thinking, Joe, to get the rota up!

Me, I'd have remembered the next time BW went down and ended up cursing myself

[EndersWrath]

LOL! Yeah, I did it mainly because last time BW was down I really wanted to see the rota but couldn't. So yay for being able to look at it all the time

[ferdy-m]

It's good to have back up - it would be even better to have a working forum

So, has S8-submission got our thumbs up or not? issues:

* spoilers for S8

Reading her profile, we have a well-written teacher - we can assume she will issue detentions and look stern if we haven't got a valid reason, so think this needs sorting, either here or back on the forum

[Llywela]

Meh. I was going to ask, before the other forum went down again, how many April/May reviewers are likely to get reviews in this month, seeing as we only managed one for April before the months got merged? Also which of the nominated compilers feels most willing to take on the task?

And if anyone else makes their way over here during downtime, supposing it drags on, we could continue the comic debate. I honestly don't know what to say or decide about it. I'm not going to read the comics - for me, the show ended at the end of season 7, end of story. But I have no problem reading and reviewing fics set in the comic season 8, because for me they will just read as any other fanfic continuing the 'verse. I also have no problem with anyone who feels strongly morally opposed to fics set in the comic 'verse.

It's a tricky one!

[ferdy-m]

Meh. I was going to ask, before the other forum went down again, how many April/May reviewers are likely to get reviews in this month, seeing as we only managed one for April before the months got merged? Also which of the nominated compilers feels most willing to take on the task?

I'll review. I think we're more sinned against than sinning, btw - we've been pretty conscientious (RL allowing) about being Pan[n]ellists ...

[can you correct Nikki's spelling mistake in this thread's title, Jo, ahem?]

... it's downtime which has really been the proverbial bad that's bitten us from underneath.

[Mabus]

Jo has a point...even if you don't like the comics, don't plan to read them, and don't consider them canon, they're still existing fiction. No reason a fic set in that period can't be treated just like any other short-term futurefic.

It doesn't look like I'm going to be finishing my potential entry in time, so if someone strongly objects, I can review in their place.

[Llywela]

I was going to say something else. What was it?

Oh yeah, I've got the two entries saved on my harddrive, and can re-post them if anyone needs, for reviewing purposes. We've got about another week before the deadline, which is when reviews need to be done.

[Aissy]

Jo has a point...even if you don't like the comics, don't plan to read them, and don't consider them canon, they're still existing fiction. No reason a fic set in that period can't be treated just like any other short-term futurefic.

It doesn't look like I'm going to be finishing my potential entry in time, so if someone strongly objects, I can review in their place.

Yes, they're still existing fiction. So are crossovers, but for the purpose of fairness when reviewed by fans who are supposed to know their subject (the jossverse) we don't allow them in the Written. I wouldn't be comfortable judging a fic set in BtVS x Dr Who cos I've never seen Dr Who, just like I'm not comfortable judging a fic set in BtVS s8 cos I haven't read (and will not read) it and therefore haven't got the necessary background knowledge to review.

Yes please, Mabus, swap with me for April/May. Ta.

[ferdy-m]

it occurs to me that issue 3 of S8 comic book has been out long enough for the S8 submission to be unspoilered?

So review both submissions?

i have to say, if S6 AtS goes ahead (Life of Brian um ... Lynch, with prods in the right direction from Joss) and we get submissions for that, I'll have to bow out. Not enough Joss, and for reasons I'll post about, Brian's take on things doesn't work for me and I'd feel too personal about it to be CSI-like.

[ferdy-m]

you there Jo?

[Llywela]

Sort of. I'm flitting in and out in between doing other more workish stuff. What's up?

[ferdy-m]

DUPLICATE (Reviews for April/May)

Big Bad by Tangent

PEN = 5.5
PLOT = Zoom
CLIPBOARD
ZOOM

HOT

Review

There's a lot of Spike in this fic and that makes it the hardest to judge. The Written Panel are only human (you thought we were steely-eyed professionals?, so sorry ...) and our response to Spike runs the same gamut of visceral dislike to fanboy or girl as every other jossverse forum.

I'm going to clear away the naughty sweaty feelings Spike evinces in me personally - a cleansing process much helped by writing him into a standalone BW Season 8 eppy a year or two back - and review on the basis of the fic, not the main character in the fic.

For somebody with a forum monicker like "tangent," he writes very clearly. This fic, with an intense Zoom back into the moment when Spike puts the Big Bad back on, reinforced by a graphically descriptive POV as Spike plunges singlemindedly back into the discarded past lying in the warren of Sunnydale High's basement - is convincing in its clarity.

He'd given everything he could to become the man that Buffy wanted: now it was time to give her the man she needed.

Motivation put in a sentence like that is going to make a lot of sense, whether the midget in a black duster is your cup of blood or not. The cry goes up, "but Spike's not much for self-reflection ..." Tell me about it, try getting under this character's skin for any length of time and he bolloxes you every which way, y'know? Unlike creeping prophylatic stones, chips and exploratory surgery, Spike rarely visits his own head. This fic doesn't make the mistake of creating a Spike any more self-aware inside his own head than he is outside his own head. Spike's thoughts here are a simple and single-minded drive to do what She needs.

Without a self-aware narrator, or the cop-out of an all-seeing writer/narrator, the bulk of convincing the reader is given to the descriptive writing, and for me this does the job ...

Turning on his heels he stormed from the room shrugging the coat on as he went; immediately feeling the return of the old defiant strut. Wearing this coat he felt like a warrior again. As if he were a knight encased in his favourite battle hardened armour. Spike might have only encased his body in thin, battered leather but his fear; his guilt and his remorse were all locked behind thick walls of black, tempered steel.

As a character, Spike is the big swingy everyone wants to cut down to size - to do a Spike!Fic takes stones - been there, got the scars - in the end it's down to the writing. This writing has got the stones to convince me. There's endless thread-wanking on Spike's motivation and feelings at this much-debated point in the arc. Here in the Written, I'm as ready to be convinced by both sides - but it'll have to be as well written as this to convince. It's all in the writing.

Some typos and grammatical slips, but on the other hand, somebody who can use a semi-colon without damaging themselves and near neighbours - as tangent does in several places - not penalizing heavily here

Questions and Answers by Dorian's Kitten

PEN = 4.5/5
PLOT = 4
CLIPBOARD
BUFFY
PRO

V. WARM

Review

Another submission with stones - hey we're thigh-deep in go-fer-it 'tude.

Even as canon S8 rolls out yet another reprint of the first few issues of Joss's comic strip post-Chosen (and we HAVE to keep DK's spoiler warning), those with the stones and enthusiasm to fanfic the latest offering are turning up.

So a CLIPBOARD from me. It's got all the BUFFYness in dialogue and descriptions together with an unfluffy approach to the Spuffy Returns storyline to ensure a PRO as well. To challenge His Jossness so quickly on the canon needs writing with rocks in, and this has got it.

Had to mark down on plot, because for all the vicarious spin of "What if Spike and Buffy got together again," this is spuffy-without-plot. Which is much, much better than porn-without-plot. Which it's not - not PWP. But even it means messing with the current arcs, I'd support wrenching S8 around to get a much more convincing reason for Spike to be there than heated up S7. He's using Spike and Angel "sparingly" in S8 - as a writer he must have other reasons than which comicbook sponsor can play with which of his dollies, what are they and what would it take to change Joss's mind?

So with welcoming support for going for a S8-based fic this quick (poetry ...) I'd like to see more innovation.

[ferdy-m]

Looks like we're back on back up

[ferdy-m]

Yes, we're back on back up. It's the end of the month tomorrow. I'll drop in occasionally but basikelly, I'm here, if anyone wants to do anything about it, I'll join in, but if you all want to hang around in Chatter's Zone, fine - I'm sure it's less depressing to sit in there mildly depressed and frustrated about how long before the main site is going to be down. I won't join you because ...

a) VIP chatter's zone
b) mild depression
c) frustration

is not my thang.

[Llywela]

I'm saying nothing. See this fixed grin? That says it all.

Mabus and Aissy both said they'd try to get reviews in for one or both entries. I can re-post them here if anyone needs that. I might anyway, in fact, to be on the safe side. Darn.

We have a choice of compilers - Andrew or Joe, since April and May are combined. I know Andrew is snowed under with exams - Joe, how are you fixed?

*sigh*

[Llywela]

Okay. Have made a thread for the two submissions, in case anyone needs them. But damn, I don't have my reviews here - they are on the home PC. Will repost that tonight when I get home.

[EndersWrath]

I'm saying nothing. See this fixed grin? That says it all.

Mabus and Aissy both said they'd try to get reviews in for one or both entries. I can re-post them here if anyone needs that. I might anyway, in fact, to be on the safe side. Darn.

We have a choice of compilers - Andrew or Joe, since April and May are combined. I know Andrew is snowed under with exams - Joe, how are you fixed?

*sigh*

Yeah I can do it. *breathes in deep* I hope...

[Llywela]

Ah, bless you, Joe. Don't fret - you are always welcome to pick mine or Ferdy's brains as folks that have done it before.

*hides from Ferdy for volunteering her like that*

[ferdy-m]

Ah, bless you, Joe. Don't fret - you are always welcome to pick mine or Ferdy's brains as folks that have done it before.

*hides from Ferdy for volunteering her like that*

... no need to hide from ferdy, my fellow-grimacer - see the hand, the hand is up and joining in to shower blessings upon you, Joe.

Go ON, Jo, have a good snarl, a real oz-wolfy teef-flaring snarl. Soooo pants as this is ...