FIC: Answering Darkness

[mollyig]

That Trickster, he seems to have a knack for seeing what makes people insecure and afraid, and then playing (and preying) on that knowledge. I really don't like him



The darkness of the last couple of chapters are so powerful and engaging. I've read them through at least three times this morning, and each time feel physically weak at what Tara is being forced to witness.



You are, quite simply, wonderfully talented.

Adding up the total of a love that's true, multiply life by the power of two
Indigo Girls

[Little M]

Oh my god................wow jeez I don't know what to say, that was......pfffffff jeez too good for words....

How do u do it??



I thought the first part of this chapter was good, with the Trickster threatening to force someone to make a baby with Willow.........god I hated him so much there



But the second part is just incredible......I really feel very uncomfortable now...

And I am worried about what Willow is up to.......can't wait to read more!



Mir

----------------------

'I go online sometimes, but everyone's spelling is really bad..it's depressing' - Tara

[wiltar]

*hugs for everyone that needs them*



fuck... I mean, fuck... not the good kind... I swear, I was about to cry there..

btw, that fuck is not about the writing, cause that was great as usual... just, poor Willow and even more poor Tara



Sassette, I can't wait to read more... one thing thoug... it will have a happy end, right? Please say it will.



Patricia

---------------

W-what were they looking at?

-The hotness of you doofus!!!

[Canadian Kitty]

Oh the angst. My tummy's all acidy now. But you're gonna make it all work out, right Sass? Don't make me threaten you with healthy type foods.



CK

"You wanna go out sometime, for coffee, food, kisses and gay love?" Willow- Normal Again.

[WebWarlock]

Sassette,



I reread the last chapter again just to be sure I had read all right the first time. This is simply amazing.

Your contrast between the two Taras made perfectly good sense to me. One still fighting, the other already lost.

You made me feel her grief, granted not her full grief, but you made it a very tangible thing.



And Willow. Oh dear sweet Willow. I know we all around tend to swoon over Tara, but you took *the* strongest character in "Buffy" and reduced her to something small and powerless, and made it totally believable. And Willow's line. "I think it is time for me to go". Oh my god Sass. Do you know that you had Kitties crying on their keyboards the world over? It was so heartfelt and still so Willow.



And the aftermath. Tara accepting--no wanting death. I get that. Xander doing whatever he could, but failing. Or the hundreds of other scenarios.



Sass. You have crafted a masterwork tale here. I know it had humble beginings, I was there reading it. But this has been elevated to the level of a seasonal arc now. In fact. I enjoy this, hellgods and all, much more than the actual season.



I could not formulate any thoughts last night after reading this. That is twice with you now Sass!



I could pile the praise on you and this story. But I think the best thing I can say is, you made me feel. I felt something from this.

I have lost someone that close to me before. Last night and today you touched that. You got that response from me. Don't feel bad, that is the hallmark of a good writer.



Damn! Every writer here is so willing to show that Willow and Tara will die for the other one! Why can't we see how much they are willing to LIVE for the other??!? Not a complaint at all really. I just want them to run into a demon someday and find out the only way to defeat it is to grab the person next to them and tell them they love them and live happily ever after. Wait. We have seen that demon. His name is Joss!



Thank you Sassette.



Thank you for this wonderful story and adding another layer to all of our own personal mythology of Willow and Tara. I think this is one of the stories that should go onto the Pens "required reading list".



Warlock

-----

Web Warlock

The Other Side: http://www.xtreme-gaming.com/theotherside/

ShadowEarth Games: http://www.rpghost.com/WebWarlock/

Liber Mysterium: the Netbook of Witches and Warlocks

[Mufin53]

Sass, you evil bi-

no that's not right.



Trickter, you evil bastard! Putting our girls through SO much misery. Bad Trickster. Very bad Hell God. No Earth for you! And no Willow, and no Tara, and no Tara's pinky. *hmpf*



Doesn't Tara realize he is only showing her the grimest plausible outcomes? They could find that 11th hour cure. She could have the strength to go on if that failed. Ugh. Come on Willow, save the day already. Resurect Glory if you have to, just fix this!



Sass, you made most of the kittens cry, you got me into full battle mode. Gimme a sword and point me to the hellmouth!

Edited by: Mufin53 at: 4/24/02 6:45:05 am

[Karzia]

WOWOWOWOW They say crying is good for the soul once and a while, wel now most of the Kitten's have good souls. Beautiful and heart wrenching all at once.

"The Bible contains
six admonishments of Homosexuals and 362 of Heterosexuals, That doesn't mean God doesn't love Hetrosexuals, just that they need more supervsion."


Lynn Laver

[GreenNeutron]

Wow... that was just *cries* I can't even say.... *whimpers* I'm going to go find my teddy bear.





~mel

[Sassette]

**Eric_tr: Thank you *G* I love a good 'wow' ... 'Wow' makes me a happy little fic-writer.



**willowphile410: You're welcome *G* And thank you ... is it sick and wrong of me to be happy that people who have never cried during a fic before are all weepy over this update? Because it does, in fact, make me happy. Probably because I cried writing it, and I feel it's only fair, y'know?



**Owl: Maybe you should see about getting some glasses with the little windshield wipers on them ... only, on the inside of the glasses? And yes ... GRAB something cuddly, and keep it close.



**maudmac: Okay, I'm suddenly glad that I rarely watch TV ... that commercial sounds brutal. Well, not actually brutal, but you know what I mean ... I would likely be right there with you cheering on the little kiss on the end and getting all sniffly about it. Y'know what gets me every time? 'Where the Red Fern Grows' ... absolutely ALWAYS cry at the end. The book, not the movie. Oh, and singing the Star Spangled Banner at baseball games. Always, always.



**4WiccanLove: Yes, The Trickster is owed some major pain, and nobody messes with out girls ... however, he IS a God ... just exactly what Willow and Tara can do to him is ... limited.



**Willowfan: I see we have a lot of firsts stemming from this fic. And it's okay to yell at your computer ... it's not a problem until it starts yelling back. I kind of like the idea of a big mob of kittens storming hell and clawing The Trickster to little pieces. Let that be your happy visual for the day. Ummm ... unless you want to, y'know, imagine W/T doing spells instead. *G*



**mollyig: Thank you ... and I'm incredibly glad you don't like him ... you're supposed to hate him ... you're supposed to hate him like you have never hated anything before. He's hideously evil and he has to be stopped - pretty much at any cost ... just ... not Willow dying. Or Tara. Definitely not.



**Little M: Oh, yeah ... I wanted to go bitch-slap him when he pulled the baby thing out of his hat. That was ... bad. Very Bad. The Trickster is a Very Bad Man. And yeah, the next part was ... yeesh.



**wiltar: Yes. There will be a happy ending. This would >so< not be the place to post this story if it weren't going to have a happy ending *G* I expect the kittens would hunt me down and beat me up over this one if it didn't have a happy ending. Not that kittens are prone to violence, mind you, but getting everyone here without a happy ending would be ... very, very harsh.



**CK: Healthy foods? Geeeze ... first Autumn starts in with the mean limerick threats, and now you're piping up with healthy foods? Yes, the ending will be happy. Screw ME ... trust in >me<



**WebWarlock: Oh, I love your comments *G* Like you say, we all around tend to swoon over Tara ... though Tara wouldn't care what happend to her as long as everything turned out all right, I know that >we< care what happens to Tara, so I had to show exactly how ... Not Tara she would become without Willow. As for Willow, I totally agree that she's the strongest character on Buffy ... but I think Tara's right up there with her (more swooning over Tara, here *G*) ... which is why that scenario was so wrenching. They were both so broken down. And yes, I knew kittens were going to cry all over their keyboards at that line ... that's the line that had me crying, and then pretty much sniffling throughout. That's why the update took that long. I had to stop and cry a few times.



And yeah ... this fic started out as a "get them back together, and do it fast" fic ... but I made the "mistake" of tackling Willow's addiction instead of fast-forwarding through it and to the recovery. That in and of itself added a HUGE amount of writing. Then, somewhere along the line, it did become a kind of alternate season six story arc, Big Bag and all.



You've got a really good point, though ... both are so willing to die for the other one ... But, uhh ... defeat a demon by grabbing each other and declaring their undying love? Dreamer



And Pens HAS a required reading list!? Oh, God ... I'm way behind ... I ... I probably haven't read them all, and I'll, umm ... I'll get an 'F' on the tests, and then I'll end up on the street giving my sob story about not reading all the required fic, and people will give me quarters so I'll go away, and then I'll be all 'thanks for the quarter, buddy', only I'll be sarcastic and bitter and not like myself at all, and they'll be like 'sure, go away' and I'll go, and I'll sit in the corner and cry and think about what I've done, and ....



Uhhh ... Heh. Right. There isn't really a required reading list, is there?



**mufin: Yes, he's Evil Evil Evil ... not the capital 'E' ... he needs to be stopped. But, umm ... Tara's probably in a bad emotional place right now, and not likely to realize anything beyond "Fire Bad. Willow Pretty." And resurrecting Glory would be bad in and of itself ... because, y'know, Hell God ... they've already got one to deal with. Throwing two at them would be just mean, especially considering how outmatched they are by the one, y'know? But here's your sword, and the Hellmouth is that way *points*



**Karzia: Crying is great for the soul ... Personally, after writing that, I feel really good. Thank you *G*



**GreenNeutron: Snuggling with teddy bears is greaty encouraged. And thank you *G*



-Sass

[jomarch]

Sassette, my god, that was breathtaking - Literally stole my breath away. The words used and images that you have invoked with this story is simply amazing. Your characters are so layered and though not perfect are just perfect examples of the best that they can be i.e. Tara with knowledge beyond her years and Willow with her quiet strength - both tempered by their experiences together.



Thank you for this chapter and the next one to come which I bet would be just as good if not better.

-----------------------------


You must think that something is happening with you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand; It will not let you fall

[WebWarlock]

Quote:

---

Sassette said in a way that we will never forget:

Uhhh ... Heh. Right. There isn't really a required reading list, is there?

---

No. But there should be. I have read some great stuff here and then I talk to others and hear about the other great stuff they read. So I think I am missing out on about 75% of the good fics.



I love Ruth's Final Exam. That is another one that is really taking a life of it's own. Yours in an alt-season 6, hers is an alt-season-3. BTW have I mentioned lately how glad I am at the prospect of you two getting together to write a fic?



I know we both share an admiration for Lisa's Unexpected Consequences. That one is a sweeping arc as well full of big time Tara love.



I really like Bobosmom's When the Goddess calls. It is a very different story that typical here.



They are many others people have told me about, but I have not read yet. I love reincarnation fics. I love the idea that W/T have been together in past lives.



Keep this up Sass. If the next part is as good as this one then take your time. You have proven to all of us that when you do you blow us all away.



Warlock

-----

Web Warlock

The Other Side: http://www.xtreme-gaming.com/theotherside/

ShadowEarth Games: http://www.rpghost.com/WebWarlock/

Liber Mysterium: the Netbook of Witches and Warlocks

[TrueXena]

*sniffle*



I hate that fucking Trickster.



*sob*



He killed my girl! (umm...Tara's girl)



*cries*



Fucking RAT FACED BASTARD!



*sniffle*

---------------------

Doc: "I'm the happy peppy pimp, 'cause I don't beat my hos!" / Doc: "...and then they had sex."

Tara: "Its good to be a chicken casserole." -in 'Answering Darkness' By: Sassette

TrueXena: "Get a taste of Religion. Lick a Witch!"

[Grimaldi]

very powerful chapter. That Trickster sure is an evil bastard. Tara having to see and hear about the possible outcomes of not going along with the Trickster was so sad and painful. really loving this story, can't wait for the next part.

"Awww, Grasshopper, you're so screwed."

"Alright, let's just shoot the fucking sex"

[AutumnT]

I think the Trickster needs killin

Autumn

-----------

Buffy: I could wrestle naked in grease for a living and still be cleaner than after a shift at the Doublemeat.

Willow: Plus, I'd visit you at work every single day. --- "Normal Again" shooting script

[tommo]

Tell us how you really feel, TrueXena.



I love that little smiley (well it's not really a smiley is it, because it's not smiling...) with the hand gesture. Fabulous.

----------
No metaphors...just fucking.

[wizpup]

Sassette - just wanted to add my own open-mouthed wonder at your wonderful story.



I'm sorry I haven't commented before - I suffer terribly from lurkitis, and I'm usually so far behind in my reading that my comments are way out of date by the time I even think about posting.



But how can I not delurk to say nice things after that last part? I have loved the whole fic, and right now I'd be happy if the end was a long way off, although the bits between now and then mustn't all be angsty, or I will have to send out for tissues!



Thanks

jo

[ExtraFlameyWT]

Oh man, Sass. That was amazing, but I was reading it in school and I started to cry... and I need a hug, too!



Make them better. *pout* please?



God, I love this story.



-Aimee

*****
"Hey Will, this is me. It doesn't all have to be good and fine. This is the room where you don't have to be brave. I still love you. If you're worried, you can be worried." -Tara to Willow in ep. 603 Afterlife

[Willowfan]

*Puts on a little kitty helmet and kitty bracers with little kitty armor emblazened with W/T 4-ever*



Alright Trickster...you wanted a war?

*pops out claws from little kitty feet and crunches gravel underneath as the stalk towards the hellmouth begins, little kitty claws ripping through the earth* Come get some.



Willowfan: -->

“Love’s bitch?” Spike asked softly...
“Woman enough to admit it,” Willow agreed with a nod and a sad half-smile.

“Cheers, luv,” Spike whispered... -Answering Darkness by Sassette

[Wolflord]

Sass......that was amazing and touching. My hats off to you. I love your fic it is so very detailed and I love it. Keep up the good work. I look forward to the next one. You know I am really starting to get really pissed : --> : --> at the Trickster. I really hope he dies in the most painful way possible....something like getting an inch of flesh ripped off of him by a hummingbird every hour and then as his godly powers of healing heal him then the cycle contiues for about a 1000 fricking years. Ok calming down thinking of happier things + = and going down naked..oh my did I just say going down naked.......whatever am I thinking



______________ WOLFLORD ___________________

Sometimes I think of them doing spells and I have a spell by myself.

[ToughGrrl]

Sassette...Wow. You have this amazing power to render me completely speechless. Your writing is some of the best I've read. The way you develop your characters, the twists in plot, the care with which you handle them...you're right up there with Anne Rice in my book Babe.



*Aim*

>"She's my girl. She looks at the world in a special way, and I feel special because I'm part of her world. She gets my jokes, she understands. It's magic. I trust her. She'll always find me. She's my girl." Willow

[Drakkenfyre]

Sass, dammit, I think you broke me!!! I wept, I cried, I cursed, I screamed, I walked away from the computer, I came back, I finished reading the story, I cried some more... The angst, dear God, the angst. That was one of the most heart rendering stories I have ever read. It is a true testament to your talent. I bow before you.

"We few, we happy few."
"We band of buggered."

[LeatherQueen]

Damn, Sass... I don't even know what to say after reading that. God.. my chest hurts. I think I need a hug.



So very powerful... moving... emotional...



Yeesh... there aren't enough words to describe that part.



God, how are they going to get out of this one?

--------------------------------


"Honey, I'm the original one-eyed chicklet in the kingdom of the blind." - Glory


"Futile... like a FOX, baby!" - Tara in The Late Shift by wiccachica

[Sassette]

**jomarch: Just as good? Better!? You expect me to actually TOP that? Heh Heh Heh ... knowing what I have planned, I just might. Oh, wait, was that immodest? Damn. Anyway, thank you, jomarch - I always love hearing from you. Haven't had a chance to read the sequel to your fic yet, but it's on my list of things to do as soon as I'm done writing this.



**Web Warlock: Heh ... you liked my little ramble, huh? *G* You're absolutely right, though - there is some incredibly good fic on this board. There are a few fics I'm keeping up with right now, but with the writing, I'm low on time ... I'm hoping to catch up when this silly little thing I'm writing is all done. Which, hopefully, will be soon. Ooooh... which reminds me ... would you be interested in putting it up on your site when it's all done and I've fixed all the typos?



**TX: *snerk* Oh, God, I love you. Come on and spend some time in this nice comfy prison cell ... bring your fun smileys ... *hugs Ruth's head to her chest, covering her ears* We have mochas ... but don't tell Ruth.



**Grimaldi: Thank you, Grimaldi ... It was tough to write for those very reasons - it was very sad and very painful, and honestly? I hated doing it, especially to Tara. However, that's where the story demands I go, and I follow the story, unless it's smoking crack and decides it wants an unhappy ending. In that case, I'll just bitch-slap the damn thing and make it behave.



**Autumn: Yes, he does. One problem: Gods aren't mortal.



**tommo: Just because I can't say it enough: I love you in a prison way.



**wizpup: Wow - always nice to have a lurker de-lurk! But no worries ... lurking is a fun pasttime for all the boys and girls. But thank you ... I don't >think< there will be any more "need for tissues" moments ... but, eh - I've been wrong before. Once or twice. *puzzled frown* Though, I can't remember when that was right now ...



**ExtraFlameyWT: *runs over and gives ExtraFlameyWT a great big hug* I promise I'll make it all better. Just three or four more parts and everything will be kittens and snugglies again.



**Willowfan: Yes. I'm sure The Trickster is very scared.



**Wolflord: Oooohhhh ... now THAT is an interesting way of killing someone. *G* I like it. Of course, I can't use it, because really - where are you going to find a hummingbird in Hell? But other than that - great scenario! But yes ... he's an evil bastard, and you're supposed to hate him and be pissed off at him and want him to suffer greatly.



**ToughGrrl: Wow - thank you *G* I'm really glad you like the story. Oh, and you were pretty articulate, for someone who's speechless



**Drakkenfyre: Thank you, Drakkenfyre ... I find it incredibly flattering in the extreme that you had to take a break while reading this ... well, flattering and disturbing ... 'cuz, y'know, I wasn't aware I >could< write something that heart-rending. Sorry I broke you. I have some crazy glue here - will that help?



**LeatherQueen: *runs over and gives LeatherQueen a great big hug* As for, umm, how they get out of this one? I can't tell you ... because that would be telling. But I >will< tell you that they >do< get out of this one. I promise!



-Sass

[ExtraFlameyWT]

Thank you for the hug, Sass. I feel much better now! *Runs over and returns the hug*



Yay for kittens and snugglies!



But, OH NO! Only 3 or 4 more parts?! What will we do without our Answering Darkness?



-Aimee

*****
"Hey Will, this is me. It doesn't all have to be good and fine. This is the room where you don't have to be brave. I still love you. If you're worried, you can be worried." -Tara to Willow in ep. 603 Afterlife

[Sassette]

Oh, I don't know ... read other fic? Go outside and enjoy the fresh air? Take up knitting? *G*



As for me, I'll take a small break from writing, and then I'll probably do some writing just for me. Eventually, I'll do some more W/T stuff, and maybe eventually after that a sequel to this.



But yes, sadly, this will only be three or four more parts.



-Sass

[Owl]

Oh, so you wanna be like that, do you, Sass?

Well, this might not be the time for this... With the weeping and the hellwalkingandtalking stuff, but remember (in best playground voice) you started it!



*Storms into thread wearing nothing but a lei (flower necklace thingie), dragging along several nekkid island chicks*

This one's for the spoilerfree!!!!

*storms out, muttering something about coming with backup next time... and leafy greens.... *

*leaves a coffee-type beverage, which may or may not be of the mocha variety behind for Sass, secretly hoping that there will be a next time.....*

Edited by: Owl at: 4/24/02 9:21:42 pm

[ExtraFlameyWT]

Quote:

---

Oh, I don't know ... read other fic? Go outside and enjoy the fresh air? Take up knitting?

---

hehe *G*



yes that does sound nice... fresh air.



I guess I'll live but I do love this fic... I hope you write a sequel!



I understand the need to take some time off, though. So, take as much time as you need, just come back!



-Aimee

*****
"Hey Will, this is me. It doesn't all have to be good and fine. This is the room where you don't have to be brave. I still love you. If you're worried, you can be worried." -Tara to Willow in ep. 603 Afterlife

[AutumnT]

outside is highly overrated.

Autumn

-----------

Buffy: I could wrestle naked in grease for a living and still be cleaner than after a shift at the Doublemeat.

Willow: Plus, I'd visit you at work every single day. --- "Normal Again" shooting script

[jdcioffi]

Okay ... first lemme say I read all 39 pages in one day ... all posts from page 1-39 ... and my eyes hurt, my head hurts and my heart hurts.



I "like" fic ... but this? This I love.



You've got a new fan ... JD

Helen: "What makes you happy?"
Jessica: "Nothing. I'm not."
(Kissing Jessica Stein)

[TrueXena]

Oooooo I get to go into the prison cell now? KEWL!



*drags along her and and even her and just in case they are needed and this one just cuz i LOVE aliens *



Now for those 'drinks'? Since i've never had one, will i get all addicted like Autum? I dont want to get addicted. I'm already addicted to enough shit.



By the way Sass, since you killed Kenny, I thought this was appropriate.



And this is what the Trickster looks like to me.



As always I love ya Sass

---------------------

Doc: "I'm the happy peppy pimp, 'cause I don't beat my hos!" / Doc: "...and then they had sex."

Tara: "Its good to be a chicken casserole." -in 'Answering Darkness' By: Sassette

TrueXena: "Get a taste of Religion. Lick a Witch!"