Fic: - The Sidestep Chronicle & Second Chronicle

[AutumnT]

Wow. That was way better than the spinning and I have one hell of an office chair I'll have you know.



What a fantabulous chapter. So vivid. So exciting. Great work.

Autumn

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Well, the reindeer part was nice...

[Cicca]

Katharyn, you utterly rock. Totally.

Thank you for sharing this story.

Wow.



*waving on a cement-truck full of melted chocolate*

so what is love then is it dictated or chosen does it sing like the hymns of 1000 years or is it just pop emotion

[Zahir al Daoud]

What a great fight! Poor Snyder (snerk). And what a fantastic turn of events!



Some might say Faith isn't as impressive a Slayer as Buffy. I disagree. Before, the Master had been weak, still suffereing from a decades-long imprisonment. In this case, he was at full-strength and surrounded by minions.



I'm glad Willow didn't kill Faith, and the reason why is most interesting of all. But...what now for her and her Kitty?



Can hardly wait to find out!

"O Let my name be in the Book of Love!
If it be there I care not of that other Book above.
Strike it out! Or write it in anew, but
Let my name be in the Book of Love!"
--Omar Kayam

[LeatherQueen]

That... was just... beyond awesome, Katharyn. And I can't wait to see what happens next.



And someone did die, didn't they? Poor Snyder. Got eaten in this timeline, too, didn't he? Sucks to be him.



Gosh that was mean of me, wasn't it?



Ah well, loved the update and what an exciting battle. Very vivid.

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"But when they're playing your song on the jukebox in Hell, you might as well dance." - K. Simpson


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

[VampNo12]

Katharyn what an amazing conclusion to the battle from the last part! I usually post long rambling replies, but right now all I really have to say is I am in awe of the way you write this story. Tara has finally grown-up into being a "Kitty", and I look forward to finding out how this new status affects not only her relationship with Willow, but also the impact this has on Tara's working relationship with the Mayor (ie she justified working for the Mayor as a "means to an end" but with the Master gone Tara might have to re-evaluate her choice of employment). Lastly, loved Synder (or the "Toad" as Tara calls him) in the cage screaming for Tara to release him (too bad Willow came to his rescue though), and I loved Faith's line "Girlfriend... people say that I have bad taste... but yours really sucks." With this in mind, I look forward to how this new information (ie Tara is sleeping with Willow) will affect the dynamic between not only Tara and Faith, but also Tara with Giles and Jenny as well.



Edited to add I enjoyed the battle of wills between Tara, Willow, and the Master (the tension was so palpable). Each in a sense "playing" their own game in order to come out the winner with the Master testing Willow's loyalty, Willow having to play her part by making a grand "show" (ie sinking her teeth into Tara's neck), and at the same time Tara trusting her Willow, but still doubt persists (ie especially when Willow said "She's nothing but a toy Master."), as well her decision to "cross a line" with her magics in order to fight the Master. Therefore, I loved how at any moment the power/upper-hand shifted to another player, but in the end team-work payed off with the Master getting what he deserved. And for someone who said I wasn't going to ramble I guess I ended up doing it anyway !

Edited by: VampNo12  at: 6/21/02 12:20:56 pm

[darkmagicwillow]

Wow! That was incredible! The fight with the Master, Willow's final betrayal of him, and Tara growing up to be a kitty. All the things I was waiting for yet there's still so much to resolve. I loved some of the details like Synder's cage crushing Willow's opponent and then Willow "freeing" Snyder.

--
"Omnia mutantur, nihil interit. "   "Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost."

[IsayAmberBensonsgorgeous]

thank you.

take care.

C

"Es ist fuer einen Menschen unertraeglich, ertragen zu werden." (Jean Cocteau)

[NoveltyAct]

oh...katharyn...



you.



so.



ROCK.





i know i've been terribly remiss in my feedback to you, but sometimes, really--how am i supposed to find the words to follow such a piece of writing as this latest chapter?



let me just say what i can at the moment: that your writing has never, ever disappointed me; that each chapter of this fic has ridden the knife's edge of darkness with *such* finesse, always pushing the sharp reality of your world's brutality on the reader but never crossing over the line into sex and violence purely for shock and titillation; and that the web you've woven with your story, both in plot and depth of character, has been so mesmerizing that you somehow make it look easy, which in my book is one of the ultimate proofs of the skill and craft of a great writer.



if i'm totally waxing poetic here, it's only because my brain is still soaked in the words of your story, and a little osmosis never hurt anyone. this last chapter absolutely exemplifies everything that i love about this entire fic and the way you've written it.



and hell yeah, can you write an action sequence.



thanks so much for sharing your work, katharyn. i'm looking forward to seeing how you finish it all out.



brava,



Novelty

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The only thing worse than Amber and her tongue is her middle finger.

last words heard from Rally in chat, shortly before my computer exploded

[tommo]

Oh I loved it. I loved the action and how torrid it all was, especially with the issue of trust and emotion hanging so visibly between Vamp Willow and Tara. And the sprinklers; for some reason that just added a whole lot more drama for me, not sure why, heh. Marvellous description here and the heightened sense of panic that rose the further into the fight we got was gripping. Thanks.

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Squish. Squish. Squish.

[mollyig]

A weird feeling to be proud of VWillow.



Having Snyder there as one of the caged victims was a nice twist.



The fight scenes were really well described. Sometimes its hard to picture the action while reading, but I had no trouble here. So its bye bye to The Master.



Had a momentary fear that Willow wouldn't be in the apartment waiting for Tara. Her massaging Tara's headache was so uncharacteristically tender.



Brilliant, Katharyn.

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

[Tulipp]

I am at the point where T is worried about going too far...and my evil girlfriend is taking the laptop away to do a presentation at a school! I am not at work today, so I have no other way to read this, so I am now hours away from the conclusion.....



But it's very sweet anticipation because every chapter is always better than the last one, and so far this one is no exception.



I can't wait I can't wait!

[anubis]

Finally got around to register, just so I can say how much I love this fic! Everything about it is great - you write the characters so well it's almost scary!

Can't wait for the next part!

[Tulipp]

Oh, Katharyn, that was SO SO SO worth the wait (from my own circumstances, I mean). So many great lines: "you're boinking that" and "mystical flunky" come to mind, but also a really vivid battle scene--so suspenseful and tense. And what a great ending...although surely there will be a lot of fallout over both the truth about VW+T coming out and Tara having helped the Mayor to this step.



A couple of posts ago, Mollyig said that VW was uncharacteristically tender in rubbing Tara's head in that last passage. I don't know. I have found VW to be tender in spite of herself for some time now, to be fighting the tenderness that she can't quite help. Of course, she is still VW, and so there are limits, but even without something happening to change her into W, she is changing.



And I find myself intrigued by the tranformation of the Kitten into the Kitty. Was it the gruesome teamwork of double staking the Master, or was it Tara giving Willow a command? Or something else that we don't know about yet.... I think I will miss "kitten" as a term of endearment, though, even as I see that the move to "kitty" is some kind of progress.



That's all, but thanks for another truly splendid chapter!

[DarkWiccan]

Two words:



Holy Wow.



That was fricking brilliant



Cheers

DarkWiccan

[Tiggrscorpio]

Absolutely thrilling, Katharyn. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, holding my breath. I knew Faith would try to kill Willow even if she helped. It's remarkable that Willow didn't kill her and all because Tara told her not to. I love it.

*****

She's my everything!

[Verdant]

Whoa!!!!

I've been following this fic from the start but I'm usually behind all the comments. Just caught up completely.



YOU ROCK!! This thing is gripping. Just enough naughty sex left to the immagination to make it even more naughty, great action, and the constant life or death tension is amazing.



I keep hoping Jenny comes through with that curse and a way to erase the "happiness" clause.



Keep up the good work, I feel the end is near.

____________________

Maybe you wanna put some ice on it.

[Sassette]

I get the funniest feeling that no matter how Katharyn resolves this, it won't involve Jenny, the gyspsy curse, or VampWillow. She said a >happy< ending with WILLOW and Tara together ... which would lead me to believe that somehow, someway, VW is going to be human again.



The exciting part is thinking about how Katharyn can possibly pull this off, because we all know she can *G*



-Sass

[VampNo12]

That's one of the things I am eagerly awaiting how VW transforms into the human Willow, and thus W&T attain a true happy ending. I keep wondering where Willow's soul is, and I keep going back to the dream with Tara's house where in this setting VW is no longer, and we see Willow (who can out in the sunlight). It seems to me Willow's soul is suspended some where, which ties into the prophecy and the feelings Willow felt before she was brought back the second time (ie she felt trapped). Looking forward to the next part of their journey!

[Pudds]

I haven't posted before cause this fic has repeatedly left me dumb struck..which spread rather worryingly to my fingers.



But I had to reply after this truly awesome chapter. The journey so far has been incredible and this part left me breathless, the pace is unbelievable. Gettin' that balance between action and description is so hard and you do it every time!



You Rock Katharyn!

[molsongrrrl]

this is just so great! i cannot begin to tell you how much i this story ... these characters ... everything! as always i am looking forward to more!

A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants

[Soul Unity]

Lurk...Lurk.....Lurk...*thump*.....lur*crash*.stupid table...





Hi,

I'm just stepping out of the shadows to say how much I am enjoying this amazing journey.



I also want to thank you. This fic has help me through a dark time and a writers block.



Above all else you have proved one thing that all true kittens know.....



Willow & Tara Belong together in any time or place and nothing in any universe can stop that.





Oh well..... back to lurking for me

.......Lurk......Lurk....Lurk........

[4WiccanLuv]

OMG!! HOLY WOW!! That was everything I hoped it would be and so much more...that was awesome!!

VW came through like I knew she would, but I could really feel Tara's fears and doubts surface during the showdown. It was amazing the way Tara went elsewhere in her mind and thwarted the Master's mind control. She had someplace else she'd rather be. Heh, I wonder where that would be? Too cool!!

- Dime con quien andas y te dire quien eres -

[Kalita]

Kathryn, you really can do great Sweeps material.



Of course, this was February sweeps. I simply CANNOT wait till May...

"Why, you’re just new all over, aren’t you?" - Lilah on Wes, "Tomorrow"

[Katharyn]

Thankyou guys... this is what I get for not replying more often. Now I have to get to each of you at once!



Rane - Tomorrow was yesterday Rane... and we are looking at about Part 75 ish to finish.



Sass - don't stand up too quickly. I thhink that was the last of the big battle scenes... other things are resolved in different ways... oh no there is a sort of actiony scene left.



Autumn - Ditto re the chair - thanks Autumn nice to know I am better at this than a chair.*S*



Cicca - that will keep me going for the weekend, but what about after that?



Zahir - Snyder had to go... I like Faith as a character. You could not make a series out of her, her wildness (even when good) could only produce so many laughs... but as a character yeah. And it is an intereting reason.



Leatherqueen - Is no one taking the fate of Snyder as a bad thing?*S*



Vampno12 - ramble on I would not disagree with any consequence that you lay down. Well thought out!



Darkmagicwillow - Oh yeah... I mean it had to be Willow after all he did to her in the real highschool days.



ISABIG - Green jumpy things! Thanks



Novelty Act - I rock when I have had too much to drink*S*

And if it looks easy... that is good. Alot of people have helped with it...

Peopel seem to like these action sequences... or at least the way they are done. It is not something I ever considered doing before. Newbie here!



Ruth - Was the sprinkler thing not just a good thing so they would be all wet... cos I know how you might like that....



Mollyig - Willow eats Snyder and Willow massages Tara's head... contrast. I liked just sticking Snyder in there with no explanation.



Tulipp - glad it held you between having a computer*S* VW is often tender for her own reasons... I mean... she is sometimes doing what she THINKs she SHOULD to keep the Kitten happy and playing.

I too was sad to leave Kitten behind... but I think I needed to.



Anubis - Welcome and thanks



Darkwiccan - Thankyou*S*



Tiggrscorpio - don;t fall off that seat! Yeah... Faith and Willow... no love lost.



Verdant - Thanks! NO curses. None. Waht Sass said. And the curse is a curse... it is not a good thing. Look at B/A... besides VW would still be VW and not W.



Sass again - dead on - no curses.



Vampno12 - The location of the soul... will be revealed. My own version of the mythos.



Pudds - Welcome! and thankyou too.



Molsongrrrl thankyou... there is moe to come of course. Much more



Soul Unity - Wow another new poster! Glad this helped in some small way and yeah wherever they are W/T together. Always. Somehow. I will get to that.



4WiccanLuv - Thanks glad I met your hopes that gives me pleasure. And yeah where might Tara want to be... the answer is not as simple as the fic makes it seem



Kalita - NOt familiar with sweeps but I know the big eps that they use... this is the big one for a while yes*S* May is coming.



Wow that took some time!



Thankyou all guys and I hope I did not miss anyone



EDITED TO ADD: Just to tantalise... there is only one character in still in this fic who does not have some story purpose. That persons name begins with 'L.' Everyone else factors into the resolution in so way. Just something for you to play with. Isn't speculation fun?!



Katharyn

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Edited by: Katharyn at: 6/22/02 2:40:00 am

[Tulipp]

Quick question...I am sure this is totally obvious, but I've tried to find it in previous pages of various threads and can't. What is *S* ?



Also, I like what you said, Katharyn, about VW doing certain things because she thinks she *should.* I think as I read this I have a tendency to see VW as W when in fact there is a serious transformation that would have to happen for that to work. But I guess I'm thinking that unlike the show, where we really saw Willow's character developed before we got a glimpse of VW, here it's the reverse. We saw almost no Willow here, so VW is the vehicle for establishing Willow's character. In that case, just as VW being gay sets up W being gay, does it follow that VW might have a positive trait or two that set up W having those same traits? Do we see any virtues in VW, in other words, that might have been latent in Willow before she became a vamp? Because as great as Willow's character was in Season 1, "tender" is not a word that comes to mind for me.



Anyway, just thinking aloud. I LOVE your writing.

[vmpIrslAr]

Hello Kathryn,



It has been a long time since I've had a chance to post but I have been following this fic quite regularly. Brilliant as always. My heart nearly jumped into my throat when I read the part about Faith trying to skewer Willow. I thought for a second she actually peirced Willow. That would have created quite an interesting situation actually with a wounded Willow and then what would Tara do?



I loved that Willow obeyed Tara plea when she wanted to kill the slayer. It seems Willow really has been transformed. I mean she is willing to give herself totally to Tara without reservation. But I sense some more angst and suspense coming with Tara's upcoming birthday. I know you said she isn't a demon but it will be interesting to see how you handle a hysterical and fear-gripped Tara on the eve of her "change".

VmpIrslAr out.



"she's my everything."

[Katharyn]

Tulipp - *S* is me being lazy. *S* is me not knowing the emoticon codes and bothering to learn. *S* is smile.



VW is not Willow and the VW we see here is usually clouded by Tara's perceptions. In just the same way as every reader takes something slightly different from a fic and its characters most of this fic has been Tara's perception. You will see, over coming parts, this perception shift and come to reflect what I regard to be the truth.



This was a deliberate move on my part and in one way it worked. In another it backfired. Vamp Willow... was, perhaps inevitably, portrayed as more "cute" than she ever was. I worry about that... hopefully though it will change in the readers perception. This all links into the concept of "should" do.



To an extent all of that is coloured by the fact that, in my writing, W/T in any reality will be together. The problem is that in this reality I am portraying it is not so easy as that.



All that said... I want to reintroduce something...I posted this once before and have a feeling that it might have been at the end of the Beginning Cycle rather than in in this thread. This is sort of the "Official Theme Song" for Sidestep. Some of it does not fit... but this song broke the whole story open when I was struggling with it. So... do without the bah bah bah's....



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Under Pressure

(David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor, John Deacon and Brian May)



Bah bah bah bah bah bah bah bah

Bah bah bah bah bah bah

Pressure pushing down on me

Pressing down on you no man ask for

Under pressure

That burns a building down

Splits a family in two

Puts people on the streets



Bah bah bah bah bah bah

Bah bah bah bah bah bah

That’s o-kay!

It’s the terror of knowing

What this world is about

Watching some good friends

Screaming let me out!

Pray tomorrow takes me higher

Pressure on people

People on streets



Do do do bah bah bah bah

O-kay!

Chippin’ around

Kick my brains around the floor

These are the days

It never rains but it pours

People on the streets

People on the streets



It’s the terror of knowing

What this world is about

Watching some good friends

Screaming let me out!

Pray tomorrow takes me higher

Pressure on people

People on the streets

Turned away from it all

Like a blind man

Sat on a fence but it don’t work

Keep coming up with love

But it’s so slashed and torn

Why why why?

Love love love love



Insanity laughs under pressure we’re cracking

Can’t we give ourselves one more chance?

Why can’t we give love one more chance?

Why can’t we give love give love give love?

Give love give love give love give love give love?

Cause love’s such an old fashioned word

And love dares you to care

For people on the edge of the night

And love dares you to change our way

Of caring about ourselves

This is our last dance

This is our last dance

This is ourselves under pressure

Under pressure.



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I hope that you will get where I am coming from with this! The last verse I just heard on the radio when I was desperately trying to figure out where the Sidestep was going was the thing that made it click… And since we are started to build to the that old sticking point that I needed to break this is most appropriately posted now.



More teasing really.



After all you have to have a theme song… I expect a few AHA's later.



Katharyn

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[molsongrrrl]

you know i am under no illusion that vw is good for tara -- or that she is "cute" or anything like that ... not really. but i am drawn to the relationship because for now this is the only w/t we have in the fic!



so even though i get drawn into the vw/t "relationship" on occasion -- its really only because i always have to cheer for w/t in whatever form they are in!

A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants

[Tulipp]

Katharyn, thanks for your v. thoughtful post about VW and W and Tara's perceptions a couple of posts ago. You have given me something to think about and, of course, an excuse (like I needed one) to go back to the beginning and re-read with this idea of perceptions firmly in place.

[Katharyn]

Molsongrrrl - See... me and sweeping generalisations are never a good thing. I am not suggesting that everyone finds VW "nice" and "good" for T, perhaps "nicer" and "better" than she should have been portrayed though. In Tara's eyes... when we switch to VW's PoV that is when we see that yes she wants Tara but that is not what Tara thinks she is/wants her to be. Just as Tara is not what VW thinks she is or wants her to be.

But thanks for giving me chance to slip that expansion in here and clear up my bad!



Tullipp - Going back?! You should wait for the end I think... then at least you are not waiting for parts! *wink*



Katharyn

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