Fic: Vignette Series

[Sassette]

**her BRIGHTeyes: Heh ... thanks. I don't know if >all< of them are great, per se, but I'm pretty darn happy with them *G* As for the NC-17 question, sadly, no. While I will occasionally write something described as 'NC-17' (well, okay ... three or four times in the past two years? Three years? Something like that), the one thing that ties the Vignette Series together is that I can generally crank one out when I have a spare couple of hours. Writing something NC-17 usually takes me >days<, and I have to be in an extremely silly mood to do so, and have you ever tried to be silly for days at a time? It's not easy. Or pretty. And when you need to run off to the 7-11 for some doritos and are giggling madly all the while because you've just typed the words 'nipple' 'lick' and 'teeth' very close together (all words, for whatever reason, I find hilarious all by themselves ... and are just too funny to be expressed when they're all in the same sentence), people tend to think you've been smoking a whooooole lot of marijuana. So, should I find myself loopy for days on end and write something NC-17, I'll most likely be loopy enough to post it to the board, but it will be in its own thread and not here.



**nika: Why, thank you, nika - my vignettes looooove you, too.



1) Well, okay ... if you insist. I mean, not that I'm just mindlessly following orders here, but I deem this to be a reasonable request, Freud, so consider your Jung spanked. But thank you - I rather enjoyed diving into Willow's subconscious ... glad you did, too. Though I'm thinking her subconscious should probably come with a lifeguard.



2) Hmmm ... interesting. I'm not sure how much Tara would get into online lesbian por - errrr ... I mean, 'erotica', but actually, I imagine spelling is fairly important for the non-pg sites. I mean, a throbbing vlit just doesn't make much sense. Though I suppose if Willow previewed them all and scored them for spelling and grammar, Tara wouldn't have a problem. But poor Willow! She'd have to read So Much Por - errr ... Erotica! I guess that's what they call 'taking one for the team'.



3) Gosh, thanks ... I really wanted that one to be special, because it's such an important moment. And I'm really glad you could 'see' it and thought it was real, 'cuz I'm always worried about whether or not what's going on in my head actually made it onto the paper ... errr ... word processor. As for more? Yes. Right now? Ummm ... no. Sorry *G* When I can.



-Sass

[The Rose24]

Good job. I wish we could have gotten a morning after on the show.

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.


Tara: Willow, I got so lost.

Willow: I found you. I will always find you.

[LittlestSmurf]

Dearest Sass



Egads! I return to the board after a spectacularly long absense to find not one, not two, not three, not four but FIVE new Vignettes (okay, so I included the lost one as a new one, so sue me )



I've said this before, I'm sure, but you really do write the girls in such a way that I leave my computer for the length of time it takes me to read a Vignette and become a fly on the wall wheverer your Willow and Tara are. Which might be kind of pervy, now I come to think about it, but certainly not unpleasant at all.



#39 Heh - Buffy letting her head hit the table to Boogie Oogie Oogie - classic!! And Willow grabbing that guy, oh Sass I can't take what you're going to me any longer.



if Willow wants to disco dance for your honor



I am hereby taking leave of the board until my stomach muscles return to normal.



#40 *sigh* - I wish I could work with people who wanted to *know*, although I would settle for wanting to *learn*. Idiots. Ahem, anyway. Love Willow whispering because it's still dark - so true. Hehehehe at



"you want to maybe hit yourself in the head with a hammer? Please? For me?"



I have so been there with the "buuuuhhh, okay honey!" Love all the scientific stuff (although I'm taking it as read that it's all correct because it's been a long time since I did chemistry. Or math) and Willow *shock* skipping class to be with Tara. Wonderful.



#41 So surreal! So perfect! Oh Sass, that's what I love about your writing, that it can sometimes take me a while to figure out what's going on but once I do, I'm right there with the frogs. Love the "You trying to make a liar out of yourself?" part - perfect. So weird - I loved it!



The Lost Vignette Thank you, Thank you and Thank you some more Willow babble (which I love, by the way, and manage to do nearly as well as said Willow) and the big lead in to why Tara was so down. Funny, when I read what the problem was, my mind agreed so whole-heartedly (or as whole-heartedly as something without a heart anyway) that it scared me. My pet peeve is bad spelling and many a suffering fic has fallen by the wayside. Funny, that doesn't seem to be an issue with yours....



"I'm Net Girl," she added with more confidence



Completely heard Alyson delivering this line with that sweet smile - yet another hats off to your incredible writing skills.



Can I say again how amazing your writing is? It just all flows and at such a pace! I'm a fast reader and that might be where the pace is coming from (that I expect you to be writing it as I'm reading it - twisted I tell ya!) but the end, with



“You trying to turn me on?”



“I have to try now?” Willow asked



was so snappy - priceless!



#42 - what an incredibly sweet little tale - we should all be able to wake up like that every day, although methinks that might destroy the sweetness. Ahh so cynical in one so young. Two classic lines in this one I felt



“Mmm… I didn’t fake anything,” Tara murmured



I love this - half asleep Tara reassuring Willow without even realizing it. And Willow's giggle after - adorable.



"made the whole thing rather like a monkey trying to operate a fusion reactor."



Sass, I don't know how you do it but you have this ability to make me laugh out loud when there's no-one else in the room (at least I don't look too crazy then!). Here in the middle of the sweetest, most romantic moment is a definitive Sassette line. Completely unexpected, yet so you And just because I love him so much, not because he belongs in this reply:



Thank you again Sass, for a most wonderfully enjoyable morning's entertainment.



LittlestSmurf

[Sassette]

**The Rose24: Thank you - and yeah, we should have gotten that first morning after on the show ... W/T shippers already got hosed in that regard, as their relationship was so ... metaphorical, that they weren't clearly together until NMR (and have you ever noticed how carefully they avoided using the words 'gay' or 'lesbian' in that episode?). However, I have to admit that this general w/t 'shippers loss is really the w/t fic-writers gain, as we don't have to chuck aside canon when we want to write something different ... there are a million and four (well, okay, not exactly ... but a really really big number of indeterminate size) scenarios, scenes, lines, etc, that are all open to fic interpretation merely because there was no canon handling of the buildup to the relationship. So yeah, we should've gotten it, but on one level I'm almost sorta' kinda' glad we didn't ... means w/t gets better fic, and I find lots of fic better than the show.



**LittlestSmurf: Good Lord ... I wake up to find this >huge< post, and it's >all< praise for me! *G* You certainly know how to turn a girl's head, dontcha'? And you get to include the Lost Vignette as a new one ... no lawsuit necessary. And it's not pervy to be a fly on the wall in >this< thread ... because I always do that tasteful 'fade to black' thing *G*



#39 Heh ... thank you *G* Confession time: I really don't know All That Much about disco ... I did research. Is that wrong? The Copacabana Montage was really the impetus for the fic (it flashed into my head, and I wondered 'now, how could that ever happen?' ... and this vignette is the result), so it had to be a disco-themed night at the bronze, so I went and downloaded a whole lot of song snippets ('cuz, y'know, if you download >parts< of songs, it's not piracy at all ... as it turns out). And I also have to confess that I shamelessly find myself funny, and Buffy explaining to Tara that se had to let Willow disco dance for her honor had me laughing so hard I had to stop writing for a bit. *G*



#40 Well, Willow's a very special girl that way *G* And, ahh ... you've tagged another line I shamelessly cracked myself up with. Thank you for your faith in my science and math stuff (more research, actually *G*) ... makes me feel warm and fuzzy (though, I have to remember to make sure I don't just make any of that stuff up, what with people taking it on faith and all *G*). As for Willow skipping class - I figured this was during a kind of 'honeymoon' period, and Willow ended up skipping many classes ... and while the honeymoon period lasted way WAY longer than Willow's delinquency, this is because her grades actually slipped down to a 95% in a couple of classes, and Tara nobly stopped asking her to skip. Though they met frequently for groping during all available breaks.



#41: Honestly, it took me awhile to figure out what was going on in this one, too. Sometimes when I'm writing a vignette, I have a 'concept' for the piece. Sometimes, I have a situation or a piece of dialogue I'm trying to put in. Sometimes, I just start writing and see where it takes me (though, those are the ones with the greatest likelihood of not turning out very well, they're sometimes the easiest). This one was one of those last ones, so I'm glad it turned out as well as it did. And yeah - the sort of matter-of-fact dialogue with the two Tara's had me chuckling ... and shaking my head a little and wondering how I was writing this, since I know darn well I'm not doing any drugs *G*



The Lost Vignette: You're welcome, you're welcome, and you're welcome *G* Bad spelling is a bit of a plague ... though Tara's problem with bad spelling on the internet, and how it depresses her, is canon. That was in ... IWMTLY? I think? Anyway, it was an Anya-Tara conversation. Ahh ... more confessions .. "I'm Net Girl", I believe was in S2 and is a quote from the show, and the "you trying to turn me on exchange" was in early S6, and more quoting from the show *G* Though I certainly agree they're excellent lines, which is why they're in there *G*



#42: Thank you ... and do you mean we should all get to wake up surrounded by Tara, or we should all get to wake up wrapped around Willow? And will we all fit on the bed? Or is this some kind of weird mystic occurence where there are enough Willows and Taras to go around? Decisions, decisions. And don't worry about the cynycism ... if you're >really< young, you'll grow out of it *G*



Ah, thank you, I rather enjoyed those lines myself. Tara's line was, as you say, was reassuring (faced with an actual waking Tara, I believe Willow was about to panic ... Tara's sleepy talk derailed that), but mostly it was there because I think Tara's Inner Monologue (tm) is chock-full of suggestive things she just isn't comfortable enough to say *G* Ahh ... the monkey and the fusion reactor *G* Heeeee ... This is funnier, btw, if you're aware that nuclear reactors use fission, not fusion, because we can't get fusion to work in a viable manner (fission splits atoms into one or more parts and uses isotopes of plutonium and uranium. This split releases a LOT of energy. My understanding of fusion is a little sketchier, but it occurs naturally on the sun, and the general concept is that a deuterium and triterium (which are both hydrogen isotopes) are >fused< together at the nuclei by >massive< amounts of sun-like heat, and that the resulting atom somehow weighs less than the combined weight of the original two atoms, and the 'extra mass' becomes energy ... and I got kind of carried away there, huh?). *cough* Anyway. And thank you very, very much for the dancing pink elephant, because I love him, too *G*



**CaptMurdock: Thank you *G* And there are a >lot< of those 'missing moments' from That Show Whose Name We Do Not Speak Anymore, which is why this series is so long. Heh ... definitely tentative and a little clumsy. One of the reasons I tend not to write NC-17 in this series is that the dialogue would go something like this:



*****

"Ow!"



"Ow? Oh! Oh God, I'm -"



"Not ow! Sorry ... wrong word ... I meant, ummm ... Gah!"



"Gah? Gah! Sorry! Sorry!"



"No, no ... it's just ... my arm’s asleep."



“Oh, oh … right … let me just …”



*shifting noises*



“There … is that …?”



“Ow!”



“Ow?”



“Pins and needles!”



“Let me just … do you want me to, umm … rub it?”



“Yes, please.”



“Better?”



“Much.”



“Umm … where were we?”



“Oh, yes … right there.”

*****



Now, while I find that incredibly amusing ... I just see dropping the 'tender and passionate' part too easily *G* I find getting that mix is easier in the 'before' or the 'after', which is one of the reasons I focus on those to the exclusion of the 'during'. It's really hard to get all three, like you say ... though I have no doubt you will, and I look forward to it!



-Sass

**edited to fix some formatting

Edited by: Sassette at: 6/10/04 12:07 pm

[wilgen]

I think your shamelessly funny also. I love your replies as much as I love the stories.



Thanks, wilgen.

[nika]

Wow! Sass actually spanked my Jung and called me Freud! May I tell you a secret, you know just between you and me and a couple of hundred kittens? I kinda liked it



Also I'm so happy to know that I'm not the only one who giggles like mad when writing smu...urm..erotica. I mean c'mon...nipple, clit, hee-hee, tit

[Sassette]

**wilgen: Ahhh ... thank you - I love it when people agree with me *G* And, I have to admit, I just might love writing the replies more than writing the stories. I try to fit lots of >stuff< into these short pieces, so talking about them with people is a real kick for me. And, you know, I get to work in more silly jokes *G*

**nika: Well, yeah. I mean, you did ask - rather nicely I might add. And it was good for me, too. Cigarette? Heeee ... and yeah, some words just ... how can you type them into a computer, and read it back, and realize you just wrote that, and not laugh? And in that context, even something fairly innocuous like "wet" is hilarious.

Here's a limerick to describe the phenomenon:

I giggle when I type "clit",
or "nipple" or "wet" or "tits".
That must be why
They all think I'm high
When I go out and buy ciggies and chips.

Here's a series of limericks that designed to bring about the phenomenon:

Poor Tired Tara

By Sassette

There once was a redheaded witch
Who turned Tara into Love’s Bitch
With Willow on top,
Tara gasped, “Stop!
That’s nine, so shouldn’t we switch?”

Willow looked thoughtful, then sighed
From her place between Tara’s thighs.
She’d been going for ten,
So she went down again,
Murmuring, “Request Denied.”

Very soon Tara let out a shout
Then she moaned and writhed all about
Willow gave her a kiss
As she floated in bliss.
Then Poor Tired Tara passed out.

THE END

Hmmm ... I even managed to avoid all the giggle words (though, possibly, adding "thighs" to the list wouldn't be a bad idea), and yet I'm still laughing.

-Sass

[WebWarlock]

Wow.



You have been eating your wheaties...or something...hmmm, maybe best not for me to dwell on that.



Great updates one and all.



I remember the "interlude" on that backup board, I might even posted something there. Or not. Maybe I posted something in my head, but it never quite made it out.



I love your descriptions of Willow-dreams. So wonderfully rich in all sorts things. Made me break out my inner Jungian. (I'll avoid the obvious "I'm Jung-at-heart" pun for now).



You have the rare gift here of being able to capture Willow-quirkiness very well without it getting tiresome, cliched or just plain over the top. YOUR Willow never would have done that shit in Season Sux, but then again, your world was a more interesting place after Wrecked ala AD.



You know I still think about that scene where Willow and Tara in Hell trick the gods. That is a good piece of work to still do that you know.



What ever it is you and your muse are doing together, keep it up!



Warlock

-----

Web Warlock

Coming Soon to The Other Side, The Netbook of Shadows: A Book of Spells for d20 Witches

"D&D doesn't teach children that monsters exist. Children already know that monsters are real.

D&D teaches them that monsters can be defeated."
- Unknown

[Sassette]

**WebWarlock: Yes, Tim - let's not go there *G* Thank you, both for the feedback, and for skipping the Jung-at-heart pun ... I really appreciate both *G* And it's funny you should mention that, because it's definitely something I think about - Willow quirkiness is ... well, it would so lend itself to over-the-top. Every now and again, I have to ask myself while I'm writing 'if I met this person, would I feel a deep dark urge to hit her?' When the answer is no, I figure I'm probably okay *G* Seriously, though, I think the solution is to always remember that when Willow is doing something 'quirky', she has a reason ... and if I don't know what the reason is, she's not doing it *G* And no, my Willow wouldn't have done that crap ... though in AD, she >did< do all that stuff up to TR ... though a huge part of AD was figuring out >why< Willow would do these things because they really aren't like her. And thank you - I'm really glad you're still thinking about the Hell God scene ... fairly early on in AD, I had that scene idea in my head, and most of the fic was me going "okay, now, how do I get there? Without breaking characters out of character?" And I'll advise my muse that we're to continue watching old episodes of Buffy *G*



**pipsberg: You are extremely welcome - I'm glad you enjoyed it. *G*



-Sass

[babyblue]

There once was a kitten named Sass

whose posts ran from sweet to badass.

Her prose makes me giggle

and occasionally wriggle...

If I begged for more would it be crass?



Oh dear god, I've not only delurked twice in two days, I've just used my first emoticon! I'm not sure anything good can come from this...



More seriously, your screamingly funny depiction of "during" made me reflect back on something I really liked about vignette #42 but neglected to mention earlier: your depiction of the tentativeness and inexperience surrounding Willow and Tara's first time making love. That struck me as really realistic -- making love can be both "perfect" and clumsy and it's really nice to see a fic that incorporates that duality.



--babyblue

Edited by: babyblue at: 6/10/04 10:48 pm

[LittlestSmurf]

Well you wake up to find this huge post, and I wake up to find one in response. However, first things first.







And that was for the nuclear reactor talk. My head is chocka with new knowledge and I am achingly impressed! And if you tell me you had to research that too, well I'm afraid I probably just won't believe you!



As for turning your head, well I do try *g* Have I mentioned before that I'm grateful you fade to black? Not because you write the 'during' badly, because you don't at all, but in a lot of stories the 'during' is focused on to such an extent that the rest of the writing gets way-laid. It is my concern that if you had lots of 'during' moments, people would never know how great your writing truly is.



Oh you reminded me about the Copacabana Montage - sheer stroke of genius, loved Willow going to thump Cindy and the song bitlets interspersed.



Well, y'know, while we're doing confessions and all, I should probably admit to not having watched as much of the show as anybody else. I've seen like one or two episodes, just because I got into it so late in the day. However, there is a chance that I saw that particular S2 rerun and that is why I can hear Willow saying the "Net Girl" line. But now I feel guilty for in praising you for the Lost Vignette, I have inadvertently been praising the writers of the show instead. That was not my intention. Be safe in the knowledge that they couldn't have written the girls the way you do.



Heh, I made you feel warm and fuzzy And I wasn't even trying Seriously, Sass, what the frilly heck do you do with that imagination when you're not writing - slipping away during breaks for groping. Teehee!



You're right, the matter-of-fact dialog between Tara and Tara was simply ingenious. Poor ole Willow, being baffled there for a moment but then just accepting it. And I'm glad you cleared up that drug issue!!



I think that the characters should be cloned and sold at drugstores throughout the country, for whoever is either feeling particularly lonely, or just wants a hug.



No, I think we should all get to wake up surrounded by somebody we love, as much as those two love each other. As you can tell, the cynicism does have the opportunity to be broken, and sadly I'm not so young. Not anymore *sigh* Well, it's all relative I guess - so maybe I am



Your replies make me chuckle nearly as much as your Vignettes, if not more so. I, too, could see Willow panicking and spluttering and babbling, which, while I think that would have been very cute to see, might have resulted in disaster. What with them both being quite shy, and this being their first time, that could well have been the end of a beautiful friendship. Egads, I've turned into the Anti-Bogart.



Glad you like Pinky too, he's just fabulous and I might make it a mission to try to slip him into every post...maybe



LittlestSmurf

[CaptMurdock]

Limericks.





You just had to put in limericks, didn't you?







You are just too twisted for paperback, Sass.

_________________



"Many such journeys are possible. Let me be your gateway."

[Sassette]

**babyblue: Wonderful! I love it! Very, very nice limerick, and excellent use of emoticon ... you're a natural *G* Ah, and thank you. I think how you see their first time really depends on what you believe regarding Tara's previous experience. Willow, we know, has only had sex with one guy, so there's just no way she has a handle on this, despite copious research into the girl-on-girl action. I think that's a given. Tara, however ... well, there's just tons of stuff we never learn about Tara, but given her total shyness and the family she grew up in, I just don't think she's >done< anything at all. Though, I'm sure she's >thought< about it a alot ... she's still a basically shy and fairly insecure individual, and there isn't a magic 'sex' switch anywhere that suddenly makes people confident. I know - I've looked *G* Anyway, like you say, that in no way means their first time wasn't mind-blowingly spectacular ... but it was the sheer depth of emotion involved rather than technique that made it so. Thank you for the limerick *G* And asking for more isn't crass ... it is, in fact, a time-honored tradition; however, that doesn't mean I'll get to more anytime soon, though I shall try.



**LittlestSmurf: Well, I >did< have to research it ... but, it was mostly to look up the details to make sure I was remembering it right - and I may have oversimplified a few things in my explanation, but the general gist of it is there.



Ah, thank you *G* I didn't know anyone was actually >grateful< I fade to black (actually, I didn't know anyone didn't shake their fist into the air screaming "Fie on you, Sass! Fie!" when they get to one of those fade to blacks), and it's nice to hear. And yeah, a PWP is pretty much designed to just be 'during' ... but if I'm writing sex, I want context. PWP's are really fun (and I even wrote one awhile back), but for this series specifically, all nc-17 bits would have to be PWP, and I just don't have any intention of writing that this regularly ... and as you say, it's way too easy to drop other bits when you're just writing the naughty bits.



Heh ... don't worry about it - either the part where you haven't seen as much of the show as other people, or the part where you were praising the writers. Honestly, there was a time when I hadn't seen most of S4, and only half of S5, and it was catching reruns on FX and watching tapes that got me all caught up. As for the writers thing ... really, I'd have to say they wrote some of the best w/t stuff ever ... it's why we all fell in love with them. Giving credit where it's due, up to S6, they did consistently excellent work. S6, the entire season for all characters was so hit-and-miss-and-miss-and-miss-some-more for me that it's entirely unwatchable after TR, where, for me, it splits into a million alternate universe fics that all do a better job of resolving things than the show did. But that's just my opinion *G*



Umm ... when I'm not writing, I'm usually napping, actually *G* Well, as often as I can get away with. As for the groping thing ... it just makes sense to me. God knows I would *G*



Okay ... so ... goal for all the people of the world: wake up surrounded by love. When not available, W/T clones available at all drugstores. Got it *G* This is an excellent plan - will you be running for office on this platform? 'Cuz, y'know, you've got my vote.



Eh ... Willow having a bout of uncertainty and babbling idiocy wouldn't have broken them up ... it just would've gotten angsty for awhile. Remember: they're like two lesbian magnets ... you put them in the same room, and they'll just kind of ... get pulled together. HeeHee ... Pinky *G*



**CaptMurdock: Umm ... yeah ... I kinda' did *G* It's been that kind of week. Too twisted for paperback ... huh ... I kinda' like that *G* Thanks!



-Sass

[sam darls]

Hehe..that was so cute and so funny . Wonderful. Love sam xx

"Sometimes things happen between people that you don't really expect. And sometimes the things that are important are the ones that seem the weirdest or the most wrong. And those are the ones that change your life." - Jessie Sammler (Evan Rachel Wood)

[WiccanSpud]

hi sass!



wow... where to begin... I've just finished finals week at school and packed up my apartment because i'm moving and I haven't been able to visit the kittenboard just cuz i've been so busy (a fate i wouldn't wish on anyone). Anyways, now I'm all about the free time and what do I find when I get back? Not one, not two, not three, but four and a half vignettes all lovely and waiting for me.



#40 - oh my god... I will gladly take organic chemistry over again if a blonde goddess wakes up every morning to take my chem textbook away from me. I love the early morning interaction because it's just so sweet...



In the quadratic polynomial that is life, you’re my binomial formula.



aww... willow says the sweetest things!



#41 - oh gosh... the last thing I expected Tara to say was, "Well, just that one over there." the conversations between Tara and Tara are so funny. I can definitely see them standing there arguing over who's more protective of Willow... And the last part about Tara being worth a hundred million of one plus Cordelia... lol, only Willow would remember to make sure that the equation didn't equal zero.



The Lost Vignette -

Quote:

---

“A message board? And it upset you? What message board?” Willow asked, her protective instincts rising up. If she had to, she’d find a way to crash the board's server because it had upset her Tara, or … or, send a nasty virus to individual posters or something. Not that she’d ever tell Tara that. But still.

---

oh gosh!! so funny!!! I love that these vignettes show how funny and sexy Willow is... gotta love smart chicks...



#42 - the copious amounts of research on girl-on-girl action never really prepares you for how amazing making love to your soulmate can be, does it? damn... And I love Tara's inner monologue... it's so sad that they didn't use it more in the canon show. We saw snippets of it (i.e. "just tryin a little spicy talk") but it would have been fun to see more.



#42.5 - hahaha!! i love the "during" vignette... although I enjoy the occasional PWP where W/T are both good at what they do... actually, they're fantastically, mind-blowingly good at what they do... But I digress, this "during" vignette was good because the awkwardness was there without taking away any of the tenderness or love...



fantastic work, as always... major props to you and your muse... tell her I wanna take her out for a beer...





-spud

Edited by: WiccanSpud at: 6/11/04 1:41 pm

[Tibbs]

Sassette, I would just like to take this time to thank you for this collection you have put together. You kept me awake and more importantly entertained for my entire overnight shift at work yesterday. Once I started reading I couldn't stop. Some points I was laughing so hard the Doc on-call came to see if I was ok.The hours just flew by and before I knew it, 8am rolled around and I could finally go home!.



You made this kittens shift at work more bearable, and for that you have my thanks... and a dancing elephant.



Tibbs

Edited by: Tibbs at: 6/12/04 12:25 am

[Sassette]

**sam darls: Heh ... thank you - I'm glad you liked it.



**WiccanSpud: Hey spud! Finals week! Eep! Gosh, I haven't had one of those in years and years *G* For which I am deeply, deeply grateful. Hope you did well on all of them.



#40: LOL ... maybe you could talk a blonde goddess into letting you tutor her for o-chem ... could lead to the same thing, eventually. Y'know? And, yes, Willow says the sweetest, geekiest things *G*



#41: Heh ... at the "just that one over there line" I hadn't actually figured out it was a dream, but that line popped into my head, because it was funny, and everything just sort of clicked into place from there. And hey - Willow's a math-geek through and through ... no way she'd make a simple math mistake like multiplying some number by zero to indicate Tara's worth to her *G*.



The Lost Vignette: Oh, yeah - you definitely have to love smart chicks. And funny chicks. And if a smart chick is also funny (or a funny chick is also smart), you have to weep copious tears of gratitude to whatever force in the universe invented such a thing. Or, at least, that's my opinion on the subject.



#42: No, it doesn't. In fact, I'd say copious research doesn't even prepare you for that first >kiss<, because everything just stops for a minute, and there are no words in the english language to describe it adequately. Oh, yeah - Tara's inner monologue, I believe, is chock full of naughty things. I like to let that out in these vignettes whenever possible. *G*



#42.5: Heh ... thank you *G* All I can say about that one is that I was in a limerick mood. It happens.



And my muse has been notified at the offer for beer ... she says it's a deal under the following conditions: 1) it's Guinness 2) she gets pretzels 3) there's a dartboard involved (I'm not sure precisely what she meant by that last one, and I'm a little afraid to ask).



**Tibbs: Gosh, thanks *G* You are incredibly welcome - I have to say honestly, that it's been my pleasure. I really enjoy writing these little things, and I'm really glad to hear you've enjoyed reading them. Happy to hear I made your shift fly by, though I hope you came up with something good to tell the Doc *G* And thank you for the dancing pink elephant *G* I do adore it so.



-Sass

[Grimaldi]

that was just too sweet

I'm not stealing, I'm just taking things without paying for them. In what twisted dictionary is that stealing?
Welcome friends, how may I pervert you?

[LittlestSmurf]

Ahh dearest Sass,



Are you really this smart? Well now that's a silly question because it would appear that you are, but I am in awe. Research or nay, you must still have had an inkling. Uh-oh I feel the need to break into song....



"Mama

Doesn't even have an inkling

That I'm working in a nightclub

In a pair of lacy pants"



Heh, as for the fading to black - I've just seen too many fics go from being a possible favorite to plotless in a very short space of time. I like a little meat to the stories I read! And yours certainly deliver.. Don't get me wrong - I love the PWP's too, but I have to be in the right mood (keep your answer to this clean, I know how it sounds but I can't think of how to rephrase it!!!) Let's just say there's lots of sex stories, but I like your romance, the love and the emotion. I like the babbling and the 'real'ness.



Heck now, I'm not dissing the writers here (I strangley have some aspect of survival instinct left in me ) You're correct in what you say. Without the foundations that the writers wrote (ick, too much verb), there would not have been the option to continue with little Vignettes: we just wouldn't have cared.

Quote:

---

Umm ... when I'm not writing, I'm usually napping, actually *G* Well, as often as I can get away with. As for the groping thing ... it just makes sense to me. God knows I would *G*

---

Heh, I had to read this bit twice before I figured you weren't randomly just groping people on the street (not that there's anything wrong with that, y'hear?) Napping is good, in fact I could do with one right now but people are staring



Hell, y'know, I should run for office. President Smurf - could be worse 'ey?



Not that I think babbling idiocy would have broken the two up - babbling is very endearing, as are tangents. But not in a mathematical way. I digress. I'm a pretty big fan of hurt/comfort stuff, although I often find myself just yelling at the monitor "don't go in there!" They never listen



Smart, funny chicks....well I think you can consider this board to be weeping copious tears of gratitude to whatever force in the universe invented such a thing ... to quote you if I may.





-Littlestsmurf



(edited to remove a stray apostrophe)

Edited by: LittlestSmurf at: 6/14/04 3:37 am

[mollyig]

The limerick was truly hilarious. I was giggling away here - on a Monday where I've been away from work for week that is some accomplishment!



Thanks!

---

Sheacht mh'anam déag do bhéal, do mhalaí's do ghrua

[Sassette]

**Grimaldi: Thank you ... they're sweet girls, y'know *G* So, if this weren't sweet, that would mean I majorly missed the boat ... glad to hear I didn't.



**LittlestSmurf: Heh ... I'd say we're pretty much in major agreement here (though I'd like to point out that I'm smart, but I'm certainly not WillowSmart ... though I'll admit that when I need to do research, the process is helped tremendously by a) google b) having a good idea of what I'm looking up anyway, and just needing specifics). I'm going to break into song, too, though - 'cuz I can (and, well ... it's a fine family tradition):



I used to have a girlfriend

known as Elsie

With whom I shared

Four sordid rooms in Chelsea



She wasn't what you'd call

A blushing flower...

As a matter of fact

She rented by the hour.



The day she died the neighbors

came to snicker:

"Well, thats what comes

from to much pills and liquor."



But when I saw her laid out like a Queen

She was the happiest...corpse...

I'd ever seen.



**mollyig: Thank you *G* I have to admit, limericks make me irrationally happy. And plaid. Plaid makes me irrationally happy as well ... though, that's completely off-topic, isn't it? *G* I hope your week away from work was a vacation sort of thing rather than illness, and that you had a rip-roaring good time. Glad I could help out with some giggles to combat the back-to-work doldrums.



-Sassette

[darkmagicwillow]

See what happened? You embarassed me so much with all that nerd!sex talk that I had to hide for a month. (-; No, life just got busy again, but I'm making some time to catch up on feedback this week and trying to resist the temptation to pick up my unfinished novel and start working on it again.



The Lost Vignette was cute, though I was disappointed when the kiss cut the geekiness short. (-;



I loved The Morning After. Your descriptions of Willow's reflections are just perfect, taking your reader body, mind, and heart to that perfect moment that we never saw on screen and that, had it been shown on screen, could never have been as tangible and touching as your words. Tara's hinted-at moment of doubt "You still want me" is saved from being a heartbreaking reminder of how alone she's been by that wonderful smile before Willow even says a word in response.



Sweet. Romantic. Perfect. Just what a vignette should be.

--

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

[LittlestSmurf]

Might I just start this reply with a ?



Why thank you so much for that song titbit. I was actually at a bar last weekend and they played that song (no, it's not normally that kind of place!). I was sitting at the end of the bar laughing my tail off and getting some mighty strange looks in return.



Thanks for the chuckles



LittlestSmurf

[thebardgirl]

*Puts on fabulous outfit ala Charley Chaplin*



Ah..better.



*ahem*



One day, not unlike many other days, and possibly very similar to this one, a little girl looked up and saw a thread, entitle the "Vignette Series" and so went to read. (She did not know what a Vignette meant, felt ill-educated and therefore angry at her school district's lack of funding.)



*cue girl burning school's excuse for a dictionary entitled: "Mebster--the next best thing!"*



From there she delightfully enjoyed several, fantastical stories, (although confused as to how a little girl could make a magic helicopter fly at the age of eight, but thought better of bringing up logical questions concerning fiction).



*girl nods agreeing*



But then,



*places weeping lass to cry on cue*



duh, duh, duuuhh...



she lost the series that was so awesomely written in the folds of the threads of Pens...



*cue crying woman*



"OH GOD NO!"



She did not know what to do, where to go...(besides cataclysm cafe, that is)...and so lost hope of finding a way back.



*places backdrop of miles of sand*



She wandered and wandered looking, searching, while avoiding delurking, for the same small stories she fell in love with....



*cue misty eyed girl to walk in sandy dunes of Egypt*



Until one day--yesterday to be exact--she came upon the oasis she had been looking for, after so long of a search and many other delightful stories to read concerning two wacky-wiccas.



*cue girl flopping onto watery pool in middle of desert*



And so here, I, Elizabeth, stand to thank you for this fabulous train of stories. I weep with having found them...and for having lost them in the first place...for now I have delurked myself to the max, and eagerly ask....



1. Could there be an update? and...

2. Could I have some water?



-elizabeth Thankyou! Thankyou! (for the stories and the audience) you can smack me for this if you like...but i just couldn't find words to describe without the melodramatics...

Last night in sweet slumber I dreamed I did see my own precious jewel sat smiling by me.

And when I awakened I found it not so; my eyes like some fountain with tears overflowed.

[wilgen]

Hey – you-sitting-shirtless-in-the-lap-of-the-great-Late-Shift-writer - you lucky you,



Just read the whole “The Late Shift” and noticed that that insane fic is your number 1 favourite fic (correct me if I’m wrong). And I can’t blame you. But I’m happy to tell you that you’re mind is as insane (well maybe it’s tilting a little more to the sane site) as wiccachica’s and between you two I had/have so much fun on this board. So, I really think it is time for you to update. Especially now Pippa is updating again. Like I shouted in the thread of Nikki’s (slightly altered):



“BRING ON THE NEXT VINGETTE. I’M READY TO BE AMUSED AGAIN”

[Sassette]

First - yes, this is a vignette.

Second - in case anyone has been wondering, here's why I haven't written anything in about a year or so. First, I was very sick for awhile (I'm all better now), then I was working so often that a 60-hour workweek felt like a vacation. For about a month my work schedule was so bad, I was literally working 120 hours a week (and yes, if you do the math, that means I was NOT working just under 7 hours a day ... so yes, I woke up, I worked, I took a nap, I worked some more). For the past month or so, I've had a normal work schedule, and honestly? I've been bored out of my ever-loving mind. I could not for the life of me remember what it was I used to do when I wasn't working. I mentioned this to my mom and she (bless her) reminded me that I used to write Big Gay Fic.

Third - >really< long-overdue replies, in which I shall endeavor to pretend like it hasn't been almost a year since I've done this (re-reading this entire thread helped ... if it weren't for you seriously awesome reader-type people, I doubt I'd be giving this another shot).

**darkmagicwillow: I would like to take this opportunity to point out that the nerd!sex thing was not my fault. You're the one who got into the slinky little mathematical formula, and then lipkandy had "You Complete My Square" going ... I'm only human, for crying out loud. And, hey - if that novel's still unfinished, I vote for working on it. Seriously. As for The Lost Vignette, and the kiss that cut the geekiness short, if it makes you feel better, it was a very geeky kiss I'm glad you loved The Morning After - this is the part where, usually, I'd start talking about what I was going for, and comparing that to what you got out of it, but honestly? At this point, I don't remember writing it. I am still, however, grateful for your comments, and very please that you found it to be sweet, romantic, and perfect. So thank you.

**LittlestSmurf: I believe I would have the exact same reaction to that song playing in a bar. As a matter of fact, I'm laughing just thinking about that song playing in a bar - thank you

**thebardgirl: And the fact it has taken me almost ten months to reply to the Charley Chaplin outfit is a crime. Because the outfit is, indeed, fabulous, and the melodramatics were delightful and totally cracked me up - so thank >you< for posting them. So here's some water to go with this update (hopefully, somebody else you've managed to get some water in the meantime, because if not, that would be >so< bad), and I'm sorry it's taken me so long.

**wilgen: Yes, "The Late Shift" is definitely one of my favorites - and while I can read and work at the same time (database updates take awhile, y'know, and when I'm working from home ... it's not a problem), I really can't >write< and work at the same time. I apologize for this deficiency (no sarcasm intended ... I seem to recall a time when I could, in fact, multi-task enough that I could write and work at the same time when working from home ... this is no longer the case, hence the total lack of vignettes). And thank you - I find having my brain compared to wiccachica's (and not found lacking ) to be a high compliment, indeed. Though, this update is not, in fact, silly. I will, however, get to work on one that is.

Fourth ... the vignette.

Series: Vignettes
Number: 43
Title: That's When She Knew
Author: Sassette
Feedback: Can be sent to pink_overalls@yahoo.com , or posted here.
Spoiler Warning: Set Sometime After - no spoilers. Unless you weren't aware that Willow and Tara are Always, in which case, you're already spoiled by reading this. Heh.
Summary: Tara's having a little trouble with the creative impulse.
Disclaimer: I didn't create these characters. I’m just borrowing them, because it’s lots and lots of fun.
Rating: PG-13

That's When She Knew
Part 43 of the Vignettes Series
By Sassette

Tara stared at the blank piece of canvas in front of her, brush and palette in hand. And she stared, and stared some more, long moments passing, as the daunting whiteness in front of her waited with infinite patience for Tara to fill it with ... something.

But Tara's mind was as blank as the canvas, and she put the palette down on the table next to her, amidst the paints and other brushes, and sat down in the comfy chair, having no fear of leaving paint on its pristince surface, because, tragically, she herself was equally pristine.

She closed her eyes for a moment and wondered what she would do if nothing came. Willow had put so much thought and effort into this, whisking her away on a vacation while Xander remodeled their attic into a studio as a surprise for her when she'd gotten home.

It had been something they'd talked about - not having a home studio, but Tara's drawing and painting. Willow had, in all innocence, asked her why she didn't draw anymore. Something that gave her that much joy was something she shouldn't give up, Willow had said, and had bitten the bullet and just flat-out asked why she had.

Tara couldn't answer, of course, because she hadn't even noticed. One day had just led to the next, and the next and the next, until she'd woken up one day and not even thought about it. Her life was so full, with work, chores, friends and family, the whole saving-the-world thing, and quiet time with Willow, that she hadn't even noticed the lack until Willow had pointed it out.

And then Willow had arranged all this.

Tara opened her eyes and looked around, a little smile curling the corner of her mouth. Willow certainly never did anything halfway. She could've just bought a sketchpad and some pencils, but no.

At that, Tara's little grin turned into a full-fledged smile, and she shook her head and laughed. She'd been absolutely astounded when Willow had brought her up here after their vacation. Totally flummoxed. Completely speechless.

Then Willow, of course, had broken into a nervous speech about how she was really sorry if this was too much, and she should've asked first, and on and on, worried about Tara's lack of reaction, and Tara had assured her this was fine. Better than fine - it was wonderful that Willow had gone to all this trouble to give back to Tara something she, herself, hadn't even noticed was missing.

But it had been missing, and once Tara had been made aware of it, she'd felt it keenly. There was something so peaceful and calming about painting and drawing. Capturing images down balanced her, giving her an outlet for something - like this well of creativity - that would otherwise just build up.

Except, now, it seemed like that well had gone dry in the intervening years.

Tara stood, and moved back to the canvas, picking up the palette and brush, and stared at the blank whiteness.

"Baby?" came a hesitant voice from the door, and Tara turned, to see Willow poking her head in. "Dinner's soon."

"Already?" Tara asked.

"It's almost six," Willow said, a pleased smile crossing her face. "Things must be going good, because you've been up here all day."

"Umm ... not so much," Tara admitted, biting her lower lip and turning the easel around so the blank canvas was facing Willow.

Willow stepped into the room and walked over to the canvas, making a great show of peering at it closely. "A snowman in a snowstorm?"

"Umm ... no," Tara said, walking around to stand next to Willow, the palette and brush still in her hand. "I was thinking something more symbolic ... something like ... potential."

"That's very deep," Willow said, nodding sagely. "And it certainly does have potential. I mean, here it is, and it could be anything at all."

"I think that's the problem," Tara admitted with a little sigh. "I don't know if I can do this - it's just so ... blank."

"Hmm ..." Willow said thoughtfully, lifting her hand and tapping her forefinger against her chin. "Okay, we can fix that," she said, then gently, but firmly, took the brush from Tara's fingers and dipping it against the palette, picking up some black paint.

With no preamble or thought, Willow made a black mark agains the sheer whiteness of the canvass - a kind of swooping little line that glistened wetly in the light.

"There. Not blank," Willow said with a little shrug, handing the brush back.

Tara looked at that mark, her eyes narrowing as she tilted her head a little, gazing at it thoughtfully, before turning back to Willow, who seemed to be staring intently at her shoes.

"Willow?" Tara said softly, and Willow raised her head, a sheepish expression on her face.

"Was that out of line? I'm sorry, that was out of line, wasn't it?" Willow began.

And that's when Tara knew.

In that moment, when their eyes met, Tara knew she and Willow were forever. She had made the choice to spend her life with Willow years ago, and so in a way she had already known, but then - in that instant - she knew that she and Willow weren't a choice: they just >were<, and they always would be.

And she knew soul-deep it was so inexorably true that if the Goddess came down from on high and said that Willow wasn't the one, Tara would laugh in her face.

She dropped the palette and brush on the spotless floor, stopping the torrent of words that were spilling forth from Willow, paint drops splattering against their shoes and pants, and she laughed.

"Umm ..." Willow said, trailing off and smiling reflexively at the sound of Tara's laugh, before her lips were otherwise occupied with Tara's pressed against them. "Mmph."

Tara stepped closer, kicking the palette out of her way, smearing paint across the floor and wrapping her arms around Willow's shoulders tightly, pulling them close together. Willow's arms came around her waist and she sighed against those oh-so-soft lips.

She kissed Willow soundly, joyously, pouring all of the love she didn't have words for into this kiss that would have to speak for her.

"I guess I wasn't out of line, then," Willow said dazedly, after long, heated moments.

"Nope," Tara said, shaking her head and grinning.

"I'll just, umm ... go put dinner on warm, then," Willow said, backing reluctantly out of Tara's arms, and practically stumbling to the door on weakened knees. "You, umm .. paint."

"Willow?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Willow said, almost shyly, before looking up and smiling at Tara and ducking out the door.

A cheerful off-key whistling trailed off as Tara listened to Willow heading downstairs, and her smile broadened because she couldn't help it.

With dancing eyes and a lightened heart, Tara readied her palette again, and started to paint.[/b]

[justin]

Firstly, 120 hour weeks? You don't by any chance happen to work for Electronic Arts do you?

Secondly, Thank your mum for giving you the reminder

Thirdly, This story was more than worth the wait.

It was sweet the way Willow set up the studio for Tara and then helped her get back into her painting.

[Shinnen]

Great that you're back! Bless your mom too for reminding you that you write big gay fics in your free time!

This is such a sweet vignette. I thought someone was just bumping up the thread but i took a peek into the thread and discovered a brand spankin' new vignette.



now we shall wait for more and the rest of the fics to come to pass.

[sam]

Awww, that was so cute. Love sam xx

[watty]

Sassette, that was a magnificent return, I hope you are better and getting used to a more normal work life.

I can't help but feel that

One day had just led to the next, and the next and the next, until she'd woken up one day and not even thought about it. Her life was so full, with work, chores, friends and family, the whole saving-the-world thing, and quiet time with Willow, that she hadn't even noticed the lack until Willow had pointed it out.

is perhaps a reflection of your own life, of how it just slips by and you forget about the one thing that brings you peace and pleasure.

Willow did the right thing, and true to form she didn't do it by half, did she? Having Xander make a whole studio for Tara. How could Tara not be moved?

And the "moment", when Tara knew. Sigh. These moments are so rare in life, and often simply creeps up to you at unexpected moments. This was so full of meaning

she knew that she and Willow weren't a choice

You don't just make a choice to be with someone anymore, it just hits you about how right everything is, that it has moved beyond mere choice to "being" a long long time ago.

Hopefully you can grace us with some more vignettes soon. Thanks for this one