| FIC: Mars Rising (BtVS; PG) |
[Apr. 30th, 2005|11:00 am] |
The latest puppy saved from The Pit of Voles.
Mars Rising, which was written in August 2003, had in interesting reaction. This time, most people got that Xander was being an incredibly unreliable narrator. Having learned my lesson from Dismay, I deliberately put in hints all the way through to the end that Xander was lying to himself on a lot of levels. It isn't until the very end when someone confronts him about it that Xander realizes he needs to step back and re-think things.
What makes it interesting is that it was a bit of a Rorsarch test for readers. Even though just about everyone knew Xander was being incredibly self-deluded, some people took what he was saying about the other characters as absolute gospel. (WHA?) I got a mix of criticism and praise (believe it or not) from some readers for bashing Buffy, Dawn, and, to a lesser extent, Willow. I can see why people might think I was bashing, but I have to wonder: if you know a character is deluded about almost everything, why should you believe anything he says about the other characters?
This is the first story I wrote where readers can take what the the other characters say as gospel, but can't trust a single thing the narrator says until after he's forced to realize that he's been editing his subjective reality using a lot of pent-up anger and bitterness.
Mars Rising was good practice for writing Cuckoo in the Nest in that regard, although I think Cuckoo works much, much better because:
- Tony Harris, although known to BtVS fans, is not a character in which anyone is emotionally invested
- The writing is better in Cuckoo
An interesting side note: The astronomical event used as the background in this story (Mars passes close enough to the earth that you can see details on the planet's surface with the naked eye) really did happen around Labor Day 2003. And yes, it really did happen during a Mercury Retrograde. And it is also true that the Retrograde was a Retrograde on itself because it was one that had astrologers a-twitter that it was a rare positive one rather than frustrating one. All I know is that my home computer didn't go bananas for the first time during a Retrograde, but that was the only difference.
Also, I should note: soilers for Angel had just broken that would make reference to Buffy being "in Europe" during the first few episodes. That's why Buffy's in Europe and everyone else is in Cleveland.
Right, enough blabbing (or is it justifying?).
Title: Mars Rising
Author: Lizbeth Marcs
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Rating: PG for mild language.
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and related characters are owned by FOX, written and produced by Mutant Enemy. None of the character herein are owned by me.
Summary: Xander considers the astronomical event of Mars passing and its impact on his life. Takes place three months after ‘Chosen.’ Character study, slight AU, stand-alone story.
Pairing: None.
Warning: Spoilers for all of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Slight AU in that all the Scoobs except Buffy stayed in Cleveland.
( Mars Rising ) |
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