SEVENTH HELL (A story set somewhere in the Whedonverse.....)

[killerdwarf]

I know I love sitting down to a good book filled with captivating short stories.

NOW you're talking! Short stories are so unappreciated, and that's why fanfic like this one is so important...it keeps the medium alive by being so well done (take a bow, OM). I'm sure not surprised you are a short story lover, Rayne. I particularly enjoy some of the anthologies published from Asimov's magazine. They gather them into themes, like "Vampires" (one of my faves), "Ghosts", etc, and there are about 20 of them out by now. Very cool. Got any suggestions besides King (who has his moments for me, but..."bored now")? As I said, I'm "between books", and after doing the research suggested by Mr. P, I'm still without material.

 

[Beer_Nut]

Got any suggestions besides King (who has his moments for me, but..."bored now")? As I said, I'm "between books", and after doing the research suggested by Mr. P, I'm still without material.

There is a really good set of short stories by Robert McCammond called Blue World. (AMAZON ). He's one of my favourite authors (Swan Song, by McCammond, is my favourite book of all time).

 

[Mr. Pointy]

As I said, I'm "between books", and after doing the research suggested by Mr. P, I'm still without material.

Have you read the "Legends" anthology edited by Robert Silverberg, KD? More a collection of novellas/short novels than short stories I thought, but an excellent fantasy collection featuring work from Terry Pratchett, George RR Martin, Stephen King, Anne McCaffrey, Ursula Le Guin - see here for more details. There is also a Legends 2, which I think is due out shortly in paperback.
edit- apparently you can buy paperback versions which split the original book into two with about half the stories in each...

 

[Beer_Nut]

Have you read the "Legends" anthology edited by Robert Silverberg, KD? More a collection of novellas/short novels than short stories I thought, but an excellent fantasy collection featuring work from Terry Pratchett, George RR Martin, Stephen King, Anne McCaffrey, Ursula Le Guin.

I have read both of them myself, definitely a good pick if you've read other stuff by the authors. Many of them are set in their more popular worlds (ie. Stephen King = Dark Tower).

 

[killerdwarf]

Have you read the "Legends" anthology edited by Robert Silverberg, KD?

Picked up Legends 3 last night, and I'm well into it already! Also picked up "Dime Store Magic" by my bud Kelley Armstrong too, so my dance card is full for a week or so. Thanks y'all, and Beer Nut, I'll look into your suggestion.

Thanks again!

 

[Old Master 3.0]

So THIS is what a hijacked thread looks like...pretty cool... 😛 😛 ........

 

[Beer_Nut]

So THIS is what a hijacked thread looks like...pretty cool... 😛 😛 ........

Sorry OM. Didn't think about it. I think we all gathered here 'cause we loved the story. It really was great.

 

[Old Master 3.0]

Sorry OM. Didn't think about it. I think we all gathered here 'cause we loved the story. It really was great.

LOL....no harm done, young man....I'm just messin' with ya's.

What's that, Killerdwarf? Did you just say you're bored by Stephen King?? BLASPHEMY! BLASPHEMY I SAY! 😛 😛

A lot of good author names being thrown around in here. Man, I used to love to read all the time. Wish I had more time on my hands to get back to reading....lately it's just work, sleep, work, sleep.

Beer_Nut, happy you liked my story....and happy to have a new reader enjoy my work. Have you ever read the "BB BATTLES" stories?

I don't think it would have been possible to expand "SEVENTH HELL" into full novel-size, as you suggested. That would take REAL skill to pull off.

By the way, ladies and gents.....DarkKnut and I have parted ways as writing partners recently. As with everyone else, life gets in the way, and he's not online very much anymore. I was just wondering....would you guys mind if I bounced my ideas off of you? I know I already have Mr. Pointy's help in that regard, but the more the merrier.


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[Beer_Nut]

Beer_Nut, happy you liked my story....and happy to have a new reader enjoy my work. Have you ever read the "BB BATTLES" stories?

No but when I have a chance I'll look them up, thx.

I don't think it would have been possible to expand "SEVENTH HELL" into full novel-size, as you suggested. That would take REAL skill to pull off.

Don't put yourself down, after reading the allusions and imagery you used in this story, I think you would be quite capable of pulling it off.

By the way, ladies and gents.....DarkKnut and I have parted ways as writing partners recently. As with everyone else, life gets in the way, and he's not online very much anymore. I was just wondering....would you guys mind if I bounced my ideas off of you? I know I already have Mr. Pointy's help in that regard, but the more the merrier.

I don't mind, bounce away. 😀

 

[killerdwarf]

What's that, Killerdwarf? Did you just say you're bored by Stephen King?? BLASPHEMY! BLASPHEMY I SAY! 😛 😛

There are some of his works that I liked, but, well, he kinda gets...banal...after a while...sorry.

I was just wondering....would you guys mind if I bounced my ideas off of you? I know I already have Mr. Pointy's help in that regard, but the more the merrier.

Sure, I'm up for that! It'll keep me from hijacking your thread...but if you'd write more, I wouldn't be short of material to read, right?😉

 

[Old Master 3.0]

No but when I have a chance I'll look them up, thx.

No need to go through all of that...I have the whole thing collected into a Wordpad file, just for occasions such as this. The file is too big to send through the PMs....so what I'll need is your permission to send it through your e-mail.

LOL, Killerdwarf. Stephen King BANAL....I never thought I'd ever live to see the day someone referred to some of his work thusly. 😛
But, even a hardcore fan like me has to agree with ya. It doesn't happen often, but some of his work DOES reach that point. that whole "BUICK 88" affair comes to mind. Ugh. [ shudders ]

And hey....thanks for helping me out, guys. Much appreciated.

I wanna hear what you all think of this.
I have a few ideas about my upcoming GILES story...although I am still trying to pin down what I am going to use.

Now....a lot of fic writers all around the net are using the whole "Activated Slayers / Giles as New Head Of Watcher Council" storyline....but I want to follow a divergent path. In MY Giles series, the activation of the Potential Slayers never occurred...the Watcher Council was never destroyed....Sunnydale still stands.....and Giles is in London, doing his OWN thing, with his OWN people.....without the Scoobies. I have Giles as the new curator of a museum in London...which happened not too long after he left Sunnydale after the whole "Dark Willow" affair. As a result, Giles has been studying magic a lot more.

Do you guys think the direction I'm taking with Giles is workable? Or am I messing around to much with canon?

 

[Beer_Nut]

No need to go through all of that...I have the whole thing collected into a Wordpad file, just for occasions such as this. The file is too big to send through the PMs....so what I'll need is your permission to send it through your e-mail.

That'd be great, no need to ask, email me anytime.

Now....a lot of fic writers all around the net are using the whole "Activated Slayers / Giles as New Head Of Watcher Council" storyline....but I want to follow a divergent path. In MY Giles series, the activation of the Potential Slayers never occurred...the Watcher Council was never destroyed....Sunnydale still stands.....and Giles is in London, doing his OWN thing, with his OWN people.....without the Scoobies. I have Giles as the new curator of a museum in London...which happened not too long after he left Sunnydale after the whole "Dark Willow" affair. As a result, Giles has been studying magic a lot more.

Do you guys think the direction I'm taking with Giles is workable? Or am I messing around to much with canon?

I like it, personally. I definitely think it's workable you just kinda have to be careful not to tread on the toes of the season 7 story line. I really like the idea of having Giles study more magic, I can't wait to read a story like this. It definitely has promise.

 

[Mr. Pointy]

Now....a lot of fic writers all around the net are using the whole "Activated Slayers / Giles as New Head Of Watcher Council" storyline....but I want to follow a divergent path. In MY Giles series, the activation of the Potential Slayers never occurred...the Watcher Council was never destroyed....Sunnydale still stands.....and Giles is in London, doing his OWN thing, with his OWN people.....without the Scoobies. I have Giles as the new curator of a museum in London...which happened not too long after he left Sunnydale after the whole "Dark Willow" affair. As a result, Giles has been studying magic a lot more.

Do you guys think the direction I'm taking with Giles is workable? Or am I messing around to much with canon?

Sounds good to me OM - similar in direction to what I read about the direction of Ripper (before it got shelved indefinitely) - which was Giles investigating supernatural mysteries in Britain (with possible guest appearances from the Scoobies).

I've always been a big fan of "imaginary" stories or "Elseworlds" or whatever you want to call them but you don't have to move too far from canon IMO if you feel you shouldn't - don't forget that Giles was absent from a large part of S6 and S7. His "alternate" adventures could take place during those spells, and as for his museum job - it could be an affiliation he made during that time. It might help explain the resources that the Scoobs were able to call on after Caleb destroyed the Watcher's Council for the First and provide a central point for such protagonists as the coven that helped Willow return from the dark side...

That's my two penn'orth for now (or "two cents" as you colonials would have it 🙂)

 

[killerdwarf]

I really like "fill-ins" that take place in between what we saw for ourselves. If you can work that in, that would be a great way to go. The "Relic Hunter, but with magic" milieu for Giles works for me, and, I think, for him.

OM: It's not so much Stephen King's plots, it's his style that gets in the way IMO (although the plots sometimes get a bit...well, repetative). Without a doubt, Carrie, The Stand, The Shining, and 'Salem's Lot are classics in every sense of the word, but others...(did someone say Christine?)...well, you get my drift!

 

[Old Master 3.0]

"Colonials"? Is that some sort of derogatory UK term having to do with colon-cleansing? 😛
All right...THAT'S IT! Defend yourself, varlet! 😛 😛 😛


But you see fellas....this is NOT going to be a "fill-in" story. this Giles series is more of an "Elseworlds" story....as Mr. Pointy just mentioned. This story is NOT taking place in the mainstream Buffyverse....but an alternate...parallel timestream....where the events of Season Seven did not take place....or rather, DO take place...but at a different time, MUCH further down the line. My apologies if I didn't make that clear. The whole idea may seem a little convoluted, but I feel I have to do it this way.....as the characters that I introduce (or rather, ALREADY introduced) would not fit into the Mainstream Buffyverse. There would be no way for me to integrate my characters with Joss'. I'd have to kill off MY characters prior to the events of the "Caleb/The First" story arc.....or be forced to find some unimaginative, cheesy way to keep my characters out of that scenario. And since I refuse to do that...I have to do an "Elseworlds" thing. Did I even make sense just now? Because I'm not making any sense to MYSELF at this juncture....

What do you guys say about that NOW? LOL....





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[Mr. Pointy]

"Colonials"? Is that some sort of derogatory UK term having to do with colon-cleansing? 😛
All right...THAT'S IT! Defend yourself, varlet! 😛 😛 😛

Varlet - isn't that the fella who helps one to dress in the morning? A gentleman's gentleman? No, wait a minute that's valet, isn't it? Thought you were calling me a bally servant then old man, what...hehehehe

What do you guys say about that NOW? LOL....

I say - less posting, more writing😛

If it's an Elseworlds story you can do what you want with the characters and don't need to worry about canon as long as they are consistent with their established characteristics. I would like to see that the Whedonverse history is intact until your point of divergence into the Masterverse (TM🙂) but, then again, Joss is no respecter of history (Dawn?) Go for it OM...it sounds like a good starting-off point.

 

[Old Master 3.0]

Not to worry....the Whedon continuity will not suffer very much. All will remain intact right up until the point where Willow spends the summer with Giles in England, recovering from the "Dark Willow" thing.

After Giles sends her home....THAT is when the whole thing skews into the MASTERVERSE ™ (LOL....your a nut Brian...thanks for coining the new word. 😛)

 

[Mr. Pointy]

Not to worry....the Whedon continuity will not suffer very much. All will remain intact right up until the point where Willow spends the summer with Giles in England, recovering from the "Dark Willow" thing.

After Giles sends her home....THAT is when the whole thing skews into the MASTERVERSE â„¢ (LOL....your a nut Brian...thanks for coining the new word. 😛)

Well, I thought if I can have the Pointyverse...which is my real world, as opposed to fictional btw...and Joss can have several 'verses...why shouldn't you get one 😉

 

[killerdwarf]

Now it is much clearer! I like "elsewhere" and "elsewhen" stories too, so I say go ahead and create. Something I didn't ask before is this: can this be a reciprocal agreement? I'm working on a couple of things, only one of which is Buffyverse...my buddy Evil Clown has a couple of ideas I'm putting words too, and a group to bounce it off might be a plus. Whaddaya say, guys? The BB writers' (Viscious) Circle? Will we meet at the virtual Algonquin room?

 

[Beer_Nut]

Now it is much clearer! I like "elsewhere" and "elsewhen" stories too, so I say go ahead and create. Something I didn't ask before is this: can this be a reciprocal agreement? I'm working on a couple of things, only one of which is Buffyverse...my buddy Evil Clown has a couple of ideas I'm putting words too, and a group to bounce it off might be a plus. Whaddaya say, guys? The BB writers' (Viscious) Circle? Will we meet at the virtual Algonquin room?

OM: Now I definitely see where you are planning to go with this and I still can't wait to read. You should go ahead with it.

KD: I'd definitely comment on your ideas too, however I have absolutely no time to write anymore (used to, not very well though). I definitely enjoyed reading everyone's stuff and helping as much as I can with the creative process.