Another Thirteen Steps
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<div class="content"> <h3>Table of Contents</h3> <hr> <br> <a href="ATS_cover01-f.php" class="subtitle">First Light</a> <ol class="list"> <li><a href="ATS_theoutsider-f.php">The Outsider</a> <img src="images/doty.png" alt="(Contains Mature Themes)" title="Contains Mature Themes: Parental Supervision Suggested" /></li> <li><a href="ATS_thenoose-f.php">The Noose</a> <img src="images/doty.png" alt="(Contains Mature Themes)" title="Contains Mature Themes: Parental Supervision Suggested" /></li> <li><a href="ATS_blue-f.php">Blue</a> <img src="images/dotr.png" alt="(Mature Audience Recommended)" title="Mature Audience: Parents Strongly Cautioned" /></li> </ol> <a href="ATS_cover02-f.php" class="subtitle">Twilight in the Vale</a> <ol class="list" start="4"> <li><a href="ATS_gravity-f.php">Gravity</a> <img src="images/doty.png" alt="(Contains Mature Themes)" title="Contains Mature Themes: Parental Supervision Suggested" /></li> <li>Crimes</li> <li>Pet</li> </ol> <a href="ATS_cover03-f.php" class="subtitle">Breathe on an Ember</a> <ol class="list" start="7"> <li>Lullaby</li> <li>Weak and Powerless</li> <li>The Package</li> <li>Epitaph <ol type="a"> <li><a href="ATS_epitaph1-f.php">Prayers of the Martyr</a> <img src="images/dotr.png" alt="(Mature Audience Recommended)" title="Mature Audience: Parents Strongly Cautioned" /></li> <li><a href="ATS_epitaph2-f.php">Benevolent Sun</a> <img src="images/dotr.png" alt="(Mature Audience Recommended)" title="Mature Audience: Parents Strongly Cautioned" /></li> </ol></li> </ol> <a href="ATS_cover04-f.php" class="subtitle">In the Hour of Wolves</a> <ol class="list" start="11"> <li>A Stranger</li> <li>Vanishing</li> <li>The Nurse Who Loved Me</li> </ol> <br> <hr> <h3>Description</h3> <hr> <br> <p>For those of you that are new to my worlds, <em>Thirteen Steps</em> was an early attempt of mine to write Buffyverse fiction. It was pretty immature, but there was a certain charm. The setting is <em>Season Eight</em>.</p> <p>The above pieces have been entirely reworked for this site. They bear some similarities to my previous offerings under the same titles, but make no mistake, this is all new stuff with a new plot. I attempt to work around a few of the plot flaws and retcon in Joss’s world and create something quasi-original and interesting.</p> <p>The first truly striking difference you’ll notice is that the Buffy Summers in my world rides. I did this because it made sense to me. And because it was a combination of things I was very familiar with. They went together well.</p> <p>Riding a motorcycle has much in common with dancing. It’s more of a full body experience than driving a car. Where you put your weight matters. I could see the combination of being grounded miles away from civilization and the influence of the <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isle_of_Man_TT">TT</a> filtering through into Buffy’s life.</p> <p>Those of you in the UK understand that you can’t really even have money in your pocket and not feel the effect of the TT. It’s a huge thing. To clue up the rest of you bloody Colonials, <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coins_of_the_Manx_pound">Manx Pound</a> coins appear in circulation across the UK. They’re very similar to the commemorative state quarters we have in U.S. There are several of these coins that depict scenes of motorcycle racing.</p> <p>Anyway, it felt natural to me. Feel free to form your own opinion.</p> <br> <p><strong>The Outsider</strong></p> <p>Buffy Summers at her misanthropic best. She has a little scuffle with an old friend and runs off to misbehave.</p> <p>You’ll notice some strong parallels between this and the original. As with <em>For Marie</em> and <em>Epitaph</em>, I wanted to keep the existing themes, but completely rewrite the story.</p> <br> <p><strong>The Noose</strong></p> <p>Picking up at the end of <em>The Long Way Home</em>, this is a divergence of the canonized story where Willow doesn’t damsel.</p> <p>I’m not a huge fan of damsely Willow. It just doesn’t track to my mind. The ‘most powerful witch in the Western Hemisphere’ shouldn’t damsel. It’s a thing. Sorry Joss.</p> <br> <p><strong>Blue</strong></p> <p>It’s kind of silly to ask if <em>you’ve ever had one of those days</em>. We all have. They just sorta come with being a sentient life form on planet Earth. It’s an imperfect world.</p> <br> <p><strong>Gravity</strong></p> <p>The truth.</p> <p>It’s something we all crave. We believe it’s something we’re due. We’re even angered when it doesn’t come or falsehoods are offered in it’s place.</p> <p>But how often does the truth disappoint us? How often is it painful? The truth, in extreme cases, can even drive us insane.</p> <p>Joss Whedon took this very simple concept and developed some of the most wonderful dialog around it. The episode is called <em>Lie to Me</em>. I count the exchange between Giles and Buffy in the graveyard among my favorite of the entire series.</p> <p>In honor of that I give you a similar animal.</p> <br> <p><strong>Epitaph</strong></p> <p>From victim to assailant. It’s an intriguing transition, one that we make through the eyes of an unknown character. Then the camera turns and we view her through a very familiar pair of eyes.</p> <br> <hr> <h3>Author’s Notes</h3> <hr> <br> <p>My team of pre-readers and betas might be a bit more extensive than most. Pretty much everyone listed leaves a mark on my work. As the author, I choose the marks.</p> <p>The new <em>Thirteen Steps</em> series has a three pass cycle. These are the people that make me look like I know what the heck I’m doing.</p> <p>The pre-readers get it first. They are Em, Whedonist and Angie. Angie is my control group. She knows nothing of the story plot. I use her as a sounding board to determine audience reaction. Em reads to improve punctuation and for general input. Whedonist is my tough sell. If something seems off, Whedonist calls me on it.</p> <p>The second phase is Howard Russell’s beta pass. He also represents the average male reader. Usually, he forces me to clear up some of the vaguer points.</p> <p>The final beta pass is then handed over to Em. She adds that last little bit of polish.</p> <p>For <em>The Noose</em> I also received one-on-one assistance during the initial pre-read phase from Kina and Lost. Whether this trend will continue remains to be seen, but…much appreciated and enjoyed nonetheless.</em> <p>Prior to the most recent stories, the final beta pass belonged to Howard Russell. <em>Epitaph</em> was his.</p> <br> <hr> <h3>Dedications</h3> <hr> <br> <p>This may seem a bit silly to some of you, but it occurred to me while I was writing <em>Epitaph</em> that giving something back to the people who influenced me was a nice idea. I have since then been assigning a minor token of my esteem to each piece in this series. There are thirteen pieces outlined and I don’t foresee myself having any difficulty finding thirteen people who are deserving of my thanks.</p> <br> <p><strong>The Outsider</strong></p> <p>It’s a really special thing when you find someone that believes in you. I’ve been blessed with a few. My friend De is one such a person. Rewriting this piece is a tiny token of gratitude. The <em>Thirteen Steps</em> series is still lists among her favorites. <em>God knows why.</em> Giving her something fresh and new, but at the same time old and familiar was the least I could do.</p> <br> <p><strong>The Noose</strong></p> <p>It’s been a little over a year since Howard contacted me to ask if I would like his services as a beta. He took the time to actually teach me, rather than just make changes. It seems appropriate that in appreciation for all of his help, I should dedicate one of the most technically challenging and complex pieces of fiction I’ve ever written to him.</p> <p>Thank you, Howard.</p> <br> <p><strong>Blue</strong></p> <p>I held off on this one because I felt it should go to someone who loves Xander. Frankly, the person who came to mind has been out of contact with me for over a year. He was one of the first people to tell me that something I wrote was good. In retrospect, I can’t think of a better reason to dedicate a piece to someone. King of Cretins offered me encouragement at a time when not many were. For that, he has my gratitude.</p> <br> <p><strong>Gravity</strong></p> <p>I would like to present this piece to my darling fiancé as a token of my affection. I wish I had something to offer her besides a tragedy. It’s good prep though, ’cause if she ever makes it to the States and tries to live with me, the full meaning of the word will become perfectly clear.</p> <p>Kidding aside, I don’t think I’ve ever been paid a higher compliment than when Charlene read the Outsider and asked me to marry her. It was purely tongue in cheek, but I was flattered. After all, it’s not every day that a pretty girl asks you to marry her ’cause of something you wrote.</p> <p>But one need only look around to understand how generous Char is. And she really is just marvelous fun to spend time with. Offering her another peek inside her favorite character’s addled brain is the least I can do in return for the friendship she’s shown me.</p> <br> <p><strong>Epitaph</strong></p> <p>Emily challenged me by showing me a plot flaw with the original <em>For Marie</em>. I reworked it expressly for her because it was one of her favorite pieces of Buffyverse fiction. I knew I could make it better. And I knew it would make her happy. I hope that it brought a little ray of light to your year from hell, dear.</strong> <p>The funny: this dedication became for engrained in the piece that the Sunnydale Memorial Award I was given for it bears her name. I edited it out for this site, but it’s there if you go look.</p> <br> <hr> <h3>Awards</h3> <hr> <br> <p class="center"> <img src="awards/R15quickie2.jpg" alt="Best Quickie Fic Runner Up, Epitaph" title="Best Quickie Fic Runner Up, Epitaph, Sunnydale Awards Round 15" /> </p> <br> <p class="center"> <img src="awards/09alltimefic-valyssia.jpg" alt="Best Willow Fic of All Time, Another Thirteen Steps, 2009 Willowy Goodness Awards" title="Best Willow Fic of All Time, Another Thirteen Steps, 2009 Willowy Goodness Awards" /> <img src="awards/09friendshipfic-valyssia.jpg" alt="Best Friendship Fic, Another Thirteen Steps, 2009 Willowy Goodness Awards" title="Best Friendship Fic, Another Thirteen Steps, 2009 Willowy Goodness Awards" /> </p> <br> <p class="center"> <img src="awards/SOG09_short1.jpg" alt="Best Short Story, Epitaph, 2009 Shades of Grey Awards" title="Best Short Story, Epitaph, 2009 Shades of Grey Awards" /> <img src="awards/SOG09_wip1.jpg" alt="Best Work in Progress, Another Thirteen Steps, 2009 Shades of Grey Awards" title="Best Work in Progress, Another Thirteen Steps, 2009 Shades of Grey Awards" /> </p> <br> <p class="center"> <img src="awards/R17OC1b.jpg" alt="Best Original Character, Tam in Epitaph, Sunnydale Awards Round 17" title="Best Original Character, Tam in Epitaph, Sunnydale Awards Round 17" /> <img src="awards/R17song2b.jpg" alt="Best Song Fic Runner Up, Epitaph, Sunnydale Awards Round 17" title="Best Song Fic Runner Up, Epitaph, Sunnydale Awards Round 17" /> <img src="awards/R17drama2.jpg" alt="Best Drama Runner Up, Another Thirteen Steps, Sunnydale Awards Round 17" title="Best Drama Runner Up, Another Thirteen Steps, Sunnydale Awards Round 17" /> <img src="awards/R17series2b.jpg" alt="Best Series Runner Up, Another Thirteen Steps, Sunnydale Awards Round 17" title="Best Series Runner Up, Another Thirteen Steps, Sunnydale Awards Round 17" /> </p> <br> <hr> <h3>Past Awards</h3> <hr> <br> <p class="center"> <img src="awards/R13series2.jpg" alt="Best Series Runner Up, Thirteen Steps, Sunnydale Awards Round 13" title="Best Series Runner Up, Thirteen Steps, Sunnydale Awards Round 13" /> <img src="awards/R13post2.jpg" alt="Best Post-Series Finale Runner Up, Thirteen Steps, Sunnydale Awards Round 13" title="Best Post-Series Finale Runner Up, Thirteen Steps, Sunnydale Awards Round 13" /> <img src="awards/R13pairingUC2.jpg" alt="Best Pairing (Unconventional) Runner Up, Thirteen Steps, Sunnydale Awards Round 13" title="Best Pairing (Unconventional) Runner Up, Thirteen Steps, Sunnydale Awards Round 13" /> <img src="awards/R13slash2.jpg" alt="Best Slash Runner Up, Thirteen Steps, Sunnydale Awards Round 13" title="Best Slash Runner Up, Thirteen Steps, Sunnydale Awards Round 13" /> <img src="awards/R13song2.jpg" alt="Best Song Fic Runner Up, Thirteen Steps, Sunnydale Awards Round 13" title="Best Song Fic Runner Up, Thirteen Steps, Sunnydale Awards Round 13" /> </p> <br> <hr> <h3>Reviews</h3> <hr> <hr> <div class="disclaimer" align="center"> <ul> <li>All material derived from pop culture at large is the property of its respective owner. No copyright infringement is intended. Please read the <a href="disclaimer.php">disclaimer.</a></li> <li>© Valyssia Leigh 2009</li> </ul> <br> <br> </div> </div> <img id="back2" src="images/Cacophony2.jpg" alt="" title="" />
