Back to writing, now-- and on Giles

Been a long weekend. Especially adding in an emergency wedding gig which ended just about the time I was supposed to Be At the Concert Hall across town for the last performance of "Solace for Survivors." Both nights went off quite well-- I was hoping for no more than to have no train wrecks, after only about 7 rehearsals on this very difficult music, but it really touched people, myself included. It was quite exhausting, though.

And while I was enduring the wedding, and blocking out the priest's reading all the hopelessly naive things the happy couple had written about each other, I was reflecting on their second reading, from 1 Corinthians, 13:1-13. It's a discussion of what Love is, and one of the thing that struck me as applying to my Giles, post Chosen, was this: "And if I have prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to move mountains yet do not have love, I am nothing. And if I distribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, yet do not have Love, it profits me nothing." The passage goes on to describe what Love Does, but not what Love Is. And that makes sense-- we all of us know that Love is much less warm happy feelings than it is what we are willing to Do for those we love.

Here's my difficulty-- Giles Does a great deal for the world. But at some point near the end, probably dating back to Buffy's death in The Gift, he has stopped giving himself fully to those he loves. He's always been reserved. But he's also always been generous, with understanding and support as well as with research and willingness to thrust swords through things that threaten his family.

I'm extrapolating the emotional distance of S7, and assuming it continues and worsens as he takes on re-establishing the Council and takes responsibility of the fate not of one girl, but of hundreds, and it seems to me that he's deliberately avoiding love. He can't bear actually caring personally for anyone, because losing them hurts so damned much now. He pushes the core scoobies away and doggedly trudges away at his empty existence.

Anyway, I'm playing with how a man like this might act, might deal with a new attempt to engage him in the business of humanity. I have to assume Willow and Xander and Buffy and Dawn and Faith at least Tried before scattering all over the globe. I'd be interested to hear others' thoughts on this. I have some new scenes in mind, though I may not be sharing them for a while.

Oh-- here's my revised word count - 235 for tonight. As few as 10 earlier this week. Getting better again, anyway.

5,172 / 50,000
(10.3%)

Birthday greetings, nwhepcat

Just wanted to say, Happy Birthday, and thanks for all the cool fic you've shared with us over the years.

Anybody who hasn't read Everything this talented cat has written should Run, not Walk to http://www.echonyc.com/~stax/Buffy/nwhepcat/index.htm. The only complaint I have to make about the site is, it's not always easy to see the timeline/ order some of these should go in. But they're all well worth the time. And hey, anyone who can insert Mary Oliver's poetry into fanfic-- wow. Prepare to have your horizons expanded.

Of course, it's quite likely that everyone on my miniscule friends list is already well aware of all this. But if not-- go read!

Again, Happy Birthday! And many more.

Hob