Common Areas

[wilgen]

Hey Hidden Watson,



I really enjoyed this story. Excellent job. Also liked the summarizing of the timeline. And really great that the reunion was on May 7th.



Thanks for sharing, wilgen.

[Artemis]

So, lemme see if I can concisely sum it up... WOW!



I admit, I haven't been reading along while you were posting, hence not having left feedback before. Reading all the uberfics keeps me busy (cause I can't archive stuff I haven't read), and other fics tend to pass me by... still, this one kept appearing at the top of the Pens ladder, plus you kept popping up on my threads... good timing, though, that I decided to set aside a few hours and read it just when you'd posted the final chapter.



Just as well, too, if I'd had to wait for the next chapter after Willow found out Tara's initial fate, I'd have been impossible to live with until you updated



Now I'm a big Trekkie, so time travel and its various mind-bending permutations don't give me a headache, and frankly I can regard ridiculous things like circular information flow and predestination paradoxes as if they're as normal as normality. But that was the coolest thing about this fic, it wasn't just about the timeline, it was all about Willow and Tara as people, how they felt and reacted and connected with each other. The timeline anomaly was just a particularly innovative way of framing that story. And what a story it was, with its ups and downs, reaching out, faltering, doubts and insecurities, sweetness, of course the CLIFFHANGER! and finally Tara's arrival, which was as welcome and relieving as a gentle summer rain after a fifty-mile trek across a volcanic magma plain.



As for the comments you made a couple of chapters ago, about wondering how to finish the story - I think the way you did it, with the chapters after Willow and Tara met, was pretty darned perfect



And I have to mention, I liked that the anomaly never really got explained. It actually ended up being heartwarming for me, like there's some kind of force in the world that intervened to set right what once was wrong (Quantum Leap style, even ).



If it weren't for all the canon stuff, I'd be totally asking humbly to host this; as if it, all I can say is thank you, and do the bowing smiley again

Chris Cook

Through the Looking-glass

A Willow and Tara for every world.

Smut Bunnies!: Saving the world, sexily!

[tarasgirl2]

Hiya watson!



Just wanted to write a little something now that you've finished this fic. This story has been one of the reasons I love visiting pens so much. Right from the start I've been reading (even though I'm selfish and don't always give as much as I receive...sorry for the lack of feedback! I'm not always feeling articulate enough to say anything of worth. )

The way you write is so well thought out and beautifully expressed and that's not even counting the amazing (and complicated!) storyline. I will keep my eye out for further examples of your writing, lemme tell ya!

Thank you so much for giving us this fic and for allowing us your ending instead of the one from the film. I think I would have been sorely disappointed if you'd cut us off so dissatisfied.

Well done watson, this was a spectacular example of why pens exists in the first place.



Michaela

"No dancing naked, huh? Sigh. It just won't be the same." - Willow

"That's all right, we can save it for later." - Tara

(Wilderness Part 1 by Amber Benson & Christopher Golden)

[mollyig]

But they had time. After time initially conspired to keep them apart, thankfully this line is now true.



Thanks for this very involving story.

---

You stay the course, you hold the line, you keep it all together.

You're the one true thing I know I can believe in - Sarah McLachlan

[JustSkipIt]

Congratulations! Really. A wonderful and perfect ending to a truly spectacular story. The last chapter is everything it should be: touching, nervous, passionate, completion. Wonderful. Of course here there is virtually no explanation, just their passion and love and you do that wonderfully. I believe that the reader follows the same progression of becomming relaxed as they do before they consumate their love.



Of course the thing that keeps going through my mind is the confusion the Scoobies will have. I mean for 4?5? months Willow has had this "pen pal" which she has not shared with them. (or has she? Now I've forgotten). But certainly she has not shared that she loves Tara. So now suddenly Tara will be "here" in all her beautiful glory. I'm expecting Buffy to be like "huh?" and Xander's head to explode.



The summary is a great addition. I did something like that to keep track of everyone's progress in school in Paths. Kept it at the top of the file to refer back to.



I must say well done. Now I can add a recommendation in the recommendation thread.

"It is better to waste one's youth than to do nothing with it at all- Georges Courteline

"Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there." - Chare Booth Luce

My latest story: Survivor - Ash Island

[GayNow]

I read this yesterday. I'm still processing. I will be back with more feedback. I just didn't want to seemingly ignore the story. I loved it. And I have more to say. I just need to work through it so that it's coherent.



Carleen

[terra21]

I enjoyed the ride! The ride that unfolded into this beautiful fic. What were you thinking? I'm gonna miss my head hurting and my brow furrowing while I read the updates. Sigh, those were the days.



Thank you very much for sharing your talent with us Watson.

Continuous Train of Thought

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terra

[The Rose24]

Wow. I want to thank you for this fabulous story you have written. I am glad you decided to add these last two chapters, and I am definitely not disappointed in the ending.

Tara: My heart doesn't stutter.


Tara: Willow, I got so lost.

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

[darkmagicwillow]

Beautiful story. I'd love to read the remaining parts.

--

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

[GayNow]

I've had some time to process. And I've gone back and reread parts of the story...to help the processing along? To simply enjoy the telling of the tale? Both? I don't know. What I do know is that I come away from this fic satisfied.



I did not start reading this fic until you had posted the concluding chapter. As I have mentioned in other posts, I'm fairly new to the board and simply haven't been aware of all the stories out there. But, I am so glad that this story came to the top of the list.



I've tried to avoid reading the feedback that others have left--I used the copy and paste technique for each chapter so that I had one, continuous Word document that I could print and read during my daily commute on the train. However, I find that I am almost as attracted to feedback as I am to the fics themselves. So I will do my best to keep redundancy to a minimum.



I have not seen the movie that inspired your writing of this tale. So, I came into the story with a completely open mind. I will reiterate what others have said: I'm glad you decided to post the final two chapters. I would have felt incomplete if you had not continued. And, yes, I mean that *I* would not have felt complete. I am sure it is the same for many readers on this board. The phrase "I became so involved in the story" is not a figurative statement for me. I do become involved. Even though I am away from the story (when working, sleeping, chatting, etc.), the story is not away from me. It permeates my being. In other words, I process. So, at the risk of sounding cheesy or like I'm using a really bad pick-up line, thanks for completing me by completing the story.



I was not hampered at all by the separation in the time line. I feel that you did a nice job of keeping things clear. At the same time, there was *just* enough vagueness (is that even a word?) to keep things interesting. There are some questions left unanswered--and that's the way it should be. Because that is the way life is. If we knew all the answers, if everything were so easily explained, well....what would be the fun in that? But what makes the unanswered questions bearable for me is the Truth (note the capital T) that is the love between Willow and Tara. No the words have not been spoken. Do they need to be? I mean, really, does anything need to be said when there is Truth? Personally, I don't think so.



So, now that I have rambled on at great length about how much this story has touch me, I shall conclude. Thank you so much for sharing this story with us. I would like to concur with those longing for a sequel. There are some interesting roads that can be traveled with this fic. I hope that you will decide to take the rest of us along for the ride...the scenic route, I hope.



Carleen

[lil fled]

This was an awesome story Loved every bit of it, even the timeline that confused me a bit

And I say there's trouble when everything is fine...

The need to destroy things creeps up on me every time

And just as love's silhouette appears, I close my eyes and disappear tonight

[russ]

Congratulations, Watson, on bringing this story to its conclusion. It was enjoyable throughout as you kept us in a state of supense and wonder. I'm in agreement with Chris in being pleased that the "mechanism" of the mailbox is left unexplained. Actually, I'm in agreement with pretty much everything Chris said, starting with the WOW.



Thanks for sharing this with us.

Russ



When we love and give it everything we've got, no matter what the consequences, we are doing what we were put here to do -- Geneen Roth

[Willow18]

Wow. Just wow. I am honored to have read this story. It is going down on my favorites list. I hope to see more stories from you in th future.

[Irishgrl3]

Bravo Hidden Watson!



That was a beautiful ending to a great story. It all came together so nicely, and well, hot. It was interesting their discussion on where they were with each other especially with Tara having all this time to wait, she summed it up pretty well with;

Quote:

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"You. You are all I've been thinking about," Tara murmured.

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Again, Congrats on a story well written!

-anna

[AnirtakEnigma]

Oh my god!!!! I just...I read it all in one go and horrendously bit my nails then bit my lip...may have talked to the computer a few times as well. But then it was all love and happy and then there was the naked and well, I was okay with that as well , and just...beautiful! Well written, well ended...I LOVED it!

Anyway, enough of me and my crazed fan-dom. Just wanted to thank you for sharing something that I enjoyed very much.

~Ani

Before you judge and criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way if you still don't like them you're a mile away and you have their shoes!

[Traveler4069]

Thanks for sticking with this story and bringing it to a wonderful end. It was well written and brought me and others much enjoyment. Traveler

[FireFlyofDust]

[shuyaku]

Thank you so much for adding your ending to this magnificent tale. You did an amazing job!



-shuyaku

Oh God, Willow—you’re giving me the gift of Karen Carpenter. Just when I think I grasp the full extent of your love." - Tara

"Why do birds suddenly appear? It’s because, you are queer…" - Willow (Gods Served and Abandoned by AntigoneUnbound)

[hidden watson]

My goodness it's been 2 weeks, I can't believe it. There's a big part of me that misses updating this story, it's played such a large part of my life since I started it last October.



I hear faint chimes of 'sequel', and it is tempting, but ... no, there won't be a sequel. Sorry. The magic in the mailbox has gone, whatever wrongs in the timeline have been fixed. At this moment, I feel like my time (to use a fitting description) to this particular universe has come to an end. I don't rule out visiting it again at some other point, but not now.



Onto the replies ...



Missocki - Of course Willow and Tara will get together! Love the SQUEE and the dancing bananas, thank you!



Cyd - why thank you, for reading.



Emms - ooooh, don't be sad, think of how happy they will be when they wake up and know they have each other forever. The urgency, like you said, from earlier in the day will give way to much more leisurely exploration, but I'll leave that to your imagination. As for sequel, my feeling is no, I've written as much as I can about this universe, at least for now.



Wimpy - hidden bunny did come out to play for a little while

Quote:

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they had so much time to make up for and now they have forever to do it.

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so true!



wilgen - thank you! Glady you liked the summary, and well done for picking up that the important events took place on May 7th.



Chris - my official thanks here for hosting Common Areas on Looking Glass. It was awesome to see all the chapters posted there in one go, I was totally gobsmacked.

Quote:

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I liked that the anomaly never really got explained

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I felt it was better to leave it as, there was a crinkle in time, TPTB wanted to correct it, they injected some magic into the mailbox and that's it. How did the mailbox work? Er well, it just did, yeah?



tarasgirl2 - it doesn't matter about leaving feedback, I'm just glad you enjoyed it.



mollyig - thank you for reading, it's my pleasure.



Debra -

Quote:

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Of course here there is virtually no explanation

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No, and I don't think we necessarily need an explanation, sometimes things are best explained as "it just is". You raise a good point about the Scoobies' reactions. They knew Willow was corresponding with someone from the past

Quote:

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From Chapter 2:

"Huh? Oh, this pencil? You'll never believe it, it's from Tara," Willow replied, holding up the multi-colored pencil for Buffy to see.

"Your penpal from the past sent you a 3 year old pencil? How? What? How?" Xander asked.

---

What I missed, and that's kinda uncharacteristic for the Scooby gang, is that they didn't investigate the mailbox. But then, this story has always been focused on W and T only, the rest of the gang plays a very small role, I didn't want their presence to distract from the central relationship. May be if I was able to turn back the clock and write this story again I would put in more explanation, more Scooby interactions, but then again I may write the exact same story, I dunno. Thanks again.



terra2 -

Quote:

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I'm gonna miss my head hurting and my brow furrowing while I read the updates. Sigh, those were the days.

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thanks for that. Yeah, I miss it too, and even though I'm working on other stories, this is the one that will have a special place in my heart, simply cos it's my first.



The Rose24 - thank you for reading, it's my pleasure!



darkmagicwillow - thank you for reading!



GayNow - wow, such fabulous and thoughtful feedback, thank you! I'm touched that you say you're involved in the story, and that's as a reader not writer, I feel the same about some of the fics I read here so I completely understand. That something I wrote is able to elicit this level of involvedness from someone, is at once touching and awe-inspiring for me, this is still very new for me, I am very moved, thank you.

Quote:

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There are some questions left unanswered--and that's the way it should be. Because that is the way life is.

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That? Was beautifully written. Ultimately, this was not a time travel story. The only objects that traveled through the fabric of time were some letters, a pencil, and perhaps some photos. Small things, but large in their significance. In the end, it's simply a story of 2 people to meet in an unconventional way, fall in love, and finally meet. And that's it.



lil fled - thanks. Hopefully with the summary things are less confusing. Glad you enjoyed it though.



russ - thank you for your insightful feedback all through. Suspense and wonder? Wow, big words, for a little story. But thank you anyway, it's been a pleasure.



Willow18 - it's on your favorites? Wow, thanks!



Irishgrl3 - I didn't want to drag the discussion out, but I did want to address some missing parts. Glad you liked.



AnirtakEnigma - hi! you read it all in one go? Wow. I'm glad it's only 18 parts. Glad you enjoyed.



Traveler4069 - thank you too!



FireFlyofDust - short and to the point! Thanks.



shuyaku - oh my. Thank you!

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quiet thoughts

[pikescoob]

Watson...this story has been kick-ass from start to finish! When Willow realized that Tara was standing there and she ran up and hugged her *sniff* it was amazing. Thank God for Tara sticking with her habit of checking the box. I can't even imagine how trippy it would be to have someone tell you that you died but then they changed something that helped you avoid it. When you think about it, time travel in any form is best left to the movies and stories cuz things would get wicked f-ed up. Hehehe, anyway, thank you for sharing this awesome fic with us *grin



**Michelle

"these wounds won't seem to heal,

this pain is just too real,

there's just too much that time cannot erase"--Evanescence (My Immortal)

[Safuega]

I'll add my belated congratulations to your finishing your story. I was surprised to read that this was your first because I have read the beginning of another story of yours in your web page. The fact that this is your first fic makes it all the more important to congratulate you on a job well done.



After your story started I rented the movie, and I must admit that while I enjoyed the movie a great deal, I find your story to be better done. You took an interesting premise and improved it for the better.



Enjoyed it thoroughly, thanks for sharing.



Safuega

[Rhapsodist]

Ooooooooooh dear dear Watson. Wow wow and double wow. I absolutely loved this story and after I was finished, I was sad to see it end...it's one of those stories that you can read over and over and each and every time, the affect that it has gets deeper and deeper. You have such a beautiful insite into love and that is definite shown in your words.

I loved to see the girls living in their own separate worlds while sharing that one common bond..each other and you portrayed that soooo well. It shows how we can live our lives day by day with the same routine and in just one moment, with one stroke of a pen, we are completely changed forever. Juuuuust wonderful.
It's nearly impossible for me to describe all of the emotions that ran through me as I read but I can tell you that not a moment went by when I wasn't absolutely loving it.

Thankyou again for this!!!!!!!!!

[Boadecia]

i got Sooo involved in this story and it never dissapointed. Also kudos for the tough plot line. Dealing with dimensions and time lines and the like is very hard but you made it look effortless. So congrats!

[watty]

Attention: Message to the Mods - I'd like to take this opportunity to ask if one of the mods can help move this to the Completed Fics Archive, whenever it's convenient. My request would be for Common Areas to be archived under my new username (w for watson) rather than my old username (h for hidden watson, who is no longer hidden ). Many many thanks for all your hard work!

I look back at the first post and it's only been 6 months or so since I started posting. I can remember my hesitation [nobody's going to read this*], trepidation [*nobody's going to like this*] and general butterfly in stomach feelings. It was a big step and one I never regretted taking. I do apologize for always sounding like a sap when I talk about Common Areas, but it's very dear to me, and has a special place in my heart.

Some replies:

I can't even imagine how trippy it would be to have someone tell you that you died but then they changed something that helped you avoid it. When you think about it, time travel in any form is best left to the movies and stories cuz things would get wicked f-ed up.

Michelle, you're so right! Trippy alright, and I haven't even begun to show them reacting to everything that happened during this memorable day. Best to leave it as one of those scenes that we don't see. I did just want them to fall into bed, exhausted but no longer alone. Tomorrow, and the day after, and the days and weeks, that's gonna be the important part, when their relationship will start to build and develop. Thanks for reading !

~~~~~

I was surprised to read that this was your first

No, not the first story I started (as you know from the website), but the first I finished. In fact it only took 2 months from start to finish, unlike some other stories I've been tinkering with since 2003.

You took an interesting premise and improved it for the better.

thank you very much for your encouragement. My story is a little different from the original film, out of necessity. I was never satisfied with their ending and I wanted more, hence this story. There will be a US remake with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Personally, I don't think it'll be as good as the original but it'll be interesting to see how "Hollywoodizing" it will end up.

~~~~~

I loved to see the girls living in their own separate worlds while sharing that one common bond..each other and you portrayed that soooo well. It shows how we can live our lives day by day with the same routine and in just one moment, with one stroke of a pen, we are completely changed forever.

Wow Jess, how insightful ! You're right of course, it's the little things in life, and the unexpected moments, that can change whole lives so quickly. Thank you for your words!

~~~~~

Also kudos for the tough plot line. Dealing with dimensions and time lines and the like is very hard

hi and welcome! It's your first post on this new board and I'm so proud to be the recipient. The timeline was difficult, I needed that chart at the end. But having said that, this is not a time travel story per se, no humans were involved in time traveling, just bits of paper, a pencil, and whatever inanimate objects they placed through the mailbox. When I got stuck, I just thought of them as living in different cities and somehow communicating via a magic mailbox. Anyway, thanks for stopping by !

*****

[GayNow]

Okay...if you are even REMOTELY like me, you love love LOVE Common Areas. Well, those of you who have read it. And, if you haven't read it, why haven't you? (sorry, watson, had to steal that from you)

As an added bonus....our lovely watson has written a short fic as a response to Fic Challenge -- Third Time's a Charm.

This wonderful short fic takes place in the Common Areas setting!

Yes, you read that correctly! Common Areas Willow and Tara are back in a short fic by the talented watson!

So run, don't walk to read All the Time in the World. You'll thank me! Really! You will!

Carleen

[Ressick]

I just found this fic earlier today, and damn. I don't think I've read a fic so fast in months. Especially not interspersed with errands, and the rest of my life. I truly love it. It's a wonderful fic, and it brought me to tears. Thank you so much for writing it, and letting us read it.

[watty]

I don't think I've read a fic so fast in months. Especially not interspersed with errands, and the rest of my life. I truly love it.

Ressick, welcome! Your first post? Or first post on the new board?

Thank you so much for reading. I'm never tired of saying that CA is like my firstborn (though other people may be ... I dunno ). Not the first fic I started but the first one I completed, it has a special place in my heart and it means a lot to me that people find it enjoyable..

it brought me to tears

awww, thank you (I think). I'll make sure there are plentiful supplies of tissues nearby.

Thanks again!

[Ressick]

First post on the new board. I've been around since '00, I think. Just lurking a lot recently (ie not enough time for the board).

Thank you so much for writing! That's the most important bit!

And mushball tears are a good thing. Just keep those kleenex a-coming.

[Graceland]

Watson, no longer hidden -

Common Areas is like one of those rare book you come across in a dusty bookstore run by a bespectacled ex-librarian who only stocks good books. You have used sparing language in crafting this piece of art, but it's so easy to imagine the scenes that you have (deliberately?) omitted or glossed over. It's so rare to read a fic where W/T don't meet face to face till near the end, but they've actually been together since almost the beginning. You have sustained their relationship throughout. It's definitely a tour de force and I thank you for sharing.

[beanie]

I had read this story on the through the looking glass archive, and have wanted to like give you boatloads of thanks and compliments but GAH! . . . 'til now that is THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE STORY. The first day you posted the story on that archive (all at once, thank God), I read it. Every single word. And I fell so deeply in love with all of it!!

And another thing . . . how come I've never heard of Il Mare. Not that I keep up with my Korean movies or dramas, but I like to pretend (like the last thing I saw was Chungook Eh Geh Dahn...Stairway to Heaven?)! Who's in it? I'm so curious. I need my parents to go and rent it for me right now. The movie can't be as good as this story though. Hellllll no! I refuse to believe.

Anyway back to pandering to your vanity. What else is there to say? The whole interdimensional mailbox with the journal and the receipt! I LOVED the receipt thing! It was awesome. How you were able to encapsulate the whole like time difference thing with just a little receipt. The details of this story were truly amazing and brought it all to life. Tara's reaction to Willow in the last two chapters were just off-the-charts fantastic. It was so real, so tangible. Like I could taste how much Tara had missed Willow during those three years. The emotional and physical turmoil she had put herself through after "losing" her love.

Oh wow, I really really really really really wanna see Il Mare...

Just one last question. When are you writing you next story?