The Apothecary - August 20 - Chapter 34: Surrender

[EmeraldArcher]

TtP,

Working on a more 'formal' reply/feedback, but I really couldn't let any more time go by without saying (once again) how much I enjoy your work. I will get back to this in greater detail, but, really, don't stop writing. Honestly, brava to you.

EA

[LittleBit]

That was simply breathtaking! But once again you leave us hanging with "Dreamberry"!!! I must admit I love it! Please keep this wonderful story coming.

[Owl]

Wow. That was the most awesome juxtaposition of surrender. It's taken me a bit of time to gather up feedback beyond the calibre of my original 'noooooooooo!' at the cliffhangeryness of that ending and now my thoughts are mostly just stuck on the way you've so wonderfully tied together two seemingly disparate moments of Willow's life with one word.

The chambers of the Drakensdvaerder Council's challenge and the way Willow refers to them as being numbered made me think of lots of things, but mostly Dante's Inferno and Indiana Jones (I think coz I've just watched it). The Klingon puzzle made me smile and think of Xander and his Klingon love poem-deciphering, and the Count made me laugh. A tired, starved, bleeding Willow sure is a funny Willow.

The shift from this back to Tara's and the now is amazing. It's so easy, even directly after reading what precedes it, to read the second half of this chapter and simply get lost in the beauty of it. It's so easy to forget that these two are facing obstacles of gargantuan proportions because, as Willow says, only the now matters.

At least up until mention of gazelle blood and dreamberries anyway. Have I ever said how much I love this story? I love it crazy-much amounts; it's so darn epic and I'm truly thankful for each update you bring us, even the eventual ones.

[Bewitchedyke]

Hiya

I just thought I would delurk for a mo' to let you know I love this story and the way you write it. I "found" this story again and have fallen back in love with it. I'll be looking forward to an update, hopefully, soon!

Thanks for helping me have something fun to do while I'm procrastinating on my homework LOL

Going back in Lurk mode....


Sammy

[restlessminds]

I'm not sure I have ever loved Willow more than I do in this fic. The fierceness of her love and loyalty is so blinding that to sample it for even a single heartbeat would be the ruination of many.

The wounded ecstasy of that final moment fair ripped my heart in two. I want Willow to be happy, I want her to be free. I want her to release Tara from the ties that bind and laugh at the world for daring to ever try parting them. And then I want her to take a machete to Tara's masters face.

Thanks for sharing
restlessminds

[formerphoenix]

Sorry, only a quick little comment tonight. Our company for the past week has just left but there are still a million things that need to be done around here.

She almost roughly brought Tara back up to her again, kissing her near savagely.

And tasted the nearly dried ruins of the dreamberry on Tara's lips, the fruit she was not allowed to partake.

Did Willow really not see that dreamberries were one of the fruits Tara had picked out to play the game? I assumed she had because we the reader had seen it, but I just checked back and that chapter was Tara's POV, so maybe Willow didn't notice it. If she had, it sure sounds like it would be stupid of her not to warn Tara about the consequences of mixing Willow and dreamberries beforehand!

OK, I lied; I'm going to make a second comment: Having Willow not allowed to eat of something called a dreamberry is great, seeing as this whiole story started out with her partaking of a dream created by Tara.

And one final comment: well done, Jen! And thanks, Jen, for beta-ing.

[ophelia11]

I feel I've spent this entire summer sitting at the end of a given month going "Where the heck did (insert any given month here) go?"

I'm trying to at least keep a list now of people I owe feedback or reading or reading AND feedback. It's becoming quite lengthy.

Admitting right off, I'm still a chapter behind, but I read 32 and 33 last night before bed and they were fantastic. Would've read 34, but it was already 1AM and I'm sooooooo not a morning person.

I love the way you've stretched this evening for them. With everything else going on and the fights ahead, it's wonderful that you've created this splendid night that seemingly stretches to eternity. They deserve at least that. I'm enjoying their moments of tenderness scattered between the historical elements you continue to reveal.

Willow has been particularly fabulous these last updates. Something that really struck me was the ebb and flow you have with her confidence which is so in her character. One moment she's the aggressive lover, holding Tara against the wall. The next she's this shy girl asking how to please the one she loves so dearly. Using my favorite Shirley Maclaine quote from 'Terms of Endearment' FANFUCKINGTASTIC. (No offense at the potty words )

Lilith and Tara's initial introduction was wonderful and enriches her story considerably. Willow asked some very probing questions regarding the wishes, the leash, etc. I imagine she's already forming a plan. Can't wait to see what she has up her sleeves.

Bravo!

[ceridwen]

This story just keeps getting better and better. I can't wait to read more.

[Belli Bear]

*coughspluttercough*NEEDEDBUMPING*coughcough* ahem...

[Zooeys_Bridge]

Jen! Congratulations on this fic being nominated at the Willow Goodness Awards site!

Kittens, nominations are open until January 31st, so don't forget to squeeze any last minute nominations.

Voting begins February 1st, don't forget!

[DameSansMerci]

Voted! Yay!

Phoenix, I am LOVING this fic! Please, please, pretty please with sugar and a cherry on top, continue it! I think I'm addicted, and starting to get the jitters already!

The way you write Willow as a strong, smart, resilient woman is just a breath of fresh air, and the angst is compelling and heart-wrenching! I want to turn away from some of the sad parts that are so intense, but I just can't--and *that's* good writing! The way the plot twists and turns, with betrayal at every step and relationships just waiting to be uncovered and brought into the sunlight--ahh, it's such sweet torment! And the Willow/Tara smoochies were just AMAZING!

I can't wait for the next update!

Hanging on every word,
Jenny

[LonelyTara]

I absolutely agree. This is a fascinating world, you've created a space for Willow and Tara that really transcends anything else I've read. This too, like Lamb, could transition into a mainstream novel. But first, please finish! It's torture to come to care about characters so much and not know how things turn out. Even if you just wrote a quick summary of what happened (a travesty, but bearable) that would offer us all some comfort!

[vampyregurl73]

I had yet to find a story that I became completely enthralled with until I found this one.

Your imagery and prose are wonderful and I anxiously awaiting chapter 35, although the wait seems to be lengthening.

It's stories like this that actually make fan fiction worth reading and even an actual viable genre of stories. There really are some very talented storytellers out and you are among those ranks.

Thank you for sharing.

[mstrykl]

Hey; this is a really GREAT story when are you going to get around to finishing it?

mstrykl

[Belli Bear]

Now, somewhere in the random filing cases of my memory bank I have a remembering of being dismayed and somewhat crushed that you had decided to put this on hiatus in order to turn it into an original novel. Am I making this up? Does anyone else have this memory? It's quite possible that I am completely making this up!

In any case, this is my favourite unfinished fic on the board (HUGE statement, I know, but 100% true) and it always breaks my heart to get to Dreamberry and have that be it *sigh*. Are you planning on finishing it? You must be, it's so totally awesome that your writer bones just wont allow you to leave it alone (see how I'm planting seeds of thought in your mind, I am crafty )

Now all there is to do is wait and obsessively check DCP for a reply soooooooo... *waits*


-Bell

[Zooeys_Bridge]

Oh gosh, remember this story?

Remember how I hung on every work and punctuation point as it dripped off the page?

God. So good.

[masterjendu]

I do remember!! Good times!!

[Zooeys_Bridge]

Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!

[masterjendu]

Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!

: ) Been too long, my friend! And too long for this story to have been left unattended.

[Tara the Phoenix]

I haven't been on DCP forever. My work, my writing, my singing. I am glad to admit that there is good news.

I finished writing the second draft for "Mistletoe" last September, which is the first book in the novelization of "The Lamb". While that is cool news, I still have another draft to write before it hits some literary agents.

Second, and of more import to this board, ever since I finished Mistletoe, I have started re-writing The Apothecary for the kitten board.

Oh yeah.

I'm currently writing chapter 26, and my intention is to finish the entire novel before starting to post it. Thereby guaranteeing you, my loyal readers, that this will be a finished story. You will get Dreamberry and everything that goes after. It is a complete re-write, though, and Jen Duffy above all knows what that means. Not quite the same story as this one. Oh, no, it's even better.

I plan on having it finished by the end of March, and will start posting chapters twice a week in April. Hopefully.

Thank you always for your support, and your comments, even after so many years. It's so much appreciated. The new version will get it's own thread, and I might even ask for this thread to be deleted. Just so's you know.

See you in a month!

[vampyregurl73]

I really love the concept of this story, so to hear that it will be reworked and posted in it's entirety - well that just about makes my day!

Looking forward to seeing it.

[Belli Bear]

OH MY GOD!!! !!!!! ....!


You have completely made my YEAR! This is AMAZING! I am SO happy about this! When you said you were planning on finishing it I went 'omg awesome! This is amazing! I'll clear my timetable for 2013 when it's done' but APRIL?! Even tentatively that is so much sooner than I even dreamed!! A super-big congratulations on reaching the next step in Mistletoe as well, I plan to be one of the ones fighting to be first in line to buy a copy! as I've said for yeeears you are an amazing talent and I am so happy for you it is just ridiculous, uber kitten pride, well done!!!

[FlamingPioneers]

Wow! This is really amazing news. I have my first ever job interview (over the phone) in a couple hours and I have been really stressed, but this made my day. Thank you for your dedication. The story is wonderful and I look forward to reading the upgraded version and continuation.

[Foomatic]

If I had words, they'd be inserted here. So for now,

So happy and grateful to know you're back on board!

[zampsa19752001]

Awesome news!

[laienmauden]

Delurking to anxiously twist my hands and enquire after the progress of the story. I've been eagerly checking this for the past few days and I hope it's going well. This story was an epic great one and I can't help looking forward to its new incarnation! So thank you for all the work so far, and remember you have the support and adoration of yet another lurker.

[sova]

This story is awesome. I don't remember if I had ever read something as beautiful as this. I always thought the best writer on this planet was Christopher Paolini, for his descriptions were totally like poetry. But then I've read your story and I was dumbstruck. Words can't even express how much you moved me. I don't care about Tara, Willow, and other characters, you might as well write about lemons and oranges and I would be going absolutely crazy from your writing-style. This was the best piece of prose I've ever read. And I read A LOT. I'm waiting for your Apothecary remake and I hope it will be even better than this.
I wish you good luck with your novel.
Please, pretty please with the sugar on top, can you, maybe, you know, post the first brand new chappy?

[Belli Bear]

nneeeaaarhh *kicks pebbles* damn my impatience!!!!!

[Wills redemption]

Hi there! Another delurker who absolutely adores this fic but has long ago resigned to the cold realization that it probably would never be finished.

Until your last anouncement which really made my day:

I plan on having it finished by the end of March, and will start posting chapters twice a week in April. Hopefully.

Now it's five months after april, there's still no chapter and I'm seriously worried again. Where are you? Granted, you didn't say april 2012 but I sort of took it for granted that you talked about reposting this year, not 2013 or another year. Please don't crush my hope by going on with your silence, could you at least let us now that you're still on it and intend to restart posting here even if you currently hit a writers block or something, PLEASE!!!