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FICLET: How Far The Apple Falls
Title: How Far The Apple Falls
Length: 400 words
Rating: G
Disclaimers: stuff from the eps "Angel" and "Inside Out"
Summary: two mirrored scenes: Angel and Darla - Connor and Darla
You show up in your plaid-print skirt; Buffy’s in the other corner, looking like a hooker in those painted on pants. The sparkles in her shirt catch the light. Madonna and whore face off, and Angel is on point. He is wearing black. The specter of Joyce hangs between you. You always did love a symmetrical set-up: two mothers, a virgin and a monster.
You’re still high on Joyce’s blood. You wanted Angel to taste it, the fall, fruit off the vine. You opened his window to reality; he hid in his knowledge of shame. You opened his refrigerator to truth hanging in bags like bats, forbidden knowledge of who he really is. You know him better than anyone will ever know him. Make him swallow it down, chew—‘cause he’s not exactly living off quiche.
He’s living above ground, like one of them. He’s attacking you, like one of them. But no matter what he does, it’s not who he is. You assume that Angel can only suppress his true nature for so long. He doesn’t have a choice. He’s being hunted like an animal.
Instead, Angel turns from the virgin and kills his maker.
There was a time when you shared everything, it occurs to you, as you fall to dust. This is how he repays you.
x
You show up spectral in white; Cordelia’s in black. Shadows paint her purple, and Connor is wearing gray. The virgin in question, hanging between you by her hands, looks like the schoolgirl. Apparently, “always” can be a short time, because you don’t love symmetrical so much now, do you.
You might, just a bit, be from on high. But despite the white, you’re no blessed virgin mother, and this time, you’re not making any assumptions. You just want him to have a glimpse of light, of your love. You want Connor to know he has a choice, even when he’s being hunted down.
They’re afraid of him because of what he does, you tell him. Not who he is. Because you know him better than anyone will ever know him. He rolled away the rocks in your heart; he, your beautiful boy, came to life in the empty tomb of you. You shared everything; you fell to dust to lift him up. You would die every day for all eternity to do it again.
Instead, Connor turns from his mother and kills the virgin.
This is how he repays you.
Length: 400 words
Rating: G
Disclaimers: stuff from the eps "Angel" and "Inside Out"
Summary: two mirrored scenes: Angel and Darla - Connor and Darla
You show up in your plaid-print skirt; Buffy’s in the other corner, looking like a hooker in those painted on pants. The sparkles in her shirt catch the light. Madonna and whore face off, and Angel is on point. He is wearing black. The specter of Joyce hangs between you. You always did love a symmetrical set-up: two mothers, a virgin and a monster.
You’re still high on Joyce’s blood. You wanted Angel to taste it, the fall, fruit off the vine. You opened his window to reality; he hid in his knowledge of shame. You opened his refrigerator to truth hanging in bags like bats, forbidden knowledge of who he really is. You know him better than anyone will ever know him. Make him swallow it down, chew—‘cause he’s not exactly living off quiche.
He’s living above ground, like one of them. He’s attacking you, like one of them. But no matter what he does, it’s not who he is. You assume that Angel can only suppress his true nature for so long. He doesn’t have a choice. He’s being hunted like an animal.
Instead, Angel turns from the virgin and kills his maker.
There was a time when you shared everything, it occurs to you, as you fall to dust. This is how he repays you.
You show up spectral in white; Cordelia’s in black. Shadows paint her purple, and Connor is wearing gray. The virgin in question, hanging between you by her hands, looks like the schoolgirl. Apparently, “always” can be a short time, because you don’t love symmetrical so much now, do you.
You might, just a bit, be from on high. But despite the white, you’re no blessed virgin mother, and this time, you’re not making any assumptions. You just want him to have a glimpse of light, of your love. You want Connor to know he has a choice, even when he’s being hunted down.
They’re afraid of him because of what he does, you tell him. Not who he is. Because you know him better than anyone will ever know him. He rolled away the rocks in your heart; he, your beautiful boy, came to life in the empty tomb of you. You shared everything; you fell to dust to lift him up. You would die every day for all eternity to do it again.
Instead, Connor turns from his mother and kills the virgin.
This is how he repays you.
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Whoof. Wow.
These are gorgeous and perfect.
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And I should totally give you better FB than that but I'm writing a paper and not really here.
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Good luck on your paper!
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Lalalalala, what was I saying? SAM WINCHESTER HAS AN ENORMOUS PEEEEEEENIS!
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The insight in this is, as always, incredible and the virgin theme (with all the white) really resonates for me. (Not me personally. You get me.)
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Glad this worked for you.
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And thank you!
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He rolled away the rocks in your heart; he, your beautiful boy, came to life in the empty tomb of you.
That image is so rich and wonderful.
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Glad that worked for you, and thanks for letting me know!
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Exactly! When I realized that, it really rocked me. Like, not in the whoa that rocks, but in the kinda swaying back and forth on impact kinda rock.
Thanks, for always understanding what I'm trying to do. *brain melds*
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Ha, yay! That's exactly what I was hoping to do--these scenes really parallel, but it didn't occur to me for quite some time. And then I wondered if *everyone* had seen the way they line up, and I was just slow!
Thanks for your kind words.
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Thanks!
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She went out on her own terms, redeemed *without* a soul, and I remain unsure that Connor's vision was actually her. She didn't say anything she hadn't already actually said- basically, she was an echo. The real Darla wouldn't have stood for that.
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So when Darla stakes herself to give him life, she *does* take fate into her own hands, she *does* make her own choice. And it's not until just then that she sees that.
So that when she comes back, what I loved is it that she wasn't trying to force Connor's hand. She was trying to show him that there were other options. Trying to show him, as he did for her, that he could choose to be someone else. And in the end, it was pointless. I just think there's a lot of tragic irony in that.
Angel would've just taken the choice out of his hands. Maybe the *real* Darla would've too, wouldn't've stood for what happened. But I like to think what we saw was Darla as she had finally become.
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Thanks for that. :)
I do so love your big squishy brain parts.
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*facepalm*
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That's what keeps this fandom alive.
And now? For the parts that slayed (heh) me: Make him swallow it down, chew—‘cause he’s not exactly living off quiche. I heard Darla snarl. Great voice.
He rolled away the rocks in your heart; he, your beautiful boy, came to life in the empty tomb of you. that killed me.
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That's what you do for the characters for me, likewise. *mutual appreciation!*
I heard Darla snarl. Great voice.
That's 'cause the quiche part is from canon!
I'm glad this worked for you. Thanks so much!
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He rolled away the rocks in your heart; he, your beautiful boy, came to life in the empty tomb of you. You shared everything; you fell to dust to lift him up. You would die every day for all eternity to do it again.
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That die everyday for eternity part is from canon. It breaks me up every time she says it.
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I really love these two lines:
Instead, Angel turns from the virgin and kills his maker.
Instead, Connor turns from his mother and kills the virgin.
Really fabulous!! *g*
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Yay, that's really all I wanted to do. Once I saw the parallel I was like, how could I have not noticed that before? And then I wondered if everyone else had seen it, too.
Thanks so much--so glad this piece worked for you.
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Yeah, I know, just about everyone has pointed this sentence out, but it is so wonderful I had to as well.
I love the comparison between Angel and Connor, and the choices Darla has made or not been able to make. Inside Out, Darla could have told Connor why she was there, and the reasons to choose wisely, did you see, but she stopped herself in time and left the choice up to him.
I want to steal your brain!!!
I wish I had a nth of your ideas, and your prose...:~)
Hugs
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I think the most important thing was that Darla told him she loved him--he thought no one except evil!Cordelia did. But it was too little too late.
I'm really glad you enjoyed this. And I think your own brain is lovely!
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I did it in 2nd person because it was so "Darla does this, now she does this", but yeah, 2nd person is always risky. It would annoy me over a long piece, too. Thanks for reading this!
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Man, this was awesome. The first half is good, but the second half just rocks it. I think you got so much deeper into that scene, and gave a really interesting perspective that I haven't seen before. And the parallels with the first are just inspired.
And, hey! You wrote all short and stuff!!
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I'm glad you liked it. Thank you.
I love that icon. A lot.
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