I have an idea for a fic based on the Zeppo.What if Willow had used the spell Jack O Toole used, and cast it upon Tara to heal her?I have the beginning, I have an idea for a middle, but I can't think of how to bring her back to life properly at the end.And if if I post without that bit I would break KB rules. Any ideas?

Hmm, as to actual suggestions, I'd have to think about that.

But, one thing that's crossed my mind on that subject before; Tara would probably hate being brought back that way, as basically a zombie with a soul. And there are any number of ways she might express that feeling to Willow. (Similar goes with Dawn's spell from "Forever." With that, the person coems back alive but the implication is they are usually very, very changed.) And Tara's reactions; anger at Willow, disgust with Willow, a desire to go abck to beign hoenstly dead, or any other possible ones) could be major plot drivers.

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Snapshots:http://thekittenboard.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10210 a Love Story
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Kim: (breaks off the kissing) I l... (Sue stops her with a hand)
Sue: We don't talk about things like that right after, you know that, no saying those things in The Moment.
Kim: (moves the hand aside) Screw The Moment. I *love* you.

I suppose I could start the story;as long as it has a happy ending and does not break other KB rules...and thank you for your ideas for plot hooks.

I like DaddyCATs point (which may just prove I'm an angst-fiend), but can tell you from a few lil' plot bunnies I've worked out for myself (for the continuation of Missing- which has a very, very similar situation) that it can be done in a logical fashion and a properly happy end can be achieved. I don't see it as being a short story, though... anyway- my thoughts-

Number one; Yes, Tara would hate being non-living. Part of this would be the whole 'earth-mama' schtick- you can decide how to play that- but I have trouble seeing a 20 yr old being stuck on going back to being dead unless they had some idea what they are going back to. Big plot decision; does she remember? If she does not, this lets you step away from the canon Buffy-comes-back issues (though she'd probably deal with that differently, too) and also brings in a huge unknown. Is she so set on things being 'as they should' that she will effectively commit suicide? Where does Wicca stand on suicide, and does she follow that belief? Without the structure of religion to say what is to come, it's a step into the unknown that has no return. Since she didn't start out suicidal, I'm seeing a lot of ambivalence; being dead is 'natural', but struggling to survive is also natural. She is needed, wanted, and has no personal inclination to die at this point in life. After the initial shock, there's going to be a lot of thought.

Number two; Willow has fixed the first problem (that pesky death thing), but that doesn't mean she has to leave things as-is. Willow ever looks to improve the situation, and would keep working on it- especially once Tara has voiced her discomfort with being not-quite-alive. Figuring out the next step would be a fun background issue while the two deal with the current situation as it stands. Now that Tara is there, she'd get a say in what is and is not done- which might frustrate the well-meaning Willow if too many ideas are rejected.

Number three; The gang reaction. Some are predictable- Xander is the "it's not human, so it's bad" guy. Dawn would fluctuate between "yay, Tara's here", "why didn't you do this for mom", and "why didn't you do the Buffy thing and make her totally alive". Buffy of S6 would probably break the "you took me out of heaven, but I forgive you" peace if she had any clue that Tara was going through what she did, getting into major conflict with Will. Giles is... gone, and you can choose whether or not to ignore him. Anya can have just about any position on the subject that you want, so long as it is presented in character.

Number four; Make sure you work out the mechanics of not-vampire undead and consider how this would affect Tara in the simple mechanics of living. I don't remember enough about Jack to recall the details. Sometimes it is the little things that can bother people most. Does she still eat? Body stuff- cold/warm? Breathing/no? Is physical sensation the same from her perspective? Sight/sound/touch/taste/smell? Do animals react strangely to her? Does she sleep? When she's asleep, would she seem to be dead-dead to an outside observer? How would Willow deal with waking up beside that, having had the Seeing Red experience? Fairly major trauma and man of us aren't very coherent when we first wake up... So my point is, work out the implications. They can be a whole story in and of themselves.

Number five; figure out the eventual solution before you write! That gives you the assurance that it won't be cheesy and lets you foreshadow/leave hints throughout the story. The solution may be "And Tara learned to be happy with what she had" or something very involved, spanning many years and continents, breakups and reunions, false starts, character growth... etc. You don't have to use something that exists in canon, and it is fun to look at mythologies that take you further afield. The important thing is that if there is something to make a zombie into a live person, there has to be a reason that this has not been documented prominently. It's probably really complex, difficult, or obscure. The process of going from dead to living is probably not pleasant- like emerging from a heart attack. If Tara retained the physical damage that killed her, how is that dealt with?

If you need someone to bounce ideas off of, I'd be happy to oblige. Like I said, I've worked through a bunch of this in my own mind for Missing II and III (which may never be written). PM me if you'd like.

-Never

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