“Point of Focus”, End notes
[ Endnotes posted 02 Sep 2012 ]
Where did the idea for the story come from?
As the first Buffyfic I ever did, this one’s origins are far back in the past - thirteen years, as of this writing - but I still remember it fairly well. I had just discovered fanfic only a few months before, or maybe even just weeks, and then chanced across a particular site that was running a fanfic contest. I had recently seen stories that featured Cordelia or Willow as Slayers, in different circumstances, and I found myself wondering, Hmm, who hasn’t been used yet -? Thus came Joyce the Slayer, and the circumstances of how she got there pretty much dictated everything else.
As I’ve said elsewhere, I never actually submitted “Point of Focus” to the contest that inspired it, because their cut-off was 10,000 words, and POF ran close to 13,000. But, boy, did it ever get me started on a new road.
Is there any particular significance to the title?
Nope. I used “Joyce the Slayer” as a working title while I was still in-process, and as a theme began to coalesce, I considered “Focal Point” for awhile, but that just didn’t have the right feel to it. Within the past couple of years I’d read Stephen Hunter’s Point of Impact (an excellent book, from which the obscenely execrable movie Shooter was made), and that gave me the inspiration for a slight rephrasing that provided the final title.
What is the thing I like most about this story? the thing I like least, or about which I feel most doubtful?
What I like most, of course, is the driven, terrible Joyce the Slayer herself: her single-minded dedication, her ferocious commitment, and the hopelessness that suffuses every day of her life. As I explained it to my daughter when trying to communicate some of the basics of writing, the central fact in this Joyce’s life is that she can’t win; the only thing that matters to her was lost before she began, and nothing can change that …
… Right?
What I like least, well, there isn’t anything. I put this out as an alternative version of “the Wish”, and I was (and remain) satisfied with my success there.
Is there anything I think I could have done better, or might do differently if I had it to do over?
I might put in more detail if I was starting over from scratch … but, then again, I might not. Some people were sorry not to see a final showdown with Spike, but Joyce didn’t need to face Spike again, she obliterated the timeline where he won.
When I was first formulating the story, I had it in my mind that Joyce the Slayer killed Angel on the instant of discovering he was a vampire, simply on the assumption that the cryptic but loyal ally of the past had been killed and turned without anyone realizing it. That would have been a nice, tragic turn, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it without breaking the flow of things. I still don’t think I was wrong, but if I was going to change anything, it would be that.
Do I have any plans to follow up on this story, or to use the character(s) or situation in a subsequent fic?
Well, heck, I already did: in “ Each Proud Division”, Joyce the Slayer was summoned to Season 6 Sunnydale (along with three other Slayers), and made her mark even if she wasn’t the central character in that one. (And in “ Queen’s Gambit”, Cordelia the Slayer spoke of their interaction.)
Any observations to add at the end?
A few, yes.
First: I know Spike’s accent isn’t Cockney (Manchester is my own guess), but Joyce would have been going on first impressions.
Second: The mention of Gwendolyn Post as one of the people Joyce had allowed herself to care for? that was not intended to suggest a lesbian affection. Given how Post behaved in “Revelations”, however (Buffy S3-07), and how Joyce-the-Slayer reacted to mention of her in “Each Proud Division”, I’d say it’s entirely possible that Mrs. Post might have sent out some vibes, with Joyce not responding but still choosing not to shut her down on the spot.