Prompt 068: Swords and Corkscrews

[redrikki.livejournal.com]

Title: Swords and Corkscrews
Author: Redrikki
Rating: PG
Word Count: 100
Prompt: 068 Kendra
Character: Kendra


Slayers, her Watcher said, were not girls. They were swords of girls’ flesh. Kendra knew swords. They were straight, focused, made for a single purpose. If she was a sword than Buffy was, well, a Swiss army knife maybe; blade one minute, corkscrew the next. She had not been forged, honed and sharpened the way Kendra had, but Buffy was just as much a Slayer, just as much a weapon. Kendra suspected her Watcher would not approve. He probably wouldn’t like her flying coach either. Kendra relaxed for the in-flight movie. It was about a dog. She enjoyed it anyway.

Comments

[silver_galaxy]

I really like the metaphor you've used here. espcially the idea of Buffy being a corkscrew sometimes *grin*

[redrikki.livejournal.com]

Well, Buffy is quirky, which sort of sounds the same. I'm glad you liked it.

[angelus2hot]

Excellent!

I enjoyed reading this!

[redrikki.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi,
liked the idea of Kendra's thoughts on Buffy. She was a character who was largely wasted on the show. I thought that was a real pity. Don't get me wrong I loved Faith, but I'd really liked to have seen more of Kendra. There really isn't too much good Kendra fic on the net. I can only think of one (by Beer Good), and even in that one she was dead. Thanks for this. A real Treasure.

Ray (kerkevik@btinternet.com)

[redrikki.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, I'm glad you liked it. I think the problem with Kendra in fanfiction is that she was so, I don't know, emotionally distant I guess that it's hard to really get a feel for her character.

Replying to this about seven months later, so not sure you'll even see this, but...

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

She was a character who was largely wasted on the show. I thought that was a real pity. Don't get me wrong I loved Faith, but I'd really liked to have seen more of Kendra.

I agree. Kendra was such an interesting foil to Buffy - she was traditional, she always knew who she was (whereas Buffy was rather new, having only found out as a teen), and yet, there was a similarity as well. Both of them had this wryness about them (Kendra's "no wonder you died" quip, not to mention naming her stake "Mr. Pointy"), and seemed to dress similar. It would've been interesting to have seen them working together. (Maybe with Faith too, though that would've meant temporarily killing off Kendra, thus rehashing a plot.)

[ubiquirk.livejournal.com]

Great weapons metaphor for each of them! Also interesting that, as a Swiss Army knife, Buffy has to let things get much closer to her.

[redrikki.livejournal.com]

Glad the metaphors work for you. You're right about closeness. Kendra was so detached, but with Buffy, every fight is personal.

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

That really is a great description of Buffy! And also of Kendra, who's nothing if not perceptive.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

I really liked how you wrote Kendra. She's a character I wish had stayed on longer, or had at least been in more than two episodes. She just had a lot of potential (no pun intended ;)) as a character. But some characters aren't meant to be around long, unfortunately. (A character in another Whedon show died after about seven episodes - you might know who I mean, but I won't be too spoilery except to say that really sucked, because the character's arc was just getting really interesting.)