Vague idea for another BtVS / Veronica Mars story.

[ffutures]

Obviously my night for posting to Livejournal!

I've been thinking about another BtVS / Veronica Mars story, a sequel to Subcontractor possibly involving a crossover with another fandom, and came up with a mission statement for Cordelia Chase in a post Not Fade Away world where everyone knows the supernatural exists. Does this sound interesting?

Cordelia is without a doubt the most accessible Higher Being in the world. No rituals, no sacrifices, no prayers or summoning, no signing away your soul. Just dial her toll-free number and you're talking to 'the patron saint of occult detection' (source Newsweek, April 2006). Of course you need to have good reason, otherwise the reply tends to be short and sharp, and occasionally leaves the phone melting. Nevertheless thousands of people have risked it, and since Higher Beings gain power from people believing in them, or at least that's what the Watcher's Council web-site says, Cordelia is rapidly becoming a major occult player. Dad thinks that sooner or later the other Higher Beings will pull the plug on her - I'm guessing that most of them dearly wish they'd thought of the scam first, and are trying to work out ways of getting in on the act without looking like copy-cats. The thing is that calling her works, often extremely well; provided that you aren't personally involved, she can give you answers that can bust a case wide open. For some reason she can't help you if you're personally involved - for example, she couldn't help me with the Lilly Kane murder or the bus thing the following year - but there are twenty cases that are purely business for every one that gets personal.

The case probably won't involve Veronica working for Cordelia directly, but I think that at some point Veronica will be picking up the phone.

Comments

[gianna24.livejournal.com]

This sounds very cool!

[speakr2customrs.livejournal.com]

Put like that it doesn't sound all that interesting to me - but I'm sure that once it is fleshed out, as you do so well, it will be riveting.

[averageshmoe.livejournal.com]

Well, you are left with the problem of if you can just be given the answer where is the dramatic struggle? The 'God in the Machine' effect sort of kicks in unless you can install some sense of urgency some other way.

Have you ever seen the manga/anime "Ah, My Goddess?" It does work on a somewhat similar premise. It could be an interesting concept if the other powers are more eager to help and have similar telephone services. And since the 'Senior Partners' would do the same it could inject some real tension into the story.

pgavigan

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

I think it needs to be rephrased slightly - what Cordelia does is tell you where to go for your next clue, or otherwise help things along, often in a fairly cryptic way. She doesn't solve the whole case, you still have to do the work. And lazy detectives who try to solve every case by asking Cordy questions get put on hold talking to Dennis...

[averageshmoe.livejournal.com]

I think it needs to be rephrased slightly - what Cordelia does is tell you where to go for your next clue, or otherwise help things along, often in a fairly cryptic way. She doesn't solve the whole case, you still have to do the work. And lazy detectives who try to solve every case by asking Cordy questions get put on hold talking to Dennis...

OK. That fleshes that out a bit and I can see where it would be a powerful reason not to waste Cordelia's time.

You would really have to have a compelling reason for people to get in contact with her as what she has to offer seems to have a really steep price connected to it. And I base that comment on the re-reading of Subcontractor that I just finished.
Cordelia put the Mars' into a truly dangerous situation for her own ends and was willing to allow Team Angel to be wiped out. Yes, she has to worry about the world, as she said. But when you're one of the ciphers to be sacrificed it's hard to be objective.

I do think that the story could really work and work well. It's just that you will probably have to introduce a whole new set of characters as I really couldn't see Angel as wanting much to do with Higher Being Cordelia after the helicopter scene, and I can't see him as wanting to be on the same dimensional plain as her after the second epilogue that you added later. Being told to, essentially, F'O' and don't call me I'll call you really can strain a relationship.

pgavigan

[soren-nyrond.livejournal.com]

Sounds (to me) like an excellent idea. Not least for the comedy aspects of other Higher Beings trying to cut in -- after all, you never know *who* is just an ascension away. And, presumably, as she gains power, she can subcontract some of thr work to others, which might mean certain vengenace demons getting a 2nd run through. Or Doyle. Or Elvis.