“Maxima Culpa”, End notes

[aadler]

[ Endnotes posted 02 Aug 2020 ]

Where did the idea for the story come from?

In some ways, various parts of the concept grew very slowly in the background of my mind while I did other things. In a different sense, it came to me all at once. Final answer, I don’t really know, but it seemed natural to me by the time I was ready to write it (which probably wasn’t more than a week or two after the basic idea came to me, maybe only a few days).

Is there any particular significance to the title?

It sounded cool, and it really is part of the Latin Mass for die-hard traditional Catholics (of which I never got the chance to be one, as Vatican II was a long-established fact by the time I came into the Church as an adult).

What is the thing I like most about this story? the thing I like least, or about which I feel most doubtful?

Liked most? Fr Nolan’s practical — and soul-oriented — dealings with a genuine moral crisis. I did my best to make it consistent with my own knowledge of Catholic doctrine.

Liked least, or most doubtful? Nothing disliked, but doubts … no known doubts, more the recognition that my familiarity with church norms of practice and custom doesn’t equal that of ‘cradle’ Catholics, so there might be something that I presented inaccurately without even having the knowledge to be aware of it.

Is there anything I think I could have done better, or might do differently if I had it to do over?

I had no real problems with any of it. Some stories just hit the mark I’m aiming for (even if other stories, including some that get a lot of acclaim, haven’t quite matched up to the intent); this was one of those that turned out as I wanted it to be.

Do I have any plans to follow up on this story, or to use the character(s) or situation in a subsequent fic?

There are already links to other stories. I’ve depicted Fr Nolan elsewhere (featuring in “the Still, Small Voice”, appearing in “Echoes from the Battleground”, mentioned in “Queen’s Gambit”), and his church, St John of the Cross, has also appeared or been mentioned in other stories. Mary Claire likewise had a brief mention in “Otherwise a Perfect Sky”. The Hakklusch demons Buffy referred to in passing have been featured or referenced in “Otherwise a Perfect Sky”, “An Eye to the Future”, and “Rough Trade”. And Fr Nolan has a future role in a story I’ve been planning for the last 15 years, and may finally be getting ready to address …

Any observations to add at the end?

Commenters on the story have made observations about Buffy’s callousness, even though all of them viewed it as justified by the necessities she faced. I honestly didn’t see it as callousness myself, just realism and the willingness to take necessary measures in an extreme situation (from my perspective, Buffy’s treachery in killing Jerri after giving ‘her word’ was the true central point, and I had expected it to get the most notice). Does that say something about me? Or did I just do a better job of presenting Mary Claire than I had expected to do? Either way, the commentary was appreciated, and I’m happy to have completed a story that seems to have succeeded as intended.