#slayer/watcher

[buffyxgileswritingevent]

"I don't know you"

We're feeling completely normal about this.

We'll be running poles soon to determine when will be the best time to open the Buffy X Giles writing event.

Should be up in the next day or two, so if you're planning to join this years event, please participate (we'd love to try and accommodate everyone).

[river-mort]

what he even said

I forgot to write that Artorias refer to them as his kids, I forgot the joke

[prophecygirly]

one thing I love about Buffy is that usually when the protagonist is the chosen one they are so annoyingly humble about it. as if constantly being told you are chosen and special would not fundamentally impact who you are as a person. Buffy is constantly aware that she is special and the responsibility that comes with it and at times it crushes her but at other times she revels in the power and agency it gives her. thats why I would have loved to see how Buffy adjusts after the whole „every potential is now a slayer“-plotline. I think you can already see the beginning of this with Kendra and later (eventhough to a lesser extent) with Faith.

[joe-spookyy]

buffy the vampire slayer au where giles has a thick new york accent instead of a british one and he just says “ey im watchin here” all the time

[clarkgriffon]

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 5x12 | “Checkpoint” 

[mallgothchloe97]

The Scoobies: WE NEED BUFFY! SHE WILL SAVE US ALL! WE NEED HER!

Buffy: I have a plan!

Also The Scoobies: OH NO SHES MENTALLY UNSTABLE!

[blush-and-books]

so i haven't read the comics but the watchers council being england-based although the actual origin of the slayer appears to come from africa is definitely like. y'know. colonizing and the attempted elimination of non-western/european culture

[deniouroboros]

[spuffybot]

RIP Donald Sutherland, the original Watcher.

[willowaddison]

[baylleart]

Grian as a Hashira!

[shkika]

Watcher mof

I love watcher mof

Incredibly bird coded thangs.

I killed one on sight when i first saw them and they NEVER forgave me.

[buffyangelscreens]

[sparklyfaerie]

This may be a bit of a hot take, and I accept that I may be in the minority here—but the more I think about it, the less I like the in-universe implications of Buffy deciding to awaken all the potentials as slayers at the end of the series.

I want to preface this by saying that I absolutely understand what the writers were going for, and in terms of a metaphor for female empowerment, it totally works.

But you kinda… have to consider what the practical repercussions of this decision are in-universe.

Buffy was a child soldier. One of a long line of child soldiers, in fact, who all lead short, bloody, violent lives. Lives cut off from everything that makes life worth living (friends, family, hobbies, interests, passions) and, as such, ended up in positions where they had no will to live. These children were disposable to the men in power, who viewed them as nothing more than tools to wage their war at best, and cannon fodder at worst.

Buffy’s initial conflict is that she wants a normal life. She actively attempts to pursue one, going against every established convention of the Slayer role; she has family, she goes to school, she has friends, she tries out for the cheerleading squad, she dates. But she is never truly free; her responsibilities as the Slayer often intrude into and completely derail her attempts at normality, until she finally throws in the towel and admits defeat.

But she clings to that illusion of normalcy until Season 5. That’s what Riley really was—her attempts at normalcy giving one last, dying gasp. Maybe she really loved him, maybe she didn’t; she never says (on her own show; I refuse to accept what she says in AtS, because AtS treats her very poorly) and so we the audience can’t say for certain. But once he leaves her, she loses that illusion of normality to the supernatural yet again. She embraces her Slayerness—and where does that lead her?

To her death. Again.

Both times Buffy accepted, even for a moment, her role as The Slayer, she died. It’s her job to give her life so that others may live, blissfully unaware of the war being fought under their feet and on their streets at night. So, she gives her life for Dawn’s, fulfilling her duty as The Slayer.

Except that her friends—the same ones that enabled her to live as long as she did—can’t handle her responsibilities, so they bring her back. Oh, sure, they dress it up like they’re helping her; they genuinely believe that she’s trapped in a hell dimension (why, though? Her body was right there!) and that they’re rescuing her.

But they’re not. It just creates more problems for her down the line. And she’s thrown back into a life she never wanted, with responsibilities that crush her. And this is on top of all the mundane concerns that everyday people have to live with, as well—bills, guardianship of a minor, having to find a job, etc. Even her antagonists for most of the season are nothing but three misogynistic jerks. She can have all the responsibilities and pitfalls of a mundane life, but none of its joys.

And in Season 7, she’s given more responsibility by Giles. The one who first wanted her to conform completely to the slayer template—secretive, obedient, a silent weapon in the Council’s war on the supernatural. Sure, he’s come to accept that she’s… unconventional, over time. He even cares for her. But she is, ultimately, The Slayer, and as long as she is alive, she is fighting this war whether she wants to or not.

They present it like Buffy is giving the girls a choice when she makes the decision to awaken all the potentials—and she sort of is… for the ones in the house at that moment. These little girls who have already been drafted before their time, who have already watched friends and family-figures die before their eyes. If you’re already in the war, of course you’re going to accept the power to fight it.

But what about the others? The ones all over the world who have no idea what they are or what this sudden influx of strength means?

We see one instance of where this can go wrong in AtS Season 5, with Dana. She is actively a danger to herself and others. Statistically speaking, she is highly unlikely to be the only new slayer who is psychologically unwell. How many Danas are out in the world, hurting people because they’re in the grips of mental illness and don’t know their own strength?

Or how many out there are like Faith, who come from abusive backgrounds and decide that this strength is to do whatever the heck they want with? How many are traumatised and violent? How many will refuse to take orders from whatever new governing body that Buffy and the scoobies establish?

We all saw how Faith spiralled out of control because of the lack of support she was shown. Imagine dozens of her, all at once, deciding that they can do whatever the heck they want, now that they’re strong.

How many girls, following the new instinct to hunt the supernatural threat, will get themselves killed before the scoobies find them? How many more children will die in this War on Evil? Even if they’re found, and trained, it’s still condemning them to short, violent lives. It’s only a matter of time, after all, before something gets a lucky shot in and a slayer is killed.

Buffy was a child, drafted into a war she never knew existed and didn’t want to participate in. And now she’s decided to do the same for every other potential slayer in the world.

[eldritch-ambrosia]

Modern BBC Merlin AU where instead of sorcerers they're vampires and Arthur is just as oblivious that his roommate Merlin is hiding anything from him. Bonus points if the Pendragons are vampire hunters.

Leon: Why does Merlin never have lunch with us? Arthur: He usually sleeps in because he stays up way too late. We'll see him around dinner time.

Gwaine: Are you sure you don't want to head to the beach with us? Arthur, answering for Merlin: Look at how pale he is, he'll burn right up. Not to mention the sun hurts his "sensitive" eyes. Lancelot: *sweats*

Uther: Arthur, why did you remove the crosses and other protections on your apartment? Arthur: Oh, religion makes my roommate uncomfortable.

[lysteriaposts]

"Did you ever wonder if things would've been different, if we'd never met? What if you had Buffy, and Giles had been my Watcher... think you'd still be here right now? Or would it be Giles sitting in that chair? *laughs* Or is it just like fate? There's no choice? You were gonna be here, no matter what. Do you ever think about that stuff? Fate? Destiny? ... I don't. "

-Angel 1x18, "Five by Five"