#If the apocalypse happens… Call me! ; Buffy Summers | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bteezxyewriter12 · 3 years

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Bloodthirsty/ 1

Pairing- Namjoon x Named Reader

Includes- Angst, apocalyptic setting, Sort of Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU, monsters, demons, magic

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Part 2

J POV

I stand watching the men with magic try to frantically fix the spells that keep the barrier around our city. We are one of the great sanctuaries left where humans can survive. People of all races, ages, backgrounds live in cities like ours

Until the beasts get in. Outside our city is where the beasts live. Vampires, werewolves, all sorts of other demonic creatures I don't know the names of.

I just know they have claws, teeth, horns and nails for killing. And they feed on humans

I whisper the incantations along with the men. For some reason it's fine if men have magic but it's not for women

It's like ever since the end of world happened, women were knocked back down in society

Stupid

I have magic but I can't tell anyone. And mine is stronger than any of these men. But I don't say anything because I don't want to be killed as a witch

Stupid right?

I'd think anyone with magic would be welcomed to help but no. The men took over and the dumb women ran to them for protection. And now it's seen as a waste if a woman gains magic

So they're executed. Like the fucking Salem witch trials. These stupid decisions were made before. I was born when my grandparents were alive. It's like we went back to the middle ages

My grandparents survived the apocalypse. My grandmother remembered how the world used to be and she raised my mother to be strong and independent. And my mom raised me the same way

My grandpa had magic and my grandma was something called a slayer. My grandpa passed down magic to my mother and my grandma taught her how to fight. And mom taught me

As my mom's power grew it became out of control and she was killed before she had learned to control it. My dad was executed for not telling the authorities about her magic

My grandma took over raising me and had her friend Willow teach me how to control the magic if it grew. It did and mine is stronger than my mom's was when she died

But I can control it. Mostly. If I get upset or emotional or sad then the control slips but I've managed to stay hidden

And I'm stronger than most humans, faster too with hightened senses

I'm a slayer

My grandma told me and it makes sense since she was one. There only used to be one slayer at a time but my grandma changed all that that so there were many slayers all over the world. She was a famous slayer who defeated the first

Buffy Summers

But she couldn't stop this apocalypse. Because it didn't happen in our dimension. Pure demons in another dimension, a demon dimension, opened all the gates between dimensions causing a demon apocalypse. And the death of nearly the whole population of humans

I don't think there are too many slayers left either. Since humans are scarce and almost extinct

Every time I see the men fixing the spells that hold up the barrier, I come to watch and secretly help. It's gotten worse over the last year

Because he's on the beasts side now

I see a huge army of beasts coming towards the city. My grandmother told me that a slayer is supposed to fight all the demons and vampires

But that was when she was able to take one threat at a time

Not an army of them

There's no way I can do it alone. Walking closer to the gate, I see the leader in the front

It's him

Kim, Namjoon

My husband

It kills me to see him especially like this. A vampire

Here people marry young. I was twenty two and he was twenty four but we were together since we were fifteen and seventeen. We were married for two years when he was chosen as part of the group that goes out into the city to try to find some more food, medicine, other people, anything we could need

I remember begging him not to go. I knew he wouldn't be coming back. Most of the groups who leave either don't come back or one or two come back with horror stories of how the rest of the group was killed

He didn't want to go but he had no choice. I knew he didn't. They'd drag him with them or execute him for refusing to go. That's seen as an act of treason here

He left and never came back

Until a year ago

But he came with the monsters. He had strong magic too. That's why he was sent with the group to leave the city. It was the first time a man with magic went and they thought for sure he would be able to protect them and come back

They were wrong. And now he's using his magic to destroy the barrier

He knows I'm here, he knows I have magic and I'm a slayer. He knows my job is to protect people and I will have to kill him if he gets in

I was taught all about vampires. I don't know if they are still the same all these years later or if they changed or evolved. All I know is that I'm supposed to kill them

But I don't know if I can do it. I love him more than anything in this world and I don't think I can kill him, vampire or not

But I will kill the beasts he's bringing with him. That I guarantee

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

Namjoon POV

As we get closer to the gate, I see her. Standing just behind it, staring out at me

My world

My everything

My Joanne

My wife, the girl I love more than anything in this world. She's the one I'm coming to get while I pay back this stupid city for what they did

They tore me away from her, gave me no choice but to leave her. Refusing or going ended up in death either way. It wasn't fair. We were only married for two years and there were other more advanced men with magic who could go. But they picked me to protect the other six men who were going

I still remember her crying hysterically as I was pushed outside the gates with the group. I remember crying hysterically too. I remember our last kiss, the last time I had her in my arms right before I was ripped from her

We didn't even make it twenty minutes before we were surrounded by demons. I was able to keep a barrier around us for awhile. But magic takes all you're energy away. And mine was draining out

That's when a vampire came out and asked me if I wanted to be one of them. I refused but then he told me that he was trying to get into the city. He talked me into getting revenge on the people for forcing me away from her

And get her back

It was either that or die. And I didn't want to die. So I bargained for the group's life as well and we were all turned into vampires. But different kinds of vampires. Not like the ones that her grandmother used to fight

I can think and I know right from wrong. I'm not evil. I just want revenge. I just want her

I stayed away for a year, getting my magic stronger and getting used to being a vampire. Then I killed the vampire who made me and took over. I came back last year and have been trying to get into the city

I know it's because of her that I can't break the barrier. Her magic was always stronger than mine. But the constant attack from me is weakening the barrier everyday. After all, I don't need to sleep. I can but I don't need it

And they do

"That's the girl?", Hoseok asks

"Yes", I answer

"She's off limits right?", Jimin questions

"Yes. If you or any of them hurt her I will kill you"

The entire army knows she's off limits. They can kill whoever they want

But no one touches her

Not even if she tries to kill them

Which I know she will. The slayer in her will force her to kill. That's why I need to get to her immediately as soon as the barrier falls

-------------------------------------------------

As we stand in front of the city, I keep repeating the spell and incantations to break down the barrier

"Joonie", I hear her call

I stop speaking and look up at her. She's looking at me with such a sad look on her face

"Stop Joonie"

I walk closer until I hit the barrier keeping me out

"Don't do this Joonie", she whispers

"Why not? They tore me away from you"

"I know baby but I can't let you kill everyone in here. There are so many innocent lives here Joonie"

"No they're not. They all were there when I was forced out of the city. Remember? They were all yelling at me to go and protect the group. They didn't care that I was leaving you behind. They didn't care that I was going to die."

"Joonie...I can't let you do it. If you come, I'm going to have to....", she trails off, "Kill you"

I raise my eyebrow. She won't kill me

"Don't look at me like that Joonie. I don't want to kill you but I'll have to"

"No you don't baby. I'm coming for you."

"Namjoon you can't. I don't belong out there. I'll die"

I shake my head, "No you won't. I won't let you"

"Namjoon please don't", she begs

"Don't you want me?", I ask

Maybe she doesn't anymore. Maybe it's been too long

"Of course I want you Joonie. I love you with all my heart. That hasn't gone away even a little bit"

I'm over the moon to hear that. She wants me just as much as I still want her

"But you can't kill people just to be with me Namjoon."

"That's not it baby. I'm coming for you and I'm getting revenge at the same time"

"Joonie-", she starts

I have to go. I need to get this barrier down so I can be with her

"I love you Joanne", I tell her as I turn and walk back to the army

When I turn back, she's crying and it's a stab to my heart. But I'll be there soon to comfort her

I start the spell again, calling my power.

#namjoon fanfiction #namjoon fanfic #namjoon fic #kim namjoon fanfiction #kim namjoon fic #bts namjoon fanfic #bts rm fanfic #rm fic #rm fanfic

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prose-for-hire · 4 years

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Costume Competition

Pairing: Buffy Summers x reader

Request: I love Halloween too! I can't wait to see what all of October will have in store for us in terms of requests, I adore your writing :) Was hoping you would do ❝ you are literally the same thing every year for halloween. ❞ with Buffy x reader? Maybe Buffy is teasing reader and reader comes as something new and surprising to her? Thanks!

Requested by: Anon

A/N: I’ve really enjoyed writing Buffy this Halloween and I hope I’ve done her justice! Also, anon, I really hope I haven’t disappointed you with the Halloween fics! Hope you like this one !! 🖤🦇

You were sat with your friends in the canteen, laughing over a joke someone told as she looked back at you, the laughter still in her eyes. Buffy had fallen for you almost instantly and had asked you on a date one evening. It was at the Bronze, nothing fancy, but it had been so special to you both. You had been dating for a few years now and things were going really well. You trusted her and you knew she cared for you as much as you did for her. You were both heavily invested in your relationship, but you knew you could tease each other without one getting upset. You could get giddy together, getting wrapped up in your jokes.

This afternoon, she was sat sideways on your lap, happily resting as you joked around with your friends. She had looped an arm around your neck and had been landing soft kisses during any lulls in conversation. You hugged her closer to you and the others, especially Willow and Tara, grinned happily at your affection. You really did just fit.

Talk amongst your group then turned to Halloween plans. This was always a hard one to plan, as you usually all had different ideas or different parties you had heard about. It meant you all had to agree and then make sure you caught up with Xander too so that he knew what was going on.

When the four of you finally decided, hoping that Xander and Anya would agree, you then started to discuss Halloween costumes.

“I wonder what surprise you have for us this time” she chuckled, landing a soft kiss against your cheek and smiling which made you pout a little.

“What?” You ask in mock-outrage.

“Well I’m guessing the skeleton of Halloween past will be making an appearance?” She smiled, “One year I definitely saw you fight a dog to get the fake bone back onto your costume!”

“I didn’t fight the dog, I bribed it!” You confirmed which made Buffy roll her eyes at you fondly. She reluctantly slid off your lap, checking her watch for the time as the two witches laughed at your response.

“You are literally the same thing every year for Halloween” Buffy smiled, kissing your cheek before skipping off to her college class, “Just, make sure you wash it before you wear it - that thing belongs in the ground!” She called over her shoulder at you, making you huff.

But, in that split second, you had an idea. You were going to come up with the best, most amazing costume that may even surprise your lovely girlfriend.

“You’ll see!” you called after her but she was out of earshot, “I’m gonna win you over with my costume this year!”

You turn back to Willow and Tara who didn’t have a class either and as you started rubbing your hands together wickedly, “I’m so gonna show her. I’m gonna prove her so wrong!” You smiled villainously, plotting your next move.

“Why are you speaking like an evil person?!”

“Because, my dear Willow, I am going to win this Halloween so hard she won’t know what hit her!”

“But you’re her partner it isn’t a competiti-”

“One day you’ll understand, Will! This is a competition and I will be winning – you’ll see!” You ensured as Willow and Tara shared a look as you started scribbling ideas down in the back of one of your notepads.

Two hours later, Willow had caught up to Buffy on her way to the dorm she shared with you. You had left Willow and Tara shouting something incoherent about fabric or something. Buffy smiled when she saw Willow who launched straight into the reason she had waited around for Buffy outside of her lesson. As both of your best friend she thought it best to warn Buffy at least.

“Uh, y/n said they’re gonna prove you wrong and win Halloween which is-”

“So not happening” Buffy cut Willow off by shaking her head and nodding. This made Willow relieved slightly, she was worried that your relationship could get a bit messy if you were trying to ‘win’ over the other. What she hadn’t realised was that Buffy was just as competitive, “I mean, my costume is gonna drop their jaw this year” she continued self-assuredly.

“Do you really feel, uh, competition is a healthy-”

“Oh, they want a competition? It is so on” She said, a gleam in her eye as she stalked up to your room and opened the door ready to trash talk you between all the kissing she wanted to do. You both enjoyed a little challenge especially over something fun like a costume for Halloween. Things were hard with the demons and the apocalypses so you both tried to inject a little fun into your lives. it was one of the reasons Buffy loved being with you, you loved and cherished her but you could turn around and mess about with her too.

You and Buffy squinted at each other before embracing softly as you usually would. She kissed you softly, telling you that she was in fact going to be the winner of Halloween this year.

Through the next week you and Buffy were sneaking around each other prepping your respective costumes. It even meant you had moved a piece of furniture in front of the door to your dorm to keep her from seeing your costume accidentally.

Thud. Thud. This told you she was at the door. The cupboard had started to move with the door with her strength.

“Y/n! Why is the door locked?!” The worry in her voice so thick you could feel it through the door, “I can’t-” she gritted her teeth trying to push the door again without splintering it.

“You can’t come in here!” You shouted quickly, trying to make sure she knew you weren’t in danger, “There’s, uh, costume everywhere!” you explained.

The items were laid out in a circle around you as you tried to visualise the final product. You were really excited for her to see it and especially for her to admit you had surprised her (and won).

“God, it’s like it’s our wedding”

“You would be so lucky!” You shouted, “Especially to have the winner of the best Halloween costume of the year on your arm!”

“Fine. Come and find me when you’re done” she rolled her eyes and walked away, secretly thinking about perfecting her own costume. She smiled as she thought about you and your excitement over Halloween. She couldn’t help that she was so fond of you but she was definitely planning on wearing something that would make you smile.

Finally, tonight was the night. It was Halloween. Buffy had, like a ninja, smuggled away her costume in a big bag and gone over to Willow and Tara’s to get changed. This left you able to get ready by yourself.

You had decided on dressing as a vampire slayer. More van Helsing than the usual slaying outfits that Buffy would wear. You were in a long trench coat, with something you knew Buffy would like on you underneath.

You finally made it to the party, Buffy and the others were already there. The live music was reverberating off the walls and everyone was in a really good mood. The collective campus had all sighed a breath of relief - as if everyone knew they would get home safe tonight.

You saw her, between the crowd. You were drawn to her, as you always were. Your heart belonged to hers and of course you were rushing to make sure she saw how much you had won Halloween.

But when you got close to her, her scent that made you feel at home, you stopped abruptly. Taking in her outfit. You were almost speechless.

Your eyes lit up as hers did, unable to believe what she was wearing. You had never thought she would wear this. She had a cape, a lacy red dress and her face was so much paler than usual. She pointed at you before walking over to you and smiling.

She was a vampire. She had actually dressed as a stereotypical vampire.

“You look amazing!” You gushed, excitedly, making her twirl.

“I thought you were trying to win, you could have made an effort” she smiled, looking down at your own outfit with a smile. Then she squinted, looking at your belt. A stake. Some garlic. You were a Slayer!

It made her laugh and shake her head. She couldn’t help taking your outfit in again, her eyes scanning your body again with a coy smile.

“So, we went for mortal enemy chic, huh?” she asked, her voice a little muffled.

“A vampire and a slayer, you know people will talk” you giggled, so pleased at how this had worked out. You wrapped your arms around her and began to kiss her, but she stopped you, pulling away. She reached into her mouth and pulled some plastic fangs out.

Buffy slid her arm around your waist, pulling you closer as you cupped her face. You move a strand of her hair out of the way, landing several kisses against her soft lips. You were both in the centre of the room. There could have been nobody in the room though, the anticipation of your competition dying down as you just wanted to show her your appreciation for he costume. Nobody was actually looking except Tara and Willow who just looked a little bemused.

“Let them” She smiled into the kiss. Your lips gliding over the other as she started to tip you and kiss your neck. She couldn’t take it seriously though and started to laugh into the side of your neck. You were so happy with her you could cry. With laughter. When you broke the kiss and managed to calm down, you looked over to Willow who had been watching and you winked.

You really had both won this Halloween. However, throughout the night you would ask unsuspecting guests who had the best costume in the hopes of finding out who had truly won Halloween.

#a very Buffy Halloween #Buffy Summers #Buffy #Buffy Summers x reader #Buffy Summers x you #Buffy Summers imagine #btvs #btvs x reader #btvs imagine #btvs x you #Buffy The Vampire Slayer #buffy the vampire slayer imagines #gender neutral #gender neutral reader #fluff #Halloween #Halloween fic #Halloween request

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kimoralov3 · 3 years

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New mutants commentary

This is your spoiler warning, you going beyond here is no one's fault but your own

I don't trust this bitch

This blonde bitch gotta go

Dont trust her theres probably a force field

I was right

This bitch needs some serious mental help

So her mutation is teleportation? Alright cool

Is the wolf Rahne (is that how you spell it?)

Girl dont jump its not worth it

I love Rahne already

I don't think your daddy dead girl

Do their necklaces have like some type of tracker or like monitor or something

So he's like a rocket

Why are they the only ones here? Suspicious

"Cured" See this is why Erik was right

"For our own good" I CALL BULLSHIT

Something ain't right

Beast you destroy Dani home?

The hell

Sam don't go look you might die

???

Is this like what Wanda did in AOU? Living your worst fear

Sam I told you you was gonna get hurt

This bitch suspicious

Who did that to you? I'll murder them

Sam I think you might need a therapist babe

Why he just hit himself

Bitch say control one mo time, istg

What show they watching

This bitch being racist again

Huh? I thought this bitch could just teleport

And why you such a suspicious mutant Dr.?

Dani aint do anything wrong, it was the blonde bitch

THE FUCK WAS THAT

Does she have like... radiation powers or something? I'm confused

Is it actually an Inhuman or is there just no name for that creature

*cough* Alex and Scott Summers

Who's in the other side of the confession booth

They're besties, obviously 🙄

Girl that ain't sinning

Who the fuck was that

What is going on with this place

This bitch being pissy about an attic

You know who she reminds me of? A mix between Allison D and Season 1 Cheryl Blossom

Baby there's nothing wrong with you

Can I strangle this bitch

Thats a beautiful story

Awwe Rahne was crying

Oh. 18. Cool

THEY GOT CAMERAS IN THE ATTIC TOO? DAMN

This feels kinda gaslighty

Who is the superior anyway

Yeah I promise you its not Charles

The Avengers don't get paid so I highly dobut that the X-Men do

His powers flared and he killed everyone :(

Sir you gotta open up eventually

Yall laying on these people graves

Nowww kiss

Why his colar always popped

This seems very gay

YES THEY KISSED

THEY FINALLY ADMITTING THAT THERES GAY PEOPLE IN THE XMEN UNIVERSE

I love this

Ew straight people

Ooh are his powers heat related? Like Johnny

Oh shit he killed his girlfriend

???

WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT

THATS A FUCKING DEMON

YALL BETTER HURRY UP AND SAVE BERTO

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON

Istg i hate this bitch

"I've been at the mercy of men just following orders."

Giving very much so Dollhouse from PLL

Didn't you tell her earlier that it was just a tornado

I knew something wasn't right

This place is haunted

YALL BETTER NOT TOUCH MY BABY RAHNE I SWEAR I WILL KICK YOUR ASSES

So theres just a bunch of boggarts running around

NP MY BABBYYYT

Illyana shut the fuck up

So is Dani's power like what happened in Apocalypse and Dark Phoenix? Like someone beinvg doomed to end the world

Demons 🎶

NUH UH YALL NOT KILLING DANI

Have we heard of Essex Corp before? I can't remember

Dani don't go in there

Oh Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'll watch that one day

Shes gonna try to kill you Dani

Can y'all stop showing us these things they creepy as hell

WHAT THE FUCK

She got the body bag ready and everything damn

WHERE ARE THESE THINGS COMING FROM

This dude got his headphones in

So he's like a volcano

imma have nightmares tonight I swear

Pfft she left yo ass

Oh her powers kinda cool

Yall all better find yalls files

First time I agreed with something you said Illyana

Who are these superiors you keep mentioning

They wanna put her down because she can stop them

NO I HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT HER POWER SO CAN SOMEOME PLEASE EXPLAIN IT

So she's a boggart

Perimeter breech?

OH SHIT

OH DAMN

Oooh the dragon is real

Good good good everyone face their fears about their powers

Well shit

Illyana just don't care 💀

If Rahne get hurt istg I'm murdering someone

I love how the subtitle for the bear is demon bear

Is Roberto another Human Torch because thats exactly what happened to Johnny in F4 😂

Stan got to produce this too 😊

#the new mutants #x men #xmen universe

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buffyversefanfiction · 4 years

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Buffy versus The Originals

Warnings: I do not own nor claim to own the copyrights to the following tv shows; “Buffy the vampire slayer”, “Angel”, “The Originals”, “The Vampire Diaries”. Nor do I claim to own any canonical continuation via comics, spin-off televisions and such. I do not claim to own any of the characters within either the Buffyverse or the TVDverse, I am purely doing this for non-profit as a fan of both worlds and fanfiction itself.

15 Plus: May contain medium to graphic displays of violence and torture, displays of witchcraft practice, horror elements, supernatural elements, sexual innuendos, and scenes of a sexual nature.

F/F, F/M, M/M, GEN + OTHER

Preliminary Round: Part One

Buffy Summers managed to stop yet another apocalypse not that there was ever any doubt that she would win, she always wins. Although, to be fair this time around her hometown of Sunnydale was destroyed during the big battle and what once was a beautiful Californian town looked like nothing more than a tribute to the Grand Canyon leaving Buffy and her friends homeless.

Luckily, the blonde-haired vampire slayer knew of a certain vampire with a soul called Angel who happened to live in a semi-decaying hotel located in Los Angeles, and after a quick and awkward phone call with the vampire she once loved Buffy, her friends, her loved ones, and her fellow slayers made their way to L.A. to seek refuge with Angel and his team at the Hyperion Hotel.

Angel well and truly had his hands full at the Hyperion Hotel after rejecting Wolfram and Hart’s offer, his city always kept him busy with its many supernatural creatures, but he also had the complicated mission of trying to wake the woman he loved from her supernaturally influenced coma.

So, when Buffy, his former love, called him up looking for a place to stay briefly he was more than willing to oblige, hoping Buffy and her team could help in waking Cordy up.

Cordelia Chase had gone from being a spoiled rich girl at Sunnydale High School, to the vision’s girl at Angel Investigations to a half human, half demon, hybrid that found herself getting possessed by a rogue member of the powers that be called Jasmine, the latter using a magical pregnancy to give birth to herself, sending Cordy into a coma shortly after giving birth.

Cordelia was the heart of Angel Investigations and it was struggling to operate without her, her friends and loved ones, were struggling to cope without her and so, Angel, Wesley, Fred, and Gunn were more than thrilled to have guests at the hotel who could lend a helping hand.

Faith Lehane had also gone through many changes herself, going from being a rogue slayer pitting herself up against Buffy, to finding redemption with the help and patience of Angel. So, after becoming Buffy’s ally once again, and helping her defeat the first in Sunnydale, the brunette Boston born slayer was more than happy to check into the Hyperion Hotel and catch up with her old friend Angel, especially after hearing the tall, dark, and handsome, vampire with a soul, needed help in waking Cordelia from a coma.

Buffy, Angel, and both their teams, sure proved to be the big help that Angel Investigations needed with the night-to-night hunting, and patrolling, however, the mission to awake Cordelia Chase struggled to pick up momentum which Cordelia herself began to grow impatient about as her fragmented spirit began appearing to them all frequently, complaining, and eager to get back into her comatose body.

Willow Rosenberg searched every grimoire, book, and magic shop to find a magical solution to Cordelia’s coma until eventually she came up with the idea to cast a spell which would not only summon Cordelia’s spirit but would force said spirit to return to her body. The spell in question required a non-beating heart, horns from a near extinct demonic species, and the translation of a long-forgotten language.

Willow waited for a reasonably quiet night to perform the spells she believed would bring Cordelia back to her body, waiting until it was just her, Buffy, Angel, and Faith in the hotel and gathered them all within the grand foyer of the hotel, as they each sat down on the floor in a circle, while Willow held a book in her hands, ready to cast her magic, ready to bring Cordelia Chase back.

The first spell to summon Cordelia’s spirit was performed, cast, and executed to perfection by the brilliant red headed wonder witch, however, the second spell to return Cordelia to her comatose body went a little awry as Willow accidentally opened a portal to a whole other dimension, a portal which wound up pulling Cordelia’s spirit into, as well as Buffy, Angel, and Faith before closing itself and leaving Willow completely alone, and without any idea of where they went, or how to get her friends back.

“Way to go Wills, now where the hell did, she send us this time?” Faith wondered as she, Buffy, Angel, and Cordelia found themselves, picking themselves up off the ground within the bayou in New Orleans late at night, each of them completely confused as to where Willow’s spell had sent them to. “I think it is safe to say we’re definitely not at the Hyperion Hotel, and knowing our luck we’re probably not even in Los Angeles.” Buffy replied to her, as she looked around the bayou, attempting to piece together where they were. “Hey! I’m back to being solid again!” Cordelia screeched with excitement as she threw her arms around Angel and pulled him in for a hug, the two of them equally as excited to see and feel each other once again. “Enough of the sickeningly sweet reunion time, we all know what happens when you get happy Angel.” Faith warned Angel, as she pulled him out of Cordelia’s arms, eagerly breaking off their hug. “You’ll lose your soul, then Cordy becomes food to soulless you, and me and B wind up tossing a coin to see which slayer takes you down this time around. “Well at least Willow’s spell to put you back in your body clearly worked.” Buffy stated to Cordelia, before the questioning slayer turned her attention to Angel. “You did not store her body in the woods, did you?” “No, I never!” Angel denied nervously, as he noticed a disapproving glare from Cordelia. “Not like you can blame him if he did, I mean maybe the big man’s still a little pissed about you bumping uglies with his son, I mean did you not used to change his diapers?” Faith teased Cordelia, more than happy to stir the pot between Cordelia and Angel. “Firstly, that was some wacky super powered bitch called Jasmine who not only hijacked my body but got me pregnant just to give birth to herself. Secondly, I would never sleep with his son when not possessed…stupid rogue powers that be hussy!” Cordelia snapped back at Faith, clearly disgusted. “I swear those powers that be can go straight to hell!” “As fun as this is, how about we change the topic and find a way back to the hotel?” Angel suggested to the women, more than eager to change the conversation about his son Connor’s past with the woman he loved. “Yeah, I don’t really want to hear about my ex’s love triangle with my high school classmate and his adult son.” Buffy agreed with the brooding vampire. “Straight to hell, you hear me?” Cordelia screamed upwards towards the clouds, hoping the powers that be were listening and heard her fury. As the foursome decided to explore their whereabouts it did not take them very long to find their way out of the bayou and learn that they were in the city of New Orleans, the only thing they did not know was the fact that they were no longer in their world, they were now in the Mikaelsons’ world…

Preliminary Round: Part Two

Josh Rosza had been through a lot since turning into a vampire, going from being a club kid turned vampire to best friend to the young harvest witch Davina Claire to the boyfriend of werewolf Aiden, but the hardest change in his life that he had to adjust to was losing his first love at the hands of a wicked witch called Dahlia, a loss that at first he blamed Klaus Mikaelson for.

Josh was never particularly popular with any of the original family of vampires and neither did he want to be, knowing all too well that friends of the Mikaelson siblings tended to quickly turn into foes before winding up permanently dead at their hands but all that had changed over the last few months following the notorious family defeating Dahlia.

Following Camille O Connell’s unexpected departure from New Orleans, Josh had managed to take over her job bartending at Rousseau’s which meant dealing with all kinds of clientele including none other than the hybrid Klaus Mikaelson himself, who had become a regular while drowning his sorrows every night since Cami had left.

Fear was quickly taken over by fascination as Josh’s reluctance to grow close to any original began to dwindle as friendship quickly grew between Josh and Klaus, a friendship which had started out with two lonely hearts before developing into something much deeper, a bond truly cherished by them both.

Klaus Mikaelson tended not to make friends easily mostly due to the fact he did not want to and even when the original hybrid did make the occasional friend it was never too long before he either watched them be murdered or they displeased him in some kind of way leading to him killing them.

However, following Cami’s decision to leave New Orleans behind for good, the fact Hayley Marshall had moved away with his daughter Hope and his brother Elijah was not currently talking to him, Klaus was in need of some kind of company and he found that and more with newbie vamp turned bartender Joshua Rosza.

Klaus found himself spending more and more time with Josh as a regular at Rosseau’s until the two unlikely companions quickly found themselves developing a friendship made from two lonely hearts graduating into something deeper and before long the original hybrid would come to think of the vampire bartender as his best friend, a friendship which Klaus valued greatly and would protect at any cost.

Rebekah Mikaelson had been granted her freedom from always having to be by her brother’s side, forced to endure heartbreak after heartbreak as Klaus put his needs and wants before her own time and time again, but now she was free and yet it did not feel like it to the original female vampire.

Rebekah had been travelling the world in search of a way to bring her brother Kol back, chasing leads from her older sister Freya, hoping to find some magical remedy to restore her family, but as the months went by and the leads grew thinner the original was starting to run out of steam and her warring brothers Klaus and Elijah was doing anything but making her feel free from her family entanglements.

So, Rebekah decided it was time to pay her family a little visit to reconcile Elijah and Klaus’ brotherhood having had to step in many times before, like when they thought over Tatia then squabbled over Katherine Pierce, as the blonde haired immortal beauty just found herself being thankful that this time her brothers weren’t fighting over another bloody doppelgänger.

Elijah Mikaelson had spent a thousand years sticking by his brother Klaus’ side, cleaning up his messes, and attempting to keep the rest of his family in line but after Klaus used their aunt Dahlia to cast a werewolf curse on Hayley, the woman he loved, he was done fighting by his brother’s side and although Hayley forgave Klaus after New Orleans’ regent witch Davina Claire broke the curse, Hayley decided to move away with Hope.

Hayley Marshall still popped into New Orleans as her and Klaus shared custody over their daughter Hope but she lived there no longer and although she did not live far from the city she lived far enough away to start a new life, a life that Elijah Mikaelson was no longer a part of much to his own heartbreak.

Elijah knew he could not blame Klaus entirely for Hayley’s decision to move but he also knew the curse sure did not help things, in fact if anything he believed it determined her decision and with her now gone and Rebekah too, Elijah was running out of reasons to remain forever by Klaus’ side.

Freya Mikaelson had taken to the oldest sibling role a little far too well and she had started to feel the weight that came keeping a family like hers from killing each other. Not only did the Mikaelson witch have to play mediator between a warring Elijah and Klaus but she was also using her expertise to try and help her youngest sibling Rebekah to find a way to resurrect Kol.

Family was not Freya’s only struggle however as she tried to stop Davina Claire and her vampire father figure Marcel Gerard from declaring war on her siblings every other day, while finding unlikely common ground with Vincent Griffiths in restoring their city for the better as well as keeping her promise to her brother Finn, one that meant finding him a suitable body that would require minimal violence if possible.

Freya literally had everything on her shoulders and was trying her hardest to wear it well, so the last thing that she wanted, needed, or even expected, was the arrival of two so-called vampire slayers, a demon, and a vampire with a so-called soul.

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sunnydaleherald · 4 years

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, October 22

ANYA: No, you see, usually, when there's an apocalypse, I skedaddle. But now I love you so much that instead I have inappropriately timed sex and try to think of ways to fight a god and worry *terribly* that something might happen to you, and also worry that something'll happen to me and then I have guilt that I'm not more worried about everyone else but I just don't have enough, I'm just on total overload and I honestly don't think that I could be more nervous than I am right now. XANDER: (offering her a diamond ring) Care to wager on that? Anya, you wanna marry me? (little pause, then she slaps him) Can I take that as a maybe?

~~The Gift~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Virgin Sacrifice (Anya x reader, not rated) by prose-for-hire

Party of two (Spike x reader, not rated) by prose-for-hire

Born Again (The Fanged Four x reader, not rated) by council-of-readers

Halloween Tradition (Angel x reader, not rated) by prose-for-hire

Poem: Hair Die (Spike, not rated) by merelyspecters

Wishes and Kisses (Anya x reader, not rated) by council-of-readers

Respite (Buffy, Joyce, Snyder, Spike, PG) by badly-knitted

[Chaptered Fiction]

with a little daring do - one long chapter (fem!Spike/Buffy, E) by lovelyorbent. COMPLETE!

Side by side, Chapter 1-2 (crossover with Supernatural, Scoobies, Cassie Newton, T) by Bl4ckHunter. COMPLETE!

Sunnydale Serenade, Chapter 1 (Spike/Buffy, G, in Italian) by TheRealJeanGenie

Hope, Chapter 22 (Spike/Buffy, PG-13) by Wonder and Ashes

Blood and Black Lace, Chapter 1 (Spike/Buffy, R) by SlayrGrl

[Images, Audio & Video]

Playlists: Buffy Summers, Spike, Spike/Buffy by losstinspace

Embroidery: Solving All Her Problems by Sticking Things with Sharp Objects (worksafe) by Garlicknottodaysatan

Postcards: Heavy Skin (Spike/Angel, M) by girlpire

[Reviews & Recaps]

Villains is such a stupid and tonedeaf episode by cantigasdetanjaouia

Rewatching season 6 ten years later has proven a chore by cantigasdetanjaouia

[“Selfless” really hurts, huh] by cantigasdetanjaouia

thoughts on As You Were by grimreapergirl

Lie To Me by JustDaggers

PODCAST: Still Pretty 132. All the Way (S6.06)

[Recs/ISO]

"Respite" by badly_knitted recced by petzipellepingo

Rec request: Tara and Faith friendship fics? requested by OtherwiseFortune4

Fic search: Can’t Find this Particular Meta Fan Fiction (Buffy in the Halloween Episode dresses as a geek) by TimeTravelinc

[Community Announcements]

A Trip Down Memory Lane 2018 and a reminder that the banner contest ends this Saturday at seasonal_spuffy

A Trip Down Memory Lane 2018 at seasonal_spuffy

DoyleCordy, an AtS fanfiction archive, is being imported to the AO3

[Fandom Discussions]

Oz thoughts by glowyjellyfish

I never hated Kennedy but I really think she just never should have happened by megryan1989

the introduction of ethan rayne in btvs was so…..interesting. by cosmicrhetoric

For the character thing: Anya Jenkins (BtVS) by imaslowlearner-butilearn

My problem with Spike by cantigasdetanjaouia

[Spike recruited a bunch of bewitched human children???] by marsmorpheus

Anya/anon matchup headcanons by council-of-readers

[Re: Bangel or Spuffy, lol? Also, what did you think of Buffy's decision to activate all the potentials?] by missbrunettebarbie

Is the "Vampire Slayer" an archaic title name? by EvaWolves

Do you have real-world relationships that remind you of those in the series? by MissIscariot

Fun Call-Back: Season 1x10 and 6x7 by GrayGhostReborn

Is it possible Cordelia would have taken the Wolfram & Hart offer? (cont'd) by xii22loop, Myheadsgonenumb

If OMWF were in a different season... by Garlicknottodaysatan

Once more with feeling, One year later by Jumpy-Comfort

I think Ford as a villain would have been better to have been stretched over the season by JustDaggerz

Lindsey's best moment hosted by ScroatusMalotus

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

#btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #angel the series

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ifeveristoday · 5 years

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you are the vessel and she’s the life

Okay. When I first read issue #3, I did not like it. The art continues to be amazing, the colors glorious and they add to the atmosphere of the Hellmouth world - but I felt at first read, this was a weaker installment for the non-movement of the plot. If Hellmouth was a longer arc, I would have less issues because Jordie & Jeremy are developing Buffy and Angel, and giving the space for the audience to learn more about them, just as other characters are being brought into the spotlight for the namesake comics. I want to learn more about Kendra, Jenny, Fred, Gunn, et al. But it’s also a valid criticism that Buffy was missing from her story, long before Hellmouth began.

To compare Buffy (the intellectual property) to another cultural juggernaut for a minute - Star Wars. The reboots, the prequels, the ever-expanding universe - it’s all Star Wars, no matter what fans may feel about certain portions of it. But I see a lot of the same argument leveled at the Boom!verse that I do about Star Wars - ‘it doesn’t feel like ________________’, or ‘that’s not my Buffy.’ I’ve certainly done my fair share of completely ignoring/complaining about the Dark Horse ‘canonically approved’ verse, so I get it. And I think just by the nature of a reboot, there are so many expectations, especially when you use the same characters. And IMO, Jordie and co. have been doing an admirable job of balancing their version of Sunnydale vs. memories/nostalgia of the TV canon.

The point is to remake something for a new audience while respecting the source for the ‘original’ (whatever that means) fans. And it’s such a rich world with many characters to play with, and lots of different ways to explore themes that the show didn’t, or botched/dismissed. It’s a daunting experience to adapt, I’m sure - and I’ve been enjoying reading what Jordie has been doing with character development and the emotional beats of a story. The characters do feel like they exist in 2019.

However, with this issue, I felt like there was retread/not enough of a building on the momentum that Issues 1 and 2 had, along with a last-minute feel of a brand new original character, and some in-jokes that didn’t really add anything. This was my first reaction. Then I read it again, and with the other Hellmouth issues.

Major spoilers underneath the cut.

Back to my earlier point about Buffy being missing from her story - we still don’t know very much about Buffy’s backstory but that was never the point of her character, she was always very much in the now. The earlier issues had her in full Slayer mode with little intervals of an awkward, uncertain teenager! Buffy, and the last time she gets to hang out and do teenager things, Xander gets turned. And we didn’t really see the fallout in terms of Buffy’s feelings about it - but we did get very much appreciated insight into Willow and Xander’s characters.

Then Buffy flings herself into the Hellmouth, after feeling estranged from Willow and dealing with a lot of unspoken guilt/shame. Oh no, not like TV Canon Buffy at all.

However, the break from the Scoobies and entering the Hellmouth brought out Buffy Summers in all her confused, messy, intense bravery. Here was the girl who quipped malapropisms, made up sassy nicknames and leaped into the fray, fists first. And here was the girl who’s self-aware that her impetuousness and desire to save people also hurts the people she loves because she pushes them away - both out of necessity and because it’s her job. It’s a common refrain throughout the run of the series, emphasized by Giles and repeated by Buffy - she has to do this, and often alone - she’s the first responder in the apocalypse.

Heroine complex, man.

And then she meets LA’s finest, the dark knight, Mr. Hunchy Shoulders Guy - Angel. I’ve said it before, Bryan Edward Hill’s decision to have Angel meet Buffy cold, with an already established backstory of his own and then Jordie carrying that over into the Hellmouth event really changes the Buffy and Angel dynamic in the Boom!verse. A welcome change, and then when the portents/prophecies kick in, Angel dismisses them completely. His no-nonsense, I’m just here to do a job and then I’m out mode is amusing to me, because obviously, this is going to end up in romantic comedy land, just with a higher body count and lots of blood.

Buffy and Angel in TV canon never really got that light-hearted, getting-to-know-you phase because there was always the pall of forbidden love/gothic angst/and willful misunderstandings on both parties, never mind the interference/concerns and complaints from the people who loved them.

In Hellmouth, not only do Buffy and Angel get developed as characters, so does their budding ‘work’ friends relationship. Their banter is just delightful to read, and they get to be vulnerable/honest (to a point) with each other, that they haven’t been able to do so with their respective friends. And as they’re fighting demons and tracking down Drusilla, it creates an understandably sudden bond that most likely wouldn’t have happened above ground. They’re the only ones who can stop the forces of evil and cover each other’s backs.

Except for the undead elephant in the room, that has been in the room since Angel first appeared in Sunnydale -

Angel is a vampire. Angel witnessed Drusilla attacking Xander -- and did nothing to stop it.

And he knew it was Drusilla and Spike.

That lie comes back to majorly haunt his ass in Issue #3. Drusilla gleefully tells Buffy that he saw the whole thing, and also he has this whole other name, Angelus, which Buffy completely mishears and then rounds on Angel, asking him pointedly if they need a moment, or can she do the job she’s here for.

The revelation that Angel didn’t stop Xander’s turning naturally pings Buffy’s anger defenses and she tells him actually, no, we’re not friends, you don’t know me (even though I vented my guts out to you and you know I’m a slayer and you give weird pep talks to try to make me feel better -- Issues 1 & 2) - and I think besides the fact that Angel stood by and did nothing, it’s also that he didn’t tell her. Angel not telling Buffy important things, lying by omission basically, breaks their fragile alliance.

But it’s not until the second lie.

Something that has been driving me nuts since the first issue is that Angel hasn’t revealed his Vampire self to Buffy. There’s different levels to the relationships Angel has cultivated so far in the Boom!verse - with Fred and Gunn, he’s an ally (reluctant on Gunn’s part) and a friend (Fred) and he’s upfront with them that he’s a vampire. But with Buffy, who is going to be a major part of his life (if any of the previous portents and prophecies are to go by), he holds off/and hides his vampire self. And the question is why? Buffy already has a friend who has a Vampire side, but Xander’s a special case because he can still pass as human.

And it’s humanity that pops up in this issue - I knew it was coming, due to Boom’s wildly spoilery summaries/previews, but the way it was delivered?

Auggie - I know he has a full demon name but I’m not typing it out - and I think his name is also derived from Augury which means an omen/sign of what will happen in the future, seemed out of place to me. I mean, okay having a hell hut in the middle of the Hellmouth is whimsical and not completely out of the realm of the Buffyverse tone, and demons just trying to demon with no ambition to destroy the world is always nice to see - I just felt the introduction of him was too McGuffiny. There already was a figure who could see into the future (two of them, if you count Fee Fee from Angel’s first issue, except she disappeared into the plot hole where women characters go in that issue) and the initial one who set Angel on this path: Lilith.

Having Angel strike up a random conversation with an essentially magic demon eight ball when he could have been searching for Buffy or Drusilla felt like an unwelcome departure from the main story. Yes, the revelation that Angel could achieve humanity through some terrible ritual is important, but also - do you believe a demon who’s making a stew out of unidentifiable parts in the middle of the Hellmouth and just casually drops that information?

Read the room, Angel. It’s probably a trap.

Back to the A-story, Buffy thinks the Cthulu shape-shifter demon is back when she sees the vision of the guys in her life attacking the women - Giles and Jenny, Eric and Joyce, and Xander and Willow.Just as the Demon Joyce taunted her about her absence causing more havoc than help, the Demon men call her out Greek Chorus style - Giles says, “Sunnydale burns, Sacrifice.” Xander tells her, “But we can stop all this. The mother awaits you.”Eric says, “Come. End this suffering.”

Buffy accuses Dru of orchestrating this, and she laughs and tells her, “This is the hellmouth. Adapt, won’t you? It’s adapted to you....these are your people. This your nightmare.”

Buffy denies it coming true, and Dru tells her that it may yet come true - and she’s left Sunnydale defenseless. A slayer without her friends. There are fouler things than beasts, above. There are men.

Who have become the puppets of the unseen Hellmother.

So Drusilla was a red herring, a pawn in the game of Evil Chess. And this bums me out because Dru as a tangible villain/opponent is more interesting to me than another shadowy doom voice from the ether. Hellmother? Really?

This is where the reboot kind of loses me - Buffy’s greatest villains have been the ones who were personal to her, not as in just wanting to kill her, but an active part of her life. Dru (and by extension, Spike) in the Boom!verse would qualify because of what she did to Xander and threatening her mother. Dru being the front of a disembodied voice (that probably will take form in the next two issues) is a letdown. It’s the First Evil again.

The side effect of the men being turned into malevolent goons - okay, that is scary, but are we talking the Pack/Billy scary? (aka not very good episodes of either show because they either pulled punches or handwaved consequences)

Buffy teams up with Drusilla, which was unexpected, but at this point in the game, Buffy doesn’t have that many options. Her friend is missing (and it’s telling that even though she was hurt by the knowledge Angel did nothing to prevent Xander’s turning, she still refers to him as a friend to Drusilla. It might not be true forgiveness, but she was willing to move on, just for the sake of finding him and working to stop this mess.) And she keeps on reminding herself, these demons are not her friends, and are not real.

Which brings us to the final act - in more ways than one. Angel gets ambushed by a bunch of orc looking vampires, and finally goes Not Today, Satan on them.

And of course Buffy spots him on a mound of corpses, in full vamp face.

As much as I’m disappointed with the way Angel’s vampirism is revealed, it had to happen, and I have to admit, those last pages and panels are incredibly vivid and affecting.

Angel’s outstretched human hands covered in blood?

Buffy’s disbelief and then hardened look of disgust and her, “Don’t touch me.”

Goddammit.

Jordie and Jeremy have specific repetitions that I find interesting in terms of character development and where I think the plot is going -

Friends - the potential loss of them, the making of them, who to trust and how personal actions always have a consequence in relation to friends - Buffy is down on herself because she pushes people away and tried to lone wolf and it always, always blows up in her face, so this new thing with Angel is Buffy trying something new - trusting the other person so she can trust herself (because even though Willow and Xander are helpful and her besties, Buffy still can’t fully trust them with the fighting of evil because of her Slayer nature and belief that it’s her sole responsibility. She’s never had friends like that before. Angel has an equivalent strength to hers and already knows the evil game.)

So this issue blowing up all those tentative friend bridges?

Fucking painful. Because now it feels like Buffy was right - she can’t trust Angel, he’s not a friend, because why would he lie? Why didn’t he stop Drusilla? They clearly have a history. Has he been in on this from the beginning?

Buffy is alone, again.

And Angel? Who the fuck knows. Buffy has become important to him in a short amount of time, and it still needs to be addressed why he did nothing to save Xander. He was already on the saving gig, and was it because he knew Spike and Dru that he let it pass out of...familial bonds? That still doesn’t jibe with what he’s atoning for now.

As always, thanks to @jenny-calendar for being there for me to figure out all these fiddly parts. I still think this is the weakest issue of Hellmouth, and I’m not as confident as I was before in thinking it’ll be wrapped up neatly in the last two issues - but I hope this doesn’t signal the end of crossovers, and that the relationship wherever it goes, continues to develop over both of their lines. But I dislike it less on reread.

And Buffy better make an appearance in Ring of Fire, damn it.

AND WHERE IS CAMAZOTZ?

#buffy comics #boom! studios #hellmouth #boom! verse #meta #tldr summary i didn't like it as much as i did the first two #but i didn't hate it either #reactions and reviews #spoilers and reactions #angel in boom! land #angel done fucked up #disaster grumpy bats

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mcgnagallsarmy · 2 years

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Spuffy style Reading Challenge - #15: Alphabet Soup Challenge Author Edition

Baby it's Cold Outside by Addie Logan [NC-17]

Spike and Buffy stuck together for Christmas... (Season 4, post-"Hush")

The Carnivorous Carnival by bewildered [NC-17]

In an AU season 5, a mysterious carnival has popped up on the outskirts of town – and Spike’s kittens are lost in it! Buffy and the Scoobies must navigate a maze of rides, animals, and deep-fried treats to help Spike capture all his kittens and repay his gambling debts. What happens in the story? It all depends on the choices you make. How does the story end? Only you can find out! And you can keep reading and rereading until Buffy and Spike have had not one but many incredibly daring (and possibly smutty) experiences! Choose your own adventure! More than 20 possible endings!!

So That You Will Hear Me by cawthraven [NC-17]

In the aftermath of Spike's sacrifice in the Hellmouth, Buffy turns to the words of Pablo Neruda for solace, but she might just be spinning out. Set post-Chosen, post AtS Damage, and goes AU from there.

Snowed In by Dorians Kitten [NC-17] - this is an all-human story

A particularly awful week sends Buffy Summers running for the remote family cabin she general avoids. She has every intention of spending a few days binge-watching bad movies and eating junk food...alone. The possibility of being snowed in is not a concern. Or at least it isn't until she parks her car and the only man she ever loved, the only man who ever broke her heart, steps out the front door.

The Truth Will Set You Free by Enigmaticblue [PG-13]

Set in S4, after Something Blue. Giles does that truth spell on Spike after all, but what happens when it gets stuck? The truth is sometimes a very uncomfortable thing.

Dancing by flootzavut [G]

Spike could never've imagined they'd get to this point.

Best Served Cold by Girlytek [NC-17]

Willow takes D’Hoffryn up on his offer at the end of Something Blue. Now Buffy has a new roommate. And a really big waterbed.

Tutor by Holly [NC-17]

Buffy has a certain set of skills: staking vampires, slaying demons, preventing the apocalypse, and chasing off men after a single night. That last thing could stand being crossed off her list. Fortunately, she knows just the man—err, vamp—to help.

Wounded by incendie [NC-17]

When Buffy goes to Spike in the basement, she isn't prepared for what she finds. Can wounds be healed?

Workaround by joycometh [NC-17]

Her Slayer Life and her Sex Life aren't always compatible. Still, there's a workaround if you really want it. (Set in a post-series universe where Buffy and Spike are in an established relationship.)

A Better Way to Go by kats_meow [NC-17]

It's Buffy's twenty-first birthday - you know, the one she was supposed to be conveniently dead for - and some smartass has left a crumpled up poem on her porch. Is it trash, a wish, or a chance for something better?

All Quiet on the Summers Front by lex_hex [PG-13]

Spike reflects on the past year he's spent in Sunnydale as he reads Dawn's take on the same events. Set after an AU 'Who Are You'.

Turning the Tables by MaggieLaFey [NC-17]

After the events of A Trip to the Store, Buffy is just too damn curious: what's it like to be on Spike's side of their games? To the surprise of absolutely no one, Spike is more than happy to show her the ropes of her new position. ;)

What Goes Around by Ninereeds [NC-17]

The citizens of Sunnydale find themselves acting on their darkest desires, and the Scoobies' summer vacation hangs in the balance. When Spike turns out to be the only one Buffy can trust, her carefully constructed black-and-white world starts looking a lot gray-shadier. Set in the summer after season 4

The Girl Who Courted Death by OffYourBird [NC-17]

Due to a misfortune of genetics, Buffy is never Called as a Slayer. Instead, she grows up in L.A. with a different set of challenges and trials, unaware of the supernatural world. That is, until a chance encounter with the Slayer of Slayers changes her life—and everything afterward—forever.

Rock Solid by Passion4Spike [NC-17]

Buffy comes to some realizations about herself, the nature of her love, and her feelings for Spike on the eve of the biggest fight of her life, but will it be too little, too late? Spoiler Alert: No, it won’t.

Smoke and Mirrors by Rikki_oko [NC-17]

Season 4, goes AU after Hush.

Someday by Sunalso [NC-17]

AU. The world is broken, but Buffy is given seven days to make it better. Does saving humanity mean letting go of the one thing she wants, or grabbing on to it with both hands?

Naked by The Danish Bird [NC-17]

Her mom is out of the woods, her boyfriend is nice and attentive, the witches are working on some spell to confine Glory for a little while. Things should be looking up, really. But why has Riley slipped out of bed in the middle of the night? And why is Spike, of all annoying people, suddenly there, in her room, refusing to leave? And why are they suddenly stuck there together, on her bed? Buffy could really do with some witchy help right about now...and clothes, clothes would be of the good!

The Space Between by untouchable [PG-13]

Instead of taking Psych 101 with Willow, Buffy decides to take a poetry class.

Unconditional by violettathepiratequeen [G]

Spike dusts Drusilla at Buffy's request, but Buffy isn't prepared for the state she'll find him in after the deed is done.

I Fought the World for Your Hand (Give My New Body a Chance) by williamthebloodied [NC-17]

On a scale of 1-10, Buffy’s idea for her Halloween costume this year probably fell on a precarious 5. It could be great, doing everything she hoped and more for both she and Spike. On the other hand, it could easily fall down the wrong side of the slippery slope into majorly bad, rehashing things best left demolished in the past. Also, recycling ideas was not the best look. But, if it worked the way she envisioned, with a hope and a prayer…it would eclipse that concern. or Buffy dresses up in 1870s fashion for Halloween and a whole lot of love ensues.

Out of the Grey by xaphania [NC-17]

In the days following the Hellmouth’s collapse, Buffy finds herself craving time alone. A series of apparently random decisions draw her to the coast of England, where she has to deal with the possibility that Spike might not be so dead after all.

So Much Depends by yellowb [R]

All Buffy has to do is go back in time and grab the gem of Amara without being seen. It's a simple plan.

#Buffy The Vampire Slayer #btvs #spuffy #ficrec #reading challenges

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yetanotherbuffyblog · 5 years

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What a ride, guys

So, uh, that finale…

The end is here, and Buffy and Friends are working things out on how to stop Glory from destroying the world via dimensional rifts and killing Dawn. Buffy refuses to take killing Dawn as an option, despite Giles being quite insistent on it. Anya suggests using the Orb of Dagon from earlier in the season, and also the hammer from the troll.

I’m going to skip a lot of character moments to get to the actual fight, like how Dawn was made out of Buffy because she wasn’t born like a normal person, and how Buffy can’t bear to lose Dawn and talks about quitting after this apocalypse, but we’ll talk about some of it in the notes.

Tara is the one who leads them to where Glory’s working her ritual (around a giant construction tower, I guess?), because the insane people seem to be drawn to it. Once there, Glory recognizes her and Willow uses that distraction to undo the magic Glory did to Tara, which weakens her enough that Buffy can attack, while the rest of the Scoobies go for the minions. The fight seems to be pretty even between Glory and Buffy, until Glory decapitates Buffy… only to reveal that the Buffy she’s been fighting was actually the reprogrammed Buffy Bot. Real!Buffy starts whaling on Glory with the troll hammer.

There’s a lot of fighting, but Buffy actually manages to beat down Glory, and manages to have her change into Ben. She makes Ben swear to make sure Glory leaves them all alone while she goes to check on her sister. Ben agrees to it, which is when Giles rolls up, and is all like, “Yeah, I get it, she’s a good guy, she’s not going to kill you because she’s a good guy. But, uh, let’s be real here: if Glory survives we’re screwed, so…” And Giles STRANGLES BEN TO DEATH! HOLY S***!

So Glory doesn’t bleed Dawn for the ritual, but that creepy demon dude who survived being stabbed? Doc? Yeah, he does because he’s the Jerk of the Week. He manages to repel Spike, but by the time Buffy gets up there he’s already cut Dawn to start her opening portals. Buffy chucks him off the tower for his troubles, but OH NO! Portals have started opening! Dawn argues that the only way that to stop the end of the world is to let herself die. So she offers to jump off the tower.

But Buffy thinks about how Dawn is made from her; the ritual’s kind of vague on how it works, exactly, but she knows that there’s something important about that connection? And Buffy remembers that thing she’s been told: that Death is her gift. So she realizes that Dawn doesn’t have to die, but someone does, and so Buffy throws herself off of the tower, dying, but also closing the portals.

So the world is saved! But Buffy is dead.

Huh.

Notes!

-I am… not thrilled with the idea of the solution to saving the world being suicide. TV Tropes’s recap page for the episode mentions a review of the finale that had a similar, but more extreme, mindset, and TV Tropes’s reaction is like, “You missed the point! Did you want the world to be destroyed?” And no, of course not. But I’m not exactly happy with any plot situation where the only way to solve it is by suicide. I don’t think we should be writing stories that frame suicide as a heroic act. I sort of give this one a half-pass, because we know she won’t stay dead, and I realize this is a completely unrealistic situation, but still. It’s one thing for someone to save the world by putting themselves into a fight they can’t walk away from; it’s another to save the world by literal, unambiguous suicide, and that’s not something I’m okay with.

-Although Buffy did tell Spike that not all of them were going to come out of this alive. And the one who dies is… Buff. That’s some foreshadowing, Joss.

-When they go to the Summers house to get ready, Spike tells Buffy that he knows that she’ll never love him, but she treats him like a real person and that means something to him. Which is a cool character moment, I think.

-Willow having a spell that reverses Glory’s Brain Drain feels a little… too convenient? It’s not so out there, and of course she hasn’t done it before because you have to get within reaching distance of Glory for it to work, but it’s handy that there’s a counterspell for it? Just when they need it!

-Reminder that Anya’s afraid of rabbits! When she and Xander are in the storage room looking for the Dagon Sphere, they happen across a plush rabbit and Anya screams. I’d forgotten that they bothered her.

-They also find the Buffy Bot, which Anya explains is being studied by Willow. Xander wonders if that’s a lesbian thing, but Anya reinforces that Willow’s interest in the Buffy Bot is purely academic.

-Also Xander proposes to Anya? She accepts except that she says that they’ll save it for after this battle. Which is kind of nice.

-Doc’s a pain in the butt. But is he dead? He survived being stabbed, so I don’t know if a fall off a tower would kill him.

-And Spike survived being thrown off the building, but Buffy didn’t. And I get that he’s a vampire so that probably counts for something, as he can only be killed in specific ways, but it felt a bit annoying. Not that I wanted Spike to die, it’s just… y’know.

-This dialogue! Heightened by knowing that Whedon’s a fan of Shakespeare!

Buffy: Hey, everybody knows their jobs. Remember, the ritual starts, we all die. And I'll kill anyone who comes near Dawn.

Spike: Well, not exactly the St. Crispin's Day speech, was it?

Giles: [wryly] "We few, we happy few..."

Spike: We band of buggered.

-Was this a fauxnale? Was the show going to be cancelled and then saved at the last minute? [shrugs] I dunno. You guys tell me.

-At one point Glory gets hit with a wrecking ball. That was cool.

-Tara gets her sanity back! I was worried about that. That being said… are the other crazy people going to get their sanity back now that Glory’s dead? Probably not. So I feel pretty bad for them. But at least Tara’s doing well.

-Also crazy!Tara calls Giles a killer before they get going, which is great ‘cause it foreshadows when he kills Ben.

-Oh hey, yeah, that? That was crazy. We get this line:

Giles: She's a hero, you see. She's not like us. [suffocates Ben]

-And it makes sense! We know that Giles used to be really hardcore, and he’s the one advocating that they kill Dawn to save the world. He’s willing to do these underhanded dirty things, especially if they protect Buffy. He knows that Glory’s going to come back if she’s allowed to survive. I think Buffy knows that too, on some level, but she’s really tired of all this Slayer business and just wants to save her sister more than she wants to kill Glory or Ben, so it’s kind of secondary in her mind. But not Giles! Nope, Glory’s gotta go, and if that means killing Ben, then he’s gonna do it.

-When Glory “kills” the Buffy Bot, she assumes that the Slayer was a robot the entire time. Oh Glory, you moron.

-You know, Glory’s funny because she’s so… emotionally stupid? When Buffy’s beating her down, she basically begins pleading that Buffy just doesn’t understand the pain she’s going through of… not being an almighty deity. That’s it. As if “Oh woe is me, I’m not an evil demon god!” is really a sympathetic position to take here when you’re plotting to murder someone’s sister.

-The beginning of the episode has a flashback of Buffy helping some rando in an alley being attacked by a vampire. It’s a cool moment, with some good dialogue (especially because the vampire doesn’t seem to realize who he’s talking to), but it ends with Buffy agreeing with the would-be victim that she’s “just some girl” and it reinforces the idea that Buffy really just wants out of this game. She never asked to be the Slayer, and she would very much like to just be a normal person.

-One of Glory’s minions calls her “groove-tastic one”? What’s up with that guy?

-What do the minions do now that Glory’s dead? Go sulk, I guess? Find new jobs?

-A freaking dragon flies through the portal?!

#5x22 #Buffy Summers #BtVS #Dawn Summers #Spike #Xander Harris #Rupert Giles #Glorificus #Anya #Willow Rosenberg #Buffy The Vampire Slayer

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51kas81 · 6 years

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I must confess to a fair bit of terror at the idea of writing and posting this manifesto. Not because I don’t believe in this ‘ship—because I certainly do!—but because Buffy/Giles is probably the most reviled pairing in the Buffyverse. I’m not sure that there is a single BGer out there who hasn’t received at least one ship-based flame by a reviewer who never bothered to read the fic in question. To stand up proudly and not only defend it but also promote it? Scary! But fools stride in where angels fear to tread and I don’t want to lose my fool street creds, so I’ll give this a shot. Having decided that yes, I will put my head through a noose if somebody offers it to me, the next question is how to proceed. I really want to write a positive essay, detailing all the qualities of Buffy/Giles shipping that appeal to me, but feel like I should first deal with the knee-jerk “eww” factor that this pairing seems to bring out in so many people. So, I actually wound up writing two essays. The first one deals with Giles’ supposed status as Buffy’s father figure; the second deals with Buffy and Giles as two individuals who work well together as a couple. Read whichever one fits within your own comfort zone.

But he’s her dad! Actually, he’s not. Buffy has a father. His name is Hank Summers and Buffy lived with him for fifteen years before her parents divorced. No matter how many times the charge of “incest” is bandied about, there are no biological connection between Buffy and Giles and never have been. Moreover, Hank Summers typifies many of the salient features of fathers in the Buffyverse. He fits into the Jossian mold of fathers in a way that Giles never could. Think about it: every father in the Buffyverse—and indeed, pretty much every parent except Joyce—is absent and/or horrible. Willow’s parents go on frequent trips, and her mother can’t even remember the name of Willow’s best friend. Xander’s mother can’t identify him on the phone and his father is an alcoholic that terrifies Xander. Cordelia’s parents are never around, and I don’t recall Oz’s parents ever being mentioned at all. Angel’s father told him he was a disappointment and Wesley’s father locked him in a closet. Tara’s father was a monster as was Spike’s mother. (Yes, human William idolized his mother, but the demon within vamp!Mum had to have some material to work with.) Even Joyce, the only “good” parent in the Buffyverse, spent two years ignoring a series of bumps, abrasions and ruined clothes that should have been noted by even the most casual of strangers. Overall, it’s clear that Jossian parents, even the good ones, are distant, absent, or clueless. And then there’s Giles. He pays attention to people, he sees things about all the Scoobies, but especially Buffy. In fact, he often understands Buffy far better than her contemporaries; refer especially to “When She Was Bad” and “Dead Man’s Party.” The former is particularly interesting, because we not only witness Willow, Xander and Angel being baffled by Buffy’s behavior, but also Joyce and Hank, Buffy’s actual parents. The dichotomy between Giles and Hank is very striking and speaks volumes (to me, anyway) about Giles’ true role in Buffy’s life. Up until he leaves in “Tabula Rasa” (by which time all the Scoobies but Dawn are in their twenties), Giles is consistently set up as the anti-parent of the Buffyverse. Some of you are no doubt saying at the moment, “I agree, but Giles isn’t supposed to be the average parent. He’s the perfect parent, the one that all of us wish we had.” I’ve heard this before and it never fails to baffle me, because Giles is, in fact, completely antithetical to my idea of a father. Every time Giles sends Buffy out to patrol, he knows damn well that she might not come back, but he does it anyway. This is something that a parent simply couldn’t do, no matter the circumstances. Moreover, Giles consistently refuses to make judgments about Buffy’s personal life, except in those places where her decisions or alliances affect her Slaying. There isn’t a father alive who would shrug off his daughter coming in at the crack of dawn wearing clothes from the day before, but that is exactly what Giles does in “The Harsh Light of Day.” I have a theory, which is likely to be proven wrong, that the main proponents of "Giles is Buffy's father" argument are those people who don't have children. As a mother, I would NEVER send my son or daughters out into danger. The world could have as many apocalypses as it liked and I wouldn't care just so long as I could keep my children safe. (And indeed, that was Buffy's exact attitude towards Dawn in "The Gift.") Nor could I stand back and refuse to help them when they’re suffering just because it would make them stronger in the end; if they are in pain and I can help, I will. People who have never had children of their own don't understand just what a strong biological imperative a parent has to protect and nourish his or her offspring. If Giles truly looked upon Buffy as a child, he would tie her down to prevent her from going patrolling, and would certainly never send her out. And as for leaving in TR, that would never have happened. Also, as an aside, I would point out that Buffy doesn’t give Giles the respect that most children would give to their father. She periodically insults him (which I will deal with in the second essay), and teases him often. On her better days, she clearly respects him, but as a researcher and a fellow warrior in the battle against evil, not as a daughter would respect her father. I know Buffy meets Giles at sixteen, but even the moodiest teenager on the planet usually demonstrates more reverence to his or her parents than Buffy ever gives her Watcher. It’s been stated on the show that Giles is her father Has it? Let’s look at the times when the words “father” and “parent” have been bandied about. The most famous, of course, is when Quentin Travers fires Giles because he has “a father’s love for the child.” My question is how did he determine this? He isn’t just an unreliable narrator, he’s a complete tale-spinner. He never saw them interact, so what the hell does he know about their relationship? In “Checkpoint,” after he has had a chance to see them together, he puts a decidedly suggestive spin on the word “prepare.” He obviously decided at some point that “father’s love” wasn’t an accurate representation of what he observed between Buffy and Giles and decided to insinuate that there was a great deal more to their relationship. And then we have Maggie Walsh, who called Giles an “absentee father-figure” in “A New Man.” This never made any sense to me. Not only did Maggie never see Buffy and Giles together, I highly doubt she’d even heard of Giles before he popped into her office. This off-the-cuff remark of a total stranger is hardly concrete proof of anything. So, what do the two people in question have to say? This issue was first addressed in the shooting script for “Surprise,” although the scene was never shot: GILES: While I’m loathe to say it, the fact is - the Slayer rarely lives into her mid-twenties. It follows that she’d exhibit signs of maturity early on. Her whole life-cycle is accelerated. JENNY: Still, you should be careful about treating her like a grown-up. GILES: I’m not her father, Jenny. Although it isn’t nearly as explicit, Giles says in “Band Candy,” “I know I'm not your parent, but I am responsible for you. I think your mum's right.” This question of Giles’ responsibility is an interesting one and I will address it later. In “Once More With Feeling” Giles sings, “I wish I could play the father.” This, to me, is the strongest statement that Giles does not have paternal feelings towards Buffy. First off all, he sings this in parallel with Tara, and they both are bidding farewell to a loved one. Lover and daughter lacks elegance in this situation. As for his actual words, he wishes he had those feelings, and doubtless such a safe cubbyhole for his feelings would make his life a great deal easier, but he doesn’t. And he wishes he could pretend to be her father, but that isn’t possible for him either. In the end, he’ll leave because he can’t be what he thinks Buffy wants him to be. But does Buffy want him to be her father? Maybe, at one point in her life, she did. In “Helpless,” she invites him to the ice show in her father’s place because it’s “something families do together.” But even then, she puts her relationship with Giles in a separate category, in something other, when she says, “I-if someone were free, they'd take their daughters or their student... or their Slayer.” The tone in her voice suggests to me that the third possibility is the most important to her and the role that she most wants to play in his life. In “Pangs,” Buffy calls Giles the “patriarch” of the Scoobies. This loses all force in the father-daughter argument, however, because she immediately casts herself in the role of “matriarch.” She might be asking Giles to carve the turkey, but only after she has prepared it. There is a domestic undertone to this episode that is rather odd, as if Buffy was trying to “play house” with Giles. This may strike some as childish, but she clearly doesn’t see herself as the child in this scenario. In “Life Serial,” Buffy again tries to draw Giles into her family, but she assigns an unusual role to him, that of her mother. Insulted, he questions this, and Buffy makes it clear that she does not see Giles as her father, in any way. Given an opening to tell Giles that he’s a better parent to her than her biological father ever was, she instead rejects the comparison absolutely. As for Giles, this would have been the perfect moment for him to tell her that he was honored to be considered as any sort of parent… if that was how he felt about her. You’re arguing semantics, but it still doesn’t change the fact that he controlled her and was one of her high school teachers. It will always be a transgressive relationship because he held all the power when Buffy was still a child and therefore they can never be equal. Whenever I hear this, I always want to ask, “Did we watch the same show?” First off, Giles didn’t meet Buffy until she was sixteen. Whether or not you belong to a culture that would classify a sixteen-year old person as a child (and many societies do not), the fact is that most human beings are fairly well molded by the time they turn sixteen. Giles had nothing to do with raising Buffy; he instilled none of her values, morals, or attitudes, but was forced to deal with those that she had already developed long before she ever met him. Moreover, I would question how much control Giles ever really had over Buffy. He said he was responsible for her, and so he was. If he didn’t train her properly, she might die prematurely and it would be his fault. Other than that, one notes that he was responsible to the Watcher’s Council as their representative and was supposed to keep them apprised of her adventures. There is also a mystical responsibility which was never explained but was referenced in “Intervention” when he “transferred his guardianship” of Buffy to her animal spirit guide. But all of these circles of responsibility require something of Giles, and none of them put any demands upon Buffy. So, the question becomes, did Giles’ responsibility ever carry over into reality, and did Buffy ever recognize it? When Buffy first meets Giles, she rejects his authority outright. He soon discovers that he can’t compel her to do anything; only her inner sense of responsibility (and her fear for Willow’s life) draws her back into the Slay-game. Even when she does accept Giles as her Watcher, she does so on her own strictly defined terms. “The Witch,” which set a great deal of the groundwork for future Buffy/Giles interactions, opens with one of my favorite scenes. Giles forbids Buffy from cheerleading, and she cheekily asks, “And you’ll be stopping me how?” Yes, it’s true that Giles eventually sets up a training program for Buffy and expected her to attend, at least until her eighteenth birthday. This wasn’t done to control her life, however, but simply to give her the skills she needs to survive; forcing Buffy to develop the discipline and training she needs to Slay demons is Giles’ method of keeping Buffy alive as long as possible. And Buffy clearly understands that she doesn’t have to do anything Giles says, as is evidenced by the times that she doesn’t. Furthermore, what control she gives Giles is balanced out by the control that she keeps for herself. If Buffy doesn’t feel that Giles is doing his job adequately, she is just as likely to call him on it as he is apt to do to her. An example of this can be seen in “The Pack,” where Buffy shames Giles into meeting his responsibility towards the team by telling him to “Get your books. Look stuff up.” Also consider “Teacher’s Pet” in which Giles ordered Buffy to not go hunting until he had had a chance to research the current danger; knowing that Giles’ authority is all geared towards helping her fight demons, not keeping her away from them, Buffy blithely ignores his orders and makes no effort to hide that fact. Even if you see an unequal relationship between Giles and Buffy before Buffy’s eighteenth birthday (which I don’t, but it is possible to view the same scenes with different interpretations depending upon your world view), I don’t see how it is possible to hold onto that understanding afterwards. After Giles is fired as Buffy’s Watcher, he loses the last of whatever outward trappings of authority he ever held over her. In “The Zeppo,” the very first episode after “Helpless,” we see Giles anxiously detailing a theory about the Sisterhood of Jhe until Buffy interrupts him with a brusque, “Giles, I don’t need to see the math.” It is clear from this exchange that Buffy is in charge now and he holds his position in her life entirely on her sufferance… which she later takes away from him in the second half of the fourth season. (Refer to Giles’ bitter comment in “The Yoko Factor,” when he reminds her that she never trains with him anymore.) And in case you don’t believe me yet, I would like to point out that any power Giles retained up until the fifth season was taken away forever in “Checkpoint.” The second Buffy realizes that Watchers are nothing without Slayers, that it’s she who holds all the power in the relationship, Giles should have lost every last bit of influence he ever held with her. But the thing is, he didn’t. Buffy looked behind the curtain of the Council, discovered that the Wizard was nothing but a humbug, and it all had absolutely no effect upon her relationship with Giles. Clearly they were well past their power issues long before “Checkpoint,” and the question of Council control or lack thereof doesn’t impinge upon them. Their relationship is outside the typical Council power structure, and has been for some time. I would argue that it has always been outside traditional models. But he’s OLD!! Ah, here we come to it. In the end, it always comes down to a difference in age. Or does it? Buffy has always been attracted to older men, right from the beginning of the show. Before Buffy knew that Angel was a vampire, she already guessed that he was in his mid-twenties. She was barely sixteen at the time, but no one seems to question her instant infatuation with a man who appeared to be a decade older than her. Owen was a senior at Sunnydale High and Tom (from “Reptile Boy”) was a senior in college. When Buffy turns eighteen, she sleeps with a college senior and then with a graduate student in his mid-twenties who actually serves as one of the teachers in her class. (And with all due respect to Riley, why haven’t the transgressive aspects of that relationship—which are far more evident to me, given the fact that Riley grades her papers and has punitive power over Buffy that Giles never possessed—ever been mentioned by fandom?) One could argue that the difference in age is simply a matter of scope, but if that were the case then Giles should be seen as a FAR more acceptable partner for Buffy than Angel or Spike. Assuming that Angel was twenty-five when he was turned, he was born sometime between 1745 and 1750; I would guess that William was approximately thirty when he died, so Spike was born approximately 1850. Taking Giles’ age as the same as Anthony Stewart Head’s, our Watcher was born in 1954. Giles may have slept with Buffy’s mother while under the influence of band candy and “hand-rolled cigarettes,” but Spike could have given Buffy’s great-great-great-great-grandmother the glad eye. Given Liam's promiscuity, it isn't beyond the realm of possibility that he could be Buffy's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. Now that's old! No, despite claims to the contrary, age is not an issue; the problem is that Giles looks older. He may be a century or two younger than Buffy’s boyfriends, but he doesn’t look like it. This bothers the hell out of me, and, I would argue, would bother Buffy as well. I will admit that the dichotomy between what people say and what they mean with regards to Giles’ age touches me on a deeply personal level. My husband is only a year older than me, but a bout with brain cancer and a few other unrelated illnesses have completely altered his appearance. He is thirty-five, but he looks like he’s pushing fifty; do I love him any less for this? Of course not! The very suggestion that I might be that shallow is deeply insulting. And although I know everyone might not agree with this statement, I don’t believe that Buffy is that shallow either. She is unmoved by the fact that Angel is 230 years older than her, so I doubt that she is really all that disturbed by a twenty-six year difference between her and Giles. As for the fact that Giles looks older, Buffy once insisted on kissing Angel while in game face simply to prove that she doesn’t care about physical appearances. I don’t think that you need to be a Giles fangirl to admit that he is rather more attractive than a vampire in game face, even a vampire such as Angel or Spike. In the end, the “he’s old” argument says far more about the intolerance of the fan in question that it does about Buffy and whom she considers or discards as possible sexual partners. None of this proves that Buffy and Giles belong together. No it doesn’t, because that’s not the point of this initial essay. Before I can begin to talk about Buffy and Giles as a ship in fanfic, I needed to discuss their relationship in canon. Despite frequent claims to the contrary, Buffy and Giles do not have an easy relationship. In some ways, it is the most complex relationship in the Buffyverse, and to simplify it as a father-daughter relationship shows a very poor understanding of the show. You don’t have to be a ‘shipper to see that the two of them love each other. The question of whether that love is romantic or paternal is terribly limiting, and misses the point. Sometimes you love someone and that love defies explanation; it just is. And for the most part, that’s what I see between these two. Staying strictly in canon, Buffy and Giles are a team. They’re friends and they’re partners in the fight against evil. Giles may be Buffy’s mentor, but he’s not her father. Buffy’s friendship with Giles may be different than the one she shares with Willow and Xander, but it’s no less true or intense for all that. Their relationship may be difficult for us to understand or define, but it can’t be trivialized without doing severe damage to the text. It can be expanded in fanfiction, but it should never be reduced to an easy concept that never existed in the show. The Chosen Two "They picked the perfect thing. I can't lose you." --Buffy, "Checkpoint" So, you’re willing to stand against the pervasive myth that Giles is Buffy’s father; that doesn’t automatically mean that you’re willing to ship them together. Fair enough. Why don’t you let me tell you why I choose to put them together: Destiny. They were both Chosen by fate to fight evil, Giles as a Watcher and Buffy as a Slayer, so it isn’t too far of a step to suggest that they were chosen for each other. Moreover, they both rebelled against their destinies at one time before coming to embrace the ideals of their Calling. And neither can escape, though both attempt to do so. Buffy and Giles complement each other. Buffy is incredibly intelligent, but prefers to keep this strength in reserve. She’s happy to let Giles do the research; she’ll plan out the strategies when it’s necessary, but otherwise she allows Giles to run the show. Giles is highly proficient in a variety of weapons and is also a vicious street-fighter, but he encourages Buffy to take control of the physical aspects of their mutual fight against evil. Both respect the unique abilities and talents of the other, and are happy to let his or her partner do whatever s/he does best. Unlike Riley, Giles understands what it means to be a Slayer and he will never, ever underestimate her abilities, anymore than Buffy has ever underestimated him. Giles has dedicated his life, his entire life, to Buffy. Up until age ten, he had no idea that he was being groomed to become a Watcher like his father before him. Afterwards, his schooling was explicitly designed to make a Watcher out of him (at least until he cracked under the non-stop pressure). When Giles returned to the Watcher fold, he must have rededicated his life to one day serving a Slayer, because a mere twenty years after his defection he was given a Slayer of his own. Even before Buffy was born, he belonged to her. It is an easy step from this realization to hoping that Giles might see his single-minded devotion returned to him in kind some day. As for Buffy, I love the idea of her with someone who celebrates her identity as a Slayer and supports her in being the best she can be. Both Angel and Spike respected and admired her as a Slayer, but their very nature as vampires set up a conflict for Buffy. Given their unique circumstances, it is easy to forget that Angel and Spike are still Buffy’s natural prey. Everything in her psychic make-up must be urging her to remove the threat that her inner Slayer would be insisting that they pose to humanity. To not only ignore such mystical promptings but to embrace and even love her natural enemies? I would imagine that would create tremendous stress within Buffy, which may help to explain her irrational behavior in the seventh season. Riley, on the other hand, needed Buffy to be weaker than him, if not physically then emotionally. This experience suggests that the average male ego has trouble accepting a partner that is so much stronger than him. Giles and Xander are two of the few men who could understand Buffy’s Calling and support it without being threatened by it. Although both of them love her, I usually ship her with Giles simply because I see more chemistry there. The physical tension between Buffy and Giles begins in the very first episode when Giles leans over Buffy’s shoulder at the Bronze. According to fandom legend, Joss was so surprised to see this chemistry between the two that he instituted a six-inch rule between them… a rule that was often broken. (See “Inca Mummy Girl” where they are put in a sarcophagus together and Giles touches Buffy’s ass, the hand he puts in the small of her back in “Reptile Girl,” Giles breaking down in Buffy’s arms in “Passion,” Buffy squirming into Giles’ personal space on the library table in “Bad Girls,” the casual arm draped over her shoulder in “Forever,” the blindfold in “Band Candy” and the fervent hugs in both “Flooded” and “Grave.”) Despite this rule (if it truly existed), Joss himself played with the ambiguity in “Restless.” Giles dreams that his apartment has been stripped of all furniture except the chair Buffy is sitting on and his bed subtly displayed in his loft. And what does he tell her? “This is the way women and men have behaved since the beginning, before time.” Moreover, Buffy has always been fascinated with Giles’ sex life. I can hear many of you protesting at the moment, “That’s ridiculous! He’s ‘old and gross,’ remember?” Yes, Buffy did say that, but there is a context to that statement that is usually ignored. It starts early on in the first season and continues on throughout the fourth. The first time Buffy makes an insulting personal comment about Giles is in “Teacher’s Pet,” when she tells him that he belongs in dark and musty places. This is after hearing Giles praise Miss French as well-proportioned and “woman-shaped.” This sets a pattern that continues until Giles apparently gives up on relationships. She makes fun of Giles for asking out a chair in Jenny’s stead and makes a point of elaborately shuddering in disgust after seeing Giles kiss Jenny. After Faith calls Giles “young and cute,” we get the “eww” comment. Anya and Willow swoon just thinking about Giles’ singing, so that is labeled “wiggy” and Buffy was far from kind to Giles in “Wild at Heart” when he was scoping out Veruca on the stage. Giles was obviously post-coital in “The Freshman” when she called him “very, very old and very, very gross,” and that scene was obviously still fresh in her mind the following week when she refers disparagingly to him “recapturing his youth” in “Living Conditions.” (It’s likely that she was also thinking of him in connection with yet another woman, her mother’s dalliance with Giles in “Band Candy.”) In fact, I can’t think of a single personal insult directed at Giles that wasn’t connected to a woman in some way. And lest you think this is honest disgust rather than jealousy, I would remind you all that Buffy’s entire method for convincing Giles of her identity in “Who Are You” was to discuss his sex life. All their experiences, all the things they discussed on patrol or during training, and the only things Buffy could think to tell him was that he had a girlfriend and that her mother considered him a stevedore? And let’s not forget Buffy’s “bondage fun,” or the way Giles’ eyes glassed over for a moment at it. I really don’t want to meet the daughter that discusses bondage with her father… For most of the fifth season, Buffy trusts no one but Giles with information about Dawn, not even her best friends or her boyfriend. He is the only person she can think to call when Joyce dies, and her last thought is of him before she dies in “The Gift.” (“Tell Giles I figured it out.”) When she’s raised up, she wants Giles, and the only genuine laughter we see from her in the entire sixth season comes during her giggle-fest with Giles in “Grave.” As for Giles, how does he react to Buffy? For the most part, he keeps himself under control, but his moments of strongest emotions all seem to revolve around Buffy. Despite a determination to bury his violent past, Giles is willing to threaten Snyder, Spike or anyone else to protect Buffy. In fact, he even commits a cold-blooded murder, just for her. In “Graduation I” he foolishly runs the immortal Mayor through with a sword after Dick gives Buffy an insinuating leer and tells Giles he’s “going to eat her.” In the second part, he volunteers to stay alone with Angel in the mansion—the very same place where Angelus tortured him for hours on end—and he does it solely for her. A word from Buffy in “Dracula” causes him to put his life on hold, and a lack of communication with her sends him diving straight into the bottle in “The Yoko Factor.” (And in keeping with the previous paragraph, I don’t want to meet the father or even father-figure who goes into an alcoholic tailspin simply because his little girl is growing up.) Other ‘shippy moments that don’t fit together in a particular pattern: Buffy passionately telling him, “Don’t be sorry, be Giles!” in “Dark Age” and that she couldn’t lose him in “Passion.” Giles gives Buffy his respect and support in “Innocence” and then berates himself (via Wesley) for being too immature to ask Buffy to dance during “The Prom.” Buffy is careful to show Wesley that Giles has her loyalty in “Bad Girls” and she makes herself very much at home in his apartment during “Pangs.” And let’s not forget her telling Giles that she loves him, in both “Fool for Love” and “Intervention.” No matter what you’re ‘shipping preferences, it’s impossible to deny that Buffy and Giles love each other. Whether that love is one between friends, partners, or potential lovers it shines through in canon. Putting them together romantically is highly dependent upon your understanding of what Buffy’s role is supposed to be, and indeed, your conception of the entire idea of a Slayer. If you believe that Slayers are only needed for lots of angst and stopping the occasional apocalypse, then this pairing is not for you. If you like Buffy’s status as the first line of defense against evil, if you buy into the mystical Watcher-Slayer connection, then it isn’t too great of a stretch to see her destined companion-in-arms as also her destined soul mate.

#buffy the vampire slayer #buffy x giles #buffy/giles #rupert giles #buffy summers #btvs meta

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choiceslife · 6 years

Text

When Worlds Collide: Part Three (Limited Series)

Disclaimer: Based upon characters in Choices - Endless Summer, It Lives in the Woods, The Royal Romance, #LoveHacks, Home for the Holidays, and The Elementalists series. All characters presented are the property of Pixelberry Studios. I claim no ownership. This story is purely the work of the poster as fanfiction.

Overall Series Rating: 18+

Warnings: Adult Language, Adult Content, Sexual Discussions. Future chapters may contain SMUT and Gratuitous Sexual Descriptions

Overall Series Summary: The sisters are together again and Ava Cunningham believes only they can help her.

Author’s Note: This Limited Series is a companion/sequel to Divided By Circumstance. I suggest you at least read that series in order to understand this one. As with most of my stories, this is a crossover and is part of my interconnected Chromatic AU. My MC’s are as follows: Carrissa Monroe (TRR), Abby Bennett (#LH), Scarlett Joy (HFTH), Taylor Reed (ES), and Donovan Bailey (TE). Previous Chapters can be found in my Master List located in my header.

Tag List: @cinnamonroll-duffy @darley1101 @brightpinkpeppercorn @debramcg1106 @regrettingnathan @katurrade @teamtomsato @luxurylives @akrenich @riseandshinelittleblossom @ladynonsense @kinkykingliam @jlouise88 @wescott-imogen @eileendannie @littlecrookedheart @i-choose-liam @tmarie82 @bobasheebaby @boneandfur @europeanguy @walkerismychoice @pixieferry @sstee1 @endlessly-searching-for-you

***

Penderghast University

“We have to do something now,” Beckett pleaded with the others. “The Learned One, while indeed smart for not being naturally born of magick, doesn’t know the potential consequences of her actions. If she convinces The Sisters to use their power, the floodgates of villainous and sinister beings could be upon them all in minutes.”

“Beckett’s right,” Shreya nodded. “We must get to them once they are all out of the main public space.”

“Stop disagreeing... Wait what? I’m right? First Griffin and now you?” Beckett looked confused. He wasn’t used to any of Donovan’s friends agreeing with him. “Are you both under some sort of enchantment?”

Donovan clasped a firm hand onto Beckett’s shoulder. “Relax buddy. When you’re right, you’re right. Griffin and Shreya are nothing if not honest.” He felt the tension release in Beckett’s shoulder and watched as his sour expression dissipated. “So, how do you think we should handle this?”

“Leave that to me,” Griffin replied before Beckett could answer, stepping through the mirror portal without warning.

The others stood dumbfounded for a moment, but quickly followed Griffin through, not sure of what to expect.

“Oh I guess we’re doing that,” Zeph commented before following his friends through the mirror.

___

New York City, New York - Manhattan

Carissa never experienced the swanky VIP rooms of New York nightclubs when she lived in the city. She never imagined that it would take her becoming Queen of a small kingdom to gain her access to one, nor did she expect her first time would be shared with two new siblings and a group of college-aged kids. However, her life was anything close to normal these days. Which made the pronouncement she just heard even more shocking. “You wanna tell me that again?”

“You’re a witch, Queen Carissa,” Ava said rather flatly. Typically, she would have eased into a truth bomb like that, but she sensed that the Queen was the type who preferred a direct approach. “And so are your two new sisters. And I don’t mean witch as a play on bitch. I’m talking legit spells and powers witch.”

“I don’t know what’s in these drinks at this place, but damn. Witches?” Abby said with a laugh. She had heard some far-fetched stories interviewing subjects before, but none as outlandish as being a witch. There was one interview subject that did come close though. He swore on his life that Raines Corporation CEO, Adrian Raines, was immortal. Abby didn’t believe him, but she looked into the story anyway. It was an excuse for her to meet the fetching billionaire. She managed to interview Adrian and, as she suspected, nothing ever panned out with the man’s claims. Abby managed to score few dates with Adrian, however, before moving to San Francisco. But being a witch? She very much doubted it. “Why couldn’t you find me in college? I would’ve put a curse on Amy to stop being a thunder...cat. Thundercat. You know what I’m saying.”

“I agree,” Scarlett added, highly doubtful of Ava’s sanity. “Three sisters. All witches. I’ve seen that show. It’s called Charmed. Is there a slayer named Buffy, a pair of hot brothers that roam the country hunting demons, and a group of attractive werewolves residing in Beacon Hills too?”

Ava opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, a voice from the shadows replied. Everyone spooked for a split second, before their attention turned towards the sound. Mara immediately drew her weapon and trained it in the general area of where the voice was emanating.

“All of that is indeed true,” the deep male voice said. His form was still obscured in darkness. “Buffy is a real person who secured a dimensional passageway in Sunnydale. The Winchester brothers are quite the skilled demon hunters, although the show takes some liberties with the number of times the two have averted the apocalypse. And Scott McCall is quite a dashing looking werewolf. Although, if you ask me, Deputy Jordan Parrish is the sexiest being in Beacon Hills.”

“Show yourself,” Mara demanded, her weapon ready for use should the situation escalate.

“The Queen should consider a new security detail,” Jake chuckled in a whisper as he lightly elbowed Dan in the ribs. “Everyone keeps getting the drop on Agent Scully over here.”

The figure slowly emerged from the shadows, followed by four others on his heel. “What better way to operate in the world undetected than to have pop culture depicting you as fiction?”

As his face came into view, Ava’s mouth hung agape, unable to believe her eyes. “Griffin?” she questioned curiously. “Is that really you?” Ava ran over and wrapped her arms around the broad shouldered teen who equaled her in height. “I haven’t seen you in forever. Damn you’ve grown!” She clamped her hands on both of Griffin’s muscular shoulders in complete awe of his size.

“Ma’am you know him?” Mara questioned, her weapon still drawn.

“Yes. He’s my cousin.”

___

Ava excused herself and Griffin from the group, finding a secluded corner while Mara holstered her weapon. “What are you doing in New York? Did you see me in the club? How the hell did you and your friends get in here? Does your mom know...” Ava cut herself off before pulling her cousin back into a second hug. It had been about a decade since she last saw the kid. Back then, he was an 8-year-old pain in the ass and she was a moody pre-teen still dealing with the trauma of her friend’s death. But time and friendship have helped to Ava cope, which allowed her to appreciate Griffin’s sudden appearance. “How are you?”

His megawatt smile could put even the most harden person at ease and Griffin flashed it proudly helping his cousin relax. “I’m here to help you Ava. My friends and I know why you’ve sought out The Sisters. You have to know there is danger involved with telling them.”

“Danger? What kind of danger?”

“Without getting into too much detail, I know that you’re a witch and able to conjure magic. You’re actually known as The Learned One in our realm.”

“Seriously? I’m famous?” Ava beamed with pride before the rest of Griffin’s comment sank into her mind. “Wait. Your realm?”

Griffin nodded. “Not you per se, but magical people are aware that there is a non-magical human with strong, learned powers developing. My friends and I are students at a magical university that helps us hone our naturally attuned abilities. It exists in a realm parallel to this one. Because of some of our research in trying to solve something else, I was able to sense your situation and danger. There are forces in my realm trying to seek out power tied to my friend Donovan.” Griffin motioned to the tall, blond guy that looked like he stepped off the pages of an Abercrombie ad.

“He’s cute. Just a friend?”

“Maybe something more. He’s close with Beckett too though. The guy in the blue blazer. So I dunno what will happen.” Griffin realized the conversation veered off track and he playfully tapped Ava on the arm for talking about his love life. “Anyway, I have a feeling that the power The Sister’s possess may be similar in nature to Donovan’s, only their power is tenfold.”

Worry and panic appeared in Ava’s eyes. “So you’re saying if I help them find their power in order to aid Taylor’s return to Earth, I’d be endangering the whole world?”

“It’s a possibility. You need to be prepared for the worst. Shreya, Zeph, and Beckett helped me prep a few things to assist with your mission.” Griffin pulled a talisman and two vials of potion from his pocket and passed it to his cousin. “The talisman will help obscure your location whenever you perform the ritual. The vile of red liquid will help bind The Sister’s power once more when you use it in conjunction with the incantation I know you have memorized. And finally, the blue liquid will help erase the memories related to the discussion of The Sister’s abilities and will replace them with a false memory of your creation. It will help to keep you all safe. If nobody remembers The Sister’s powers exist, then nobody can accidentally expose them to the world.”

“And what about you and your friends? You all know now.”

“I enchanted the portal we came through with the same power as the potion and already chose a memory of us dancing the night away in a New York nightclub. Once we return to our realm, we’ll have no recollection of ever being here with you.”

“Damn. Ava’s been holding out on the fact that she has a super-hot cousin,” Cade whispered to Lucas. “And his friends look good too.” He kept his voice low so Ava wouldn’t hear him, but it wasn’t low enough to avoid Stacy’s attention.

“You’re dating my brother,” Stacy barked before smacking Cade with a moderately hard backhand to the chest. “If he heard you...”

“I’m pretty sure he’d have the same thoughts,” Cade interrupted with a smile as he gently massaged the spot on his chest where she had hit him trying to alleviate the sting.

After meeting Griffin’s friends, Ava escorted her cousin and his group over towards the others in the room. She still had a ton of questions she wanted to ask him. How did he discover he was magically born? What was he talking about with Buffy being real? When was the last time he went to visit Grandma Mabel? But first, she just needed to introduce him to the group. “Your Majesty. I apologize for the interruption. This is my cousin. Griffin Langley. And these are his friends.”

As Griffin nodded to everyone assembled and introduced his friends, Jake sat back in one of the VIP room’s plush chairs. He had questions for Ava and was sure he wasn’t the only one. But he’d let Hermione have this moment of happiness with her long lost cousin.

“You’re over here contemplating nicknames aren’t you?” Dan asked as he pulled up a seat beside the pilot.

Jake smiled. The kid knew him too well, even though it’s only been a few days. “Guy Candy, Sabrina, Prep School, Golden Boy, and Zephyr.”

“Wait. That Zephyr guy gets to keep his name? And Sabrina? Like the teenage witch? You think Griffin and his friends are...”

“Yup. I do. And Zephyr is a cool fucking name,” Jake replied. He and Dan shared a laughed between themselves before they noticed Griffin about to address Queen Carissa.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Your Majesty. I wish it were under different circumstances of course,” Griffin said flashing his great big smile.

The Queen nodded her head. “Agreed Mr. Langley. Question though. How did you get in here? The door is locked and there is an armed member of The King’s Guard stationed outside.”

“Maybe they stuffed Eagle Eye into a closet like we did,” Jake snickered under his breath to Dan, who was barely able to contain an outburst.

“About that,” Griffin answered before doing a series of hand gestures causing the nearby plants and soil to twirl around in the air. They danced into a weave of intricate patterns, zipping back and forth across the room. It was extremely simple, and well below Griffin’s skill level, but still an impressive display of magic for those in the VIP Room to see. “Locked doors really aren’t a problem for us.” Apathy was all that met Griffin’s effort in return. “Really? That usually gets some kind of reaction.”

“We fought off a bunch of moss creatures in high school, so...” Lucas shrugged.

“Fought a giant crab and a three-headed sea monster in La Huerta,” Jake added.

“Well we’re impressed,” Abby remarked motioning to herself and two sisters. “The most magical experience I’ve had is my friend Brooke’s Sphere of Prettiness.” Abby immediately regretted doubting Ava earlier. “Sorry I didn’t believe you before,” she said to the tall woman standing beside Griffin.

Ava nodded her understanding to Abby. She got it. Skepticism was to be expected. Ava was still honing her craft and, if she could, she would have done some kind of demonstration to prove magic existed.

“Right. Great. Okay then. So magic and monsters exist and my sisters and I are powerful witches,” Carissa began trying to refocus the group’s conversation. “And our mother fits into all of this somewhere. So let’s start there.” Carissa sat down between Abby and Scarlett on one of the many large sofa’s the VIP Room had to offer as the others pulled up seats throughout the private area. Only Mara and Jake remained standing. Neither one wanted to be caught off guard a second time.

Ava cleared her throat once everyone had settled and she had command of the room. “Right. Okay Your Majesty. Scarlett. Abby.” Ava nodded with each name she spoke. As much as she had prepared for this conversation, she never expected to have an audience quite so large. Ava had expected that the Queen would ask to speak with her privately to discuss the matter. But regardless of the number of people present, it didn’t change the facts as Ava knew them to be. “Everything I know begins when your mother paid a visit to Cora Pritchard.”

***

(To Be Continued)

#playchoices #choices fandom #long post #choices fanfic

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