#a lot of really old Giles/Jenny fic from btvs

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, November 22

GILES: I was a librarian for years. This is exactly the same, except people pay for the things they don't return. It'll give me focus. Increase my resources. And it'll prevent you lot from trampling all over my flat at all hours. There may even be some space for you to train in the back. BUFFY: Boy, you've really thought this through. How bored were you last year? GILES: I watched "Passions" with Spike. Let us never speak of it.

~~BtVS 5x02 “Real Me”~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Invasion Of Privacy (Buffy, Ted, Joyce, Angel, PG) by badly_knitted

make me hazy (Giles/Jenny, M) by CallMeVampy

Fledgeling Take Flight (Jenny Calendar, Phantom xover, T) by arcanedreamer

Not a Dark Prince (Angel, Spike, G) by Stand with Ward and Queen

[French language] Vampire hollywoodienne (Buffy/Faith, T) by Friday Queen

[Chaptered Fiction]

Breathe Again, Chapter 12/17 (Angel/Cordelia, M) by Califi62

New Blood, Chapter 7 (Xander, Naruto crossover, T) by danu40k

With Arms Wide Open, Chapters 13-14 (Buffy/Giles, E) by jaybird023

Days of Future Past, Chapter 31/34 (Buffy/OC, Angel/OC, Buffy/Angel, M) by a2zmom

New York, Chapter 19 (Giles/Xander, M) by drsquidlove

"The Sky's Gonna Open", Chapter 6 (Lindsey/OC, T) by lindseymcdonaldseyelashes

A Call From Beyond, Chapter 3/7 (Ensemble, G) by CoffeeMilkLuvr

I'm Only Your Darkness, Chapter 11 (Buffy/Faith, E) by Karnstein99

Moments that Make You: The Hero and The Princess, Chapter 93 (Cordelia/Doyle, T) by myheadsgonenumb

Between The Shadow & The Soul, Chapter 3 (Angel/OC, T) by dreamingshores

Spiderwebs, Chapter 43 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Willow25

The Transfer, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Blackmysteria

Fates Intertwined: A Second Chance, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Spikelover4ever

The Vision Quest, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by acb6293

Encased by Sunshine, Chapter 29 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by acb6293

Buffy’s Spooky Birthday, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, R) by VeroNyxK84

What the Drabble?, Chapter 44 (Buffy/Spike, R) by VeroNyxK84

Encased in Sunshine, Chapter 30 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Acb6293

Twice Broken, Thrice Burnt, Chapter 19 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by ClowniestLivEver

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: Here’s a fun old one of the Master!! (drawing, worksafe) by foul-sorcery

Tattoo: [Tattoo design with BtVS quote from "The Gift"] (worksafe) by tattoos4mnd via tattoos4mnd

Gifset: PASSION is the source of our finest moments. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear (Wesley/Lilah, slightly NSFW) by gothamstreetcat

Video: D&D | Podcast | Q&A | Buffy the Vampire Slayer by It's A Mimic!

[Reviews & Recaps]

*SHOULD I BE LAUGHING!?* Buffy the Vampire Slayer S5 Ep 11 "Triangle" Reaction: FIRST TIME WATCHING by Nick Reacts

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 6X12 REACTION | First Time Watching by EvilQK

EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER - Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reaction - 3X8 - "Lovers Walk" ( Buffy Reaction ) by Java Java Reactions

Zombies and Reunions! | Buffy The Vampire Slayer 3x2 'Dead Man's Party' | Blind Reaction by Vic

Season 3 Begins! // Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episode 3x01 Reaction // Buffy is My Hero! by Brooke Whipple

PODCAST: Buffy Season 8: Part 3 by Buffy the Gilmore Slayer: A Buffy and Gilmore Girls Podcast

[Recs]

spuffy fic rec, pt.2 recced by louisandjade

[Fandom Discussions]

buffy season four will give you whiplash any time they cut from one romantic subplot to another by idkaguyorsomething

With all my Bangel VS Cangel talk recently it probably does come across like I hate Bangel. This isn’t true by girl4music

And I don’t hate Angel. Not anymore. I never really did actually by girl4music

Do any of yall think about how in Something Blue, Buffy tells Riley shes getting married to a guy named Spike and plays it off as ‘a joke.’ by spikes-left-eyebrow

Rewatching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and today’s new issue with the show is how Buffy is the “chosen” one who has no say in the matter by jenny-from-the-box

Would you like a SMG celebrity memoir? by Taake

The Nature of Willow's "Dark Magic" in Season Six by American Aurora, multiple posters

What Would a Buffy the Vampire Slayer Revival Look Like? - A MLC Retrospective by MyLoveableCrayon

Yet another “Dead Man’s Party” thread: how would you have fixed it? by squidwardsaclarinet

Am I the only one that wishes they kept the more “case of the week” noir style of season 1 and 2 by SignificantBerry3837

Wrong answers only: What did Spike whisper in April the Robot's ear that she threw him out a window? by jdpm1991

Watching Buffy again- changed my opinion on Riley by EyCeeDedPpl

Xander as a character has not aged well or society has just evolved by Jockwarrior

Tired of the fandom? by Upbeat_Tone_2710

Would a high caliber bullet to the heart kill a vamp? by TheEbolaArrow

Everyone talks about the best and the worst… by duvet-cover

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Join the editor team :)

[enigmaticagentalice]

I was tagged by the wonderful @bloodlnthemoonlight to share part of a WIP fic, and since I have...many...I thought I’d throw a curveball and pick something from one of my most obscure niche pairings, which is Lin Beifong/Kya from The Legend of Korra :D

***

“So what did Bumi say?”

“He doesn’t know,” said Kya wearily.

“Really? You didn’t tell him?”

“Tenzin, we’re not twelve years old anymore, it’s not like we constantly trade secrets behind your back. Much. Anyway, you know he’s probably gonna be insufferable and claim he saw it coming all along.”

“So only I know?”

“You and Korra and Ikki. I’d guess Asami. Oh, and the rest of your family now, after that little scene, so probably the entire of air temple island by tomorrow. So enjoy that sense of superiority while you can.” Kya yawned widely. “You know, I really didn’t think everyone would be that interested.”

“And here I thought you waterbenders were supposed to be intuitive,” smiled Tenzin. “I’m sure Ikki is picking out your wedding dress already.”

“She did seem pretty thrilled about it,” admitted Kya. “Even Korra said she thought we make a cute couple. You should have seen Lin’s face; I don’t think she’s been called cute in her entire life.”

Tenzin let out a half stifled snort of laughter, and Kya grinned.

“For what it’s worth,” she said, “I’m glad you know. And I’m glad you had your total freak out while Lin wasn’t here, because she would have kicked your ass up and down the island.”

“I don’t doubt she would have tied,” said Tenzin. “And for what it’s worth, I’m glad that you’ve finally chosen someone who I can at least approve of in principle. Not—” he added hastily “—that it’s any of my business to approve or not, I’m sure. But Lin is a dear friend and an admirable woman, and if she can persuade you to stay here in Republic City then that can only be a good thing. I know we’d all like to see you more often.”

Kya shrugged. “Well I can’t promise that, but Lin can be very persuasive when she wants to be.”

Tenzin made a face, visible even in the lamplight. “I’d really rather not hear about that.”

“She does this thing with her—”

“Kya!”

They were both laughing now, and Kya impulsively threw one arm around her brother’s waist and gave him a friendly squeeze. “I missed you,” she said.

“I missed you too,” said Tenzin.

***

I tag...anyone who reads this! Share a fic excerpt and tag me in it because I’d love to read it :D

[cortexifansquint]

Hi! I can't send this from my Buffyverse sideblog (because-nothing-is-inevitable) but wanted to challenge a few fellow BtVS/AtS fans :) 1. Your 3-5 favorite canon romances? 2. Three ships that weren't romantic in canon but you wish had been? (You once posted something that has me thinking about Gwen/Gunn!) 3. Your five or six favorite friendships? (A few of mine are Buffy/Giles, Wesley/Gunn when I pretend nothing tore them apart, Cordy/Wesley, Faith/Angel, Buffy/Willow, etc!) 4. Your five most rewatchable episodes of AtS and five most rewatchable episodes of BtVS? 5. Your ten favorite Buffyverse characters? (It doesn't have to be in order---that's probably too hard!) 6. How would you rank the seven seasons of BtVS from your favorite to least favorite? 7. How would you rank the five seasons of AtS from your favorite to least favorite? 8. Three unpopular opinions---i.e., a character/ship/episode that most fans love which you dislike or that most fans dislike which you love :) I can't wait to read your answers. Have fun!

Ooh fun!

1. Your 3-5 favorite canon romances?

* Spike/Buffy

* Angel/Cordelia

* Willow/Oz & Willow/Tara tie (both near perfect, turned into / ended up in yikes)

* Wesley/Lilah

* Giles/Jenny

2. Three ships that weren't romantic in canon but you wish had been?

* Faith/Buffy (it was basically in S3 lol)

* Giles/Anya (don't know if I'd actually want it in show, but have read them together in an ensemble fix-it fic and enjoyed it lol)

hmm can't think of another. plenty of rarepairs I have fun thinking about but not actually want/think would work in canon haha.

3. Your five or six favorite friendships?

* Angel/Cordelia/Wesley/Gunn/Fred (less gang up sessions than scooby gang lol)

* Buffy & Giles (minus S6 & 7)

* Spike & Dawn

* Angel & Faith

* Buffy & Willow

4. Your five most rewatchable episodes of AtS and five most rewatchable episodes of BtVS?

Way too hard! This is mostly a 5 of kind of situation

BTVS: Once More With Feeling, Bad Girls, Graduation Day, Something Blue, Chosen

ATS: Birthday, Reunion, Five by Five, Lullaby, Spin the Bottle

5. Your ten favorite Buffyverse characters? (It doesn't have to be in order---that's probably too hard!)

Buffy, Faith, Spike, Darla, Willow, Cordelia, Wesley, Dawn, Anya, Tara or Andrew (during S7, odd choice but I love that dork haha)

6. How would you rank the seven seasons of BtVS from your favorite to least favorite?

5, 3, 2 - Honestly these can go in any order, most top fave episodes in these.

6 - Amazing and first half contains my second favorite period for Spuffy. But the second is so heavy and not one I watch casually.

7 - Enjoy this season a lot more than most the fandom, probably as much as 6.

4 - Outside of Something Blue, Hush, A New Man & This Year's Girl/Who Are You, I don't rewatch this one much.

7. How would you rank the five seasons of AtS from your favorite to least favorite?

3 - Peak, Cangel content, addition of Fred.

2 - Gunn! Also loved the Cordy/Wes/Gun trio. Darla arc is a favorite.

1 - Revisit this season most when in a casual AtS mood.

4 - Mostly yikes. but liked Wesley/Lilah, Faith episodes, beginning parts of the beast/jasmine arc (like Apocalypse, nowish and Habeas Corpses minus the Cordelia + Connor yuck) and some good Fred episodes.

5 - Took me forever to get through on first watch. Completely different feel. Sausage fest. Just didn't enjoy it save for a few episodes I rewatch occasionally (Damage, Harm's Way, Smile Time, You're Welcome). There is Spike, but he loses so much development around Angel and they become 12 year olds.

8. Three unpopular opinions---i.e., a character/ship/episode that most fans love which you dislike or that most fans dislike which you love

* I enjoyed the potentials storyline of S7. I'd even the screen time out between them and our main gang being the final season, but overall I really liked it.

* I prefer Fred/Gunn way over Fred/Wesley.

* Angel/Cordelia should have been endgame. Spike can shanshu and be human with Buffy, and Angel + now super-being Cordy can be immortal together.

[theajaheira]

2019 fic roundup

december was INSANE and i spent most of january dealing with the aftermath of Terrible Parents, but i am finally doing this! in nearly-february! good grief!

tagged by @catty-words​! always a delight, cori <3

Total 2019 Word Count: 541,906 Total 2019 Hits: 29,555 Other 2019 AO3 Stats: Kudos: 3,184; Comment threads: 787; Bookmarks: 509; Subscriptions: 223.

Total 2018 Word Count: 338,835 Total 2018 Hits: 22,374 Other 2018 AO3 Stats: Kudos: 2,192; Comment threads: 453; Bookmarks: 280; Subscriptions: 69.

links and titles to 2019 works (buckle up, folks.)

[btvs] imperfections (148,374 words) y’all know about the braveryverse already but i’ll bring up some good points: jenny and giles accidentally adopt the entire scooby gang. also faith gets some actual support and is actually eventually stable enough to date buffy. good times.

[btvs] deliberate obstruction (5,492 words) the one where jenny is petty as fuck and attempts to sabotage every single one of giles’s dates after their breakup. not her best look, but it was really fun to write jenny being Not Great. she deserves to have that option.

[btvs] arch-nemeses (2,171 words) who doesn’t love some of that good old-fashioned ripper au nonsense? particularly when it’s spike and ripper being confusing nemeses who sometimes drunkenly make out (jenny thinks this is very funny).

[btvs] sick day (3,097 words) written because someone should take care of giles, damnit! probably not jenny, tho. she’s not the best at it. lucky for her giles loves her so much.

[btvs] simpatico (10,096 words) sister fic to the grieving process! set circa btvs season six! jenny is connor’s awkward aunt! giles is a repressed disaster who’s still pining but refuses to admit it! 

[btvs] honesty’s the best policy (3,830 words) that one where giles and buffy are hit with a Truth Spell that means they say exactly what they’re thinking. is that all that bad for buffy? not too much. is it a little iffy when you’re a repressed watcher man who still haven’t told your girlfriend how much you love her? uh.

[btvs comics] i router, you giles (1,111 words) GOD this was written BEFORE i knew that giles and jenny were dating in the reboot comics and isn’t that a concept? a snarky-cute first meeting! ok not really that cute bc they just yell at each other a lot! but definitely snarky!

[btvs] transitional (3,152 words) good golly this is cute and i honestly forgot that i wrote it. which makes sense, bc there is a lot of stuff on this list. set in between season one and season two, in an attempt to bridge the giles/jenny gap between “awkwardly friendly coworkers” and “oh my god i think i like you”

[btvs] across the pond (5,323 words) FUN FACT this got nominated for a headline award and i’m SO PROUD OF THAT?! epistolary fic! giles leaves for england in s6 but without his wife! his wife is very mad and writes him VERY MANY LETTERS TO YELL AT HIM! perfect for those people who sometimes think “god, i wish jenny had been in s6 to yell at giles.” 

[btvs] very really married (66,987 words) giles and jenny got drunk-married in las vegas and are keeping the marriage going so they don’t look like terrible authority figures. giles does not want buffy to know about his fake wife. giles does not want his fake wife to know about his real slayer. giles has a lot of problems and it doesn’t help that he might be catching feelings. big mess.

[btvs] bad dreams (2,267 words) GILES/JENNY/ANYA IS BEST SHIP NEXT QUESTION

[btvs comics] an open mic enthusiast (2,250 words) yet another giles/jenny comic-reboot meet-cute written before i knew they were dating!!! this time: jenny gets to see giles playing guitar. repeatedly. because she keeps going back to watch him at the open mic.

[btvs comics] blindsided (2,024 words) my first (and definitely not last) giles/anya fic! a shorter version of a plot bunny i hope to chase down in 2020 (ahaha did i say that WHOOPS)

[btvs] uncharted (16,469 words) my jenny calendar day fic! also known as “jenny calendar has a guilt complex: a novella.” no prophecy dream outs jenny to the group -- but she tells them anyway. and blames herself. and breaks up with giles while she’s trying to Fix Things. absolute mess. (thank god there’s a happy ending, right?)

[btvs] on the mending of hearts (9,236 words) that giles/anya fic where giles shows up at anya’s failed wedding and sweeps her off her feet and they have sex in his hotel room! except uhhh there’s a lot more drama and crying and anya really just needs some cuddles, tbh.

[btvs] extracurricular activities (1,003 words) straight up this one BARELY counts as a 2019 fic. i wrote it back in 2016 and forgot about it and found it on my hard drive and wrote an ending to it. it’s tiny, but it’s cute! lots of early-relationship calendiles fluff, as is My Brand.

[btvs] cookie dough and boy talk (a remix) (3,976 words) dawn, but in the ripper au! she’s a precocious little bab and ripper babysits her and gets semi-adopted by joyce. it’s a thing.

[btvs] a history lesson (698 words) a brief ripper au interlude between jenny and dru. dru tries to point out that jenny and ripper are in love. jenny very unconvincingly denies it.

[btvs] faith, hope, and pancakes (3,236 words) ripper au, now with faith! and she gets to hang with college-age jenny! who is dating her idiot boyfriend ripper! the Most Fun of times.

[btvs] compromises (750 words) this....was supposed to be a three-sentence prompt but I Can’t Do That. giles and jenny discuss (read: jenny yells at giles about) giles attempting to attack angel on sight.

[btvs] valentine buzz (3,422 words) i wrote this in may lmao but i just REALLY WANTED to write fluffy braveryverse valentine’s day nonsense!!! lots of cuddles and kisses and softness abound in this fic.

[btvs] days in goodness spent (5,893 words) this fic's point was a little more abstract and a little less blunt than most of the rest of these, but i wanted to explore the concept of giles slowly going from idealizing jenny to genuinely loving her. i hope i did it justice.

[btvs] to have and to hold (7,861 words) giles and jenny get married in the braveryverse. that’s really all there is. also i posted this on my birthday (may 23rd) AND it is the 23rd fic on this list!!!! WILD!!!!!)

[btvs] saw her in the streetlight, making all the world bright (5,738 words) took me like a year and a half to write the first fic in the ripper au, lmao. in which jenny is a snarky eighteen-year-old, ripper is a snarky college dropout in a band, and neither of them are at ALL good at communicating. especially not ripper.

[btvs] perfect (1,465 words) ripper au: it’s revealed that jenny hasn’t had sex before. ripper handles this with his characteristic maturity and grace (just kidding lmao he FREAKS. but it’s bc he loves her.)

[btvs] respite (1,106 words) i wrote this after issue 5 of the reboot dropped bc i was very emotional about canon power couple giles and jenny. in retrospect, i gave giles’s emotional maturity WAY too much credit--esp. given what’s going on now--but it was still fun as heck to write.

[btvs] shouldn’t we be getting together (3,193 words) this fic’s existence is a combo of me reading a summer camp ya novel and liking the Aesthetic but not the Culture & me talking endlessly w/ @jackalopingintothevoid​ about ripper and jenny’s teenage dynamic. so many of these fics have her galaxy brain takes woven in and i KNOW she knows that. lov u, jack.

[btvs] fragmented (6,158 words) written because of that one time my brain was like “but what if jenny WAS haunting the school?” happy ending because it’s me and g/j deserve some kisses.

[btvs/hp crossover] buffy summers, muggle-born (22,070 words) i CAME BACK TO THIS in 2019 and wrote a few chapters and DROPPED IT LIKE A HOT POTATO. hopefully 2020 will bring me the courage to pick it up again!!!!!! who DOESN’T want a carelessly-mashed-together crossover where the scoobies and the golden trio are all going to hogwarts together for some reason????

[btvs] in bloom (8,452 words) this was SUPPOSED to be the end of the jenny-anya-tara trilogy. it was not. (more on that later.) this was also supposed to be a fic where giles and jenny get together. jenny and anya got together. writing things is wild sometimes.

[btvs] i still want to be your girl (35,165 words) straight up i am so proud of this fic! s7 au: jenny was chased out of town by angelus. giles does not know this. jenny has been working with angel in la, but left with faith to try and help defeat the first. giles is not the guy she remembers. (but jenny’s not exactly the lady giles remembers, either. so maybe things might work out.)

[btvs/leverage crossover] what’s in a name (4,421 words) sophie’s & jenny’s relationship to their names & identities always so totally fascinated me! this fic was my way of exploring that. (also i got to give giles and jenny a toddler. that was fun too.)

[btvs comics] live a little (6,700 words) i had so much fun coming up with a backstory for giles and jenny in the comics that i am kinda tempted to eventually try and do it again. this one was fun to write, tho.

[btvs] kind of like hydrogen peroxide (7,501 words) THIS was FUN. ripper au, but it explores both jenny’s longing for High School Normalcy AND ripper’s fucked-up relationship to magic. also senior prom is a thing.

[btvs] mending fences (6,093 words) sequel to the aforementioned epistolary fic! lots of first-person self-loathing from giles, but also a LOT of love for jenny and his kids. also the man really truly needs to stop repressing.

[btvs] her father’s daughter (1,982 words) 2020 will bring us another chapter of this fic i swear to GOD. literally there’s only one chapter up so i cannot even TALK about my plans for it but uhhh if you want giles and jenny and their three daughters pls feel free to go to that prologue and check it out.

[btvs] a thousand different ways we fell apart (4,888 words) the au fic to encompass all au fics! inspired by the comic reboot and me being like. christ. do they go through this ridiculous shit in EVERY universe? ....and then i wrote a fic where jenny was a space traveler looking through multiple universe to try and fix her marriage with giles. extra fun.

[btvs] no such roses (4,814 words) this one turned out a TINY bit rushed, but the concept of jenny bringing giles back from the dead is always something that i love exploring. i might come back and rewrite this, someday.

[btvs comics] no perfect choice (4,801 words) OOF. wrote this one after issue 8 dropped. a lot softer and more tender than what actually happened, tbh. maybe i will reread it again to make myself feel better about comic calendiles and their brutal split.

[btvs] family (3,545 words) wrote this one p early in the year and came up with an ending to it much later! ripper au: the story of how xander came to live with giles and leave his parents. angst-with-a-happy-ending abounds.

[btvs] a california january (2,206 words) jenny and giles attend a funeral together. that’s pretty much it. this is defs one of the best things i wrote this year, tho.

[btvs] how i survived my summer vacation (volume two) (25,027 words) swear to god this is gonna be the next thing i update. the braveryverse NEEDS to continue. it’s got married calendiles, for god’s sake.

[btvs] clear and impartial judgment (3,977 words) that fic i wrote when i got mad at a lack of resolution wrt helpless. like!!! giles drugged buffy!!! do we not get to talk about the psychological ramifications that would have on her???? (well. canon doesn’t. but i do.)

[btvs] sunshine ladies (10,188 words) THIS FIC WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN and i say that with incandescent love in my heart. i intended for the ‘verse to be giles/jenny, and then i intended it to be jenny/anya, and then i was like....jenny has two goddamn hands, and there’s foreshadowing here for endgame giles/jenny, and i wanna write some giles/anya. let’s fuckin go. (DEFINITELY writing another installment in 2020 about this iconic ot3 of mine.) 

[btvs] spirit-touched (4,769 words) the first smut i write and it’s calendiles ghost sex. i really think this is on brand for me, esp. considering that swath of asks in 2016ish where everyone wanted to know if ghosts could jack off. incredible.

[btvs] dear friend (28,865 words) this fic had such a rushed ending :( it’s a cute premise (you’ve got mail giles/jenny au!!!!!), but i lost interest halfway through, and as a writer i can rlly see that when i read it. another thing i might like to go back and rewrite at some point, tbh!

[btvs] familiar (2,034 words) AUGH i am SO proud of this fic. SO SO PROUD. it’s a concept i really can’t explain and the little twist at the end is something i really really like, so...just read it.

[miss fisher’s murder mysteries] unbearable (5,670 words) i need to write more mfmm in 2020 but the amount of good fic out there is deeply intimidating/delightful. this one was my little “what if it was phryne who thought jack was dead” and tbqh i had a lot of fun with it? bc pining phryne (who makes brief but extremely poignant appearances throughout the series) is an awkwardly, heart-meltingly sincere lady.

[ace attorney] man’s duty to society (544 words) wrote this as my first foray into aa fic while getting emo about miles edgeworth. would absolutely still die for that man.

[ace attorney] fancy running into you (5,887 words) lots of schmoopy narumitsu fluff! gregory edgeworth is alive! miles is trauma-free! phoenix is an artist! just!!! goodness!!!!!!!

[ace attorney] big sister (2,741 words) set in the same gregory-edgeworth-is-alive ‘verse: babey franziska comes to live with miles and his dad. she is a little impossible but miles kinda does love her.

[ace attorney] prince charming edgeworth and his incredible tux (8,042 words) this fic came from me being like “i want to write phoenix swooning over miles in a tuxedo and being like HE LOOKS LIKE A DISNEY PRINCE” and spiraled into something much longer!

[ace attorney] fate, choice, and everything in between (4,384 words) SOULMATE AU. nothing i love more than deconstructing soulmate aus. but like. in a romantic way. also phoenix and miles ARE soulmates and that is JUST facts.

Favorite Fic: I WROTE SO MUCH STUFF THO LIKE !?!??! how can one expect me to distill it to just one fic? i’ll make it my top threeL

a california january (I AM SO PROUD OF THIS FIC. it is soft and angsty and silly and devastating and tender. all the calendiles feels.)

i still want to be your girl (same mood!!! i’ve wanted to write this fic for literal years, and it’s one of those rare occasions where the picture in my head actually turned out BETTER when written out!)

sunshine ladies (this is like my giles/jenny/anya ship manifesto and it still makes me happy to think about them all co-running the magic box together and smooching a lot.)

Hardest Fic: OOF uh i went through a rocky period of writing when transitioning into college? no such roses and dear friend were hit the hardest by my insecurity & my desire to Finish Things rather than actually spend time on the craft. but i’m much more settled in now and my writing is DEFINITELY in an upward swing (as my newest fic -- as day follows night -- attests to quite nicely, imo)

Do You Plan to Take Prompts in 2020? always always yes! (i’m bad at following through with them, but am ALWAYS accepting them.)

What was the best thing about 2019? there were almost too many good things to COUNT, but i think all of them were made possible by me working extremely hard to get myself the FUCK out of my abusive parents’ house and into my first choice college!! i’m thriving, y’all.

What was the worst thing about 2019? realizing that both of my parents are fundamentally terrible people. that part kinda sucked.

Any last thoughts for 2019? i finally understand what it’s like to fall asleep feeling safe, and to notice the way the leaves change color, and to get excited about self-indulgent things like food and cuddly stuffed animals and my own fic and art. 2019 brought a lot of happiness into my life, and oh yeah also i’m in love! lots of cool stuff going on.

Goals for 2020

finish the latest braveryverse installment!

MORE ART JUST IN GENERAL. i love drawing, but there’s not a lot of free time for artsy celia when they prioritize writing so often!

write one of the many incredible longfic ideas that’s floating around in my head. it’s honestly probably only like two or three big ones, but at least DECIDE which one i’m gonna focus my energy on.

more giles/anya this year!

more giles/jenny/anya this year!

diversify! still gonna be writing about jenny forever, but like. it might be fun to write about a few new things here and there.

maybe some more ace attorney fic? maybe even some mfmm fic again? phryne and jack are never far from my heart.

not tagging anyone bc this is....january. but if you wanna do it, feel free!

[aceholmes]

Ten Things that Could’ve Happened to Jenny Calendar

It’s my second attempt in writing for the Buffyverse. I’ve written this as a ‘what if’ fic, if the events of Passion had gone a little bit differently. Written as a fic for Calendiles day, I wanted to explore the possible paths that Jenny would’ve took. I’ve tried to place a bigger focus on Calendiles, although a little bit of Jenny/Lilah might have snuck into the fic. I’d like to thank Celia @jenny-calendar​ for coming up with such a great event.

Here it is on my AO3!

Note: Parts I-IV would’ve taken place around the time Passion would’ve taken place. Parts V and VI take place around ATS s1, and Part VII takes place after the events of A New Man. Part VIII would’ve happened alongside all the other shenanigans in Once More With Feeling, Part IX would’ve happened in BTVS late s7 and Part X takes place at the end of Chosen.

I.

Willow blinked back at Jenny, her youthful eyes streaked with worry.

“A-are you sure?” The girl stuttered, in her own concerned way. “I mean, it’s a public place, and Angelus is still out there. What if he decides that, he wants to come hunt us down? Angel knows we do a, a lot of research in the school library.”

Looking at Willow, Jenny wanted to avoid saying something along the lines of ‘Hey, the chances of that seem pretty slim’. It would come off as artificially optimistic, given the serious, life-threatening reality of the situation.

“Hey. It’s no big matter. Teachers stay back in school all the time,” Jenny offered, shrugging. “Just go home, Willow, I’ll be fine,” She leaned back in her chair and stretched her limbs. “It’ll only be one more night at most.”

“You could come over to my place,” suggested Willow, with a sense of quick urgency. “I’ve got a computer round there, and I’m sure we can whip something up fast enough to de-invite Angelus. We’ve got everything we need! The rhyming couplets, spells, spices, everything we need to keep Mr. Broody off the welcome mat.”

Jenny cracked a smile at Willow’s humour. Turning back to her computer, she resisted the thought of following Willow home. After all, she’d prefer working on a computer she was familiar with. “It’s okay, I mean, how are you going to sneak me out of your house without your parents noticing?”

“Are you really sure it’s safe here?” Willow pressed her lips into a thin line, tugging her shirt nervously.

“Well, and if I turn into a vampire tomorrow, I’d give you the first stab opportunity,” suggested Jenny, hoping to see a smile appear on Willow’s face, but her expression had hardly changed from when she first came to seek Jenny that day. “That was a joke.”

Willow shrugged. “Alright then,” She turned to leave, but stopped short, swerving around. The motions sent her hair whipping around her shoulders like an amber curtain. “You know, you should really talk to Giles. He hasn’t been doing so well lately. And I mean, I can just see it, you miss him too, don’t you?”

Jenny thought for a moment. “Maybe. Maybe I do.”

–

II.

This was the second time Jenny hurled herself out a window.

Well, the first didn’t really count, considering that she was possessed by Eyghon, and it wasn’t the most pleasant experience. In fact it was possibly far from it.

Recent events flashed through her mind as she hurtled towards the ground.

The translation’s done, at least. My computer’s busted, though. Wasn’t there a disk? It’s possibly still out there. But there’s not much I can do if I don’t survive this. Oh, well. If it’s the last thing I’ll ever think before I go out with a bang, Buffy, I’m sorry I couldn’t–

The impact happened, and she heard a crunch. Relieved to find herself still alive, she scrambled to her feet in a panic, glancing up at the gaping hole the broken window left for a split second before making herself move. Brushing off the leaves from the pile she had landed in, sharp wisps of pain shot up her left arm, and she knew she had possibly landed herself a broken wrist, or at least sprained it. A cut slashed across her cheek dripped, wet. Trying not to cringe with pain, she pushed herself up to her feet, gritting her teeth so much she could hear them grind.

She didn’t know where Angelus was, but she had to keep on moving. Ignoring the arrows of pain in her lower back, she limped towards the car, her heart in her mouth as she silently counted down to the moment Angelus would finally catch up with her and grab her from behind, and drink.

Upon reaching her car, she let out a huge sigh of relief when she found that she had forgotten to lock her car and that she’d left her keys in the ignition - which could’ve been a bad move, honestly, but it didn’t matter any more as she sped off, not even stopping to buckle her seatbelt. After being chased and nearly killed by a rabid vampire, and leaping from the fourth floor of the school building and miraculously surviving thanks to a pile of leaves, dying in a car crash was perhaps the least of her worries.

Keeping track of Angelus was hard, since vampires don’t show up in mirrors, and it was very hard for Jenny to keep her eyes on the road and occasionally glance back to check that Angelus wasn’t tailing her. Honestly, it was made even worse by only having one functional hand to grip the wheel with, and Jenny had never held onto another object as tightly as the steering wheel of her car. It seemed that he was gone by the time Jenny pulled up outside Buffy’s residence on Revello Drive, but she wasn’t going to take any chances. Digging in the glove box, Jenny fished out a cross, which looked seemingly large enough to fend off a vampire approximately the shape and size of Angelus. (Does the size of a cross affect its effectiveness against a vampire? Something that she’d never considered, but Rupert probably had some scientific answer to that. Or at least, as scientific as the supernatural could ever get.)  

She staggered out of her car, and towards the house as swiftly as she could manage, with all the resolve she had left. “Buffy,” Jenny croaked, her head spinning. Slumping against the front door like a rag doll, she gave three firm knocks on the heavy wooden door, all the while holding her breath and hoping that Angelus wasn’t still lurking around.

Jenny got a huge shock when the door gave way, and she could’ve tumbled across the threshold had it not been for Willow.

–

III.

Joyce let Jenny stay the night after hearing that the Sunnydale computer teacher was targeted by Buffy’s pale, brooding ex-boyfriend that very same night he personally paid her a visit at her doorstep.

“We can’t take you to the hospital, not right now,” Joyce fretted. “He might still be out there. Buffy, should we call the police and turn him in?”

“They can’t deal with him,” shrugged Buffy, taking a sip of milk from her glass. “We’ll take Ms. Calendar tomorrow morning. When the sun’s out.”

“What difference does it make?” Joyce inquired, raising her eyebrows. “What’s stopping him, from being on the lookout for us tomorrow?”

“Mrs. Summers, I think it would do a world of difference,” offered Jenny from the sofa. “Willow’s done her best with the first aid. I think I can hold out till tomorrow.”

Joyce nodded, in a not-exactly-convinced way. “Is there anyone you need me to call? Family?”

“You could try dropping a call to Mr. Giles. The school librarian. He’d be worried sick. And I don’t like the idea of him being out there. Angelus will use him to get to Buffy.”

“Angelus?” Joyce inquired, with a tilt of her head. “Honey,” she addressed her daughter, “is there something I’m missing here?”

“Uh, mom,” Buffy started, “I think we –”

“It’d be best if we could explain to you a little bit down the road,” Jenny cut in. “A lot has happened tonight.”

“Wait, so you need me to make a call to Mr. Giles?” Joyce reiterated.

“I’ve got his number memorised,” Jenny said, reaching for a pen. “I could write it down if you want-”

“He’s a good man. Comes around often. He’s very concerned for the children.” Joyce exclaimed. “Oh, and I also have it written somewhere around here.”

He comes around often? Does she even wonder why? Jenny pondered on whether Joyce even knew the truth about Buffy.

“That’s an interesting, art piece,” Jenny started, averting her thoughts. “the one’s that hanging on the wall. It complements the wallpaper.”

“Oh,” Joyce beamed. “Buffy’s always too busy to really stand there and appreciate it. She says it’s angry at the room. Oh, I said, she’s got the wrong idea.”

“It creates contrast,” Jenny observed the mask closely. “Where is this from?”

“Sub-Saharan Africa, I think,” Joyce recalled. “I’ve got so many of these around the house, I can’t remember the origins of them all.”

“That isn’t the only one you have?”

“I work for an art gallery. Sometimes I end up bringing my work home with me.”

“My grandfather did painting,” Jenny said, feeling a weak smile spread across her face. It was a long time ago, it took a lot of digging into the deepest recesses of her mind to find the particular memory. She was two years old, and her grandfather let her have one canvas, She splattered paint onto it with no regard at all, until he came around and took a look at her work. He took the canvas and skilfully worked around what was already on the canvas, transforming a series of random ink splotches into a lifelike image of a bird.

The memory warmed her, and she was so deep in thought she thought she could just forget whatever had happened that night, just for a second.

Glancing back at Joyce, Jenny wondered how it would be like to live on the Hellmouth without being aware of all the paranormal activity. Not knowing, in this case, would be much better than knowing the ugly truth about the sleepy little town.

–

IV.

Jenny wasn’t in school the week after the run in with Angelus.

Giles had heard that she was safe at Buffy’s, the night she was working late to finish the translation. He’d also heard about her trip to the hospital, but he’d only managed to pay her a brief visit the night after, and had to leave early due to late-night researching. Willow had managed to retrieve the disk containing the Ritual of Restoration from Jenny’s classroom, and he was working hard on it to decipher its meanings. He considered asking the Council for help, but they’d turn him away, saying that the matter was on a small enough scale for him to solve on his own. After all, it was only one vampire, not a whole army. Moreover, they would give the order to kill, which wasn’t what the team wanted to achieve, at least under these current circumstances. But why was he doing this? Perhaps it was much more for Buffy’s sake than his own. Either way, he had to work fast, Jenny’s run in with Angelus was simply too close for comfort this time.

He was intensely deep in thought when he realised he had almost missed the phone call that came in on the library phone. In a hurry, he snatched up the receiver. “Good evening, this is Mr. Giles, the Sunnydale High librarian. How may I help –”

“Rupert.”

“Jenny. I’m so sorry I haven’t been around, I –”

“Could you meet me at my apartment? There’s something I need your help with.”

Giles pulled up outside Jenny’s apartment block within ten minutes of her call. Pushing his glasses up, he began to climb the stairs leading to Jenny’s apartment on the third floor of the small, dark block. It was rather late at night, and he was tired - so tired that he nearly leaned on a wall against his satchel. That was close, he mused, thinking about the fragility of the object that lay tucked in a small drawstring bag within his satchel. He honestly didn’t know what he expected from Jenny at this point. Maybe she’d be excited to see him and things would go back to the way they were. Upon reaching her apartment, Giles was appalled to find her front door unlocked. Considering her run-in with Angelus, he thought she’d be more careful about her security. And if supernatural threats weren’t enough, there were also the day-to-day human threats such as a break-in.

He wasn’t expecting to see Jenny leaning on a crutch and attempting to cram a wall decoration into a cardboard box.

Her apartment wasn’t filled with them yet, giving him an indication that there would be still some time before she moved out, but it would happen soon. How soon is soon? He wondered, staring at the cluttered room.

Jenny looked up, brushing a lock of hair out of her face with her right hand, wobbling a bit. She turned, and Giles noticed that her left hand was in a sling. “Sorry,” She mentioned sheepishly. “Should’ve told you about-”

“No worries. You have your reasons, I suppose,” Giles assured. “But I feel, that I should perhaps know your reason for leaving before you do so.”

“You want to know?” Jenny said. “No problem, I can just tell you my reasons. No beating around the bush, no lying by omission, I’ll be very honest with you.”

Giles helped her into a chair, and pulled over another one for himself. “You shouldn’t be standing. If I remember correctly the doctor did say to-”

“Keep strain off my back, yeah,” Jenny cut in. “So. What do you want to know first?”

“You could begin wherever you feel like starting. It’s your story, after all.”

“I’ll be willing to restore Angel’s soul. Then I’ll leave,” Jenny put forward, watching for his reaction.

“And that’ll be…?”

“A couple of weeks, perhaps, after I recover,” Jenny shifted in her seat. “I feel I’ve done enough. To be very honest, I wasn’t sure how exactly to follow my family’s wishes and stay and monitor Angel, but it seems that I got caught in the crossfire. I got involved in some events around here that I think I wouldn’t want to be involved in again. Such as that night I was possessed, that was awful.”

“I want to take a break, Rupert,” Jenny said, making eye contact with him. Giles found Jenny’s hand slip into his, intertwining their fingers. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I do, it’s just that I need some time away from all the monster activity here on the Hellmouth. I need a bit of time, to process what’s happened to me. To us, and I mean all of us. You, me, Buffy, Willow, Xander, and the others.”

“I don’t think I can keeping doing this. I haven’t slept for more than two hours consecutively in two weeks because of-” Jenny took a breath, her shoulders shuddering, “-the nightmares. I can still recall every detail in excruciating detail.” The way the wind moved around her as she scampered through the school like a rat. The venom in Angelus’ voice as he taunted her, waiting for her to walk to my death. The crisp, ugly smell of the leaves which she happened to tumble into, saving her life. “But now I can’t even look at the leaves on the trees around my apartment and not think of what happened that night,” She glanced at the window. “That’s why I drew the blinds.”

“I think I could never understand how you felt that night, and I can comprehend your reasons for wanting to leave Sunnydale.”

“Nobody needs to know,” Jenny insisted, her voice firm. “Nobody needs to know what Angelus’ did to me that night. What matters is that I know that once we find a way to restore his soul, we can forget what Angelus did.”

They sat in silence, glancing at each other by the soft light of the table lamp.

“H-how long will you be away?” Giles started. “No, that shouldn’t be a question I should be asking-”

“A few months, a year maybe. I don’t know,” Jenny sighed. “But I’m sure I can’t be away from here for long. I’m just packing all this stuff so that I won’t be returning to a messy apartment. I thought it’d be nice if I could start anew once I got back.”

Giles changed the subject. “I’ve managed to sort out the ritual, and we just need the respective materials. I believe I should be free tomorrow to pop down to the Magic Box and pick up some spices.”

Jenny turned to her dining table, where bowls of herbs and spices were placed around an empty stand. “All I’m missing is the Orb. Angelus broke it into smithereens when he paid me that little visit.”

“I thought I’d bring my Orb over. Well, prior to this, I was using it as a paperweight. I didn’t know it was intended for cursing the souls of vampires. I presumed that your purpose for inviting me over tonight was to attempt the re-ensoulment. Well, I don’t suppose I was absolutely sure, but I brought it along in case you wanted to-” Giles fished in his satchel and brought out the hemp drawstring bag. “-give it your best try.”

“I have the ritual on paper, if you require it.”

“That’s wonderful of you,” Jenny smiled, and rose from her seat. “But there’s no need for that. Cordelia came over one day and lent me her laptop. I’ve got most of it in my head now, or at least I think I do. And if I’m having a hard time remembering, don’t prompt me. It might break my concentration.”

Giles nodded, confirming that he understood her instruction. “And you didn’t tell me you were working on it?”

Jenny gave him a knowing smile. “I don’t have to report everything to you.”

“Then why invite me?” asked Giles.

She thought for a little while, staring into blank space. “Just in case something goes wrong,” she said, her voice softening towards the end.

“But I have absolute faith that you’re capable to conduct the ritual on your own.”

Jenny sighed. “Then take it as an excuse for me to see you again, then. I missed seeing you.”

She took her place across the dining table, glancing over the layout of the ritual. Tentatively, Giles placed the crystal sphere upon the stand. Jenny was silent for a moment, before closing her eyes and concentrated.

Then her lips were moving. A slow whisper, barely escaping her lips at first, and growing with rapidity and volume, rising in a crescendo with her conviction. At one point she seemed to be struggling to remember a verse or two, her speech slowing, and Giles almost wanted to prompt her when she regained her composure and resumed with the ritual. Her fingers tapped on the table, aiding her in her concentration as the ritual continued. The moment everyone had been anticipating came when the Orb started to flicker with a dim glow, which spread across the entire globe and resulted in a full glow. Jenny opened her eyes as the glow faded, keeping her eyes trained on the Orb at first, and then directing her gaze up to Giles.

“It’s done,” Jenny remarked, her voice a shaky tremolo. “Angel’s soul has been restored.”

“How would we know?” Giles asked. “I don’t intend to be skeptical, but I’m still rather concerned that something might’ve gone wrong and he might still be a physical threat.”

“I thought you said you had absolute confidence in me,” said Jenny, raising her eyebrows.

“I won’t lie, I was completely sure,” shrugged Giles, crossing his arms.

“If he has a conscience, I’m sure Angel would know what to do.”

“He would leave. To keep himself away from Buffy,” deduced Giles.

Jenny frowned. “I think we might have done the opposite from what we wanted to do, for Buffy to be able to find him again and-”

She dropped her hands. “-she’ll never forgive me for it.”

“I’m sorry,” Giles put an arm around her, and Jenny leaned into his shoulder.

“These are the choices we live with, I guess,” Jenny gave a weak, cynical smile. “And I guess the choice I’ll have to live with is leaving this place.”

“You’re not obligated to stay in one place if you find that circumstances become too much to simply bear,” Giles advised, running his thumb under the scar that marked Jenny’s cheekbone. “I don’t want to come across as overly sentimental, but–”

“Just say it.”

“I’ll always be in love with you.”

Jenny snorted, trying to cover it up in the next instant. “There’s no need to be overly sentimental, as you said.”

“I thought you told me to go ahead and–”

“Shut up and hold me,” urged Jenny, and she closed her eyes as she found herself completely reluctant to leave him.

–

V.

It was a year or so later, and Jenny didn’t know how she got herself into such a whirlwind. The nightmares continued, but work and exhausting nights dulled the vividity of the memories. LA was a frenzy of fast-moving, high-achieving workers, and it really was a dog-eat-dog world when it came to looking for a job. It took her months to score an IT job at the bank, and even so she wasn’t very welcome, as a lady looking to work in the IT department. Her co-workers weren’t exactly the most friendly people in the world either. It seemed all of the compassion and earthiness she’s seen in the people of Sunnydale was completely absent here, a grey cold mass replacing the warm, loving heart.

Jenny’s current girlfriend would probably mention, in a half-joking matter, that she was heartless in the first place, and there wasn’t anything to replace.

Was girlfriend the right word? Jenny wasn’t too sure that was really the case, for it was more of an agreement rather than a relationship. It was more like a friends-with-benefits situation, and even that probably couldn’t even cover it. Lilah Morgan worked in strange ways Jenny couldn’t fully understand, but she brought in much excitement and passion when needed.

Lilah was probably the most passionate lawyer Jenny had ever seen. They’d met at a bar two months ago, and had hit it off pretty well. After half a dozen drinks, Jenny woke up on her sofa half-dressed and with a hazy memory of what had happened, with Lilah sprawled across the sofa, out like a lamp.

We’ll keep in touch, Lilah had said. And keep in touch it did. What seemed to be a one night standoff turned into weekly visits, and weekly visits turned into nearly-daily visit. There was hardly a night where Lilah didn’t pull by Jenny’s place after work. Jenny deduced that Lilah was either one, enjoying her physical contact so much as to swing by for it on a daily basis, or two, invested in their relationship, which didn’t quite suit a woman like Lilah.

Jenny enjoyed Lilah just as much as Lilah enjoyed Jenny. She looked forward to nights of passion, those nights where she’d much rather prefer to lose all control of her inhibitions. It helped her forget, sometimes, about why she left her old life in Sunnydale. For a while she was nobody. Not a person with a heavy past, not a person with trauma from a near-death experience, not a person seeking anything but escape from her past. She was just Jenny, and Lilah was just Lilah. She melted under every single kiss and touch, and the sensations weren’t as complicated as when she kissed Rupert (ahem, Jenny. Live in in the now). Their relationship was nothing but the physical processes of passion, but Jenny found it a feasible albeit unhealthy distraction from her reality. Sometimes the nightmares disappeared, for a night, and Jenny felt more relieved than ever when she woke up. However, where Lilah would’ve slept the previous night, there would be ghostly imprints of her body, and Jenny sometimes stared at it until she had to smooth it over and pull over the duvet.

Jenny lay on her side and traced her gaze across the curves of Lilah’s body, veiled by the thin blanket she had pulled over herself. Better enjoy her when it lasts, Jenny thought. Lilah would be gone by four in the morning - how on earth did that woman run on two hours of sleep a night?

Then again, Lilah was probably the most assertive person Jenny had ever met. She could probably order her inhibition to sleep to stop meddling and being an inconvenience in her life and it would listen to her.

Lilah had that way with people. That kind of dominating charm that was almost irresistible. The way she picks up the phone and speaks orders into it, in a I know what I want and I will get it kind of tone. The way she’s able to sway juries to her discretion: a 93% acquit rate? Well, that came from the blazing red lips of Lilah Morgan herself, and Jenny could admit that certainly sent shivers down her spine as Lilah worked her way down through – never mind, but that was pretty damn impressive and intimidating.

Lilah was never a safe haven, and Jenny knew that.

Conflicted, Jenny wondered how much of Lilah’s sweet yet poisonous venom she had tasted.

–

VI.

“You’ve followed me around enough,” Jenny called to the dark figure in the alleyway.

A familiar face emerged from the alleyway.

Jenny froze, then relaxed.

Angel clasped his hands together. “What brings you here?”

“Oh, as if you have to know.”

“You’ve got Lilah Morgan’s scent all over you. By chance, have you-” Angel crossed his arms.

“Been sleeping with her? I remember how great your sense of smell is, and I can’t even deny that it happened because you know. How has it been, being a bloodhound?” Jenny exasperated.

“I know we aren’t on the best of terms but there’s no need to be sarcastic.”

“What have you been up to, then?” Jenny insisted. You’ve found out about the details of my love affairs, it should only be fair that I should know a bit about what you’ve been doing after you got your soul back.”

“Detective agency.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Jenny, there’s something about Lilah-”

“Who are you to judge her?” Jenny put her hands on her hips. The sky rumbled overhead with thunder. “Look, I’d like to keep out of the rain as much as possible, if you’d just-”

“That’s not thunder.” Angel said, peering over Jenny’s shoulder. “Now, don’t move.”

Jenny normally wouldn’t have listened to a man who had tried to kill her a year and a half ago, but Jenny didn’t seem to have a choice. Her legs were glued to the ground, like she was being pulled under.

“Okay, what’s going on.” Jenny muttered under her breath. “If you’re doing this to me I swear-”

“Umbra demon. Latin for shadow,” Angel noted. “I’ve got an associate who can get rid of that for you.”

“Where did it come from?” Jenny inquired, her limbs itching with energy. She wanted so badly, to move. The urge was tugging at her impulses, but at the same time she had the feeling that it wasn’t her own impulses.

“Plays you like a puppet. It’s submitting you to the caster’s will. If you move, the demon will consume you, and you become the demon.” Angel explained. “And the thunder - this demon tends to be a bit melodramatic. It sensed danger, probably me.”

Deep in thought, Angel took a few paces back and forth. “Angelus ran into one before he got his soul back, the first time. It wasn’t a pleasant experience.” He took out his cellphone, and audible clicks were heard in the silent alley as he punched in a string of numbers. “Umbra demon. Possessing a woman, also Sunnydaleian…hey, I can’t come up with my own terms now? Also, a protection spell. Pronto.” He hung up, meeting Jenny’s gaze. “It probably won’t be too long before he gets here.”

“Don’t you dare mention Angelus again.”

Angel nodded.

“There are quite a few of our acquaintances from Sunnydale residing in LA as well, isn’t that so? I remember seeing Cordelia on that toothpaste commercial. I was almost convinced, but-”

“It’s always those overly-optimistic ads that get you, isn’t it?”

There was a pause, before Jenny changed the subject. “So. Umbra demon. How did it get on me?”

“The ritual’s complicated. For one, it requires a scream from the person it’s cast on.” Angel raised an eyebrow. “I think your current relationship was convenient for Lilah.”

“But why her?”

“Lilah hasn’t told you everything, has she?” Angel questioned, shifting his weight from one foot to another. “You don’t know about her work?”

“She’s a defense lawyer, that’s all I know,” Jenny put forward, defensively. “What right would I have to pry into her legal affairs?”

“She represents demons, Jenny.”

“God,” Jenny gulped. “The very thing I’ve came here to escape from. There were simply too many in Sunnydale.”

“And I don’t mind explaining a bit more, in fact I’d prefer for you to know the whole truth, but I’m sure the Senior Partners are watching. For now, you’re going to have to stand very still until my associate arrives.”

Jenny took a deep breath. “Why are you doing this for me?”

“I help the helpless. It’s in my job scope.”

“No,” Jenny interrupted, “wouldn’t you have thought I’d harbour feelings of hatred for you after you tried to kill me that one time?”

Angel went quiet for a moment. “I’ve made it my mission to atone for all the things I’ve done as Angelus. Sure, I wish I could separate myself and Angelus and treat them as separate people, but that just isn’t how it works. We are one. Except I have a soul, and that monster doesn’t.”

“You know I haven’t forgiven you yet, right?”

“I don’t expect my victims to forgive me.” Angel’s tone was stoic, his face almost blank.

Jenny made a faint wheezing noise. “Angelus’ victims don’t have the chance to forgive you because they’re dead. I, however, am one of the ‘lucky’ few who have managed to escape Angelus’ clutches and emerge alive. But you won’t understand how I felt afterwards. I couldn’t sleep. I could hardly eat. I could hardly step out of the house and it felt like the possibly the most imprisoning thing that I’ve experienced and will probably experience for the rest of my life. You won’t understand, not ever, what I have to live with.”

“That’s why your people cursed me,” Angel brought up. “So I could feel.”

Jenny was speechless, as she softly wept.

–

VII.

Jenny clasped the charm in her hand, trying very hard to think of something other than the tears as she watched the scenery move by.

“The charm should obscure you from the view of the Senior Partners. The process to bind the spell to the charm was rather challenging, but it will eventually serve its purpose. Lilah won’t be able to track you, and I presume that she’ll be looking for you after you’ve up and left.” Wesley had said, while passing over the totem.

“And an angry Wolfram and Hart employee is definitely more that what you need on your hands.”

Honestly, Jenny was happier than ever to return to Sunnydale. LA was far too gritty for her. If she had stayed any longer, she would’ve probably turned into one of those cold-hearted work machines. Or maybe she’d be seduced to the dark side of the law and supernatural, courtesy of Lilah Morgan.

Jenny got off the bus and walked around, stretching her legs. After dropping her bags off at her old apartment, which she had chosen not to sell when she had left, she took the bus to the bus stop across from Giles’ apartment. She had planned to knock gently on the door, and offer a plain, awkward explanation when he opened it, and they’d end up embracing each other and –

Giles’ door was left open, eerily similar to the way her own door was left when he paid her that visit where he watched her re-ensoul Angel.

Jenny’s heart ached as soon as she stepped through the threshold.

Books were left open all over the table, and empty bottles littered the floor in a messy, irregular formation, very unlike Rupert’s neat and uptight attitude. The television was on, blaring old music from the 60s and 70s. Laid out on the floor were dozens of records - he’d been keeping himself busy. What scared her most was the bannister, which had been ripped in half. There had been other marks of damage being done to the building, but most of them had been repaired, save for the bannister. Perhaps it was taking longer than usual for the contractor to get back to him.

Jenny found him slumped over a glass of whiskey in the kitchen, silent and unmoving.

“You look awful,” Jenny started. Okay, maybe this wasn’t the best way to greet a lover after you’ve been away from them a year and half, but it was still a start nonetheless.

Lazily, Giles propped himself up with an elbow on the table. “Jenny?” He mumbled, in a hazy state of exhaustion. “You’re an angel.”

“Thanks, but we really need to get everything cleaned up. And you need sleep. You look like you haven’t slept in days. What happened?” Jenny wrestled the glass from his hand, and seeming like the looks of it this was probably his second or third glass, since he wasn’t as incoherent as Jenny had expected him to be. He wiped his face with the green wool of his sweater, pushing his glasses up. It honestly amused Jenny, how he looked so different when he was out of his tweed suits. He wasn’t Mr. Giles, the stuffy British Watcher guy. He was just Rupert, another fellow normal human being struggling with life, just as she was.

“Bloody Ethan, thinking he can just barge back into my life and ruin it all,” He swore strongly, and with conviction. “You think he might’ve heard about you?”

“Now, I’m not very sure what he thinks about me, but I think it’s time for you to get some rest,” Jenny hauled him out of his seat, dragging him to the sofa. “I still have questions about that bannister though.”

“Ripped it out,” Giles revealed, shielding his eyes with the back of his right hand. “Would you turn down the lights? I’m having such a sodding headache I-”

Jenny reached over and flicked off the light switch. “Ripped it out, huh. Must’ve been some hangover.”

“I’m not hungover. Just even more sleep-deprived than usual.”

“The bannister, I mean.”

“Spells,” Giles mumbled. “P-probably something he put in my drink or maybe when he came round afterwards. I woke up a Fyarl the next morning. Of course it would’ve been a fright, waking up to find myself with more horns that I usually do.”

“He was here?”

“I don’t even know how we got back. We were both sloshed out by the time they cleared up. I can’t even remember what spells we did, maybe some of the old ones. It was nice, probably. Well, I still can’t remember a bloody thing we did. He left before I woke up the next morning.”

Giles groaned, shifting to a lying position on the sofa. “Spike decimated my car. Should’ve never trusted him with that thing. My trusty Citroen, i-it’s been with me for years.”

“Spike, as in William the Bloody Spike?”

“He’s been bugging us. Says he’s been neutered, but he’s not much better off now than dead. Can’t even feed, the poor bugger.”

Jenny retrieved a glass of water from the kitchen, putting it by the sofa. She pulled a chair over, lifting it off the ground so it wouldn’t make screeching noises. She had enough experience with headaches – from quite lately, after nights of drinking with Lilah.

“So. I heard we’re both out of a job. Sunnydale High blowing up was kind of a big deal. Was in the newspapers in LA. People said it was school kids with homemade explosives. I’m not absolutely convinced.”

“I was out of a job even before that. The Watchers’ Council fired me.”

Jenny’s gaze softened as she took Giles’ left hand, tenderly grasping it with both of hers. “I don’t think you’ve been a bad Watcher. You’ve been a great mentor to Buffy, I can see it. You’ve really had a great bond, the two of you. You were there for her, weren’t you? You were always there to advise and guide her–”

“Maybe a bit too much. They replaced me with someone else because of my emotional attachment to the Slayer,” He paused, reaching up to press on the bridge of his nose, “but she doesn’t need a Watcher now. She’s doing well in college, and here I am, playing an increasingly redundant role in her life.”

“Replaced you?”

“Last year. They fired him too over a dispute with a rogue Slayer, and with Buffy herself,” Giles recalled, a tone of disdain in his voice. “Good riddance.”

“What, was he that bad?” Jenny exclaimed.

“Amazingly, spectacularly bad,” He cleared his throat. “He left Sunnydale in less than half a year after he arrived.”

“Speaking of leaving Sunnydale,” said Jenny, “something happened in LA.”

“We’re always being watched. Most of the apocalypses that go on here, they’re part of a bigger plan.” explained Jenny, trying to put it across in a way that wouldn’t stir his curiosity. No, Angel had told her not to tell, tell nobody at all, it was his business and his business only. The less people knew about the Senior Partners, the better, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

“They might be tracking me, which is why I was given a charm.”

“Who did?” He was suddenly more aware. “I don’t suppose I’d have anything against the person who made it, but I’m interested to know. Spellcasters are quite hard to come across, and many of them I’ve come across in recent years turned out to be more malevolent than anything else.”

“I ran into Angel again. He was working with a bunch of people. The one who came up with the charm, he was definitely English. Like you.” Jenny said. “Maybe he was a Watcher or something.”

“Jenny, you can’t just assume everyone who grew up in England is a Watcher.” He joked, eyes half closed.

“Wesley.”

“Come again?”

“The one who did the charm. I was thinking if you’d happen to know him.”

Giles sighed. “My awfully incompetent replacement.”

“Hey, he’s got a bit of an esteem problem when I met him, at least he hasn’t let me down yet. The cloaking spell’s probably still working because I’m still alive and not brainwashed into working for a interdimensional law firm,” Jenny caught herself. “I mean, that was just an example of  something that could happen to me.” She let go of his hand, grabbing a quilt from the far edge of the room and draping it over him. “Sleep well, you need some quality rest. You could ask me about how my time went later,” she doted, planting a light kiss on Giles’ weary forehead before closing the curtains.

“I’m glad you’ve returned, Jenny. Life wasn’t quite how it was without you,” yawned Giles, turning over to lie on his side.

She waited for a couple of minutes until he was asleep. She silently paced around his flat, aware of his muffled snoring that hung ambiently in the air. She watched him for a minute, taking in every line and contour that made up his face, determined to remember it forever, if they were to ever separate again.

She’d forgotten too much of him when they were away, as much as she hated to admit it.

Honestly, she didn’t want to reflect on her time in LA. She wasn’t sure how to explain her meeting with Angel. It still lingered on her mind, and the memory wasn’t likely to dissipate any time soon.

Jenny stepped out of the stuffy flat, listening to the sounds of the town as the sun set. Sunnydale had survived yet another day. Sitting on the tiles lining the small pond of water, she let go of her inhibitions and a decently good cry about the events that’d happened in the previous years.

She’d missed being able to show her sadness during her time away. It seemed that she was trying too hard to let go of her past immediately upon reaching, and now she decided to let things take their own natural course.

–

VII.

Life’s a melodrama, Jenny sings. But she doesn’t know the real reason she’s singing, the real reason why she’s draping herself over the Magic Box counter like some lovelorn shop girl in need of someone who will sweep her off her feet and carry her away to some sweet conclusion to a story she’s been running from – doesn’t she already have that sweet bliss, in the form of her dear fiancee?

I’m holding Buffy back, holding her back from life itself, returns Giles, in a duet he doesn’t realise how it even started in the first place. He’s singing his heart out, not like how he used to mumble verses in his flat back when he was serving as Buffy’s Watcher the first time, not like how he sang with limited freedom at the Espresso pump when she went off to college. This was a new level of freedom – he poured his whole mind and soul into the melody.

Jenny and Rupert sang against a backing orchestra nobody could see, or was really conscious of. Jenny thought she heard the scrape of a violin in her left ear, but reason told her that it was ridiculously impossible, but then again nothing really was a hundred percent impossible in Sunnydale.

You can’t leave, started Jenny, she’s not ready to stand on her own

She’ll learn, she’s competent, Giles continued the phrase, what she’s gone through hardens her

At least think of Dawn! Jenny’s raised her voice hoping to make a point. Tragedy after tragedy had hurt the young girl, and it changed her in more ways than one. It was hard enough for all of them to deal with Joyce’s death and Buffy’s death and her resurrection, but it must’ve been unbearable for young Dawn to struggle with the loss of those closest to her, those who vowed to always be her family. If you leave, she loses the only father she’s known

She’s leaning on me too often, she won’t learn to live her life again unless I go, Giles’ voice wavered towards the end of his phrase. Jenny made small, lilting, dance-like strides as she neared him, resting a hand on his shoulder. He took her in, completing the position, and the two swayed to an invisible waltz.

I’m sorry, I can’t leave when you do, Jenny sang, raising her gaze. His eyes were wavering as his voice was, but the pale green hues entranced Jenny nonetheless. She had loved the man behind those calculating, inquiring eyes more than anything else, but she wasn’t willing to drop anything and everything just for him. She didn’t always agree with his logical ways, but she still loved him all the same.

But she couldn’t stand being away from him again.

“I’m just as sorry as you are,” whispered Giles, leaning in to meet her lips. Jenny reacted tenderly, reaching up to pull him even closer. Her mind whirred; although his kisses were no longer electrifying, she enjoyed the intimacy that they brought – two entwined souls, the fate of their timelines. She couldn’t let him go, not ever again. He was her support; she was his. She was his happiness; he was hers. They depended on each other, giving and receiving as much as they could.

They remained in the silence, lost in the presence of each other.

“Giles, have you seen the –”

There was a bit of a scuffle as Jenny pushed away from him, turning to meet Willow. “The new stock of newt eyes are in,” Giles announced, grabbing the handkerchief from his breast pocket and discreetly brushing it over the corners of his mouth. “I’ll bring them out here, if you want.”

Jenny blushed, feeling the heat all the way from her cheeks to her toes. Her fingers found the engagement ring and fiddled with it, all the while avoiding Willow’s gaze.

The redhead was trying her best not to snigger. God knows what she would’ve been thinking. I totally called it when I was in high school, perhaps?

And to be absolutely honest, Jenny wanted to know, just to satisfy her curiosity.

–

IX.

Wedding bells rang (or rather they didn’t, as they were a figment of Jenny’s imagination) as Jenny and Rupert were married, at a nice location in the park. It was a quiet ceremony, at the white pavilion. (They previously joked about holding it in the graveyard, since that was where they ended up spending time together quite often, but obviously they couldn’t hold a wedding in the graveyard, that would be just disrespectful.)

The skies were a bright blue, dotted with wispy white cirrus clouds. A soft breeze stirred in the air, through Jenny’s veil and making it dance in soft shapes. Rupert looked happier than he had in a very long time. Even though he’d made the choice to leave Buffy and abscond to England, he didn’t remain there for long and Jenny was eager to have him back, albeit a bit annoyed with him. On the day Rupert returned to Sunnydale and the world didn’t end, they made a promise to each other to work out their differences, and that’s when he brought up marriage. They’d been engaged since the spring of ‘01, but due to traumatic events surrounding that year they decided to put it off for a while.

Finally, that moment had came to pass.

With the exchanging of vows, the couple kissed and the ceremony was complete. Standing before the small assembly, Jenny scanned across the faces of every single person that was present.

The Scoobies, every one of them. Over the years she’d become their surrogate mom, especially for Dawn following the deaths of Joyce and Buffy. Dawn hadn’t bothered to hide her tears of joy. She beamed, radiant as a sunflower.

Several members of Rupert’s family turned up, his father and two women who seemed to be his nieces, perhaps? While they hardly showed it on their faces, Jenny could read a sense of internal pride.

Angel stood under a maroon umbrella, with Wesley and two other people she didn’t recognise. After departing from LA, the Scoobies continued to collaborate with Angel Investigations on an occasional basis, usually maintaining a connection over the phone. The group of investigators looked considerably more worn out to Jenny as compared to the last time she’d seen them, which was nearly three years ago. Cordelia was not present, which surprised Jenny, as the Cordelia she knew would jump at any chance to be present at a social gathering.

Jenny and Rupert led the first dance, and it was the dance of their lives. If they were going to perish in the impending battle against the First Evil, they were going to live their lives to the fullest before heading off to the fight.

And live their lives to the fullest they did.

–

X.

The battle was over, and all that was left of Sunnydale was a smoking crater in the ground.

“Well, there goes Sunnydale,” remarked Jenny in a rather unremarkable way. She slipped her hand through Rupert’s, and they held on as they stood at the edge of the cliff, which seemed to lead down to nothing.

“There’s another Hellmouth in Cleveland, apparently.” Rupert said. “Oh, we don’t have to go running there immediately. We’ve got an army of Slayers now, there’s no need for us to be involved in everything.”

“We need a holiday.” Jenny suggested.

“I would completely agree with you on this. Where to?”

Jenny side-glanced at him. “You’re asking me?”

“We never got a honeymoon, since we were so wrapped up with work.” Rupert lamented, giving a small sigh.

“Home.”

“And where would that be?”

“You could take me back to your home in England. Willow says you’ve got a house with a pasture.” Jenny said. “Not to be totally intruding, of course.”

“We could make a home there. Finally settle down, base ourselves in England.”

Jenny shrugged. “Now that sounds like a plan.”

[bespangeled]

Buffyverse tagging meme: I was tagged by @rorysummersblog and @alkenifanfiction  and @lucious Thank you- I wriggle like a puppy while I am answering. Damn, my life needs a life...

top fifteen characters (in no particular order)

1. Wesley  2. Spike  3. Angel  4. Faith  5. Giles  6.Tara  7. Buffy  8. Lilah  9. Oz 10. Xander 11. Willow 12. Lorne 13. Illyria 14. Cordelia 15.Gunn

favorite minor characters?

Ethan Rayne, Drusilla, Darla, Clem, Cassie, Vi, Amy, Jenny,

ranking of favorite seasons of both shows

ATS: 5, 3, 2, 1, 4 BTVS: 2, 6, 5, 7 , 3, 4, 1

top ten episodes of both shows - this is based on what I would watch, not on the episode quality (in no particular order - depends on my mood)

ATS:  Reunion, Redefinition, Billy, Loyalty, Orpheus (entire arc is really one episode so I’ll say they are all tied), Deep Down, Destiny, You’re Welcome, TGIQ (Spangel fan here), Damage,

BTVS: Becoming 1&2, Lie To Me, Passion, Fool For Love, The Gift, OMWF, Normal Again, LMPTM,  Beneath You, Band Candy

ats or btvs? ats (but it cycles)

least favorite main character?

I hate to say it, but the more I watch the more later season Fred gets on my nerves

top ten ships?

Spangel, Weslah, Fuffy, Spuffy, Xandelia, Tillow, Spesley, Spiles, Spander, Cangel

do you write fanfic?

Yup - mostly m/m or vignettes

what fanfic do you read?

Spike/Angel, Spike/Giles, Spike/Wesley, Spike/Ethan, Spike/Dean Winchester - with some Spike/Xander creeping in - you might notice a pattern here. Some mild Spuffy - lots and lots of gen fic - anything written with snark and excellent voices, or wrenching grief, kinda depends on my mood. Not that big on graphic sex - I prefer stories that explore characters

A few favorites:

The Relevance of Spike - stakeaclaim -  this is the way season 5 Angel should have gone.  The Relevance of Spike - Author: stakeaclaim -   "It was a big day. A hundred and twenty-five years. A quarter of the way through his second century and he’d decided today was the day it was all going to change" And it all does change, though not in ways any reader could expect. It's long, unpredictable, and intricate, and it will keep you up all night reading. Spike/Angel

Go No More A-Roving  - thea_bromine - Warnings – this is a Deathfic. Mind you, it’s largely about Spike, so it would be a Deathfic on account of Spike not being altogether alive. However, I’m warning you, death happens to a major character. Well, to Giles. Both beautifully written, and quite funny, with excellent voices. If you had the chance to live on would you do it in a vampire’s body? Even if it means sharing that body with it’s owner - Spike? It has a sequel on the same page with WWP as a main character - filled with delicious snark. Giles/Spike (but not in the usual way)

Three Lions - Lesley - Takes place after season six, in England where Giles tries to help and angry Willow, and a newly souled vampire whose mood veers between Italian widow and Mickey Mouse on crack. Throw in WWP escaping from stalker Lilah and you have a recipe for disaster. Funny but deeper and more layered than it sounds - warning Death of a major character. Gen fic

Siren Song  - Morgana - Picks up after Twihard, but there’s a reason Dean was throwing up after he took the cure - it didn’t take. He’s left a vampire, and while he tries to ignore it, that turns out to be a very bad idea. At the end of his rope, Sam calls on an old contact of their father’s, who promises to send them help in the form of a vampire expert. Problem is, they didn’t expect the vampire expert to be a vampire himself! Dean is forced to spend some time with his new mentor, learning about what it means to be a vampire, from blood (which he doesn’t want to drink) to sires (which he doesn’t have) and more.  Spike/Dean, Xander/Sam when did you start watching? About 8 years ago - when I became disabled my younger daughter made me watch Buffy, and I was hooked. The show and fandom gave me someting to put my energy into as I went through the healing process. I watched “Angel” afterwards - also under protest. That’s where my main ships set sail - Spangel, and Weslah.

show recommendations for Buffyverse fans? I have odd taste in shows so not sure if they will appeal

Vikings - history channel - interesting characters and kick-ass women (Lagertha in particular)

Shameless (on Netflix) - that same sense of community as a family of poor kids struggle to survive without parents - filled with humor, and snark. If you have ever been a poor urban kid, you will find yourself here.

Goblin: The Lonely and Great God - Kdrama - another one of my daughters but a Korean Goblin and a Reaper are so shippable! (same daughter XD)

do you own/collect anything related to the shows? Just CDs my daughter ripped from her box set

how often will you watch an episode? When I’m in the mood - it can be several times a week, or not for months

how many times have you watched either show all the way through? I think 3 times - maybe 4

five unpopular opinions?

1. When something is wrong with the show, Spike is not always to blame - if Spike is your all purpose scapegoat then go away.

2. Bangel and Spuffy were both extremely dysfunctional relationships by any normal standard. What Angel did to Buffy was just as bad as the ar

3. Characters are more interesting when they screw up - and it’s still okay to be upset by choices they make.

4. Fred/Gunn slowly drains the life out of Fred, and she never quite makes it back. Fred/Wesley is not about love, it’s about adoration and worship

5. Wesely/Lilah is the hottest relationship in the B-verse.

least favorite thing about the fandom?

The whole beware Spike fans - Spike fans are waiting to kick your puppy, spoil your milk, and burn your house to the ground with your whole family inside. They are a single organism with one opinion and in control of fandom. We are all being victimized by Spike fans, and their foul, evil ways. We hates em - we hates em all...I mean, dislike the character and I can understand if not agree, but lately i am running into stuff about Spike fans. Disliking real people on the basis of a who just seems weird, and sad.

I tag @silverspike, @baudown @restfield @cortexifansquint, @captain-peroxide-pest, @feliciacraft, @carry-on-my-wayward-wesley, @catty-words @gwendolenau, @demandingbillydolls, @soulfulspikethekiller @comlodge and anyone else who wants to!

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, April 24

SNYDER: There're some things I can just smell. It's like a sixth sense. GILES: No, actually that would be one of the five. SNYDER: That Summers girl. I smell trouble. I smell expulsion, and just the faintest aroma of jail. GILES: Well, before you throw away the key, you might consider giving her the benefit of the doubt. She may surprise you. SNYDER: You really have faith in those kids, don't you? GILES: Yes, I do. SNYDER: Weird.

~~BtVS 2x01 “When She Was Bad”~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Sweet Gesture (Willow, Xander, Oz, PG) by badly_knitted

Caught on Camera (Spike, Dawn, PG-13) by veronyxk84

[Chaptered Fiction]

My Sanctuary, Chapter 5/5 COMPLETE! (Angel/Wesley, T) by Enigmatist

The Witching Hour:, Chapter 7/25 (Willow/Tara, E) by TheLightdancer

Infinitely, Chapter 49/? (Willow/Tara, M) by Laragh

Buffy season 8, Chapter 3/22 (Buffy/Angel, not rated) by FreyStewart

In the Company of Witches and Slayers:, Chapter 16/200 (Willow/Tara, E) by VladimirHarkonnen (TheLightdancer)

[French language] Recommencer, Chapter 9/? (Buffy/Faith, M) by FridayQueen

hit rewind, Chapter 50/? (Buffy/Spike, M) by untiljanuary

She's in Parties, Chapter 2/8 (Spike/Drusilla, E) by betweenfactandbreakfast

The Return of Lost Love, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Riley, T) by OliviaSalvatore

The Greatest Love of All, Chapter 2 (Buffy, G) by Aristocrat Writer

Stab in the back, Chapter 20 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by MelG_2005

Under the Influence, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Hostile17-1996

The Tortured Slayer Department, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by BewitchedXx

Breaking Illusions, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by RavenLove12

Secret Obsession, Chapters 1-2 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxine Eden

A Ripple In Time, Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by CheekyKitten

Guitar Villain, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by RavenLove12

Love Lives Here, Chapter 53 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Passion4Spike

Old Fashioned Romance, Chapter 9 (Xander/Steve Rogers, Marvel xover, FR21) by calikocat

Blood and dust, Chapters 7-8 (Buffy/Spike, 18+) by Blackoberst

What the Drabble? Vol. 2, Chapter 17 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by VeroNyxK84

Breaking Illusions, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by RavenLove12

Love Lives Here, Chapter 53 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Passion4Spike

The Young King Sings A Song For The Lover, The Leaver, The Lonely Alike (Maybe You're The Boy From My Dreams), Chapter 6 (Buffy/Faith, M) COMPLETE! by Slayerismsunrise

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: recently i started watching buffy and i wanted to make a little something (Buffy, worksafe) by theartintrying

Artwork: Dusk Spoilers (Buffy/Spike, slightly NSF for nudity and CW for blood) by isevery0nehereverystoned

Artwork: Coloring page of Fred Burkle in “Smile Time” (worksafe) by amazzyblaze

Artwork: Caras eu amo a buffy (Buffy, worksafe) by moskarosa

Artwork: Dead girl by the bar all dressed up (Spike/Drusilla, worksafe) by novivi

Gifset: All my mornings are Mondays. Stuck in an endless February. (Giles/Jenny, worksafe) by clumsycapitolunicorn

Artwork: ChiBangel: Earshot #1 (Buffy/Angel, G) by MamaBewear

[Reviews & Recaps]

S01E12 Prophecy Girl by she-saved-the-world-a-lot

Slayer: A Buffyverse Story by figurelifeflirt

PODCAST: HELLMOUTH HOMOS: A New Man by Fear Queers

PODCAST: Episode 53: The Freshman (w/ Katie Kaisershot) by Gym Was Cancelled

[Recs & In Search Of]

ISO: looking for a spike/angel fic requested by honeybearbee9

[Community Announcements]

[Multifandom] Signups Open! by fandom5k

[Fandom Discussions]

Xander was very annoying - more than usual - for the latter half of this season by theredpharaoah

[about undead characters stating that they “have no breath”] by monsterblogging

Buffy should’ve called Joyce in “Go Fish” by theredpharaoah

the last words Buffy Summers said to Willow before she went to face the Master by deus–auri

I think it’s really sweet in Once More with Feelings how Spike tries his best to get Buffy to leave before he breaks into song by conscious-overflow

One of the best visual jokes Buffy the Vampire Slayer ever did was put Spike in Riley’s clothes in Crush by toomanylizzes

The Dawn plotline by mybuffysittersavampireslayer

START OF S5 THOUGHTS by mybuffysittersavampireslayer

Wait, why did the Initiative set their soldiers up undercover as grad students? by nicnacsnonsense

but why only one slayer at a time? like it doesnt really make sense by gothhobbithoe

Not that I’m not glad for it, but why didn’t Riley just kill Spike in “Into the Woods”? by nicnacsnonsense

does Faith ever actually refer to Willow as “Red” in canon? In either Buffy or Angel? by coraniaid

i’m a season 6 liker but definitely its biggest flaw is the trio by fallingtowers

if i’m reading fanfic and the writer puts faith in a dress without a Very Good Reason [...] by beatriceeverytuesday

New to Buffy continued by ILLYRIAN

Old Buffy Board (1999-2004) The Bronze continued by multiple posters

Episode battle: 'Best' Scooby argument by Stoney, multiple posters

Which character storylines would you change? by xXagirlhasnonameXx

Episode 7x17 Buffy & Giles -What are your thoughts on this scene? Who do you side with? by Excellent-Durian-509

Why did the Watchers offer no support to the Slayer? by inconspicuous2012

What are some missed opportunities from the show in your opinion? by PhilosopherGeneral94

Snyder is one of the best "love to hate" characters by jdpm1991

Close Your Eyes: Mapping Buffy & Angel's Relationship Through Their Theme Song (Buffy/Angel, not rated) by Kean (abreathofsnowandashes)

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Join the editor team :)

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, November 8

XANDER: You were looking at my neck. ANGEL: What? XANDER: You were checking out my neck! I saw that. ANGEL: No, I wasn't! XANDER: Just keep your distance, pal. ANGEL: I wasn't looking at your neck. XANDER: I told you to eat before we left.

~~BtVS 1x12 “Prophecy Girl”~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Overdue Honesty (Buffy, Joyce, others, PG) by badly_knitted

Diary: Prologue (Xander, T, Devil May Cry xover) by madimpossibledreamer

Head Games (Angel/Darla, T) by NAOA

I may never get to Heaven (but I once came mighty close) (Buffy/Angel, T) by angelus2hot

Amaranthine (Buffy/Angel, T) by Lalaith Quetzalli

Tabula Inscripta (Buffy/Spike, R) by all_choseny

My Babysitter's A Vampire (Buffy/Spike, PG) by violettathepiratequeen

[Chaptered Fiction]

Breathe Again, Chapters 1-2/17 (Angel/Cordelia, M) by Califi62

Exodus Take Two, Chapter 3/3 Complete! (Harry Potter xover, Xander, Harry Potter, not rated) by danu40k

Days of Future Past, Chapter 29/34 (Buffy/OC, Angel/OC, Buffy/Angel, M) by a2zmom

Heart Don't Lie, Chapter 19/25 (Buffy/Spike, E) by NautiBitz

Blood and Chaos, Chapter 37/? (Ensemble, M) by quote_Amy_unquote (Sannah_banana)

Lindsey's Pride, Chapter 4 (Angel, Lindsey, T) by TinyDancer96

Her Old Fashioned Boy, Chapter 13 (Giles/Jenny, T) by Bobbie23

1632 Revello Drive, Chapter 6 (Buffy, Giles, T) by A Most Sovereign Lady

[French language] Do as Romans do, Chapter 4 (Dawn/Spike, T) by OldGirl-NoraArlani

Against All Odds, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by CheekyKitten

Destiny or Choices Made?, Chapter 26 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by charmed4lifekaren

Out of this World, love..., Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Miss Kitty

the Eyes, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Dusty

Dusk Rising, Chapter 25 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by HappyWhenItRains

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: A fragment from a bigger Spuffy project I’ve been working on for a while. (worksafe) by lamaraloon

Artwork: [Drawing of Buffy] (worksafe) by nicknamekittyname

Cosplay: For anyone who can guess the character I’m attempting to cosplay here. Really digging his outfits (Lorne, worksafe) by geekstuffkittykat

Artwork: They know exactly what we’re here for. (Oz, slightly NSFW) by snakeliciousbaby

Fanvid: Wesley Wyndam-Pryce | Anti Hero by 1SnoWhiteQueen1

Fanvid: Marvel | Buffyverse by Jess Wilson

[Reviews & Recaps]

ReWatch: Angel (the series) S1, E19 - 22 by kimannebb

Turning The Vampire Genre on its Head (Buffy The Vampire Slayer analysis) by mediaconsumernightwriter

[Recs & In Search Of]

Our next fic for IWRY 2023 is by thenewbuzwuzz recced by original-iwry-marathon

[Community Announcements]

Upcoming December Event: 'Tis The Season by Sunnydale After Dark

[Fandom Discussions]

It is f*cking insane how much better of a character angel becomes when he’s not centered around buffy by junotter

God, rewatching Angel is always so brutally bittersweet by andrasta14

Why didn’t sunnydale coffins have stakes built into them by twosomeofcuteness

November 6, 2001: Once More, With Feeling aired for BTVS season 6, episode 7. by on-this-day-btvs

[About Buffy/Cordy] by jennycalendar

Watching S2 of Buffy after watching S7 is serious whiplash. by muse-write

This is why Willow Rosenberg is such an important character in ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and why she’s so relatable and resonatable by girl4music

Honestly I just try to ignore everything mentioning Giles and his abandoning of Buffy and the Scoobies by girl4music

I just woke up thinking about how unfair the watcher’s council was for never paying the slayer by mariepv

Rather than “how spuffy,” reasons “why spuffy.” Why do spuffies spuffy? by deadthingu

So I was watching ‘Once More, With Feeling’ earlier and [shortened] I noticed Willow and Tara’s physical distance a lot in the background of the Magic Box by girl4music

weird that in Spike: After the Fall, I find that the characters’ voices aren’t as show-accurate as Asylum or Shadow Puppets by absolutely-wretched

what if I said Cordelia’s flat tone is bc she’s autistic what then by svngriche

Ok hot take maybe but the whole like cheating thing between willow and xander personally made no sense to me by treeshman

I have one big thought. When Buffy shows up in the office to ask Giles for help with Angel by twosomeofcuteness

[Amends: episode rewatch and notes] by twosomeofcuteness

hey. um. this just occurred to me [Giles and Jenny using the same crossbow] by jennycalendar

THIS IS SUCH A LINE. especially considering where she [Willow] goes next! by jennycalendar

Seth Green leaving, was it dodging a bullet storywise by Btvs fan, multiple posters

Should Buffy have used force? by NoShip, multiple posters

First genetically born Slayer? by Firm_Zookeepergame16

What is everyone opinion on Harmony? by RachelisRach

What part did Xander really play in the enjoining spell? by JeSuisLaCockamouse

Why Spike? by Hairy-Membership-461

A defence of Spike by inconspicuous2012

What if Spike got the Gypsy curse instead by The810kid

Angel vs Spike in AtS 5.08 “Destiny” (spoilers for AtS) by AccordingReference3

Was Angel more allowed to graphic violence than Buffy? by SafiraAshai

What the show was saying with Spike's development by Nostromo87

Maybe an unpopular opinion on Riley and Buffy in season 5 by Eagles56

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[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, September 13

BUFFY: Giles, are you sure about this? Giles stands up behind the counter. GILES: Why wouldn't I be? BUFFY: Well, aside from the fact that most magic shop owners in Sunnydale have the life expectancy of a Spinal Tap drummer ... and, have you ever run a store before? GILES: I was a librarian for years. This is exactly the same, except people pay for the things they don't return. (comes out from behind counter) It'll give me focus. Increase my resources. And it'll prevent you lot from trampling all over my flat at all hours. (he and Buffy walk toward the back) There may even be some space for you to train in the back. BUFFY: Boy, you've really thought this through. How bored *were* you last year? GILES: I watched Passions with Spike. Let us never speak of it.

~~Real Me~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Red Lips Lie (Jenny Calendar, T) by CantSpeakFae

Nothing Left To Lose (Giles/Randall) by CantSpeakFae

Age of Slayers (Buffy, Scoobies, Jonathan, OC) by euratowel

Prisoner of History (Randall, OCs, T) by CantSpeakFae

[Chaptered Fiction]

The Clan of the Cave Slayer. Chapter 7 (crossover with Quest for Fire and Walking with Beasts, T) by steeleye

The Darkling Chapter 19 (Buffy/Spike, E) by OffYourBird

Learning to Deceive Chapter 7 (crossover with Harry Potter, Willow/Snape, T) by WeyrWolfen

Save the Last Dance For Me Chapter 99 (Spike/Buffy, E) by Passion4Spike

Scarlet Threads Chapter 10 (Faith, OC, T) by No Fate 1990

Heart Under Siege (Buffy/Spike, R) by handwithquill

Ruff Times (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by othellia

Birds of a Feather Chapter 6 (crossover with Teen Titans, Xander, FR15) by dogbertcarroll

Xandificer Chapter 86 (crossover with Dungeons and Dragons, Xander, FR21) by Datatroll

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:Buffy as Sailor Moon (worksafe) by byabeach

Artwork: Palimpsest (Spike, worksafe) by cil_domney (NMCIL)

[Reviews & Recaps]

MTVS Epic Rewatch #208: BTVS 7x21 End of Days by marshmallow-the-vampire-slayer

Angel rewatch: Habeas Corpses (4.08) by elsalapizza

Angel rewatch: Apocalypse, Nowish (4.07) by elsalapizza

That Old Gang Of Mine by Priceless and Stoney

Dead Things by American Aurora

PODCAST: Superstar/Eternity by mmpodcastnetwork

[Recs]

Spike fanvid "Something Better Change" by Double Dutchess, recced by GoSpuffy

Fanvid "I Belong to You" (Buffy/Angel/Mr.Gordo) by Restfield, recced by Double Dutchess

The oldest Spike/Buffy fic I know by Rebcake

Spuffy fic series "Unexpected" by Passion4Spike, recced by flow

Spuffy fic series "Turn and Face the Strain" by Quinara, recced by Double Dutchess

Spuffy fic "A New Dawn, A New Day" by gwennie, recced by flow

My 3 year old's favorite bed time story.... - the Buffy picture book recced by alysefinch and others

[Community Announcements]

Prompt: Picture of the Day: September 13, 2018 (Lorne, worksafe image) at sunnydalescribe

Deadline for fanart challenge The Alvestêdetocht (Eleven cities tour) extended till September 27.

[Fandom Discussions]

Spike the Rapist *warning for discussion of rape* by itsnotmymind

Re: buffy the vampire slayer (favorite characters and other replies) by scienceofficer-winifredburkle

Re: buffy summers by therevolutionhasbegun

Re: why do you think so many people prefer Spike to Angel and Spuffy to Bangel? by we-pay-for-everything

Further discussion of Spike and Buffy's relationship in s7 by MikeB and others

Discussion of Georges Jeanty's "Once More, With Feeling" reference by Priceless and others

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

Event news: Marti Noxon will be a keynote speaker at the 2019 SXSW conference

Book: The first two volumes of the Tales of the Slayer series are being re-released as one book, via Whedonesque

Comics teaser: It all comes to a head in the last issue of Buffy Season 12 - preview image and comment by Georges Jeanty