#buffy in every generation

[gayspock]

i love it when a tv show has lows that are so low you're so ashamed to ever show it to anyone ever but then highs that melt your brain a bit, like, "good fucking god, this is genuinely such an astounding piece of craftmanship... my perception of the medium, and perhaps of myself, has been challenged/changed in 40 minutes" but you cant even express that to ppl without feeling like youre fucking deranged bc my god the lows .....

[raisedbythetv89]

Buffy fandom content that’s largely “let’s shame the spuffy and spike girlies!” (girlies used genderlessly) by constantly telling us how bad/wrong/fucked up/sick/crazy/in need of therapy we are under the guise of “concern” for us is so crazy and so funny and so embarrassing for those creators because they’re literally just joss whedon 2.0:

Hating/shaming/finger wagging and acting morally superior to a character/ship and their fans but at the same time being COMPLETELY dependent on said character/ship/fans you spend the majority of your time dumping on!! Like what on earth would you do for content if you took away the thing you spend 70-90% of your time shitting on??? Angel only got a 5th season BECAUSE of Spike - do you realize how crazy that is??? Joss spent all this time trying and failing to destroy Spike’s character because “it wasn’t the Spike show” (screamed in James’ face by joss as he is pinning him against a wall - there’s a guy who’s footsteps you want to follow in!) and then he’s using Spike as a way to save Angel just a few years later 💀💀💀 THAT IS SO EMBARRASSING FOR JOSS AND ANGEL 😹😹😹😹

Like I am so sorry you do not understand spuffy and spike - truly. If you don’t love him and spuffy I genuinely feel sad for you because you are missing out on SO MUCH FUN, beauty, gut wrenching heart ache, angst, healing, tenderness, absolute poetry and all around sexy, slutty time - spuffy is the ship that has EVERYTHING, performed by two absolutely PHENOMENAL actors with bonkers chemistry. Spuffy just is that girl proven by the fact that the haters are making podcasts and writing books just to shit on us (like we didn’t already cover all of it enough from the show’s creator, the patriarchy and the show itself???) DECADES later 😹😹😹

So my darling Spuffys - please don’t take these people’s misogyny and self hatred to heart. I know we’re all often chronically misunderstood and it can be so frustrating to witness a beloved character or ship endure the same treatment of being so horribly misunderstood and to see others support them but truly they’re just FURIOUS angel didn’t do what Spike did and that he doesn’t waste his time moping and hating himself and helps buffy to do the same. They’re hating from outside a club they can’t even get into because they don’t have the media literacy, emotional intelligence, and self confidence in who they are as people to love characters who are naughty and have fun doing it 😈

[brown-eyes-blue]

I'm a normal person.

[mollspeak]

when buffy gets her training room at the start of season five and it has that vampire dummy... WHY WASN'T IT DRESSED TO LOOK LIKE SPIKE???

[laughingmagi]

The heat sucked at his skin as they stepped out the sliding doors. It had been years since the last time he'd been to California, probably not since he and Rip had gone on an extremely extended holiday after he'd been kicked from Ravenscar. Though Rip would likely disagree, he was glad they'd be taking a cab to the hotel they would be staying at in L.A. The plan was to rent a car in the morning, be in Sunnydale by the evening, and hopefully run into the Slayer.

"Bugger me, I'm glad I let you convince me to pack me coat instead of wearin' it on the flight," John groused, dragging his rolling suitcase behind him as he headed toward the smoking section. Usually he didn't care but American airports made him nervous, swarming as they were with security and gross consumerism. "Y'reckon we should drop in on Zee while we're at it? I don't think her residency in Vegas starts for another month or two."

@gilesian (just a wee starter to warm some Ripperverse back up)

[madlovenovelist]

#bookporn #coverlove

With so many new titles coming out in the Buffyverse lately I think it’s time for a re-watch. Has anyone read a novel set in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe yet?

[oveliagirlhaditright]

This is definitely one of my favorite parts of the "In Every Generation" series. Frankie reminds me of her mother a bit here:

But also Buffy of course, too.

Which is fitting, because author of the series, Kendare Blake, has described Frankie's personality as a mix of Willow, Buffy, and Sailor Moon. LOL.

[co-mixed]

One Girl in All the World: a super spoilery review

There’s a non-spoiler review on my insta but here I’m planning to go all out. I wanna share my thoughts on all the things that were going through my mind while I was reading, but because there were too many, I’m just gonna talk about some. 

In Every Generation was exactly what I wanted the canon to be. Picking up after the show’s been off the air for a while (a long while), not focusing on what happened to the majority of main characters (but briefly hinting at that), and telling the story of a slayer (or the slayer). 

And One Girl continues this tradition, putting Frankie against a new Big Bad. 

Here come the spoilers so go on ahead if you’ve read the book. 

The story

It feels like season 2, where Frankie already has her slayer routine down, has her Scoobies in check and training, and a demon to swoon after. I guess, for a slayer, this would be what passes for normal life. First of all, this all fits in well with Buffy s2. It definitely gives off the same vibe and, what I like most, the Big Bad is not ancient evil like the Countess, but something more personal – a slayer. Or rather a band of slayers with Vi, which makes it personal for Hailey, and Aspen as their leader, which makes it personal for Frankie (because she’s Grim’s evil ex although he himself may or may not be evil, so…). And the fact that Buffy’s disappeared makes it personal for everyone else. 

Of course, you don’t trust the sappy “I want to give the power back” from Aspen. You buy it from Vi, but we know her. Vi isn’t evil but she’s traumatized which I love as a concept because we never got to see the real impact of surviving the first with no slayer power to back you up. And those girls went through hell. Just getting the power doesn’t make you strong and doesn’t make you a hero. 

But Aspen wasn’t there, and she’s the other side of that coin - when you get the power you might want more. I think I called it right away through all of the hints at her personality. Which are brilliantly done, I can almost see how it could have happened in the show, somewhere mid-season. So Aspen is the evil slayer who recruited a bunch of others, including Vi, for her cause that is seemingly humanitarian but really just a power grab. I actually see Kennedy trying to pull something like that and not just because she’s irritating, but because she’s too power-hungry. Alas, it’s not her. It’s Aspen, who skillfully invents just enough propaganda to brainwash a bunch of slayers who weren’t in s7 and are nowhere near Buffy’s inner circle.

Speaking of Buffy, she’s alive (which no one tells Dawn, which IS classic Willow to be fair), and imprisoned in another dimension. This is a good balance between where we need her to be – not in this story, and where we can’t in good faith put her – in the ground (again! Third time’s a charm). And this is very fair, since Buffy has no place in this particular story. No matter, at what point she shows up, she will immediately draw all attention to herself. She is a great motivation and role model for Frankie, and in a way, it would’ve made every bit of sense to me even if she was dead. Yeah, I love Buffy and don’t go all you’re betraying the icon for a new kid. But as long as Buffy’s alive, it would be hard to let her go and follow another slayer. 

And the inevitable question of who she ends up with? It shouldn’t really be resolved. That’s it on Buffy because see? She’s already taking up too much time, and this isn’t even her story. 

So Frankie’s up against slayers which is scary and unfair and seems impossible. 

To make things worse, she’s up against an army of familiar demons. And here is one of the things I love: every book tries to namedrop the demons we know: Fyarls, M’Fashniks, hellhounds, etc. Most do it randomly and aggressively and you feel slightly irritated. This one gives you a damn good reason with the beacon and doesn’t really focus on the demons as much as their impact. And the “greatest hits” comment is very well deserved.

The swim team tho… that really made me laugh out loud and with joy. It’s like every easter egg is done in a very loving manner. I love that, and while it doesn’t hit at nostalgia (because I just finished a rewatch and because I watched the show 8 times in 3 years), it does tie in to the history of Sunnydale. 

Frankie and her Scoobies are up to the challenge though, and with a little help from their friends and adults, they defeat demons with blunt force and slayers with smarts. Which really sums up Frankie and establishes her as her own slayer with her own approach. She has the “I’m not Buffy” moment and I love her for owning that. And once again, this follows the show in a smooth manner. Something similar, mind you, already drove Faith to evil, so could we stop comparing slayers? 

The story is wholesome like a tv season, so you feel like you’re still watching the show. And its ending leaves so many stories to be told. I am really not ready for this to be just a three-book story. 

The Characters

Always my favorite part. 

Are we the grownups?

I watched Stranger Things just last year and the thing I loved most is that it feels like a ya show, but it has several arcs for several groups of characters with different ages thus avoiding the absent parent issue that used to be a staple for ya. 

This same thing happens in both IEG and OGIATW. Only the adults are actually involved where it matters. We know these adults and we know how it used to be only their thing. Yeah, they had Giles also, but he was still very much a watcher, an authority. And Willow and Oz, they feel much more like how we feel now. Relatable. They still don’t know what they’re doing (because who ever does?) and they have to combine parenting with the supernatural stuff. They wonder how Joyce and Giles managed (they drank). This hits close to home whether or not you have kids. And immediately you can put yourself in Willow and Oz’s shoes. 

How mature are any of us anyway? 

There’s their relationship as well, that’s brought up again in this book. The fragile co-parenting thing on top of their past. It’s lovely how this gets resolved and then Sarafina shows up to both complicate and uncomplicate things. Again, like in the show, life is happening and it feels cozy.

The kids are alright 

The only issue I have with this book is there’s not enough room for everything that I wanna know. I wanna spend more time with these characters, hang out with them between patrols more and I understand that that’s simply impossible in just one book. But some side stories would sure be nice. Tell them in comics because I don’t see much fan art and I want to see fan art. I think I’m most impressed by their non-toxic dynamic. Buffy, Willow, and Xander managed to be terrible to each other and never address them. We still love them, (except for Xander) but we call this out daily. Frankie, Hailey, and Jake are not that at all. They are supportive and open, and that helps them. That’s why when Frankie’s with Jake before the final battle, getting their kindergarten magic, it seems natural and honest. If they ever turn on each other, there better be a damn good reason.

Frankie 

This girl is fantastic. I already covered her slayer side and her skill. But I’m yet to talk about who she is. Which is something she herself is trying to figure out, and like most teens, she compares herself to others. Like most teens, she looks at herself through a magnifying glass and finds herself lacking. But she learns to appreciate it and sticks to her own style. That’s so useful coming from a teen character who isn’t confident. Gaining that confidence without relying just on superpowers (because so what if she’s a slayer, who isn’t?) is what Frankie does flawlessly.  

There’s also first love (in her case it’s really more hormones than in Buffy’s). Still, all the similarities are done in such a hilarious way when everyone around her says “No, no, no!” (except Hailey who’s all “Go for it!”). I love how it dawns on Willow that she used to be that same support group for Buffy. But Frankie did indeed, inherit the main Slayer gene with going for the dark broody type who may or may not be evil. And there’s something both mature in the fact that she understands this ambiguity right away, and her incredibly immature teen-crush attitude. 

While many may say that it was the same for Buffy, I can’t agree. Buffy was more independent by that point, her life was entirely different, and she continued to grow in that relationship. Also, 200 years vs 2000 is a considerable difference. But you know what, we aren’t talking about that, and not ever in comparison to real life. 

Back to Frankie and her hot demons. She has her own way of dealing with relationship issues, and that’s a damn straightforward one. I admire that, and to me, this is one of the things that modern teens probably do better than we used to. There are fewer games and assumptions. Still, even with that, a teen is a teen, so she isn’t wise beyond her years and she will make mistakes.

Hailey 

The dynamic between sisters, especially conflicted, is something I had no doubt Kendare Blake could manage. After Three Dark Crowns and (earning redemption for Kat of all people), that is a given. Hailey is the “powerless” one of the bunch. But she works hard and she is a very formidable opponent even for demons. She has a lot going on too, with the new relationship that seems to be going well prior to meeting the parent. And that’s a timeless issue, I mean when was it ever not an issue? Expectations are absolutely always in the way and she ends up in this annoying limbo where she wants to know what Sig is thinking but he doesn’t let her. And like so many of us, she takes the only exit we know – push ‘till you get the answer. Is that right or not? I mean, who really knows? 

Now there’s an irreparable strain on her and Sig, and Sarafina might go away but the issues won’t. 

See, High school is still hell doesn’t matter whether you’re actually in class. 

Jake

Jake also has things to sort out. First of all, with his wolf: he wants to get the level of control Oz has, but is he doing it for the right reasons? This can be a metaphor for a lot of things, especially in your teens. But he’s trying to grow up faster and become more of use. While no one actually knows how it would work for him. I honestly even forgot that he was born a werewolf, and we haven’t seen that yet. But I love that with this book Buffy lore is getting richer.  

The other thing for Jake is his feelings for Sam (who’s still wondering why Spike didn’t let him join the D&D campaign). Sam is Jake’s friend, we already met him, and here has his first encounter with the demonic creatures. He is gonna have a tough choice to make and had it been a show, imagine the drama. But so far it seems like their relationship is gonna go fine, they both like each other and have things to discuss and figure out. I keep saying it feels like season 2, and it does because of these little things. That’s why I want more time with these characters, they have their own sectors of life that are so exciting.

Spike (neither a kid nor an adult really)

I was thinking of throwing him in with the adults but come on, it’s Spike. If you missed him for what he was in the show, then don’t sleep on this series. It’s literally the same character: he’s not an overly romanticized love interest, he is still recalling the good old days when he ate people, he attends a poetry club (which is both funny and perfect for him), he’s irresponsible when it comes to his day job (rebel). And you can bet he will try to look cool when there’s a chance of seeing Buffy again. 

Not to compare but the things that irritated me in Big Bad and Bloody Fool for Love (neither book is bad but I prefer both vampires closer to canon) are averted here. You instantly recognize the Spike you know. And his Watchering… well let’s just say we could argue whether his statement from the first book is true and Wesley was the worst. I mean both got rogue slayers on their hands, and he is still learning how to be the good Watcher with Frankie. But no one is perfect and he’s at least getting closer. 

Personally, I think Robin Wood would’ve been the perfect Watcher. Much better than Andrew.

To sum it up:

The story continues to metaphorize teen experiences.

It works well for both old and new Buffy fans, and for every generation.

Every character we know feels absolutely true to who they should be by now. 

Lore gets expanded and some theories even bring more sense to the go show. 

New Scoobies are established and going strong.

There are hints at future character arcs and a strong idea of what’s at the core of the next book.

As far as expansions on the canon go, this one is perfect in every sense.

[betterbooksandthings]

One Girl in All the World by Kendare Blake

One Girl in All the World by Kendare Blake packs a punch with even more witty banter, slayer-related injuries, and things that go bump in the night. Book two in the ya urban fantasy series, In Every Generation series, continues to follow Willow’s daughter Frankie Rosenberg and her Scoobies in Sunnydale as they avoid the end of the world.

The novelized continuation of Buffy The Vampire Slayer has all the fun of the 90s show with a look at the newest generation of slayers and scoobies and the old group all grown up. Want to see Spike the watcher librarian working at a high school media center? Maybe you want to catch up with OZ razing his cousin, the lovable werewolf lacrosse player Jake. Perhaps you want to check in on Willow who is finally settling into what it really means to be the mom to a slayer, especially one who has a crush on a daemon who is broodier and too immortal to date her daughter.

Overall, the book is a great time. I am for sure biased as a Buffy fan. I also really enjoyed Slayer by Kiersten White. In general, although much can be said about the terror that is Joss Whedon, I really do love the Buffyverse and the original group at the center of it all. This book takes the lore from the show and really builds a compelling mystery behind what happened to the missing slayers. I think the big bad was really believable and the pacing of their reveal really paid off. Also, I really must give all my love to the Frankie, Jake, Hailey, and Sigmund dynamics. I walked away from book 2 with a really strong sense of character for a frankly large cast. Kendare Blake has the skill you have to have to pull something like that off without having a side character feeling small or underdeveloped. I eagerly look forward to seeing how everything wraps up in book 3, but until then, the stakes remain high.

[eldritchamy]

oops guess who watched 30 episodes of The Vampire Diaries in 42 hours, cried their eyes out, and has a headache

I just finished season 2 and ouch

[metrogeek]

@metrogeek

[olderthannetfic]

A short while ago you mentioned fic on AO3 that was written in the “AO3 style”, or something to that effect. I was wondering if you could elaborate on what that means/is?

--

Oh god. This topic comes around every 6 months or so. Others should feel free to help me out here, but basically...

A lot of fanfic sounds like the other fanfic and other stuff that the same communities consume. In a given era and sector of fandom, that leads to a samey style. It often has a lot of overlap with a specific sector and era of genre fiction with a heavy dose of watches-tv-does-not-read-books elements on top.

AO3 House Style is relatively similar to the height of LJ Western slash fandom. Other fanfic styles are often similar but start showing other influences the more distant you get.

There are some major strains, not always in the same works:

Transparent genre fiction prose that doesn't call too much attention to itself. It's there to convey plot, not make you notice the language qua language. You'll see something similar in, say, a Mercedes Lackey novel (along with the terrible editing and protagonist centered morality that are also common in fic, haha).

YA boom era YA vibes.

Kind of forced "snark" and samevoice from many characters in a way that tells you the author spent a little too much time watching Buffy.

World building and complex thriller/mystery/etc. plots that actually work typically take a back seat to pining, angst with a happy ending, and other more ship-focused, character interaction-focused, and emotions-focused things. The general idea of a mystery, vampire AU, etc. is often present, but it's more of a backdrop. (Depends on the part of fandom though!)

Huge focus on the internal psychological and emotional state of characters.

Lots of hurt/comfort, both physical and emotional.

Lots of serialized work that shows the traces of being written that way (dangling plot threads, inflated word count, returning to similar plot points in a way that wouldn't happen if the thing were completely written, revised, and then only posted serially).

Certain cliched phrases like "He smelled of __ and __ and something uniquely him", carding fingers through hair (thanks, commenters for researching this one a year or two ago and proving it's way more common in fic!), "Oh. Oh.", etc.

If the fic is more self-consciously literary, it's full of sentences that trail off to the point where you're almost not sure what actually happened.

Often lots of very short paragraphs and lots of scenes that are almost all dialogue

Frequently third person limited present tense. Some third person limited past tense. Less of other stuff unless you're looking at a fandom where canon is first person or you're looking at readerfic (which is on AO3 but is not really "AO3 House Style").

Honestly, some people would just say "sounds like fanfic", but if you go read primarily on SpaceBattles or something, you're going to find a lot of stories that don't sound quite the same as your prototypical AO3 fic.

[laughingmagi]

     “See, I don’t think it’s that big a deal. Personally, I think it’s a load o’ bollocks that vampirism makes someone inherently evil. Y’know, technically I sold half me soul t’the Devil an’ I don’t feel any diff’rent.”

starter for @gilesian​

[claudiajessies]

GET TO KNOW ME ☆ [13/∞] favourite television shows » buffy the vampire slayer

in every generation there is a Chosen One. she alone will stand against the vampires, the demons and the forces of darkness. she is the Slayer.