#evilqk

[girl4music]

OMG. Oh my fucking god!

Kassidy I fucking love you!

If you’re covering the whole show on YouTube, I’ll love you forever! But if not, I’ll join up to your Patreon!

[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 :)

[heartstoppermybeloved]

HEARTSTOPPER 2X08 REACTION reaction #heartstopper Patreon: https://ift.tt/myXTVzW Twitter: https://twitter.com/EvilQk Instagram: ... via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DzCxIhhxPs

[itsmoonknight]

MOON KNIGHT 1X06 REACTION MoonKnight #DisneyPlus Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/evilqk Twitter: @EvilQK *Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of ... via YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ojcGjeEqF4

[girl4music]

I don’t want to say Cordy makes Angel happy because we all know that’s a no no. He can’t be happy. But he is brighter as a person. Radiant. Dare I even use William the Bloody Awful Poet’s own term? Yeah I think I’m gonna… Around her he is Effulgent.

And it just makes a hell of a difference to him as a person, as a character. Constant broody, moping, miserable, guilt-ridden, self-hating, self-contemptuous, pained Angel is not fun to watch. Sure - his mission is about redemption but take it from another brooding dark stoic character whose mission is also about redemption - Xena was never this depressing of a character throughout the entirety of her show. Why does Angel need to be?

A character that comes into their lives that helps these two tortured, hopeless people find a light in themselves by being their light is the whole point to a redemption arc because you can’t receive a redemption if you can’t allow yourself it. For Xena, that person was Gabrielle. For Angel, that person is Cordy. A vampire burdened with a conscience and were he ever to feel even one ounce of happiness, revert back to the soulless evil monster he once was is not an ideal situation but not everything has to be doom and gloom. And with Cordy around - it won’t be because there is no danger it will tip the scale. She knows she needs to be careful and cautious around him in a way Buffy never truly understood because Buffy is the Slayer. Fighting evil vampires and demons is her unwanted “destiny”, it wasn’t something she “wanted” to do because she “chose” it. Cordelia is different. She’s chosen this life - this path. Even more so now she’s become part-demon. Of course it’s not entirely the same but now she’s his equal partner she can provide for him and be a light in the dark. This matters. This balances the scale. This is the whole point to what she’s there for. She’s there for him.

[girl4music]

I’d say it was more targeted to families and young adults. The sexual tension and titillation were for the men, sure, but the dark and deep storytelling were meant for an adolescent audience. And as commentators have said above me - the subtext took over and eventually the main audience the show catered to was the queer audience. WLW.

This made it one-of-a-kind because even now - few shows ever go there. You’ll see more shows with an established queer narrative cancelled these days then taken on as a serious and necessary narrative.

Also I would say for a show to have a serious and necessary queer narrative - it would have to be fully embraced as a queer show. And Xena is a very queer show. Not just in the way of WLW or lesbianism. But there’s many episodes surrounding gender identity as well and addressing what it means to be who we are and choose to be against the normality. That is also queer storytelling.

The term “queer” covers many areas. It’s why it’s often used as the umbrella term in LGBTQIA+. Because it represents all of it.

The name “Xena” itself translates to stranger or guest in the original Greek.

In other words: The show is about a woman feeling like a stranger or guest in her own home who meets another woman who also does and they become found family instead.

[girl4music]

Pay very close attention to the context with which Xena uses to call people her “friend”. Xena uses that term very loosely. As in, the relationship can be romantic or platonic. She’ll still refer to them as her “friend”. You just won’t know the difference unless they show you. The only reason you know it’s more than a friend in this episode is because you see Xena kiss Marcus. So they show you it’s more.

But she still calls him her “friend” in reference.

This is very important.

[girl4music]

I wish I could explain why this show is not queer-baiting and more like straight-baiting but it would spoil a lot.

Just trust me. You’ll see for yourself why it isn’t. 😊

They couldn’t do a lot of WLW representation but it was substantial what they provided given the time this show was aired in.

[girl4music]

One line that really haunts me looking back isn’t from ‘Restless’ but ‘Something Blue’.

When she said “If I had any real power I could have made Oz stay with me.”

Now we likely thought, at the time, that this was just Willow dumping on herself. That she never really meant anything she was saying. She was just sad and grieving her loss and so her entire exuberant personality was deflated and she was just saying stuff like that because she was in pain.

But now we know that if she really did have that kind of power back then that that’s exactly what she would have done because she does it to Tara. Makes her stay with her via the power of magic.

And you watch that episode back again and you’re like “Whoah!” all of a sudden because you’ve seen the trajectory of the arc now. Where it will go.

The red flags were right there in front of us.

That might not have been her intention back then but it certainly was her mindset. It’s something her mind went to instinctually. She never had the power then but imagine if she did. What would she have done to Oz? Mind-raped him too? Scary.

And I do remember that the initial manifesto for Season 4 - the original intention - was to give us the Initiative and the Dark Willow storylines all in one. Does that mean that the human Willow went after instead was Professor Walsh? What if Oz never made it out of that Initiative underground base? What if he had died because of the meddlings of Walsh and her corrupt schemes?

What if the twist then was SHE was the faux Big Bad that triggered the real one? Triggered Dark Willow? Imagine how insane that would have been.

[girl4music]

Kassidy has made it to ‘Dreamworker’. This is the episode the starts Gabrielle off on her individual arc. It’s more important than she realizes at this point.

[girl4music]

Comment by @Lucy-uv4hv: “This episode definitely makes more sense on rewatches. It's a fan favourite, but probably only because people love to dissect it looking back. On the first watch, it's confusing and weird as hell, but each dream does make for a good character study on the insecurities they went through this season.

A few nonspoilery details from the dreams:

The text Willow paints on Tara's back is a lesbian love poem by Sappho in its original ancient Greek. Willow's book report is on The Lion (Oz), The Witch (Tara) and the Wardrobe (the closet/coming out). The constant moving between sets in Xander's dream looks so smooth because they built the sets next to each other and just had him run through the doors connecting them to mimic the way we seem to jump from place to place in dreams.

Xander's conversation with Snyder is an homage to Apocalypse Now. We've seen the number 730 appear in Buffy's prophetic dreams before. The tarot card Tara gives Buffy is the same one used to represent her in the enjoining spell - manus, the hand, symbolising Buffy's physical strength. Giles, Willow and Xander were all represented by the body parts the First Slayer removed from them in their dreams - the mind, the spirit and the heart.”

Response comment by @sebulator2391: “Wow I never realized the lion, the witch, and the wardrobe part!”

My response: It’s a misdirect. A very clever one. The whole dream has you thinking that Willow’s insecurity is her sexuality. How she’s perceived now she’s come out as gay.

But it’s a massive misdirect to the reveal of the real insecurity. Which is far more significant than just sexuality. And the really clever thing about it is it’s always Willow that’s using this misdirect as her cover up….

Until she’s stripped bare by the only other person in her life that she feels she needs to prove herself to. Buffy. The Slayer.

Willow wants it to be her sexuality because that’s easier. She’s more comfortable with that being exposed. It’s nowhere near as scary.

This whole thing continues well into S5 until she’s confronting her very own girlfriend on it. Instead of what Tara actually fears (her power), she switches the context to her sexuality yet again. The further away she can keep people from the truth, the better. The safer she feels.

This is why the witchcraft = lesbianism metaphor works so well. It’s a multi-layered metaphor that even Willow uses to her advantage. Because being a lesbian is much less of problem in her arc than being a witch.

Her being gay is merely a footnote to her shows-long arc and main problem. Which is severe chronic paranoia brought on by longtime deep emotional complex trauma.

In ‘Restless’ her condition is revealed as imposter syndrome but there’s much more going on than just that. That’s only one level.

[girl4music]

At the end of the day a true coward stays a coward. Xander isn’t a true coward otherwise he wouldn’t have turned back to face Anya. Not only was he brave for doing that but he was also brave for calling it off then and there despite knowing how painful it would be for both him and Anya to do it at the altar.

This man exhibits bravery so much in this episode but no one wants to see it that way because they see it as wrong what he does in the first place.

And so I ask the question - were you in Xander’s shoes in this episode - what would you do?

Bear in mind that I do mean “in his shoes” to mean having his psyche as well. The same fears and emotions. The same worries and insecurities.

What would you do?

I know what I would do. Exactly the same thing.

I’d initially run away. Not say anything to anyone. Spend some time alone, process and reassess, and then turn back and face my sham of a wedding, tell the love of my life that I cannot go through with it with the way that I feel - have been feeling for a long time - and I would bear the brunt of hers and my pain to be, for once in my life, honest with myself.

That’s what Xander does this episode. I cannot see how anyone does not see this episode as pivotal character growth. I cannot see how it is regression.

I can see how it is wrong but only because of what he held back in the first place. Not for what he does because of it. To me - that is FACING it head on.

And yes, it is painful and devastating.

But it is also extremely brave.

Are you telling me that the brave thing would be to go through with it even though he still has cold feet? No. I don’t think so. That would be the coward route.

[girl4music]

Maybe it doesn’t call for it to happen but I would think with Willow’s serious emotional addiction she wouldn’t be able to go to classes. I mean if we’re treating it as a proper alcohol/drug addiction, something like school would be too much stress for her while dealing with emotional addiction. Not to mention it would be a health and safety hazard.

Are you telling me that even during the ‘Smashed/Wrecked’ arc she still went to college? She almost killed her best friend’s sister for christ sake… the last place she’s gonna be able to go is a school.

It’s probably because they keep it all hush hush because it does involve the supernatural and all but it’s like I said - if it’s supposed to be a proper parallel to alcohol/drug addiction, then she shouldn’t be allowed to step in a school. Even for her own sake.

Saying that, she really should have been immediately ejected from the Summers household too after the events of ‘Wrecked’ and that didn’t happen. The responsible adult left instead.

And how’s about the other elephant in the room regarding this subject? Again - if it’s a proper parallel - what would “alcohol/drugs” be able to do to get them out of the predicament they were in?

The writing is a little off if you ask me. I’m just noticing some of the discrepancies with it watching this reaction. While it’s true that Willow’s use of magic wouldn’t have helped them out - the parallels to it being a proper alcohol/drug addiction - don’t really work for an episode like this. In other words - Anya shouldn’t have cared about Willow’s magic.

I think these are the times where people complain that the magic=drugs metaphor is too heavy-handed. And honestly - I don’t blame them. The writing here in using the metaphor is off quite a bit.

[girl4music]

Yep, that’s pretty much it. Not to boil Xander down to a one-note character because he isn’t. But honestly, a lot of what’s going on with this character just comes down generally to wanting to do the right thing and be the hero but letting his emotions get the better of him.

As opposed to Willow who also wants to do the right thing and be the hero but doesn’t want to address her emotions and goes straight to quick fixes instead.

And then you’ve got Buffy who just can’t be a normal girl because she’s burdened with the duty of doing the right thing and being the hero and uses her emotions to motivate her into action as ‘The Slayer’.

They are the core 3. All flawed and all fallible but loveable regardless - or in my case - because of it.

[girl4music]

As for the ‘addiction’ storyline and Willow’s arc.

It’s half-an-half in terms what is good and what is unfortunately not so good about it. It’s clever what they do with it with it being about ‘addiction’ in general. But the “drug” and “substance abuse” comparisons don’t work for it and just confuse it.

I mean if you’re gonna talk about addiction - even through metaphor - you don’t have to involve drugs or substance abuse of any kind really…

But then you do have to think about whether the audience will get the message if you don’t directly relate it to something that’s easily recognizable.

And I think that was probably the problem in the writer’s room when it came to conceiving of the addiction arc. They didn’t know how to translate it to the screen so that it could be easily understood.

They struggled to tell a story about addiction without comparing it to drugs or substance abuse. The times when it’s just talking about ‘addiction’ in general, it works very well and emotionally hits and it’s profound. But as soon as the imagery and dialogue about drugs and substance abuse comes into it, it just ruins it. Not completely but… enough that it turns people off. I mean I personally don’t mind it because I can interpret for myself and that’s enough for me. But there’s many that don’t like the addiction arc point blank because of the heavy-handed drug/substance abuse comparisons that don’t work for it. That make it seem like a PSA of “Hey kids, don’t do drugs magic.”

Behavioural and emotional addiction was always Willow’s problem when it came to her use and abuse of magic. It was never a drug or substance physical addiction. Or shouldn’t have been I should say.

It was power corruption and co-dependency and other forms of addiction not related to drugs or alcohol or any external substance of any kind.

When the show takes the arc down the route of external sources - that’s when it gets messy and clunky and confusing to understand her condition.

It was a very internal mental health identity crisis thing going on with her that they never resolved.

She certainly got addicted to the power that magic gave her but not the magic itself. Because that just doesn’t make sense. Magic is a force not a thing.

The complexity of Willow as a character and what she goes through and overcomes in her shows-long arc is something I’ll always love and will never be able to stop talking about. But I do feel they made some grave mistakes and wrong turns in it. And turning her dependence on magic into a blatant drug addiction is one of them. I don’t hate it. I just think it’s a shame because it just confuses it.

Anyway, Five By Five Takes explains all this way better than I do. I recommend you check out their analysis video about it. It’s really good and in-depth.

[girl4music]

I have to talk a little bit about Cousin Beth portrayed by Amy Adams because there is so much in her and Tara’s short but intense interactions but it’s not very detailed and therefore easy to miss because of it.

“Are you happy now?”

Of course she’s happy. She’s free from her abusers. But you’re not happy because it means you aren’t. You should have joined her, helped her, stood against your uncle and cousin and you didn’t. Your loss, Beth. Your jealousy, resentment and vindictiveness will be your downfall. And you will always be a victim to it.

The way Benson plays this entire scene silently but yet still showing us exactly what she’s thinking. Masterful! Her cousin is seething and all she does is just smiles. It’s a way of saying “I pity you, Beth, but good luck.” Psychological conditioning is a fucking brute and only the strongest of wills make it out alive. I should know. But Beth had an opportunity here to speak up for Tara and she chose not to. She could have freed herself. It truly is sad ‘cause she was fed just as many lies. Even without magical power odds are she was also likely treated horrifically by the men of the family. She could see that Tara’s defiance is what could free the both of them and all she does is tries to shame her instead of support her. Her jealousy is that deep. Her will is that weak. But there are thousands like her. Some turn a corner but most just stay just the same. They think it makes them safer but they’re so wrong.

Beth expects Tara to shoulder what has now become her burden now that she's the only woman of the house. Tara coming back with them means the burden will return to her and she'd be free from it. Beth will only play nice so long as Tara plays victim. It's really sad when you consider that they could actually just combine their powers together to take down the gentlemen of the family. But that's just what an abusive "family" dynamic like that does to the members of it that are also being abused. Has them only look out for themselves instead of work together to support each other out of it. In the environment of demon eats demon, survival means being just as brutal as the brutality you are dealt. Beth is only cruel because she believes she has to be to survive.

Now look at Tara who is abused, brutalised, manipulated, gaslighted and neglected for her entire lifetime.... And yet never ever is cruel or does any of that to anyone else. Her light shines so bright because everyone else she's related to has chosen to extinguish their own candle. You could say Tara’s actions and choices in this episode make her no better than her family, but considering she is psychologically conditioned to believe she’ll turn into a demon, you can understand her desperation to not allow that part of her to be exposed to the ones she loves and cares about the most. It is simply that she is just afraid. And that’s not a crime. It’s a fucking traumatic tragedy.