#house of angelus

[thatcerealkiller]

This Portrait, That Portrait

art by @chaaistheanswer that I commissioned to go with some writing over at AO3 😌

[justafriendofxanders]

how do i get the rising tide (renaissance of toxic old man yaoi from 2000s-2010s tv shows) to lift all boats (spangel)

[layer-of-slayers]

My main issue with Angelus as the Big Bad is that he was built up as one of the worst, scariest, most sadistic vampires in history and this whole Buffy and Drusilla parallel was set up with the way he stalked Drusilla and killed everyone she loved only for him to do stuff like... use his invite to Willow’s house to kill Willow’s fish, and use his access to Buffy’s house to leave her handdrawn portraits instead of trying to kill Joyce or attack Buffy in her sleep, and only go after Jenny Calendar when she found a way to re-ensoul him.

So: imagine if Angelus did start to go after Buffy’s loved ones and managed to kill at least one person, Imagine if Buffy and Joyce and the Scoobies had that to deal with when a re-ensouled Angel came back in season 3 (Giles was already dealing with that in canon because Angelus killed Jenny, but i wonder if Buffy.would have reacted differently to him in season 3 if it had been someone she was closer to and didn’t have mixed feelings about, considering she partially blamed Jenny for Angel losing his soul in the first place). 

Basically what i’m thinking is: AU where Angelus kills Hank Summers

[coraniaid]

In Season 2's Becoming, after being outed as the Slayer to her mother, Buffy delivers a monologue in which she insists she never wanted to be a Slayer ("do you think I choose to be like this? do you have any idea how lonely it is, how dangerous?") and that she wishes she could be doing almost anything else with her life ("God, even studying") but she doesn't have a choice ("I have to save the world, again"). Indeed by the end of the episode that obligation to put her own desires aside and do whatever's necessary to save the world will force her to send the man she loves to hell. Being a Slayer explicitly costs her everything she cares about ("I've got nothing left to lose", as she tells Whistler even before killing Angel).

So, obviously, large sections of the Buffy fandom on here have decided that this means Buffy loves being a Slayer and has fully accepted it as a part of who she is, that she has no rational reason to resent Giles at all, and that she only leaves town at the end of the episode (leaving a note behind for her mother and not telling anybody else) because her mother doesn't accept her and "kicks her out of the house" (an empty threat that Buffy takes so literally she's back in her bedroom packing for LA before the episode ends).

.... I mean, you do see how at odds with the text this reading is, right? However much you want Joyce to be the singular villain here, she's really not.

Buffy: "I never wanted to be a Slayer and in fact being a Slayer has made me miserable and I'm going to run away and change my name and hide from my Watcher so I don't have to be the Slayer anymore"

The fandom, incessantly: "hoho, Joyce blames Giles for Buffy running away, how ridiculous".

(Yes, there is a popular metaphorical reading of the show in which Buffy being "the Slayer" should be understood as Buffy being bi or trans or otherwise queer. And yes, in this reading Joyce's reaction to finding out the truth about her daughter-- already not great! -- becomes particularly terrible.

But that specific metaphorical reading is the not the One True Way of understanding the show. It's not something to which every single thing that happens on screen can be reduced. It's simply one interpretation among many and, in some episodes -- like this one! -- it works less well than it does at other times.

In the actual text of the show, Buffy has just told her mother that she's a reluctant child solider recruited into an impossibly dangerous conflict by a man who Joyce barely knows. A man who has insisted Buffy keep this all secret from her mother and lied to her face about it for months (Giles wouldn't even let Joyce know about vampires after a vampire trying to hurt Buffy attacked her in her own home! He didn't let her know about Angelus!)

Of course Joyce is upset about this! Of course she blames Giles! You know who else often blames Giles for Buffy having to be a Slayer? You know who started this season with a nightmare in which Giles tried to murder Buffy? Buffy herself.)

[hp-soulmates]

💞 HP Soulmates: Fated 2 Be - Masterlist 💞

We had 47 amazing works created for the fest!!! Thanks everyone for your participation and support!

These are organized by main relationship type: F/F, M/F, and M/M and within those alphabetically by pairing.

F/F

Bellatrix/Mystery Female Character

💞 [FIC] Rubies Red  by Constella1103 | @solis-angelus 💞 (M, Bellatrix/Mystery Character, 3.2k)

 Bellatrix Lestrange’s life impacted by two people, through her eyes.  Or  ~Bellatrix Black, aged eleven and the heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, disgraces her family when a ruby red shield appears on her shoulder.~

Fleur/Hermione

💞 [ART] We are who we are  by digthewriter | @digthewriter💞 (G, Fleur/Hermione, Digital Art)

Fleur and Hermione try to resist the pull they have toward each other.

💞 [FIC] The Choice by otterlyblued | @otterlyblued 💞 (T, Fleur/Hermione, 2.7k)

When one soulmate dies, the other begins to see them in dreams. Except it’s not just a dream, is it?

Ginny/Narcissa

💞 [FIC] Golden Script by Herochick007 | @herochicklyrrie007 💞 (T, Ginny/Narcissa, 3k)

Narcissa hates the name on her wrist, Ginny Weasley. Ginny is nowhere to be found, so she lives her life without her, but then, Ginny finally appears.

Hermione/Pansy

💞 [FIC] Only In Dreams Do I Wake by lumosatnight | @lumosatnight💞 (T, Pansy/Hermione, 1.5k)

Pansy dreams in flowers. She wakes to the feeling of leaves in her hair and twigs between her toes. It never lingers.

Lily/Narcissa

💞 [FIC] i will love you even if the oceans turn to sawdust and the trees fall in the forest without anyone around to hear them by chipsnkayso💞 (E, Narcissa/Lily, 60k)

Anything your soulmate draws on their skin appears on your skin. And the universe has a really fucked up definition of “drawing.” The story follows Lily from childhood to early adulthood.

Minerva/Poppy

💞 [FIC] Of Kittens and Serpents by Trueliarose | @trueliarose 💞 (T, Minerva/Poppy, 6.2k)

Navigating a relationship as teachers can be taxing, more so if one of your students is Harry Potter.

Remus/Sirius (as women)

💞 [FIC] Betrothal, Brothers, and Bullshit by tofeycat | @aspiring-artist-em💞 (E, femslash!Sirius/Remus, 3.6k)

Lesbian Wolfstar. Remus never went to Hogwarts, and she’s getting rather paranoid about the Grim that keeps following her everywhere.

M/F

Draco/Hermione

💞 [FIC] The Punch That Made a Mark by Tardis_Magic93 | @tardis-magic93 💞 (T, Draco/Hermione, 1.2k)

His Godfather’s eyes went wide with shock as if he noticed the soulmate mark right on his nose where Granger punched him.  “Who is your soulmate?”  Draco gulped nervously at his Godfather. He took too long to answer because his Godfather held his shoulders and shook him.  “Speak, boy!”  “Granger,” Draco mumbled.  “Can you please speak louder, Draco,” his Godfather sighed. “Granger! Okay?” Draco sighed looking at his Godfather frantically. 

💞 [FIC] Dizzy Edge of Heaven by Wanderingfair 💞 (E, Draco/Hermione, 9.8k)

Draco has just been traded from the Bulgarian National team to the Wimbourne Wasps. When moving into his new flat he hears his neighbor singing The Cure’s Just Like Heaven, and is immediately hit with a vision (or version) of their life together. He doesn’t believe in Divination, and has obviously been hit with one too many bludgers. The more time he spends around his new neighbor, the more he wants it to be true.  OR  The canon divergent telling of Draco Malfoy, a former Durmstran student, current Quidditch star, meeting Hermione Granger for the first time and being instantly unsure if he’s just incredibly smitten or he’s possibly found his soulmate.

Draco/Luna

💞 [FIC] something’s changed by scattermeamongthestars | @scattermeamongthestars💞 (E, Draco/Luna, 6.8k)

“I want to join the Order,” he repeated. His heart was beating so fast, so hard, he felt like his chest was going to burst. It hurt to breathe.  A wise move. He’ll find his soulmate there.

Harry/Pansy

💞 [FIC] Ink Stained Skin by swoonbaby | @swoonbby 💞 (M, Harry/Pansy, 19.8k)

Pansy Parkinson went all the way to California to hide from her past and was pleased to find her escape a rousing success. At least it had been until a freak accident involving a spilled bottle of ink erased all her progress and sent her past (or possibly her future) careening back into her path.

Hermione/Severus

💞 [FIC] Small Silver Linings  by dolor_dolores | @dolor-dolores💞 (T, Severus/Hermione, 33k)

Three touches – that’s what it takes to activate an ancient Merfolk binding magic, long forgotten in the wizarding world, and only applied to humans under rare circumstances. When Hermione Granger gets marked by the queen of the Merpeople during the Triwizard Tournament, she doesn’t know that she is bestowed with the ability to recognize her soulmate. Quite unfortunate so, Severus Snape would rather pretend to be dead than face is insufferable soulmate. However, he had made the calculations without Hermione, who is not so easily discouraged.

Katie/Marcus

💞 [FIC] Shatter Your Illusions of Love by liiilyevans | @liiilyevans 💞 (T, Katie/Marcus, 3k)

Katie Bell is Healer at St. Mungo’s. She deals with difficult patients all the time. Just usually not ones who have saved her life before.

Luna/Theo

💞 [FIC] In His Love Story by Halliwell19 | 💞 (E, Luna/Theo, 12.3k)

Set in magical regency England, Lord Theodore Nott is in want of a wife, except he doesn’t believe he will find a witch he could call his soulmate… until Lady Luna Lovegood made the Queen laugh.

Narcissa/Remus

💞 [FIC] Sheltered in Black Wings by Caiti | @caiti-creative-corner💞 (T, Narcissa/Remus, 2.4k)

Sometimes Narcissa wondered what her life might have been like without the bonds she held. And sometimes she had nightmares about the same. She would do whatever it took to protect her family and her people.

Neville/Pansy

💞 [FIC] Lover’s Leap by DrPansyParkinson💞 (E, Pansy/Neville, 13.5k)

The Wizarding World is small and insular—Pansy Parkinson and Neville Longbottom have known each other since they were children. But after Pansy’s Grandmother dies, a magical heirloom forces them to see each other in a new light.

💞 [FIC] Beyond the Garden’s Gate  by MarinaJune | @sailtomarina 💞 (M, Neville/Pansy, 29.6k)

Sir Neville Longbottom is the unlikely hero of a gallant quest to slay the Evil Serpent Nagini and return Lady Pansy Parkinson to her fiancé, Prince Draco Malfoy. Except this lady doesn’t appreciate being rescued, nor does she want to go on a journey back to the kingdom–and that’s before they discover they might be each other’s soul mates along the way.

Pansy/Sirius

💞 [FIC] Incendio by UltramarineOrchid | @ultramarineorchid💞(M, Sirius/Pansy, 16.2k)

Sirius Black has spent his entire adult life running away from two things: his soulmate, and spoiled pureblood witches. When Pansy Parkinson enters his life, what could possibly go wrong?

M/M

Albus/Gellert

💞 [FIC] souls and marks  by prima_vera | @girl-with-goats 💞 (T, Albus/Gellert, 1.1k)

A new parlour opens near the Diagon Alley, offering to reveal the soulmarks. Everyone is, naturally, curious, and clients start coming over, while the owner, one infamous Gellert Grindelwald, watches over them.

Draco/Harry

💞 [ART] The Petals Within Me by EraJMCouts | @erajmcouts 💞 (M, Draco/Harry, Digital Art)

The fine lines between love and lust, passion and possession, the want with the distrust.

💞 [FIC] Kiss Me, Kill Me, Keep Me Forever by DrWhoIsGinnyHolmes | @drwhoisginnyholmes 💞 (M, Draco/Harry, 2.4k)

A few quips back and forth, and the next thing Harry knew, he was tasting the insults straight from the devil’s mouth, sucking the popped “P” of his surname off Draco’s tongue and swallowing every scream that ripped through Draco’s self-control.

💞 [FIC] As bright as your smile by Nelween | @nelweensfic💞 (M, Draco/Harry, 2.8k)

In a world where you only start to see colours when you interact with your soulmate, everything turned back to shades of grey for Draco during the final battle. Until Potter and Luna show up to defend him during his trial.

💞 [FIC] Chosen of His Own Accord by AliceLiddle | @drarrypotterrenaissance 💞 (T, Draco/Harry, 17.8k)

From the prompt: Some families (the Malfoys, the Blacks, etc.) choose never to learn who their soulmate is due to the very high likelihood that they’re not a pure-blood. But the desire for your “other half” is strong, and every now and then, someone from those families decides to break tradition.  In which Draco gets braver, Harry chooses his own path, and they both run into each other a lot while running errands.

💞 [FIC] Sparks by annaotherthing | @annanother-thing 💞 (E, Draco/Harry, 20k)

“I’m sorry,” Draco turned to him, “are we boring you?”  Greg looked up. “No, I’m just hungry, and you’re taking far too long to just tell them that you and Potter are soulmates. Do you have to be this dramatic?”  There was a moment of silence, before all hell broke loose.  Harry didn’t know soulmates existed until he was fourteen. He wasn’t sure what he imagined it would be like, but he knew it wasn’t this. But that’s not to say he didn’t like it.

💞 [FIC] Blank Space by Jelliebabie💞 (E, Draco/Harry, 34k)

Life has not been easy for Draco Malfoy since the war. His hopes that he could complete his house arrest and finally get on with his life were not to be. Spat at in the streets, unable to get work, Draco is getting desperate. Desperate enough to put his life in the hands of a backstreet practitioner to see if finally getting rid of the Dark Mark can make a difference. But his decision has consequences he had not expected, and may provide the answer as to why Harry Potter seems unable to leave him alone.

💞 [FIC] A pulled down shade  by fast_brother 💞 (M, Draco/Harry, 43.1k)

Harry does not like Draco Malfoy, not even one bit. Never did and never will. That is, until he finds himself married to him.

💞 [FIC] Expiration of a Summer’s Rose by apricitydays 💞 (M, Draco/Harry, 60.0k)

Draco returns to England ten years after the war. Many things are different, but Harry is the same. But what does Harry have to do with Draco’s compelling new interest in botany? After an unexpected event disrupts the life Draco has built for himself, he slowly finds out. A hanahaki case fic

💞[FIC] tell me where it ends by SquibNation10 💞 (E, Draco/Harry, 63k)

After Harry wakes from his short-lived death, he begins to see red strings tied around the fingers of everyone he sees. No one else seems to be able to see them. He is surprised to see who is (or isn’t) tied to each other.  He is tied to Draco Malfoy.  Feature: Supportive Kingsley, a twist on the 8th-year fic

Draco/Harry and Harry/Tom

💞 [ART] Pour My Heart (In Places Where It Can’t Be Touched) by starlitsilvereyes | @starlitsilvereyes💞 (G, Tom/Harry and Draco/Harry, Digital Art)

Draco Malfoy’s soulmate is Harry Potter. Harry Potter’s soulmate is Tom Riddle.  Only Tom Riddle disrupts fate with his bare hands when he decides to split his soul, severing the string that links him to Harry Potter.  The prophecy takes its course – turning star-crossed lovers into enemies.

Draco/Ron

💞 [FIC] unless you’re choosing me by The_HouseRyn | @the-houseryn 💞 (M, Draco/Ron, 31k)

A soulmate was a choice. It was two people deciding to spend the rest of their lives together, weathering any storm. That was a fact that Ron would hold as truth for the rest of his life. Even when the Unspeakables found a spell in some ancient text that tied soulmates together with a red cord and showed them a moment of their “true love”. It was a hoax, he was sure of it. But no one else agreed, willing to upend their lives just because a stupid spell said so. Ron wouldn’t have minded so much if it hadn’t wrecked his.

Harry/Regulus

💞 [FIC] The Enemy of My Enemy by MidnightStargazer | @midnightstargazer💞 (T, Harry/Regulus, 33.8k)

In a world where soulmates are identified by tattoo-like marks on the body, Harry Potter was born with a constellation on his arm. For nearly seventeen years, it sits there, dormant and dark. Then, as he and Dumbledore enter the cave where they believe a Horcrux may be hidden, the stars begin to glow. The Blacks don’t go looking for their soulmates. Regulus was taught from an early age to ignore the lightning bolt on his skin and prioritize his duty to the family. But when he finds himself thrust into an unfriendly future, his soulmate may be the only person he can trust. At first glance, the two have little in common beyond their mutual desire to see Voldemort defeated. Will that be enough to bring them together? In a world where soulmates are identified by tattoo-like marks on the body, Harry Potter was born with a constellation on his arm. For nearly seventeen years, it sits there, dormant and dark. Then, as he and Dumbledore enter the cave where they believe a Horcrux may be hidden, the stars begin to glow. The Blacks don’t go looking for their soulmates. Regulus was taught from an early age to ignore the lightning bolt on his skin and prioritize his duty to the family. But when he finds himself thrust into an unfriendly future, his soulmate may be the only person he can trust. At first glance, the two have little in common beyond their mutual desire to see Voldemort defeated. Will that be enough to bring them together?

Harry/Severus

💞 [ART]  Lovers' Eyes by acydpop | @acydpop 💞 (T, Harry/Severus, Traditional Art)

Having a soulmate in their world was dangerous. Being away from Harry while he was in auror training was painful, but Severus found a way to keep Harry with him forever.

💞 [PODFIC] Finders Keepers by Lilian recorded by Cailynwrites💞 (T, Harry/Severus, 50 min)

Based on the fic by Lilian Severus Snape doesn’t find a single thing until he’s twenty. By that time, he has given up and ignores a young boy, when he arrives at Hogwarts.

💞 [FIC] Invisible String by emeraldlove | @givereadersahug 💞 (G, Harry/Severus, 3.7k)

The first time Harry saw Snape’s black eyes — him truly acknowledging Snape’s existence beyond him being his mean professor — it was the night after Harry killed Professor Quirrell. He was dreaming and in his dreams he was screaming.  Harry dreams of Severus over the years.

Harry/Teddy

💞 [FIC] Of Flowers, Unfaded by Aspen_Gray | @aspengray 💞 (E, Teddy/Harry, 34k)

“Excerpt from Arithmancy journals of the witch Brwyn y Dail, inventor of the Ipsum and Morex spells: “In crafting this Fpell, it had been mine Intention to affift fuch Perfons that feek their Foulmate. They will come to know themselves with the bundle of Flora I have named the Ipsa Coronae and their Mate or Mates with an Alteri one…Af their Relationfhip groweth, the third and final Coronae, the Vicini, will detail its ftatuf.”  Or: Teddy and Harry are soulmates. It takes a long time for Teddy to realize this fact and an even longer time for Harry to accept it.

Harry/Tom (Voldemort)

💞 [FIC] Stories that end and begin by HadrianPeverellBlack 💞 (M, Tom/Harry, 4k)

Tom had been right.  Now that he was in his fifth year at Hogwarts, he could state that Soulmates were a nuisance.  With the exception of a few souls who could consider themselves lucky, most of them were forced to put up with people they despised and who would do no good for their future.

James/Regulus

💞 [FIC] Fireflies by shushu_yaoi_lj | @orange-peony 💞 (E, James/Regulus, 26.9k)

James’s fingers suddenly brush against his skin, touching the very top of Regulus’s spine.  “This,” James says, his touch featherlight as it ghosts over Regulus’s skin, making it tingle in the most peculiar way. “It’s a lovely tattoo. Almost like antlers. When did you get it?”  Regulus can’t speak.  This can’t be possible.  Of all people—why James Potter?  Still, his mother’s words echo in his head. Every member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black has a soul mark. A tattoo that appears at birth and can only be seen by their soulmate.

James/Sirius

💞 [FIC] breakable heaven by Graceless_Lady | @gracelesslady23 💞 (M, James/Sirius, 7.8k)

James lies comatose in the hospital wing with a curse that can be cured by his soulmate’s kiss. Unlike fairytales, however, in life the story doesn’t end with learning your soulmate’s identity… and true love’s course doesn’t always run smoothly.

Marcus/Oliver

💞 [FIC] rough around the edges (but the edges look good) by epsilonargus | @epsilonargus 💞 (G, Marcus/Oliver, 8.5k)

oliver wood is obsessed with 2 things: quidditch, and marcus flint. and his soulmark will be, must be, awakened by marcus flint’s first words—if only he could get the surly slytherin to talk to him…

Marcus/Percy

💞 [FIC] Fifteen Years of Preparation  by EloiseEvans | @eloiseevans 💞 (M, Marcus/Percy, 3.3k)

Percy wasn’t ready. A fact that threw him off, regardless of the cause. Because Percy was always ready. It was a fact of life, a tenet that he lived by. The situation was made even worse by the sheer amount of time that he’d had to prepare. Fifteen years to be precise. But together, they would fix it.

Remus/Severus

💞 [FIC] Phantom by nocturn 💞 (T, Remus/Severus, 1.8k)

Soulmates communicate by writing on each other’s skin, Severus leaves Remus on read way too often, and the two confront a little unfinished business because (you guessed it) they’re ghosts!

💞 [FIC] He’s already in me by p0intless_p0et 💞 (T, Severus/Remus, 2.9k)

On the night of Dumbledore’s death, Lupin’s mark appeared.

Remus/Sirius

💞 [Podfic] Coming Across a Silver Moon based on the fic by sliebman10, recorded by BurningAurora | @burningaurora 💞 (T, Sirius/Remus, 30 min)

When Sirius’s father bids him to investigate the rumors of a beast in the forest surrounding their lands, he meets a humble woodsman, Remus, and learns about the mark of true love, and what exactly might be lurking in the forest.

💞 [Podfic] Romantic Obscenities and Other Curiosities Of Love  based on the fic by casstayinmyass, recorded by BurningAurora and ashata | @itsaash💞 (T, Sirius/Remus, 41 min)

Sirius Black’s soulmate has a foul mouth– that’s all he knows. Remus Lupin wonders what he could have possibly done to warrant such an explosion of words that he’s had tattooed on his back his whole life. In the small mountain town of Hogsmeade, they’re both bound to find out soon

💞 [FIC] Click to Connect  by TherestheSnitch | @theresthesnitch 💞 (E, Sirius/Remus, 11.0k)

When the only way to find a soulmate is to see if you Click! during anal sex, being a Bottom with a very well endowed soulmate can make things hard–hard to get off, that is. Sirius is a little desperate to find his big-cocked Top soulmate.e

Severus/Sirius

💞 [FIC] Soulless: Blind Date  by picklesonsaturday | @picklesonjupiter 💞 (T, Sirius/Severus, 1.7k)

There were three types of soulmates: platonic, romantic, and enemy. Severus was one of the rare few without a soulmate. He was one of the soulless. Those who are shunned by society because they are seen as unable to make connections, which is a blatant lie. Or Severus has the opportunity of finding love when he goes on a blind date.

[bleedingichorhearts]

𝕬𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖑𝖚𝖘 𝕷𝖆𝖕𝖘𝖚𝖘

𝕬𝖚𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖗: Who doesn’t want a Spartan? Also thank you @kit-williams for practically being my mentor. This can also be found in my “ᴛᴀɢ ʟɪꜱᴛ ᴀᴘᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ” if you would like to be tagged.

TW: Google Translation, Violence?

I woke up with a start, catching the hand that dared to reach for my face. Eyes boring into the person's soul while they tried to yanked their hand away.

Another, different hand caught my offending wrist. Their hand, stronger, bolder, and rougher. Pinning my hand back against the bed while his icy blue eyes; barely hidden by the shadow of his mask, stared down at me.

It left me frozen for a moment, staring into the icy depths of his eyes. A certain devotion in them that left my skin prickling.

He was a towering man with warm olive skin, and dawned in bronze armor with an almost unseeable face glaring down at me. Oh he was definitely a sight to see when waking up.

Jumping into ‘flight or fight,’ I gave a right hook to his helmet with my other hand. A crack echoing out as the soldier stumbled back, surprised while I pulled myself on top of him like a koala, trying to take off his red cloak. The previous person shouted out, and rambled in a language I didn’t understand. Irritating me as I struggled to get this moody man’s damn cloak.

He kept moving in circles. Tipping over things as he tried in every possible way to get me off his back. His hand sometimes wrapped around a limb, but not at a good enough angle to throw me off properly.

Damn it, man built like a goddamn mountain! Just let me take your cloak, and we will be good. Just stay still a little while longer- damn it! Fine!

Reaching up, I grabbed a wooden beam above me, and hung there for a second. Waiting for the soldier to recover.

The man stumbled, his head snapping up to look at me. Eyes absolutely furious. Quickly, I used my legs to wrap around his helmet when he came forward, his hands coming up to my thighs trying to dislodge me.

Putting most of my body weight down on him. I grabbed a hold of his helmet and leaned to the side, going full dead weight on him as we both fell to the stone ground. A loud clunk, and thud going off from our fallen body’s. A grunt coming from the soldier.

Successfully taking the cloak off from him. I didn’t account for his hand pressing into my ribs, a groan leaving my lips. Legs loosening around his helmet as he quickly pulled himself away.

Scrambling to get up on my own feet again, not intending to be pinned down by a chiseled man that I have no doubt that would keep me pinned underneath him. I made haste for the nearest window and jumped out of it.

“Angelus lapsus!” I heard the soldier shout when I jumped from the window. My feet landed harshly onto a wooden roof that broke beneath me at the sudden weight.

Straw surrounded me as my breath left my lungs. My mouth gaping open as I couldn’t breathe, like I forgot how too. My body, trying to curl up on itself to protect the most vital parts of itself.

Slowly shuffling around on the ground. Chuff-like sounds came from me as I struggled to regain my breath. I felt incredibly itchy, dirty even. To be in a bundle of hay, much less a stable of sorts.

Grabbing onto a wooden fence. I pulled myself up on it. My hand beginning to pulse when I slugged that bronze helmet of the soldier. Probably breaking a finger or two by just doing that.

With huff, I looked up at the soldier who looked down at me from the window I jumped from. His shadow only being seen as he quickly moved away from the window.

Using the slight time advantage, I wrapped the cloak in my hands around my shoulders. Hopefully covering me just enough that no one will get suspicious. Especially in the morning.

I wasn’t a fool to know I was in a different timeline. The bronze warrior, the different languages spoken, and the way the houses are made, and decorated are very different from the modern era. Smelled a lot cleaner too.

Flipping up the makeshift hood I’ve made from the cloak. The cloak smelled like it had a musky mint scent that hung to it, and it was a rather clean cloak too. There weren't any tears or stains on it. Was it a brand new cloak? Or was the soldier a clean person?

Stumbling my way out of the stable. I made my way through the streets of this…town? City? In hopes to get out of it quickly. I don’t belong here. I don’t belong in this timeline. Who knows what the people of this time would do if they found out I was not from here?

Another wheeze left my mouth while I cradled my aching hand to my chest. My other hand rested on the corner of a house to stabilize myself.

I could feel that some of my ribs had broken as I touched them lightly with my hand. It’s light pressure on both sides not helping the pain as I felt around for the broken ribs.

I don’t even remember having an event that developed into broken ribs. All I remember is taking a well needed rest, and now I’m here? That didn’t make any sense, why would I end up here in all of the places? In all of the worlds? In all of the timelines?

“Angelus lapsus!” The same soldier yelled, his voice sounded deeper, demanding up close. A spear lodging into the stone in front of me. My nerves jumped at the sound of it being thrown.

Looking back to where the man stood on top of a stone staircase. I gave him my own glare while I straightened up to look at him. His eyes not backing down from mine when I put my hand on the wood of his lodged spear.

Taking the spear from the stone. I gathered enough strength to throw it backup to him. His body moving swiftly sideways, catching the damn spear with ease. His stoic eyes never left mine as I realized this man had a lot of experience.

A spike of unease shot through my nerves. This wasn’t a man I could just kill. He was a man that I had to fight, or lose to, and neither of those options seemed worth it right now.

“Angelus lapsus. Veni huc.” The bronze man spoke again. His form suddenly felt unimaginable to stand 15 feet from. He was much taller than a few moments ago.

Taking a step back when he took one forward. His shadow nearly engulfed my own figure. We both watched each other carefully. Unsure what the other would do.

Would they dash for it? Rush me? Throw me into a wall? Pin me down? Throw their spear again? Just what exactly will the other one do?

His next step chose the decision for me as I turned back around to run away from the soldier, making a dash for it. No way in hell was I gonna try to tackle a man built like a mountain. The dude was at least 7 feet tall! I thought Spartans were 5 '9 on average?

The bronze man shouted out again in his language, that I still have yet to understand what the hell he is saying to me.

What type of language is he speaking to me? It wasn’t Greek. It was more of an ancient language, perhaps Latin? Was I in an Ancient Greek timeline?

I mean, that part could have been more obvious of how the soldier looked. He had the bronze armor of the Spartans and the red cloak they chose as their banner color.

Turning down a tight alleyway I could hear woven baskets falling over that the Spartan tripped over, a growl coming out of his mouth. Urging me to be just a little bit faster than I was despite having some broken ribs that make it painful to run, even twist.

Turning down another alleyway in hopes to avoid his sights. I ended up in a dreadful dead end. A very tall shadow slowly casting over my smaller form.

“Angelus lapsus.” The man’s monotone voice came out again, sending a shiver up my spine when I turned back to look at him. There was something about him that made him feel off. Something I can’t place.

Jumping back, a yelp came from my mouth as he threw his spear into the wall next to me again. Its point very well longed into the wall this time as I looked between him, and the spear before using it to my advantage.

Jumping onto the spear and climbing on top of the dead end wall, nearly tipping over to the other side. A curse of his language came off his tongue from behind me.

Using the wall a bit longer to hopefully get farther away from the Spartan. I slid off the wall when I thought it was safe before zigzagging my way through the ancient city that used to be in shambles. Getting lost a couple of times myself with all the corners I’ve turned.

Pausing to take a look around my surroundings. I wanted to find the best way to run away from this Spartan that seemed to make it his personal mission to collect me. To possibly bring me back where I woke up from.

However, not seeing anything in sight, not even a dock, my only available option was to find a way out of this city and make my way through the surrounding area. From what I assume would be a forest.

Making my way through the quiet night of the city I felt like I could feel an infinite set of eyes on my back since the Spartan had pursued me. My shoulders, heavy with anxiety.

Oh, how am I gonna find my way back to my own timeline in a primitive place like this? There was nothing here for me to figure out on how to get back. Was there even a way to get back?

I sighed and shook my head, slowly going through the city more with at least something to keep me going, and that’s to keep away from the Spartan.

The Spartan, who is only a couple roads down. His eyes staring down my form before slowly pursuing once more.

“Angelus lapsus, ego te capiam.”

ℕ𝕖𝕩𝕥 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣: 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐩𝐬𝐮𝐬 II

[earlgreytea68]

Speaking of first impressions I was just watching this interview the other day (https:// youtu .be /uqUQxzn55Z8?feature=shared) and the way when they're asked about their musical influences Patrick is sheepishly like I was a fan of [Pete's] old band....... I'm just screaming thinking about it bc obviously if you're a teenage Patrick Stump navigating the Chicago hardcore scene there's no way you DIDN'T have a huge embarrassing crush on Pete of arma angelus and then suddenly this random guy you meet in a bookstore tells you he knows Pete Wentz and THEN he actually brings Pete Wentz to your HOUSE and you're trying to think about how short he is to distract yourself from how hot he is and then Pete demands that you sing for him even though you never once in your life thought of yourself as a singer but like this hot guy from a band you like is in your basement so wtf are you gonna do??????? And now suddenly you're the lead singer of his band 😭😭😭😭😭😭

RIGHT????? LIKE, HOW DID THIS ALL HAPPEN????? HOW IS IT NOT SOMETHING FICTIONAL????? SOMETHING MADE UP IN A FEVER DREAM??????

AND THEN.

The Hot and Cool Pete Wentz from Arma Angelus says he wants you to be his singer, but, like, clearly he doesn't really mean it, right? Like, any minute now he's going to come to his senses and realize you're a loser and he can do much better than you and this is a joke band and it means nothing to him and he's totally going to just move on and forget all about you so you'd better not get used to having Pete Wentz around, right???? You'd better keep all the best songs for yourself and not just hand them over to this dude who's totally going to ditch this band and walk out of your life and break your heart. Like, no way is Pete Wentz going to keep looking at you like that and quit every other band to focus on yours and promise that you're going to conquer the world together and call you his golden ticket and give you all of his words and just never let you go.

No way is that ever going to happen.

[jennycalendar]

im so serious btw where the FUCK does he get off. how the fuck does he think he has the right to so much as exist in the same space as that man. i don't care if he's bleeding out on the road he should never once have ever come to giles's house. never. what a fucking phenomenally self-absorbed piece of shit move. not only is he lost in guilt over all the different people he killed to the point where he feels he should kill himself rather than honor jenny GIVING UP HER LIFE to give him this chance at living, a fact that he and the show at large never so much as CONSIDER in this whole "evil wearing jenny's face" thing, he shows up at the house of the man whose LIFE HE DESTROYED and goes "can you help me? :(" i can give angel some leniency for some things and i am willing to be argued with about some of my harsh calls about him but this is one that i think is irrefutably awful and selfish of him. even giles points it out within canon.

and i think eighty to ninety percent of the reason i'm so furious about angel pulling this shit isn't just because of the action itself and what it does to giles! it's because the way i see it, he has two options here when there's weird supernatural shit going down -- he could go to giles, or he could go to buffy. he is not in contact with giles right now. arguably, buffy is the most intuitive choice when it comes to a thing like this, because he's been talking to her already and IDK MAYBE GILES MIGHT NOT WANT TO HELP HIM BUT WE KNOW THAT BUFFY DOES. but it is very clear based on what we know about angel that he makes this choice because he doesn't want buffy to have to take care of him after everything he did to her. giles is collateral. giles is angel's collateral. giles is always and forever angel's collateral. angel places his own well-being over giles's but not over buffy's, even though he has systemically ripped apart giles's life and personally tortured him and left jenny's body in the bed of the very apartment he's showing up at. angel spins a little fantasy about jenny (who GAVE HIM BACK HIS LIFE) hating him and wanting him to die, because he has never once thought of her as a three-dimensional person as angelus OR as angel. i want to run angel over with a goddamn zamboni.

[still-nix-d-goffic]

When William was touring the world with Angelus he was still just a kitten. By Angel season 5 he's a full grown house cat needing his own little briefcase so he can "work" too.

[prose-for-hire]

okay i’ve figured out how i can make it work as a prompt, so angelus is the big bad of the moment and the scoobies are after him however he gets a spell or something put on him from some other baddie and he gets amnesia and he doesn’t remember he’s a vampire or the angel side of his memory just completely lost/afraid/almost human like and while running from the scoobies somehow gets into readers place of living cause in the depth of his mind he remembered it and reader obviously scared doesn’t know what to do

A/N: Warning for violence against reader, typical Angelus stuff and swearing but a bit of maybe fluff/angst too. Popped it under the cut cos it felt a little long. Hope this is okay love !! 💖

Love Bites:

Another night alone. Ever since your fiancé had succumbed to the curse and become the big bad, formerly known as Angel, you had been inconsolable. You hadn't felt up to patrolling with the others, in fact you had barely seen them all week. You were older than them and insisted you had some really urgent work deadline that was too important for them to understand.

You had dimmed the lights, watching some rerun on the tv and settled in to cuddle up with your broken heart. You heard a noise. The lights flickered.

Okay, you were officially spooked.

You got up to look out of the window, but there was nothing there. When you turned, though, a presence had appeared from the shadows.

Him.

"Y/n?" he asked. Angelus. You jerked in horror, frantically looking around for a stake.

The only thing he could remember was you. Your face, your name, the love you had given so freely. Memories fractured in his head but one thing remained. You. Your name.

"Shit! How did you-?!"

"I don't know who I am I just know that, uh, I'm safe here" he admitted, looking at the ground.

"Yeah, well, funny, 'cause I'm not safe here. Fucking Willow and her no good spells" you cursed loudly. She was meant to have uninvited him from your house but she had barely mastered levitating pencils yet.

He rushed over to you and you braced yourself, waiting for the inevitable pain. And it, of course came, just not in the form you expected. It was purely emotional. He had pulled you into an all encompassing hug.

He needed it. Needed you. You're the only thing he knew was right. The only good thing in his world right now.

Tears welled in your eyes as you breathed in his familiar scent. What had once meant safety had then been fear when he had turned into Angelus after the night he had asked you to be his. You had blamed yourself. But this, his embrace, his love, it brought back all the good memories. It reminded you that it had all meant something once. You knew it.

What you didn't know yet was that Angelus had been cursed. On top of his other curse. The creature that had been trying to kill the slayer that week had become a bit jealous that Buffy's mind wasn't solely on him and so had removed Angelus from the game.

It left you vulnerable, your friends knew this. They were fighting hard to try and get to you, try to warn you about what had happened to Angelus. To try and get to you before anything bad happened.

When you broke from the hug, you stared at him, frown lining your face. You were on edge but hope had taken over. What a dangerous thing hope was. He didn't like the way you were looking at him with such suspicion.

Had he hurt you? Was he a bad person? Is that why he couldn't remember anything, was he blocking out what he had done to you?

"You... you really don't remember do you?" You asked softly, tracing his cheekbone with your thumb.

"Remember what?" he snapped slightly, confusion looking like it pained him.

"Your name is... Angel, uh, Angelus and you're a..."

"A what? Say it." he moved from your embrace, turning away from you knowing that he probably didn't want to hear what you were about to tell him.

"Vampire"

At the same moment, Buffy killed the demon blocking their way to you. As the demon died, the spell broke. And they could only hope they would make it across Sunnydale in time.

He turned back slowly to face you, the confused look that had knitted his brows had darkened. His eyes black with violent desire.

"Oh yeah. Thanks, now I remember. I'm a vampire. And you're mine"

He launched at you, slamming you against the wall and roughly his possessive streak that he had felt ever since he had been cursed coming to the fore. He had loved you as Angel, but as Angelus he was obsessed. Possessed with this feeling that he had to have you.

He slammed you against the wall again, boxing you in. There was no escape. You were his. He wrenched your neck to the side, danger glinting in his eye and a satisfied smirk on his changed face.

You only had one hope left. Buffy. But you weren't sure that she would make it in time before he-

[enigmatist17]

My Sanctuary (Part 2)

Part 1 3 4

---

1880

---

His dear Cecily has already gone, and the lamb with the heart of a wolf seems to know what has transpired to him. William sighs as he scans her room once more before stepping backward into a blood-soaked hallway, disappointed but not terribly surprised. The unseeing eyes of Cecily's former maids stared up at him as the fledgling traveled back to the main hall, where his new family circled familiar partygoers like sharks on land, his beloved sire giggling as she pulled and poked whoever was closest.

"W-William, please, call them off." One begged, a former friend who had laughed and jeered that fateful night, trembling like a leaf when William vaulted over the upper railing with ease, landing with a thud mere feet away.

"Now, why would I do that?"

"Show them your pretty face~" Drusilla cooed, appearing beside William as he dragged the beggar closer to him with a grin. The man watched as William's face changed to that of a demon, letting out a strangled scream before fangs dug into his neck, draining him dry in a matter of minutes. The thrill of the kill made William feel like he could take on the world as he dropped the corpse, the fear rolling off the people before him so damn delicious as he looked for the next one to kill. A maid with brown hair is the one he lands on, memories of her laughing and mocking his name flashing through his mind like lightning, and she lets out a terrified noise when Darla appears behind her and grabs her arm.

You should be known as William the Bloody for your bloody awful poetry!

"Have fun, little pet, but hurry; we're quite hungry." Darla purred as she dropped the woman to her knees before the newest addition to the Whirlwind; William was too focused on the woman in front of him to notice the proud smile on her lips. "They're always so eager aren't they?"

"Aye, it's funny." Angelus purrs from his seat on a plush couch, patient as he watches William pull out something from his pocket. "Come girls, our boy is about to have his fun."

"Oh, Daddy, it's wonderful~!" Drusilla hummed as she crossed the floor, kneeling at Angelus' feet, while Darla sat at his side, looking amused. The three watched William circle the woman who begged for her life, her hands clasped as if in prayer, when he stopped right in front of her with a grin.

The screams don't mask the cracking of bone as William drives a rail spike through the woman's forehead, driving it in with his thumb until it's fully embedded in her skull. Drusilla begins to laugh as her childe reveals more rail spikes in his hands, flinging himself into the rounded-up humans as they try to run for their lives, the older vampires doing little more than keeping everyone in the house as William went on his spree. He's just killed another by driving spikes into the man's eyes when the sound slowly fades, the man staying upright instead of toppling over.

Was it worth it?

William blinked, pulling back with a cautious growl. He jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder, a woman with her snapped neck locked her head at an unnatural angle, staring at him with a grin.

Did it make you a better hunter, killing us like pigs in a pen?

'Wait -" Another set of hands grip one of his legs, another person he'd killed in his frenzy looking up with eyes he'd gouged out.

We had families, lovers, and you took us from them !

"This isn't happening; you can't—" A pair of hands wrap around his throat, and William is eye to eye with an old friend he'd forgotten had been there. The other pulls out a rail spike lodged in his temple with a lopsided grin, raising his arm and bringing the spike right for William's wide eyes.

You'll suffer for eternity

---

Modern Day

---

The first thing Spike is aware of is that he's falling, his body hitting a carpeted surface with a thud. He takes in great lungfuls of air and scans the area around him, curling in on himself a little as gratefully, no one is nearby. He can still smell the blood and the fear from his dream, or was it a memory? It took longer than Spike wanted to admit to realize he wasn't back in Cecily's home but rather some strange hotel room he was unfamiliar with, the vampire slowly moving up and onto his feet. He's fed at some point, the black pinpricks that dotted his vision lately barely visible as Spike straightens, a familiar taste he can't name still lingering on his tongue. The sun is on its last legs before setting for the day, Spike is able to peek out at a city that is as familiar as it is lost to him, naming a jumbled mess in his mind as he stares at a rooftop before pulling the curtain closed. He makes it to some living room before the voices rush over him again, the man falling to his knees as he presses his hands over his ears, tears threatening to fall as they scream at him.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry." The mantra falls to deaf ears as Spike curls in on himself, bile threatening to force its way out of his throat when suddenly, salvation arrives. A gentle hand rests itself on Spike's back, slowly running up and down in a comforting gesture, the voices seeming to realize Spike was no longer alone and fading back to that silence that settled in Spike's bones. He crouches like that for a time, letting the comforting touch make the world stop for as long as it could, eventually moving so he was on his knees.

Is it going to burn?

"Are you alright?" This voice he knows, one that usually meant pain or a general bad time, but soft in a way he couldn't recall ever hearing before. Spike wants to ask, ask so many questions, but finds the words shrivel up and die in his throat, so he remains silent as he stares at the floor. He hears the other adjust before going still once more, sitting beside him Spike realizes, before it fills the air.

Blood, oh he was so hungry. "You've been asleep for a while, you must be hungry." Spike feels his face shift as he turns, golden eyes meeting dark hazel before Spike looks him over, an arm extended with its wrist dripping with blood.

"I'm allowed?"

"As much as you need." The offer should be raising his hackles, but Spike reaches forward to grab his arm, fangs extending and piercing the wound with a quiet growl. Angelus had never shared his blood with anyone besides Darla on the regular, Drusilla when she sired, and Spike once after he'd been brutally attacked defending their ladies.

He'd thrummed with power for almost a week after that, hoping he'd taste it again one day.

Yet here he was, drinking deep from his grandsire like he was the last source of blood in the world, waiting for some pain from taking something he bloody well didn't deserve, for the familiar Angelus growl before he's tossed out of the closest window. No, Angel encourages him, only moving so Spike can sag against him, his free hand resting on the back of his neck as Spike drinks.

YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE CONTENT

Angel jumps when Spike rockets back and away from him, blue eyes flashing wildly as he scrambles away until he hits the back of a couch, his entire body trembling as he clamps a hand over his bloodstained mouth. They've come back, and he can see bodies with missing limbs and others who are merely skeletons all over them, dead by his greedy hands, and he cowers.

The Slayer of Slayers, trembling in fear as his soul turns on him with the anger of thousands.

"They're not there." Angel appears, placing himself between Spike and all those who want to harm him. Those dark eyes that no longer held malice kept Spike's frantic gaze, and the bigger figure slowly moved closer until he put his arms around Spike protectively.

"I killed them all." He whimpers, clinging to the vessel of safety before him. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry, so very very sorry..."

"I know you are." Angel carefully slips an arm under Spike's knees, easily hoisting the man up and into his arms. "You're okay."

"It'll never be alright, never." Spike trembles as they walk through his former victims, out of the room he'd been in and down an aged hallway, where the ghosts don't seem to follow. Angel takes him to his room; the information pokes at Spike's addled brain, the suite almost a mirror image of his own with additions, like floor-to-ceiling bookshelves crammed full of what had to be hundreds of books. They all smell of old age, along with a scent Spike is not familiar with, other things like a motorcycle jacket and intricate dagger on a coffee table all covered with it as he's set down on a plush couch. "Sire?"

"I'm in the middle of work, and left you alone too long." Angel merely replies, looking into those exhausted blue eyes. "Are you still hungry?"

"Yes, but I dare not feed."

"You need to." Blue eyes flicker around the suite, looking for some hidden danger before his face shifts. "Good." Grabbing the book he'd been rifling through, Angel sits on the couch and holds out his wrist once again, his childe latching on without prompting. He gets through a few pages before Spike withdraws, scooting to the furthest spot on the couch before he hugs his legs to his chest, just watching the elder with a neutral expression. Angel knows he's curious as he is wary, though judging by the glaze overtaking his eyes, Spike was losing control of the present and slipping to wherever his mind decided was most important. The muttering starts up when Spike rests his forehead on his knees, the variety of languages he'd learned over the years slipping in and out without his conscious thought like they had two days prior in the foyer. Angel continues his work, noting a few things on paper for his client, while Spike's muttering fills the air, and he glances over when he finally stops talking.

He's asleep, curled on his side with his vampiric face predominant, and Angel shakes off his coat to drape it over the sleeping man. It's how Wesley finds them when he trudges into the room after a long reconnaissance mission some hours later, freezing by the front door with a slightly panicked look.

"Sorry, I got caught up in work, and he woke up." Angel gave a small smile as he stood, Spike not reacting as Wesley cautiously heads for the kitchen.

"Is he alright?" Seeing the larger-than-life vampire so small was strange, almost like a child under Angel's coat.

"No." Wesley had known Angel long enough to know when he was biting back some particularly powerful emotions, but he doesn't push. "Not sure how long he'll sleep this time."

"Mhm, two days was a surprise." Wesley pops his dinner into the microwave, leaning against the counter with a stretch. "Do you think he'd mind company?"

"Company?" Wesley couldn't help the small smile that graced his face at those big, confused eyes, motioning with his index finger for Angel to join him.

"Yes, whenever you're out, would it be wise to have someone with him? While I doubt he'd make it outside, having him wander the halls of an unfamiliar building may not help his healing process." Angel moves closer to the other, drawing Wesley into a deep kiss as the question turns in his mind.

"Maybe, at least after we get his hunger sated," Angel replied when they parted, brushing a hand against Wes's flushed cheek with his smile. "I'm not sure how long he's gone without, and he may unintentionally hurt one of you."

"T-That is a wise idea." Wesley cleared his throat, the ding of the microwave breaking the two fully apart. "Do you still want to help finish this case, or help him?"

"I can do both, did you end up tracking down the target?"

"I did, across the city in the warehouse district." Wesley nodded, shifting into investigator mode as he pulled out a city map from inside his coat, using the kitchen counter as a surface to point out what he'd seen to Angel. When it's decided where Angel is going to go, the vampire turns to check on Spike and moves him back into his suite, only to find the couch empty and the door to their room wide open.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

---

Angel's coat is like a set of armor, Spike thinks to himself, as he wanders the seemingly neverending hallways. No ghosts have snuck up on him now, and no screaming as he holds the leather tight around himself as if knowing the coat belonged to the great forehead himself.

Oh, that was rude, wasn't it?

He's debating whether or not his mental insult was rude when a nervous squeak stops him; Spike sniffs the air before turning to his right, spotting a door that wasn't quite closed all the way. Big eyes are watching him with a mixture of emotions he can't place, and he looks at them until the door slowly cracks open further, revealing a rather small woman. She's got slightly wet long brown hair in a messy bun, oversized glasses that seem to make her even smaller, and is clad in a plain set of pj's with some essentials bag clutched in her hands.

"Y-You're Spike." Her voice is taut with anxiety, but the undercurrent is pure curiosity, and the scientist watches the vampire tilt his head a little bit before he starts giggling.

"That's the question innit?"

"Oh...w-well, if you're not Spike, t-then who are you?" Blue eyes fill with confusion, and she watches Spike giggle to himself again after a moment.

"Dunno. Who are you?"

"I'm Fred, Fred Burkle."

"Fred Fred Burkle? Huh."

"N-No, just one Fred." Spike raises his scarred eyebrow but says nothing else as she slowly exits the bathroom she'd been using.

"What is one Fred doing?" His voice has suddenly lost its Cockney accent, and the Texan has to bite back a squeak.

"M-My shower is broken, so I was usin' this one. I'm gonna go and watch somethin', and then, uh, sleep?" Spike seems to have trouble following what she's said, and despite knowing he wasn't exactly all there, she holds out her hand. "You look a little lonely. Do you want to join me?"

"A Lady offering a hand for a Monster?" Spike looks away from her, crouching down in the middle of the floor with a huff. "She deserves to be safe, not in danger, not with me, yet her hand holds in the air..."

"I don't think you're so scary." Fred kneels down, wondering if he was even registering her presence. "Never been called a lady before, makes me feel all fancy."

"You are a lovely one, Miss." The soft voice is back, those eyes less piercing and more bashful if she had to say. "I do not understand why no one has said that to you."

"Well, I-I have been gone a real long time, but you can i-if you'd like. Get me all caught up and such." She smiles, offering her hand once more to be accepted this time, bringing Spike back up on his feet. His arm shifts so it's bent 90 degrees, and she links her arm with his before leading Spike to her room. Despite hearing he was supposed to be out of his mind, Spike is awfully quiet as he escorts her down the hall, sometimes muttering something about dresses that Fred can't catch. He does pause for a moment when she opens her door, but the flash of a smile has him following without complaint into a homemade from merging two regular hotel rooms into one massive one.

"Um, do you watch Passions?" That bashful look fades as Spike blinks at her, her anxiety melting when he nods. "Oh great! N-No one else here really does."

"Their loss." The Cockney returned as she headed for her couch, scooping some clothes off and out of the way so he could sit beside her. "I am a bit behind."

"Well, I can tell you everything you've missed." There's a flash of a smirk, but it's gone before she can fully look over.

"Ta, pet."

Spike does try to watch; the comforting and familiar show a great balm on his frayed nerves, but he's asleep before they get through the episode, once again burrowed under Angel's coat. Fred carefully gets up and grabs one of her favorite blankets, leaving only his face exposed as she tucks him in before returning to her show, a bit giddy that he's been so sweet to her. She's just getting to a good part when there's a polite but urgent knock on her door; Fred quickly gets up and goes to answer it before the noise could wake Spike, coming face to face with a slightly nervous-looking Angel.

"Hey Fred, I know it's late, but have you seen Spike?"

"Mhm! He's asleep on my couch, actually!" Angel stared at her with a mixture of exasperation and relief, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "He seemed a little lost, so I brought him here to watch Passions, t-though he wasn't awake long."

"He's going to be sleeping a lot, that's okay." Angel glanced at his watch with a sigh. "If I left some of my blood with you, do you think you could let him crash until I get back? I don't think he'll be too hungry, but having some in case is good."

"O-Oh, sure!" She should be surprised he already had a bag ready, feeling a little wigged out. It was warm when she took it, but she tried not to let it show.

Much

"If you need anything, call me okay?"

"Sure thing boss." With a relieved smile, Angel was gone, Fred closed the door and turned to see Spike was still in his cocoon, figuratively dead to the world as the TV droned on. The blood is left in the kitchen in a bowl, Fred washes her hands before she rejoins Spike on the couch, newly acquired popcorn her snack of choice as she catches a re-run of another show. Every so often she'd look over at the sleeping man, her curiosity slowly growing until she moved a little closer, pulling the blanket back to study his face. Angel was pale, but Spike was even more so, the errant thought of him being lost under the snow making her giggle a little before she put her hand over her mouth to muffle the noise. She frowns when she realizes how gaunt he is, or at least she thinks he is, her vampire knowledge was still on the "fill the first page of a journal" step, but she'd also been that way for five years before, so someone had to be right here.

"You poor thing, probably could drain a cow and still be hungry or somethin'." She whispered, using one finger to move some errant curls from his face. "But don't you worry, Angel is awful good at gettin' blood like, all the time, so you won't be hungry here." Spike doesn't react to her touch, and after waiting for a little while, she gets off the couch and disappears further into her room, returning with a small comb and a chair. She sets it beside the arm of the couch that was Spike's current pillow, and after fussing over where to begin, she starts to go after the multiple tangles she can see in his slightly greasy hair. A tune she couldn't name dances in her mind before she started humming, carefully shifting Spike's head so she could access some more knots with her comb. "There we are, all nice and smooth, and tangle free!"

"Mhm...thanks, luv." Fred jumped at the sleepy response, gently smacking the top of his head.

"Why wasn't that nice, scarin' me like that?" she huffed. Spike chuckled to himself before burrowing further into the blanket.

"Felt nice...liked it." Melting a little at how tired he sounded, Fred gently pat the top of his head in apology.

"Well, you get on sleepin', and I'll be on my bed." The vampire makes some vague noise, and Fred smiles to herself before clicking off the lights on the way to her bed.

He was such a sweetheart.

[omegalomania]

reading the latest excerpt from joe's book is FUCKING ME UP good lord.

And it was then, while the Pangaea that was Chicago hardcore broke apart and resituated itself into yet another formation, that I began to situate myself into a friendship with someone I’d end up spending the rest of my life with: Pete Wentz.

Pete had been in both Extinction and Racetraitor, and to a kid like me, he was Chicago hardcore royalty, a term so heavily ridiculous to scrawl out that I may have given myself a hernia in doing so. Yet it felt true; I looked up to Pete. Many did. And right as he and I were becoming fast friends, he had started a new band, Arma Angelus. I remember getting their demo and placing the CD into my boombox. [...]

But right before they were about to set out, Arma’s bassist, Chris Gutierrez, couldn’t get time off from his job. (The same Chris would later get immortalized in the Fall Out Boy song “Grenade Jumper.”) I don’t fully understand how what came next transpired, but Pete asked me to fill in. Now, consider a few things: (a) I’d never been in a real band, (b) Pete knew I played guitar but had never heard me play, (c) a guitar is not a bass, and (d) I was five years his, and the rest of the band’s, junior — I was but a high school freshman. I got past points a, b, and c by simply feigning both confidence and ability. Point d, the age, that was tough. But considering my parents were letting me freewheel around Chicago unsupervised, I figured I’d at least ask them about this whole “letting me traverse the country with a bunch of dirty 20-something strange dudes” thing.

They said no. And then I told Pete, “They said no.” Now, I do not know why Pete went out of his way to make the next thing happen. He must’ve liked me enough, or there was no one else available. Pete went to my parents’ house, sat down with them, and Svengalied my folks into allowing me to go on tour with Arma Angelus as their temp bassist. To this day, Pete is still one of the most charismatic, convincing talkers I’ve known.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Something I might get thrown out of the fandom for: Buffy is really frustrating me in season seven (as I go through it again, but by reading it this time in the "Chosen" novelization, that is actually a novelization of the entire season). And before anyone comes at me, this isn't me bashing her. Also, Buffy is my favorite character in the series, so I feel like I'm allowed to say this.

But back to my point, I feel like she frustrated me some the first time I watched the season, too, but I think I somehow tampered down those emotions, because things like her being thrown out of her own house (that will forever be stupid) made me feel like the others were moreso in the wrong.

And this whole thing... I feel like it's not an easy issue. Or that you can really say that one side is more in the right or wrong than the other is, as I definitely get where both sides are coming from.

I also understand now, as I think many fans do, that I think Buffy is partly supposed to be wrong this season (at least in some ways). Like, she's surely saying and doing all the right things to help them win this war, yes. But in doing so, she's forgotten what it was like to be in the Potentials' shoes, when she was a sixteen-year-old girl facing down her Watcher and a Prophecy about her fate, throwing books at said Watcher and telling him she didn't want to die. Buffy's almost like the Watchers' Council to the Potentials in this season, which is something that should never happen and partly why she realizes that she needs to share the Slayer power by the end of it, not have it all herself.

But I definitely think she's making the wrong calls about Spike... and it grinds my gears to watch. Her emotions are clouding her judgement, and I just- I feel like the Buffy of old would have never done this. Ugh! I hate to make comparisons, but I'm sorry. Buffy was never this stupid when it came to Angel. As she said in S3 about him, "I'd never put you guys in danger. If I thought Angel was going to hurt anyone--" But meanwhile, with Spike, he's a sleeper agent liability, that she knows well about, and she does nothing and leaves him with the girls as a danger to them?! Even preferring it that way?! Yeah, yeah, yeah. Spike has a soul now and needs a chance to prove himself, but save that until after this fight. For now, send him away, like even Spike has thought was best to do! I swear! Also, Spike's needed muscle according to Buffy, which is one of the reasons she wants him there. But, honestly, at least where I'm at in this book... the points where Buffy is saying that, he's maybe helped in two fights? And, you know, if these shows weren't so adamant about keeping the two apart for no good reason, Buffy could call Angel for a little extra demon muscle: someone who is much safer, as he's not a sleeper agent for the First. Well, he's safe this season during the parts when he's not Angelus, anyway.

I also can't believe that Spike almost killed Robin and Buffy was somehow okay with this, took Spike's side, and said that if Robin came after Spike again, she'd let him kill him. Uhh, Buffy: your whole thing as the Slayer is supposed to be about protecting humans?! And the reasons they gave for this just really didn't work for me. Oh. She needs Spike's muscle to help win the war against the First, so she can't accept Robin having a personal vendetta against Spike right now. And while she and Giles are arguing about Spike, she's pretty much saying even with the Spike and Robin going on right now, he's surely not a danger and would never hurt Robin... and then she finds out she's wrong about that. And that he beat up Robin something fierce. And Spike confirms that he let him go only because of what he did to Nikki, but if he comes after him again, he'll kill him, and Buffy still acts like she did? I can't. I just can't. I just really feels like the writers of the show were on a super S*puffy shipping kick and lost all sense. I could go even further with this, but I won't.

There's also a part of me that feels that Buffy was maybe wrong with how she treated the Potentials (which I got into above, a little bit). I wanted to get into how she acted after Chloe's death (and how I agree with parts of it and not with others), but now I don't know if I feel like it, so I spent so much on other things here. Maybe another day.

Like, I do get why she needed them to shape up, because otherwise they would be dead. It's not a slumber party. And Giles' need to coddle them at first is frustrating, when he never did that for her and as Buffy says, they're the next generation. If she or Faith dies, which they very well could in this fight, they need to be able to carry the torch.

But as I said above, Buffy is forgetting how wrong all of this is and what it was like for her when she didn't want any of this, and is not taking their feelings and trauma into account enough.

And... there's a side of me that wasn't sure if I thought taking the Potentials into battle--at least as often as Buffy wanted to do--was a good idea. Because, yes: they have some slight powers and are the next generation. But they're not fully-fledged Slayers with all the powers like she and Faith are. And aren't we trying to keep these girls alive to keep the Slayer line alive? Taking them into a lot of battles increases the chance of losing them? Though I also understand that Buffy was trying to train them (and take out the First's armies), but she could also do that through patrolling and stuff. But I do patrolling is not exactly the same as real life experience in huge fights.

But in that vein... I'm also thinking the girls complaining so much that Buffy is crazy for taking them out like that, and that they came there for protection, is unfounded. When, again, they're the next generation (and, I know: they never asked for it). But people like Xander and Dawn with no powers have been out fighting the good fight for years, even younger than the Potentials are now. Yes, the threat has never been this big, but still.

Like I said, there's no easy answer here and it's all a huge mess, until Buffy shares the power.

[coraniaid]

Does Joyce ever treat Buffy badly? Absolutely she does: telling her not to come back in Becoming is horrible, however much she obviously regrets saying it, the way she talks to her in the second half of Dead Man's Party is awful and deeply self-centered, and the retcon that she had her commited to a 'clinic' after Buffy first tried telling her about vampires before the show even began is (if one accepts it as canon) genuinely indefensible.

But the way Willow talks to Buffy in Dead Man's Party is also awful and selfish, and so is the fact Willow and Tara live in her house for free while she's struggling to pay bills and don't even offer to pay rent. And so is the way everyone treats her in Empty Places (throwing her out of her own house!), and so is the way Giles treats her in Helpless and in Season 6, and so is the way Xander behaves every time he opens his mouth in the first three seasons of the show, and so is the way that Angel and Faith and Spike and Riley treat her, constantly, which doesn't stop people somehow insisting that they are all good people who really want what's best for Buffy. Why are you so willing to forgive all of these people for what they are shown to do, and either reinterpret canon to make them as likeable and sympathic as you can or just insist that the writers wrote them out of character and they somehow really didn't do it, when you're not willing to show the same grace to Joyce Summers for the crime of being an imperfect middle aged woman who -- thanks to the premise of the show -- can't understand why her teenage daughter is suddenly behaving so differently and getting into so much trouble?

(To be clear: I think it is right to recognize all these things as unfortunate writing choices that don't actually make any of these people monsters. You should be charitable to Buffy's friends and take the show seriously when it tells you that they have a good relationship with Buffy. That is the way the show wants to be read. You should accept that Giles has an almost parental bond with Buffy. That is the way the show wants to be read. I do this myself. I'm just asking you to extend some of the same understanding to the only woman over thirty the show bothers to include for more than half a season before killing off or writing out of existence. The show explicitly wants you to think Buffy loves her mother and that her mother loves her. Why disagree now, when you didn't any other time?)

And, yes, in the metaphorical reading where coming out as a Slayer means Buffy coming out as bisexual, Joyce's attitude is -- to put it mildly -- not particularly commendable, her dubious claim to have "tried to march in the Slayer Pride Parade" not withstanding. But however compelling that reading is, understanding fiction is not just about finding a metaphor you like and ignoring the literal text. Especially when this is a reading that the show's writers probably didn't even intend and certainly don't fully commit to.

In the universe the show actually depicts, it is very understandable that Joyce isn't happy to learn that her daughter has spent the last two years risking her life fighting monsters every night (and has even died once while doing so!). Or for her to be unhappy to learn that she has been doing this largely at the urging of a strange man Joyce does't know, a man who has repeatedly done his best to convince Buffy that she should not tell her mother anything about it. (even when, as with Angelus, this came at a direct risk to Joyce's own physical safety!). This is, in fact, perfactly compatitble with the idea that Joyce is a good mother: she doesn't want her daughter to be hurt. It is very silly to pretend that wanting Buffy not to die young fighting supernatural horrors somehow makes Joyce a bad person.

(Frankly, if Joyce didn't seem upset about any of this I swear half of you would just use that as another reason to claim she's a terrible mother anyway.)

[angel-thoughts-dump]

pls someone tell me if I'm grasping at straws here bc I'm about to fall asleep but it feels to me like the fanged four unconsciously picked their partner based on the way they saw characteristics in their personalities that could have saved their lives before they were turned themselves. ok ok this is what I'm thinking

First Darla: "As a young prostitute, she immigrates to the Virginia Colony in North America and becomes independently wealthy but also contracts a fatal case of syphilis" Sadly they just show this one scene of her as a human dying, nothing of what pushed her to search so hard for her independence in a time when it was specially next to impossible for women. But you can only assume she had good reasons to take those hard decisions and whatever she put her mind into she was good at, because she was dying in HER wealthy house. But you can also argue it was that ambition what caused her to get syphilis, and what's one of the most notorious things Angel lacked as a human? ambition. Literally he had no plans whatsoever, he was just wasting his time doing whatever at the tavern, no longer caring about what his family thought of him, just thinking about what would be the next fight, women, beer... fantasizing about traveling but never going.

Then thinking about how Angelus finds Drusilla... again we don't know much about her human days, but we can guess she was close to her family and that she valued the catholic teachings a lot -for example she rejected her visions bc she thought they weren't from god, and when her family was killed she flew to a monastery-. Angel was also someone who was raised catholic but in his human days rejected all of those values for "a life of adultery", you can argue that this was the reason Darla met and liked him, meaning that having an attitude more close to the one Drusilla had, could have saved him from that destiny.

Then we see Drusilla pick Spike, and what is one of the big things that William shows in his personality as a human that Drusilla didn't? He is a passionate poet and he is not ashamed, even if everyone tells him he is bad at it, he keeps making poems (in public even!) and shares them with his family and tries to flirt with them, plus he was very dedicated to taking care of his mother. SO could have maybe Drusilla at some point thought: hey maybe if I had been as honest with myself about my true nature(psychic) and embraced it like William does, AND maybe if I had been able to protect my family somehow, I wouldn't had ended up in that convent where Angelus committed another atrocity and turned me! AH crazy

uh and then the master turned Darla bc she was pretty and he was not I guess

[ohimtherebabey]

i dont think i ever told this story. one time i left a vinyl of i brought you my bullets, you brought me your love and an arma angelus cd in the kitchen table at my parents house. my mom's fundamental baptist friend came over and saw them and started a really intense Save Isaac's Soul campaign and like. dude come on.