#oc: richard wilkins

[star-man-in-the-sky]

Heyyyy!! You can call me Star (or Starman if we're gonna be formal) and this page is just for me to ramble about my ocs and interests!

Feel free to ask questions about my ocs or even make your own headcanons BC I might just make them canon for the funsies. Any fanart is welcome too.

This page is strictly anti-bullying so all rude people (bigots, creeps etc.) will be swiftly blocked!

I might change this intro post if anything changes or anything new comes up but other than that I have nothing else to say lmao. Have fun!

^^^ made by headphones-lifeform

[thelittlestspider]

🧭 and 🌃 for the horror ask game, if you don't mind.

🧭 - what would your character do if they got lost in another dimension/world/universe/timeline? do they try to go home? do they even want to?

olivia, georgia, and andromeda actually end up in a place called the Labyrinth Museum, which is this museum that showcases weird or macabre works of art. it's basically endless and it's protected by some kind of creature.

anyway lol so basically they end up trapped in the museum for 300 years, running from this monster that we don't ever fully see. and it was one of the most traumatizing events in their lives. but eventually they do get rescued by the blackwood cast when they accidentally portal in there.

there's also a plot point where somehow the gang ends up accidentally going to an alternate universe or timeline where zombies have almost wiped out humanity, and they find this girl named ryan who's one of the last people left and they take her with them.

🌃 - what would your character do if they were trapped in a labyrinthine city that's alive?

i think sort of like the haunted house question, the city would sort of warp and change around the occupants to try win their love, and if unable to they would like drive them to madness or eat them or something. so going from that:

odile - i think odile wouldn't immediately see it was alive, but she would feel uneasy for reasons she couldn't explain. then when she realizes it's alive she'd probably be freaked out by it. if it's malevolent she'd probably kill it or die trying, if it's cool she'd probably try to figure out some way to like compromise and see if there's some kind of way people and animals could live with it symbiotically. because the city's sort of like a lonely animal that's been abandoned.

angelica - angelica would probably feel sorry for it and try to help it and go mad in the process.

marianne - marianne would probably wander through it like a ghost or become part of it.

bernadette - bernadette would just be like, "i'm out" and die. which i feel like is what most of us would do lol.

francine - francine would probably try to like reason with it and would eventually go mad because it wouldn't let her escape.

starla - oh starla would probably try to kill it with bombs or something.

[rom-e-o]

I've always wondered how Connie and Scrooge (modern or otherwise) would react to my Percival and Thorne, considering how different they are as characters and the whole 'Marley is NOT dead to begin with and is also Scrooge's husband' thing.

Here's Percival's notes from my Google docs:

Born to Zachariah Winthrop Scrooge and Kathleen Quill Scrooge, conceived in a drunken tryst gone wrong, Ebenezer is the co-CEO of his and Jacob’s multinational, multi-billion pound tech conglomerate, Asplex Industries. Known as the Shark of London in the world of business, Ebenezer is renowned for his cunning and ruthlessness, tied only with his terrifyingly true ability in the art of inventing high-quality technological innovations, closer to the realm of madness.

And here's Thorne's:

Born to Gene Thorne and Lilith Knight under the name Alexander Thorne, and adopted by Abel and Lenore Marley at ten-years-old, Jacob is the co-CEO of his and Ebenezer’s multinational, multi-billion pound tech conglomerate, Asplex Industries. Known as the Snake of London, Jacob is known for his charismatic nature and silver tongue, able to predict market trends with incredible ease and convincing subsidiaries to sign with them by speaking only the truth.

I don't really touch upon it too much on the fic, though I will get back to rewriting it I SWEAR, but Percival ends up getting back on good terms with Belle and her husband Richard (Dick Wilkins) who were childhood friends of both him and Thorne.

And we also know how Percival ALMOST fucked up his relationship with Thorne (*cough* Percival didn't think they were married because it wasn't legal in England before 2015 but Thorne did and Thorne thought Percival didn't love him and that this was all transactional *cough)

They get therapy don't worry

Honestly I feel like Connie and Scrooge would see Percival and Thorne very differently, and Connie herself would feel some level of kinship with Thorne thanks to her experiences with Orin.

But honestly those are just some of my thoughts ngl- ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Ooooh, this is such a fun question! There would be some interest, for certain.

My Scrooge and Connie’s personalities from their modern to classic renditions don’t vary too much in disposition (aside from their speech patterns, the presence of different amenities, etc.) so I feel both sets would react similarly in both timelines, but differently from each other, haha.

My version of Scrooge tends to lean a bit introverted, is a slight (intense) perfectionist, and can be a little shy and skittish. Some might even call him nervous, but only in his personal life, because romance is so new to him again, and it’s been a long time since he’s wanted anyone in his life. He doesn’t want to mess anything up. Professionally, he’s always charming, well-spoken, and a true gentleman. Handsome, too. An Adonis, which is his nickname, haha.

I think he’d see Percival and Thorne, firstly, with intrigue. His business partner is still alive, and they’re … together? When I started “Begin Again” I decided to make it vague if Scrooge and Marley were business partners or more, and to what degree. Their relationship is left extremely vague. After Isabel, he really had ONLY Marley as companionship. So, a version of him and Marley being a couple is not a concept that completely blindsides him. I hc him and Connie as both bi/pan (especially because Scroogey has so many lovers and OCs that love him across universes - it just feels right.)

I think he’d ask how he was still alive, and if there really was something he could have done to save his partner (in the classic verse or modern verse.)

Finding out about the car accident and aftermath would remind him of his own redemption, and I think he’d find comfort in knowing that he was given a second chance across many timelines. And seeing him reconnect with Belle and Dick, something he has yet to do in the modern verse but has in the classical one (I am in the same boat of needing to get back to writing fics, including this one, so I feel you lmao) would give him reassure.

“I must say, our backgrounds of ruthlessness are…similar. Your resilience is inspiring."

As for Thorne, I think he'd want to learn more about him and kind of compare him to the Marley he knows. How similar are they? He's got the same charisma, that's for certain.

The funny thing? My Scrooge LOVES sparkling water, and Thorne finds it refreshing, as we’ve learned from their dinner date. For some reason, I see him feeling victorious.

A: Haha, finally, someone else who understands that is a perfectly lovely beverage. Please continue to give your husband grief.

C: Darling! You shouldn’t inspire a married couple to fight. Especially you and Marley.

A: Normally, I wouldn’t, but like you said, it’s a version of me from another universe. Fair game, my dear. Trust me, we’ve all earned our fair share of teasing. 😌

Speaking of Connie, she’s never met Marley, but she’s heard stories upon stories. To meet him from another would would be like meeting a celebrity!

I think she would find kinship with Thorne, exactly like you said, because of what she faced with Orin. Also, he provides Percival with love and companionship, and they become a couple and family.

She adores Ebenezer, so to know that he found love in that universe with another, let along one he has such a storied past with, brings her happiness.

"I'm glad he's loved in your universe too." <3

Also, Connie finds out about the boxing, and begs to be taught, haha. She only know pilates, and promises to be a good student. "I have an ex-husband I may need to punch one day. Can you give me some pointers?"

I feel like I just barely scratched the surface, but I think there is a lot of fun stuff these four could get up to, haha.

I totally feel you about fic writing, haha. It's always worth the wait when you publish (the characterization, the banter, the imagery ... top-tier across the board), so please don't worry about taking those beats to make sure you love it! I will be SO READY to keep reading those updates!

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, October 13th

Coach Marin: (faces her) After the fall of the Soviet Union, documents came into light detailing experiments with fish DNA on their Olympic swimmers. Tarpon... mako, shark... But they couldn't crack it. Buffy: And you did... sort of. Why? Coach Marin: What kind of question is that? For the win! To make my team the best they could be! Do you understand we have a shot at the state championship?

~~Go Fish~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Pricey Business by veronyxk84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Self-Love by Val_Creative (Buffy/Buffybot, T)

Full of Memory by unendingwanderlust (Buffy/Giles, Explicit)

I might run out of time by latinadoll (maxfenig) (Buffy/Spike, Explicit)

The Edwardian Cult by LaFoiAveugle (Faith, T)

Poultry by Sdhuskerfan (Buffy/Giles, M)

Irony by KaibaSlaveGirl34 (Marcie/OC, T)

Memo: Buffy, vampire Slayer Re: My death, you by KaibaSlaveGirl34 (Mayor Richard Wilkins, Buffy/Angel, T)

Moving On by esskay123 (Angel/Spike, T)

An Issue of Betrayal by satinsafe (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Who's the Big Bad? by Holly (Buffy/Spike, PG)

Pricey Business by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Lawfully Wedded - Chapter 1 by violettathepiratequeen (Buffy/Spike, T)

Life's a show, and we all play a part ... - Chapter 1-3 (COMPLETE!) by MCorey1317 (Buffy/Angel, T)

The Dysfunctional Family Reunion - Chapter 1 by Sterek16_2003 (crossover with Bones and Teen Wolf, Buffy/Spike, Willow/Faith, Connor, Illyria, Gunn, Cordelia, M)

Vengeance, Chapter 1-10 (COMPLETE!) by Belladamon29 (Buffy/Angel, Explicit)

Soul Mate Magic - Chapter Twelve by emma-m-black (Giles/OC, 18+)

Leaving the Dead Man's Party, Ch. 2 by rkm (Buffy/Spike, R)

The Degradation of Duality [Series Part 2] Ch. 56 by Ragini (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Little Light, Ch. 12 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Love Letters You Never Sent Me, Ch. 3 by Spikelover4ever (Buffy/Spike, R)

Unholy Matrimony, Ch. 13 by CheekyKitten (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Be Back Before Dawn, Ch. 7 by Blissymbolics (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Science of Being Yours, Ch. 3 by Maxine Eden, ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Breaking Point, Ch. 2 by though_you_try (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

reciprocity, Ch. 3 by HappyWhenItRains (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

There's A Crack In Every Wall, Ch. 1-7 (COMPLETE!) by bunniesarebad (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

From trash to treasure, Ch. 1 by Sweetbutnutty (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Son of a trickster... or huckster... 6 by CrazyDan (Xander, FR18)

Hellmouth Munchkins: A Slayer's Story, Ch. 6 by JoshuAB (crossover with Munchkins and Superman, Buffy, Xander, Willow, FR15)

Everything Has Changed, Ch. 1-2 (COMPLETE!) by acekoomboom (Buffy/Spike, PG)

I Do! Ch. 38 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Meme: the buffy-cordy dichotomy by shkspr (worksafe)

Manip: A song for a love that shouldn’t have been by spyder-baby (William Pratt/Drusilla, worksafe)

Some quick sketches for Faith Lehane day by aa-arttss (Faith, Buffy/Faith, worksafe)

A fanvid set to Dean's song "DIE 4 YOU" by bananabeans88 (Buffy/Spike)

A Buffy/Giles manip by thecrazyknight (worksafe)

Collage #199 LANY - ILYSB by thedecadentraven (Buffy/Spike, worksafe)

Collage #201 by thedecadentraven (Buffy/Spike, worksafe)

Prophecy Girl banner by RachM (Buffy, worksafe)

A digital drawing by R383CCA (Buffy, Spike, worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

BtVS Season 03 Episode 05 “Homecoming” is iconic for... by freackthejester

So I never completed my Buffy dvd collection growing up… by eto-bee

Angel Rewatch as an Adult: Are You Now or Have You Ever Been by wizard_of_ahj

Favorite guest star on Buffy by Fatbunnyfoofoo

New Moon Rising by Buffy the Vampire Straya

[Recs & In Search Of]

✨ Spuffy Fic Recs — September by veronyxk84

What alternate Buffy do you want Faith to meet? [some Buffy/Faith fic recs in the replies] by juanabaloo

I wanted the Spuffy scene in Spike’s crypt in 6x03 to be longer [and a related rec request] by thequeenofsastiel

404-na is looking for advice while watching (how to do a more in depth watch and get the most out of it)

OtherwiseFortune4 seeks fic recs where either Faith or Buffy loses their powers

[Community Announcements]

Fanged Four Family Bingo 2024 Roundup

[Fandom Discussions]

Poll [closed]: There are 4 categories of railroad spikes, which one would Spike BTVS use as a nickname for his penis? by aphony-cree

Re: Saw your post about the SA only making Spike the focus, and I agree... [anti-Spike, anti-Spuffy] by becomingpart2

xander is NOT riley’s number one fan by camellcat

do you guys think spike would want to take buffy's name if they ever got married? by camellcat, aphony-cree, girl4music

y'all ever think how the thesis of buffy at the end... by recallthename

i keep getting tripped up by how strangely woke angel the series is (this whole show is trans coded) by notdamien

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 1950s Super Panavision 70 [discussion of a trend in AI-generated videos] by NileQT87

Mine is better.... [Spike and Cordelia have an argument about whose soul is better] by GoSpuffy

Jasmine vs the First by DonutDaniel

Angel season 4 borrowed ideas by anthonycaruana

What's your take on Gunn? by enrichyournerdpower

Which villains have kind of weird goals? by purplemackem

Parents on the Hellmouth by Lady_Alisandre1066

What do you think of the Slayer bonding between Buffy and Kendra? by jdpm1991

‘Forever’ and season 6 foreshadowing. by JarvisCockerBB

Spike and Buffy were linked from the start by mavelits

Was Pylea’s lack of music a way to keep Sweet banished? by AnAngryPlatypus

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

James Marsters & Emma Caulfield Comic Con Holland 2024 Reports, Pics & Videos via dontkillspike

Video from Comic Con Holland Amsterdam (includes cosplayers) by James Marsters - The Official Page

James Marsters' next scheduled con appearance is Winnipeg Comiccon 25-27 October via jamie_marsters

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[thebiggestpartypooper]

Don't ask how or where A.L got it.. you can even say its a.. mystery on how they got it-

Well, hello again, MCF community of Tumblr! It's been over a week since I've posted. Not to worry though- my motivation tank is slowly filling up again. While that happens, have some random content.

MCF Ocs! Will explain their stories in detail some other time, but for now:

Christianne Reiner-Wilkins: Child of the Master Detective, apprentice of Alister damn Dalimar. Very sarcastic and tough. (They/Them pronouns)

Emilie Bernard: one of Christiannes besties, bird watcher and foreigner from the US or even America on a holiday in Britain.. and has a name similar to Emily.. or even Emma? Thats a bit strange.. oh well.

Here's Charles, Richard, and The Archivist as Mii's in quirky poses. Why? Because I can.

Last but not least.. err.. well, you heard what he said folks!

[northern-writer]

Solid Ground: Main Characters

Diana Jackson

Age: 29

Job Role: Forensic Consultant ~ To AC-12.

Nickname(s): Di (Most People); Sunshine (Steve) & Lady Di (Anyone taking the Piss.)

Info: Born in the North. Ex-Boyfriend is an arsehole (that’s what Steve says, anyway.) Has been friends with Steve for at least 6/7 years. Professional, kind, considered a delight to be around - but on the flip side, is extremely stubborn, a bit of a firecracker (she’s a Scorpio lads) and loyal to her colleagues/friends at AC-12. Probably always had feelings for Steve. Is most definitely not H, as she couldn’t keep a secret THAT big. Doesn’t drink or smoke. Can’t use guns - more like, refuses to. Distrusts Dot from day one.

Steve Arnott

Age: 35

Job Role: Detective Sergeant ~ AC-12 (Not quite a DI yet.)

Nickname(s): Steven (Diana); Mate (Kate) & Sweetheart (Angry!Diana.)

Info: Southerner through and through. Extremely protective of Diana, even though he knows she can handle herself. Gentle, a little moody and a hard worker. Feels like he has to make Diana proud - but constantly let’s her down (struggled to keep it in his pants a couple of times.) Probably always had feelings for Diana. Favourite part of the day is having lunch with Diana. Is most certainly not H. Can be read like an open book. Calls everyone “mate.” Knows that he’ll always have Diana’s support - regardless of what happens.

Richard Wilkins

Age: 33

Job Role: Crime Scene Investigator.

Nickname(s): Rich (Most people) & Knob (Steve.)

Info: Diana’s rather clingy ex-boyfriend. Cheated on her with a friend. Saying that - Is good at his job. A scientific mind. Has a mutual dislike with Steve. Became secretive towards the end of their relationship - series 2/3. Is he H? Maybe, maybe not. Still occasionally works alongside Diana. Knows Jill Bigalow a little too well.

Kate Fleming

Age: 34

Job Role: Detective Inspector ~ Murder Investigation Team (Fmr. AC-12.)

Nickname(s): Mate (Steve) & Kay (Diana.)

Info: Nottingham born and bred. Separated from Mark. An amazing mum to Josh. Treats Diana like the sister she never had. Proud, considerate and one the best undercover officers going. Also calls everyone “mate.” Could be H, but don’t think she is. Extremely secretive at times. Loyal to those around her - gets her into tricky situations at times. Never misses the chance to have a glass of wine with Diana.

Matthew “Dot” Cottan

Age: 39

Job Role: Detective Inspector ~ AC-12 (Fmr. AC-9/TO-20.)

Nickname(s): Dot (Everyone); Slenderman (Diana) & The Caddy (To all those who know...)

Info: A Blackpool native. Joins AC-12 in series 2. Just one of the ‘lads.’ Doing his best to hide who he really is. Initially fancies Diana, but that turns to contempt. Arrogant, a little slimy and highly competent. Always has an eye on everyone. A thorn in Steve’s side. Obviously H - well, one of them.

Ted Hastings

Age: 55

Job Role: Superintendent ~ AC-12.

Nickname(s): The Gaffer (Steve); Boss (Everyone) & Cap (Diana.)

Info: Northern Irish. The Boss. Nobody messes with Ted. He’s after one thing, and one thing only - Bent Coppers. Father figure vibes. Protective of Diana. Secretly ships her with Steve - possibly has a bet going with someone in the office. Has some issues. Anger issues. Separated from his wife. Once thought to be H, but he’s not. Would do anything for his AC-12.

[affablyevilshowdown]

Large Bracket Round 1

Large Bracket

No. No! Unless…

Patrick Bateman               (American Psycho)

Tyler Durden                      (Fight Club)

<3<                                      (Homestuck?)

Hedonist Lit

Lestat de Lioncourt          (Interview with a Vampire)

Dorian Gray                       (The Picture Of Dorian Gray)

Virtually the same person. I guess?

Discord                (My Little Pony (Friendship is Magic Gen 4))

Q                           (Star Trek)

The Doctor vs The Master 1

The Master (Delgado)     (Doctor Who)

Dr. Griffin                           (The Invisible Man)

The Doctor vs The Master 2

The Master (Crispy)         (Doctor Who)

Doc Scratch                       (Homestuck)

The Doctor vs The Master 3 (Animal Kin Edition)

The Master (Ainley)         (Doctor Who)

Doc Ock                              (Into the Spiderverse)

The Doctor vs The Master 4

The Master (Simm)          (Doctor Who)

Dr. Evil                                (Austin Powers)

The Doctor vs The Master 5

The Master (Missy)          (Doctor Who)

Heinz Doofenshmirtz       (Phineas and Ferb)

The Doctor vs The Master 6

The Master (Dhawan)     (Doctor Who)

Dr. Facilier                         (The Princess and the Frog)

This is so tremendously unfair, but hey it's the two inspirations of my favorite OC

Bill Cipher            (Gravity Falls)

Solf J Kimblee     (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Dracula was on Buffy the Vampire slayer too

Spike                     (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Dracula                (Dracula)

Entitled White Lady- Names (Since we don't have a Karen)

Helen the Distortion        (The Magnus Archives)

Lauren Mallard                 (Welcome to Nightvale)

Jennifer Check                  (Jennifer's Body)

Actual Entitled White Ladies

The Handler                       (Umbrella Academy)

Cruella De Vile                  (101 Dalmatians)

Fairy Godmother              (Shrek 2)

Fight your shadow lego self

Lego Joker           (The Lego Batman Movie)

Joker                    (Batman (2005))

*Heard over the speaker system, when you are about to have a bad time*

The Narrator      (The Stanley Parable)

Cave Johnson     (Portal)

Style Icons

Misa Amane                                     (Death Note)

Her Imperious Condescension     (Homestuck)

Nui Harime                                       (Kill la kill)

Dads

Hunson Abadeer                              (Adventure Time)

Asgore Dreemur                              (Undertale)

Mayor Richard Wilkins III             (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Can do so much better than their ex

Harley Quinn      (Birds of Prey)

Spinel                   (Stephen Universe)

An image of the self

Kevin                                                  (Welcome to Nightvale)

Frankenstein’s Creature                (Frankenstein)

Double Trouble                                (She Ra)

Entitled Creeps

Nevel Papperman             (iCarly)

Killgrave                              (Jessica Jones)

Lil Gideon                           (Gravity Falls)

Scorpion tails >:3

Tyrian Callows   (RWBY)

Scorpia                 (She Ra)

Shaped

Big Jack Horner  (Puss in Boots: The last wish)

Eggman               (Sonic)

Wheatley             (Portal)

#girlboss

GLaDOS               (Portal)

Monika                (Doki Doki Literature Club)

Jesters

Marx                     (Kirby)

Rouxls Kaard      (Deltarune)

Second career as highschool staff

Yzma                    (The Emperor’s New Groove)

Baron Draxum    (Rise Of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Just a child, no, No Ignore the destruction and the carnage. this is a baby

The Collector                    (The Owl House)

Flowey the Flower           (Undertale)

Creates an empire with his "children"

Horde Prime                                                                  (She Ra)

John Gaius, Emperor Undying, Necrolord Prime   (The Locked Tomb)

Soft and fluffy, Soft and fluffy. Sharp and pointy! Soft and fluffy..

Kyubey                (Madoka Magica)

Monokuma         (Danganronpa)

In another world they're just an ordinary hero, and honestly that's worse

Gentle Criminal                 (My Hero Academia)

Megamind                          (Megamind)

Goro Akechi                       (Persona 5)

Fairy tale vibes

Rumpelstiltskin   (Once Upon a Time)

Salem                   (RWBY)

Space bois!

HAL9000                             (2001: A Space Odyssey)

Marvin the Martian         (Looney tunes)

Love and Anxiety is stored in the them

Spamton              (Deltarune)

Navy Ruby           (Stephen Universe)

Jinx                       (Arcane)

One says "you're gonna die" because of how good his food is, and the other you're gonna die and become food..

Lalo Salamanca                 (Better Call Saul)

Hannibal Lecter                (Hannibal/Silence of the Lambs)

Kira ;)

Yoshikage Kira   (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)

Light Yagami      (Death Note)

Radio Adjacent/Death Adjacent

Alastor                 (Hazbin Hotel)

Dusknoir              (Pokémon)

Their crime is basically just being a capitalist

Mr. Grizz              (Splatoon)

Varrick                 (Legend of Korra)

Elias Bouchard   (The Magnus Archives)

Wizards

Merasmus          (Team Fortress 2)

Magolor              (Kirby)

Death gods

Hades    (Hercules)

Ryuk      (Death Note)

Abstract Fears

Michael Distortion           (The Magnus Archives)

Other Mother                   (Coraline)

Godzilla                               (Godzilla)

Royalty

King Boo                             (Luigi's Mansion games)

Queen                                 (Deltarune)

Prince Humperdinck        (The Princess Bride)

The absence of the thing they're addicted to causes Problems

Gamzee Makara               (Homestuck)

Bender                                (Futurama)

I'm calling them both pirates

Long John Silver                (Treasure Island)

Khan Noonien Singh        (Star Trek)

Mobsters?

Gustavo Fring                    (Breaking Bad)

Wilson Fisk/Kingpin         (Daredevil (Netflix))

Listen, I don't know how long it would take to actually fit these three into a category that makes sense, I'm just glad I technically only have one strict Miscellaneous vote (actually there are 6)

Oogie Boogie                    (The Nightmare before Christmas)

Roman Torchwick            (RWBY)

Medic                                  (Team Fortress 2)

[fiveslays-moved]

if you could have any buffy characters, who would you like to see?

oh !!!  hmm.   are we talking from the main scoobies   ??  because if so,   cordelia is a favorite.   i rarely see any of her.   outside the scooby gang,  i know me and @wickedlehane are selfishly wanting a richard wilkins to write out that mayor & faith dynamic,   we don’t care if it’s on a multi we’re reeking of desperation ajsdhk.   i’d also like to see more of anya,   kendra young   (there’s multi’s with her but honestly in general she’s so vastly underrated and we always need more diversity and more love for her solo blog or multi).   i’d also,   again,   selfishly,    like to see a robin.   i’ve been wanting to build on faith and robin’s relationship so asdh   ummm  drusilla,   angelus,   darla,   dawn,   joyce,   harmony,   the trio,   glory,   and last but not least...   any of the potential slayers   +   activated slayers !!    you could either choose a canon potential or make an oc.   ocs are very much welcomed here my friend.   and heck if you feel like making a faith,   make a faith !

if you’re gonna make a blog,   ANY character will be welcomed.   we’re such a super chilled posse i promise.   <3

[spooky-dumbasses]

All of my muses!

•The Prophet (Legion of the Black)

•Capricorn (American Satan)

•Johnny Faust (American Satan)

•Lily Mayflower (American Satan)

•Ricky Rollins (American Satan)

•Leo Donovan (American Satan)

•The Deviant (Legion of the Black)

•Richard Wilkins (OC) (Face Claim to come) (America Satan)

•Cronsin (OC) (Face Claim to come) (American Satan)

•Julie (OC) (American Satan) (Face claim to come)

•The Mystic (Legion of the Black)

•Zelkin (OC) (Face Claim to come)

•Sesshie (Satyr) (OC) (Face Claim to come)

•Kup (Transformers)

•Sʜᴇʟʟ Oᴠᴇʀʟᴏʀᴅ (Blood Bank)

•Cʀᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅsᴛᴀʀ (Warriors)

•Fʀᴏᴅᴏ Bᴀɢɢɪɴs (Lord of the Rings)

•Launchpad McQuack (DuckTales)

•Cory Matthews (Boy Meets World/Girl Meets World)

•Nostrand "Creature" Crane (The Unheavenly Creatures)

•The Deviant (Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones/Legion of the Black)

•Theon "Reek" Greyjoy (Game of Thrones)

•Tender Heart Bear (Care Bears)

•Pidge Gunderson (Voltron)

•Green Lion (Voltron)

•Sentry the Defiant (The Amory Wars)

•Eᴍɪʟʏ-ᴡɪᴛʜ-ᴀ-ʏ (Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls)

•ᴅᴇᴀɴ ᴡɪɴᴄʜᴇsᴛᴇʀ (Supernatural)

•ᴋɪᴏɴ (Lion Guard)

•Ambellina (The Amory Wars)

•Bumblebee (Knightverse Transformers)

•Buddha (Air Buddies movies)

•Arya Stark (Game of Thrones)

•Negan (The Walking Dead)

•Nymeria (Game of Thrones)

•Brandon Stark I (Game of Thrones)

•Bran Stark II (Game of Thrones)

•Summer (Game of Thrones)

•Dɪᴘᴘᴇʀ Pɪɴᴇs (Gravity Falls)

•Kʏʟᴏ Rᴇɴ (Star Wars)

•Pᴀᴠɪᴄʜɪ “Pᴀᴠɪ” Lᴀʀɢᴏ (Repo! The Genetic Opera)

•Tʜᴏʀɪɴ Oᴀᴋᴇɴsʜɪᴇʟᴅ (The Hobbit)

•Sᴀᴘʜɪʀᴀ (Eragon)

•Eʟᴘʜᴀʙᴀ Tʜʀᴏᴘᴘ (Wicked (book + musical)

•Cᴇᴄɪʟ Gᴇʀsʜᴡɪɴ Pᴀʟᴍᴇʀ (Welcome to Night Vale)

•Sᴄᴏᴏᴛᴀʟᴏᴏ (My Little Pony)

•Gᴀᴅᴢᴏᴏᴋs (The Last Dragon Chronicles)

•Cʏɴᴅᴇʀʜᴇᴀʀᴛ (ᴏᴄ) (Pokemon)

•Wɪʟʟᴏᴡ Rᴏsᴇɴʙᴇʀɢ (Buffy)

•ᴘᴀʀᴛʏ ᴘᴏɪsᴏɴ (The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys)

•ᴡɪɴsᴛᴏɴ (ᴏᴠᴇʀᴡᴀᴛᴄʜ)

•ᴋᴏᴠᴜ (Lion King II)

•ɴᴜᴋᴀ (Lion King II)

•sɪᴍʙᴀ (Lion King II)

•ᴊᴀsᴘᴇʀ (sᴛᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀsᴇ)

•ʟᴜᴄɪᴇɴ ʙʟᴏᴏᴅᴍᴀʀᴄʜ (Dream Daddy)

•ʀᴏʙᴇʀᴛ sᴍᴀʟʟ (Dream Daddy)

•Lucifer (Devil's Carnival)

•Flower (Meerkat Manor)

•Kenai (Brother Bear)

•ᴀʟɪᴄᴇ ᴄᴜʟʟᴇɴ (Twilight)

•ᴊᴀsᴘᴇʀ ʜᴀʟᴇ (Twilight)

•Lone Wanderer (named Atlas) (Fallout 3)

•Klaus Hargreeves "N°4" (Umbrella Academy)

•Lotor (Voltron)

•Three Dog (Fallout 3)

•Painted Doll (The Devil's Carnival)

•The Ghost (The Ghost of Ohio)

•Felicity (Felidae)

•Judy Hopps (Zootopia)

•Jayfeather (Warriors)

•Jay's Wing (Warriors)

•Leomon (Digimon)

•Renamon (Digimon)

•Bucky Barnes (MCU)

•Non-canon Priest (OC named Spencer) (The Exorcist)

•Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare on Elm Street)

•Graverobber (Repo! The Genetic Opera)

•GENtern (Name to come) (Repo! The Genetic Opera)

•Pennywise the Dancing Clown (IT (2017)

•ᴘᴇʀᴇɢʀɪɴ "ᴘɪᴘᴘɪɴ" ᴛᴏᴏᴋ (Lord of the Rings)

•Ozpin (RWBY)

•Ruby (RWBY)

•Yang (RWBY)

•Jareth the Goblin King (Labyrinth)

•Jᴀᴄᴋ ᴛʜᴇ Wᴏʟғ

•Bᴀʀɴ Oᴡʟ

•Vᴇʟᴏᴄɪʀᴀᴘᴛᴏʀ

•Fᴀɴᴄʏ Rᴀᴛ

•Polar Bear (named Lono)

•Aʟᴏʟᴀɴ Nɪɴᴇᴛᴀɪʟs

•Hᴏᴜɴᴅᴏᴏᴍ

•Aʀᴄᴀɴɪɴᴇ

[star-man-in-the-sky]

New ocs info dump! (Making them separate BC nobody is reading all that in one go 😭🙏)

Dawn Simpson

• Voice claim - Tiana ~ the princess and the frog (her voice is so pretty istg).

• Moved to Eltingville a few months ago when money got tight back home.

• Dawn works at a surf shop and teaches people, usually younger kids, how to surf and/or swim safely in the sea.

• Dawn isn't a geek, far from it, she would've been a popular kid if she didn't see through the superficial-ness those friend groups had.

• She does well in her subjects and hopes to study marine biology full-time some day.

• She doesn't like the Eltingville Club members but she tolerates them because she finds them amusing.

• It's hard to tell that she's actually nice at first because she talks to people as if she's only pretending to be kind to make fun of people. Turns out she is being genuine and she just has a "bitchy" tone she never noticed.

• Some of her interests include: Marine biology, surfing, Nail art, Chiikawa, Animal crossing, Kirby, Abzu, Ponyo and other 'cozy' media (especially when it has aquatic themes).

• Opinions on the Eltingville Club members:

Bill Dickey - Dawn absolutely HATES this man lmaoooo. She can't go a single interaction without clocking his tea. She's the type of person to just bring him up whenever she can just to be spiteful.

Jerry Stokes - The one she tolerates the most, unsurprisingly. They're not close but they know eachother enough to hold a conversation. Dawn says she prefers talking to him when the rest of the club isn't around.

Pete DiNunzio - Dawn doesn't like Pete but she understands that if she wants to get along with one of them other than Jerry it'd be Pete because he's not as much of a crashout. She doesn't seek out conversation with him but doesn't actively avoid it either.

Josh Levy - Likes him a little more than Bill but he's on thin ice. Dawn says she'd probably like him if he'd just chill out a bit. Probably would talk to him if noone was there to bother him (bill).

Opinions on other ocs:

Pippa richards - Dawn and Penelope don't really know eachother that well. Dawn doesn't care much to learn about her, mostly due to her not so great reputation of being an obsessive creep. She doesn't dislike her, nor would say anything bad about her but they're not really friends.

Alex Lambert - Alex and Dawn are pretty good friends despite their obviously differing social upbringing. Alex is always begging for Dawn to somehow prove that Gwen is of merfolk descent and Dawn is always begging Alex to do karaoke together, Dawn swears Alex has the voice of an angel. (I'm not projecting my love for Jack Stauber right now what are you talking about)

Gwen Wilkins - Gwen and Dawn are pretty close, she's definitely allowed to call Gwen 'Mousey'. They can empathise with eachother due to both of them working jobs to make some extra cash. They also bond over their enjoyment of the ocean, despite Gwen's interest being more fantasy-based.

Joan McCann - Joan and Dawn are practically inseparable when they're together. They bonded over their similar 'sassy' personalities and then later felt connected by their more vulnerable sides respectively. They piss off Bill together lmao.

[ao3feed-btvs]

Ripper, The Vampire Slayer

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2NH2h0T

by CantSpeakFae

"Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number."

Except, this time, she is a he. And you can call him "Ripper".

Words: 3641, Chapters: 2/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Inverted Hellmouth

Fandoms: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: Ripper Giles - Character, Randall, Deirdre Page, Xander Harris, Willow Rosenberg, Chanterelle, Doyle, Richard Wilkins, William Pratt, Kendra Young, Elizabeth Giles (OC)

Relationships: Ripper Giles/Randall

Additional Tags: Role Reversal, Ripper is the Slayer, Sunnydale has been flipped upside down, Disturbing Themes, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Psychological Torture, Implied/Referenced Torture, Past Torture, Internalized Homophobia, Catholic Character, Graphic descriptions of violence, Sort of written in a 4th person P.O.V, Ripper is an idiot but we love him anyway, Slayers gonna Slay, Randall is a soft boy and we appreciate him in this house, Mental Health Issues, Plot twists abound

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2NH2h0T

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, June 22nd

Quentin: (evenly) We're not in the business of fair, Miss Summers, we're fighting a war. Giles: You're *waging* a war. She's fighting it. There is a difference.

~~Helpless~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Caught Red-Pawed by veronyxk84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Poetry: today doesn’t count – Part 32 by modestlobster (Buffy/Spike, M)

The Only Way Out (Is To Come) by anonymous Femslash Kink Exchange participant (Buffy/Faith, Explicit)

What She Wants - TheRaichu (Willow/Tara, the First Evil, T)

Between Parts and Other Parts by Girlytek (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Blame Adjustment by KnightQueen (Dawn & Riley/Buffy, G)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Bring Me To Life: A Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel Crossover Event – Chapter 80 by Jean_theGuardian (Buffy/Angel/Cordelia, Buffy/Angel/Spike, Buffy/Spike/Faith, Xander/Cordelia/Anya, other ships, ensemble, not rated)

Miss Edith - Chapter 15 by BeppiGirl (Spike/Drusilla, other canon relationships, Spike/OC, Giles/OC, ensemble, Explicit)

I Seriously Mean It This Time – Chapter 4 by xaeyrnofnbe (Buffy/Angel/Spike, M)

Faith: Evanescence is Still a Thing? (Who Are You in Twenty Years? Part 4) by StrangeBint (Faith/Vi, Faith & Tara, Faith/Connor, Buffy/Connor, T)

Don't cross the streaming services... Ch. 1 by CrazyDan (multiple crossovers, Xander, FR18)

Hearts a Mess, Ch. 14 by splendidchapette (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Fleur Ephemere, Ch. 6 by Maxine Eden (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Coming Home, Ch. 1 by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

My Calendar Girl, Ch. 5 by Maxine Eden (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Sketches of BtVS characters by aregebidan (Buffy, Willow, Cordelia, Angel, Drusilla, Spike, worksafe)

Stim Time | Buffy Summers by redfoxstims (worksafe)

A Gunn gifset based on AtS s02e19 Belonging by starryeyesxx (worksafe)

Buffy my queen by varrinus (Buffy, worksafe)

fanart for badwolfwho1’s fic Five Times Willow Rosenberg Didn’t Murder Harmony Kendall by aa-arttss (Willow/Harmony, NSFW)

moodboard: greyaro genderfluid willow rosenberg by courtillyy (worksafe)

A Warren icon by garscrucible (worksafe)

Vid: Vampire by ceoazula (Buffy x Angel, Buffy x Spike, a critical/dark view of these ships, there are subtitles)

A selfie with "Richard Wilkins" (H. Groener) by DemonKingShinigami

Pencil drawings of Xander by StaticCloud (worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

[Re: Gina Torres as Jasmine] casting a black lady as a villain whose entire MO throughout the season... by all-seeing-ifer

Rewatch: S1 E10 Nightmares by torturedspike

[AtS] Anyone else love the vibes of the City in season 1? by jdpm1991

I love that Angel let Bethany make her own decision about her father’s fate... by Nihilus05

Unpopular opinion - best episode by in_use_user_name

Podcast: Fool For Love by Buffy the Vampire Straya

[Recs & In Search Of]

Multifandom: Notable Vampire Films of the 20th & 21st Century, a list by vamplire

ceecee1909 is looking for Buffyverse fans to play side characters in r/sunnydalecommunity, a roleplaying subreddit

[Community Announcements]

BtVS Weekly Group Rewatch: Never Kill A Boy On The First Date on Monday June 23 at 9pm ET (UTC-4) [post includes soundtrack trivia]

[Fandom Discussions]

so with fresh eyes we got to prophecy girl... how weird that last episode is when it comes to xander vs angel [anti Buffy/Angel] by camellcat

I’m sure this has been translated before, but... I jumped in excitement hearing Ancient Greek spoken on Buffy by irate-iguana

[Buffy/Spike] i love them so much buffy is finally able to fuck by socratesgirlnextdoor

Realistically, if Riley got over his insecurities and never left... hosted by HomarEuropejski

Fanged Four: Imagine this quartet would've gotten their own tv show/spin-off... hosted by sahinduezguen

What is one criticism of a character, storyline, etc, that you feel is too harsh? by yeahitsme9

Just rewatched Lies My Parents Told Me and I’m a bit more sympathetic to Giles by FaveStore_Citadel

[Oz/Dawn] caption this photo from Oz’s POV. hosted by Obvious-Ad2729

If Angel had stayed dead how different do you think season 3 would have been? by Abbessolute

Why didn't Glory attempt a different method to gain access to her home Dimension? by BedRevolutionary9858

The First's Plan Should Have Been to Take Over the Slayer Line- Not Eradicate It. by RedwoodArmada

Who else should they have brought back as the First? by HeverPisces

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

Rest in peace, Harris Yulin (Quentin Travers) via GittaFirstOfHerName

Video: New interview [in Italian] with Sarah Michelle Gellar by Movieplayer via alecvoerman

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[a03feed-btvs]

Ripper, The Vampire Slayer

by CantSpeakFae

"Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number."

Except, this time, she is a he. And you can call him "Ripper".

Words: 3641, Chapters: 2/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Inverted Hellmouth

Fandoms: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: Ripper Giles - Character, Randall, Deirdre Page, Xander Harris, Willow Rosenberg, Chanterelle, Doyle, Richard Wilkins, William Pratt, Kendra Young, Elizabeth Giles (OC)

Relationships: Ripper Giles/Randall

Additional Tags: Role Reversal, Ripper is the Slayer, Sunnydale has been flipped upside down, Disturbing Themes, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Psychological Torture, Implied/Referenced Torture, Past Torture, Internalized Homophobia, Catholic Character, Graphic descriptions of violence, Sort of written in a 4th person P.O.V, Ripper is an idiot but we love him anyway, Slayers gonna Slay, Randall is a soft boy and we appreciate him in this house, Mental Health Issues, Plot twists abound

from AO3 works tagged 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)' https://ift.tt/2NH2h0T via IFTTT

[junker-town]

Arizona State’s Todd Graham can build coaches, but what about a program?

The Sun Devils themselves aren’t as impressive as Graham’s coaching tree.

This preview originally published May 25 and has since been updated.

Some guys are great facilitators.

Hayden Fry took Iowa to 14 bowls and engineered two top-10 finishes but is known for a coaching tree that features Bill Snyder, Barry Alvarez, and a wide array of Stoopses.

Hal Mumme took Kentucky to back-to-back bowls for the first time in 15 years but is remembered for his air raid disciples: Mike Leach, Dana Holgorsen, etc.

Former Miami and North Carolina head coach Butch Davis hired a host of future head coaches — Chuck Pagano, Greg Schiano, Rob Chudzinski, Randy Shannon, Mario Cristobal, Curtis Johnson, Everett Withers — but oversaw just one top-10 finish and one NFL playoff bid himself.

Mike Bellotti won 116 games with three top-10 finishes at Oregon, but his coaching tree shows he might have been better at prepping others than helping himself. He hired Washington’s Chris Petersen as his receivers coach, he named future Tampa Bay Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter as his offensive coordinator in 1996, and he brought in a New Hampshire assistant named Chip Kelly in 2007.

Graham has had a fine career for himself. The 52-year-old has been a head coach for 11 seasons, and while he had the reputation of a mover — his first four seasons took place at four different schools — he has won 88 games, generated three ranked finishes, and won at least 10 games five times. He has had only three losing seasons.

At some point, however, he might become more known for the coaches he hired than for the games he won.

At Rice, he hired Major Applewhite (now head man at Houston) as his offensive coordinator and David Beaty (Kansas’ head coach) as his receivers coach.

At Tulsa, he brought in Gus Malzahn as offensive co-coordinator, and after Malzahn left, he brought in future SMU head coach Chad Morris. Malzahn just lured Graham’s 2016 offensive coordinator, Chip Lindsey, to Auburn.

Memphis head coach Mike Norvell spent nine years under Graham, moving from Tulsa grad assistant to Pitt offensive co-coordinator to Arizona State coordinator. Norvell brought Chip Long, Graham’s tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator, to Memphis as offensive coordinator. The pairing worked well enough that Long became Notre Dame’s OC after one season.

Jay Norvell joined Graham’s staff in 2016 before landing the Nevada job.

That’s six current college head coaches, plus likely future head men like Long and Lindsey. Graham’s newest offensive coordinator, former Alabama receivers coach Billy Napier, is regarded as quite the up-and-comer, too. Graham has former head coaches like Phil Bennett and Dave Christensen on the staff as well.

This is one hell of a coaching tree, one that will continue to blossom. And Graham’s barely been a head coach for a decade! Working under Graham means learning strong organizational principles and a system based on speed and aggression. With those basics, you can go in a lot of directions.

Of course, if you earn the reputation of molding exciting assistants, your reward is ... having to hire a lot more of them.

Two of Graham’s three losing seasons, by the way, happened in the last two years. From 20-7 in 2013-14, ASU has fallen to 11-14 since. The Sun Devils have regressed in almost perfectly linear fashion:

S&P+: eighth in 2013, 25th in 2014, 49th in 2015, 83rd in 2016

Offensive S&P+: 13th in 2013, 24th in 2014, 26th in 2015, 56th in 2016

Defensive S&P+: 15th in 2013, 41st in 2014, 81st in 2015, 114th in 2016

The offense has fallen, and the defense has vanished. The former can be explained in part by assistant coaching turnover; the latter, though, is a bit of an indictment — Graham, a former defensive coordinator himself, hasn’t lost a ton of defensive assistants. He’s either made the wrong hires or hasn’t recruited the right guys.

The ASU offense should be exciting in 2017; leading rusher Demario Richard, leading receiver N’Keal Harry, and flex guy Kalen Ballage (last year’s No. 2 rusher and No. 3 receiver) return, as do six linemen with starting experience. Three exciting transfers become eligible, and Graham and Napier have a pool of four semi-experienced quarterbacks. A return to the Off. S&P+ top 30 is conceivable.

The defense, however, could determine Graham’s fate. Coaches rarely survive three consecutive years of regression. The Sun Devils return lots of juniors and seniors on D, including attackers like end JoJo Wicker and linebacker DJ Calhoun, and Graham brought in Bennett, a seasoned coordinator. The good news is that a fourth straight year of defensive regression is nearly impossible.

2016 in review

2016 ASU statistical profile.

Graham squads are fast, confident, and assertive. His 2016 ASU team was flawed from the start, but against lesser competition, that didn’t matter too much. When the schedule got more difficult, however, the Sun Devils had no answers.

First 4 games (4-0): Avg. percentile performance: 61% (~top 50) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 6.6, ASU 6.3 (minus-0.3) | Avg. score: ASU 49, Opp 34 (plus-15)

Next 4 games (1-3): Avg. percentile performance: 39% (~top 80) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 6.3, ASU 4.0 (minus-2.3) | Avg. score: Opp 35, ASU 23 (minus-12)

Last 4 games (0-4): Avg. percentile performance: 17% (~top 105) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 8.4, ASU 5.1 (minus-3.3) | Avg. score: Opp 51, ASU 29 (minus-22)

Even early in the year, during tight wins over teams like UTSA and Cal, the defense was giving up a scary number of big plays. When the competition improved, the big plays became deadly. IsoPPP measures the magnitude of an offense’s successful plays, and ASU ranked 128th out of 128 FBS teams in IsoPPP allowed. If the Sun Devils weren’t creating havoc, they were getting gashed.

Meanwhile, quarterback Manny Wilkins dealt with ailments and was replaced by a couple different freshman quarterbacks. The run game vanished, which put far too much pressure on the QB of the week.

This is all a very bad combination, and after semi-respectable results — a 41-20 loss to USC, a 23-20 win over UCLA, a 37-32 loss to Wazzu — ASU imploded. This was a really bad team in November. Some shuffling on the coaching staff was warranted.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

Despite his defensive background, Graham’s teams have been far more likely to excel on offense than defense through the years. Of his 11 offenses, six have ranked 26th or better in Off. S&P+, and only two have ranked outside of the top 60.

The Sun Devils ranked 56th in 2016, dragged down by Wilkins’ injury issues. When he was healthy, ASU was still limited by an iffy run game, but the passing game was at least dangerous. Freshmen Dillon Sterling-Cole and Brady White (combined: 51 percent completion rate, 4.8 percent INT rate, 3 TDs to 5 INTs, 5.5 yards per pass attempt including sacks) simply weren’t ready.

Wilkins: 63% completion rate, 2.9% INT rate, 6.1 yards per pass attempt (including sacks)

Sterling-Cole & White: 51% completion rate, 4.8% INT rate, 5.5 yards per pass attempt

The backup situation will likely be in better shape, at least. White, a former blue-chipper, and Sterling-Cole are both back, but Wilkins is also getting pushed hard by Alabama transfer Blake Barnett, who worked with Napier in Tuscaloosa. Barnett began 2016 as Bama’s starter but was quickly usurped by Jalen Hurts. In a small sample, he took a ton of sacks and hit on some really big passes.

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Blake Barnett

Whoever wins the QB job will have a potentially awesome receiving corps. ASU does have to replace its two most efficient receivers — slot men Tim White and Frederick Gammage — but in Harry, Ballage, and slot receiver Jalen Harvey, the Sun Devils have three players who combined for 123 catches and 1,458 yards.

Harry, a former blue-chipper, held his own as a freshman No. 1, and Ballage combined an early 100-yard rushing game (137 yards, seven touchdowns against Texas Tech) with two late 100-yard receiving games (combined: 13 catches, 223 yards against Oregon and Utah). Meanwhile, senior Cameron Smith caught 41 passes in 2014 but has struggled to stay on the field the last two years. [Update: Smith has since transferred to Notre Dame.]

Joining the veterans are two exciting transfers. Sophomores Ryan Newsome (Texas) and John Humphrey (Oklahoma) are custom-built slot receivers with high ceilings. If either can replace White’s efficiency, and the winner of the QB battle can stay on the field, the passing game should hum.

The run game, though? A line that helped ASU rank 15th in power success rate and 21st in stuff rate is experienced despite the loss of two-year starting left tackle Evan Goodman. But neither Ballage nor leading rusher Demario Richard were even slightly efficient against defenses less awful than Texas Tech’s. Richard gained at least five yards on just 29 percent of his carries (the national average is about 40 percent), Ballage 28 percent.

ASU rarely moved backwards but still ranked 107th in rushing success rate. Returning everyone involved doesn’t automatically help those numbers.

Cole Elsasser-USA TODAY Sports

Kalen Ballage

Defense

The offense obviously has some question marks, but the raw components, plus Graham’s history, suggest improvement. Graham’s defense, however, has lost the benefit of the doubt. ASU showed the downside of aggression last fall, ranking a not-awful 67th in success rate and 45th in havoc rate but giving up an almost impossible number of big plays.

I mean, damn:

ASU allowed 3.7 gains of 30-plus per game (125th in FBS), 1.8 rushes of 20-plus (86th), and 12.5 passes of 10-plus (127th). To account for that, you better have the best efficiency numbers in the country. The Sun Devils did not.

A little bit of new blood could help. Graham brought in Michael Slater as line coach after the Beaty assistant engineered a massive turnaround on the Kansas D-line in 2016.

More significantly, he hired Bennett, Art Briles’ former coordinator at Baylor. Setting aside any moral issues you might (justifiably) have with former Briles assistants so quickly finding new work, this move makes sense. Bennett crafted a defense that served as a strong complement to the mach-speed Baylor offense.

The basics of the Bennett defense — an imposing defensive line anchored by a seasoned, swarming secondary — sound a lot like the basics of the defense Keith Patterson spent the last few years trying and failing to maintain in Tempe. (Patterson remains on staff as linebackers coach.)

Slater could have some fun with JoJo Wicker and Tashon Smallwood up front. The two combined for 20 tackles for loss and five sacks, and backup Renell Wren contributed six and 1.5, respectively. Linebackers DJ Calhoun and Koron Crump, meanwhile, combined for 22 and 13.5. That’s a lot of returning havoc, and Bennett should know how to use some of those pieces.

Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

JoJo Wicker

Of course, havoc wasn’t the problem last year — breakdowns were. And the state of the secondary doesn’t automatically lead one to believe they will be solved. A more effectively aggressive front seven can produce aggrieved, mistake-prone QBs, but when the QBs get the passes off, they’ll be throwing into the teeth of a secondary that must replace half of its top four cornerbacks, plus safety Armand Perry, who just retired with injury issues.

The returnees are experienced; there just might not be enough of them. Safeties Marcus Ball and Chad Adams and corners Kareem Orr [update: Orr’s transferred to UT-Chattanooga] and Maurice Chandler are all either juniors and seniors and combined for 22 percent of ASU’s tackles last year. But they created almost no disruption — ASU was ninth in the country in LB havoc rate but 127th in DB havoc rate — and gave up at least four touchdown passes four times last year.

Opponents completed 64 percent of their passes and produced a 156.9 passer rating; ASU basically turned every opposing passer into USC’s Sam Darnold (161.1). And while Graham is not averse to signing JUCOs, he’s going to be relying on younger players to provide an energy boost in the back — four-star redshirt freshman Chase Lucas, for instance, finished the spring as a starting corner.

As goes the ASU pass defense, so goes ASU. The havoc recipe was all wrong in 2016, and that cannot continue.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Koron Crump

Special Teams

It could have been a lot worse for ASU last year; if not for the No. 4 special teams unit in the country, the Sun Devils could have gone lost at least a couple more games. They did, after all, go 2-1 in one-possession finishes.

Unfortunately, the primary reason for ranking fourth in Special Teams S&P+ was Zane Gonzalez, and he’s gone. Gonzalez went 13-for-15 on field goals over 40 yards and booted three-quarters of his kickoffs for touchbacks, setting a bar that his successor might not come anywhere close to clearing.

Tim White’s punt returns were the next reason for ASU’s strong special teams ratings; he’s also gone. This unit is almost completely starting over.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 31-Aug New Mexico State 124 21.8 90% 9-Sep San Diego State 52 1.9 54% 16-Sep at Texas Tech 66 -1.4 47% 23-Sep Oregon 23 -5.9 37% 30-Sep at Stanford 12 -17.7 15% 14-Oct Washington 13 -12.3 24% 21-Oct at Utah 45 -4.2 40% 28-Oct USC 7 -16.1 18% 4-Nov Colorado 50 1.7 54% 11-Nov at UCLA 34 -6.6 35% 18-Nov at Oregon State 54 -2.8 44% 25-Nov Arizona 68 4.2 60%

Projected S&P+ Rk 58 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 31 / 85 Projected wins 5.2 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 7.2 (38) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 38 / 30 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* -4 / 2.0 2016 TO Luck/Game -2.5 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 71% (72%, 70%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 3.6 (1.4)

Even as the wins have vanished, ASU has continued to look like a Graham team: aggressive, fast, and willing to risk a few explosions to create some of their own. But the combination of injuries and poor pass defense created a disaster against just about any team with a pulse last fall.

Naturally, after three years of regression, S&P+ has stopped believing in the Sun Devils. They are projected to improve, but only to 58th, and with a brutal North slate that includes Stanford and Washington but misses Cal and Washington State, 58th isn’t good enough to guarantee a bowl.

Like Arizona and most of the Pac-12, though, ASU’s fate will be determined by tossups. Including non-conference games against SDSU and Texas Tech, the Sun Devils are looking at eight games with win probability between 35 and 60 percent. They had one likely win and three likely losses, so they’ll have to win a majority of the tight games to make sure their bowl drought ends at just one year.

At least Graham’s latest round of hires looks strong. His new offensive coordinator and defensive line coach are up-and-comers, and he brought in a potentially valuable old hand to save a flagging defense. ASU should show enough progress to keep Graham in Tempe for another year, but it might take until 2018 for everything to click again.

Team preview stats

All power conference preview data to date.

[star-man-in-the-sky]

Second Info dump!

Penelope Richards

• Voice claim - Jade Harley ~ Homestuck (voiceovernexus dub)

• Pippa has lived in Eltingville for as long as she can remember so practically knows everyone who's ever entered and left the place.

• She's not really in any friend group, just kind of floating around in social spaces. This is because Pippa is very obsessive about alot of things, think the stereotypical 'cutegore' girls online.

• She doesn't have much of a life outside of the internet except her scalping business where she buys merch in bulk and sells it elsewhere (friends have discounts). She has many online friends and a very parasocial relationship with her online fanbase.

• Her interests include: Hello kitty, Vocaloid, drawing, DDLC, Super Sonico, Watamote, Needy Streamer Overload, Gloomy Bear, MLP, etc.

(any iffy/controversial media I mention in reference to Pippa I don't personally indulge in! This is just for characterisation!!)

Her opinion on the Eltingville Club:

Bill Dickey - She is convinced that Bill is the love of her life, she writes and doodles about him in her notebook like some deranged anime girl. Regardless of any cruel remarks or comments he sends her way, she just can't seem to get the message. Pippa is certain that some day she'll get Bill to fall for her.

Jerry Stokes - Pippa doesn't care for Jerry much, he's not exactly her type of person. The only time they'd talk is if Pippa was selling him something or if nobody else was around, but only passing remarks and comments.

Pete DiNunzio - Pippa thinks he's cute, but her priorities are set on Bill so she says she has no time to think about other guys... Right? They bond over an interest in gory media, even if Penelope's content is "too girly" for him. When Bill isn't around, Pete is the first person she goes to after.

Josh Levy - Oh Bill doesn't like this guy? Cool, neither does Pippa. As an effect of her devotion, Pippa grew a hatred for Josh that mirrored that of Bill's. She draws crude drawings of him in various dangerous situations that slowly get more and more concerning as you flip the pages. Would totally spam his name into a fake Death Note notebook or something.

Opinion on the other ocs:

Dawn Simpson - Once again Dawn and Pippa hardly know eachother. She doesn't try reach out to her A) because of her dislike for Bill and B) she's certain that Dawn would make fun of her because "She's a popular girl, that's what they do!"

(Pippa's fear of rejection is what keeps her away from people irl. Online she can be whoever she wants, but in real life everyone sees right through her).

Alex Lambert - Alex and Pippa don't see much of eachother but seem to have a silent allyship due to both of them having a reputation of being creepy. This means that Alex gets a discount on scalped items and Pippa gets a table to eat lunch at instead of the toilets.

Gwen Wilkins - Gwen and Pippa know eachother through Joe's store since Penelope is practically wanted there for stealing merchandise. Gwen lets her in on occasion under a very loose promise that Pippa would pay this time.

Joan McCann - Joan and Pippa used to be pretty okay friends. That was until a session of jovial banter turned sour. Pippa riled up Joan past her limits and Joan lashed out, using her weak spots to her advantage to throw out some... Unsavoury insults. They haven't spoken since.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, November 14, Part I

Tom: You okay? Buffy: (drops the piece of glass and exhales) Yeah. I was... just thinking. Richard: To my Argentinean junk bonds that just matured into double digits! Tom: Uh, to maturity. Buffy: What the hell. I'm tired of being mature.

~~Buffy Episode #17: "Reptile Boy"~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Laws of Hospitality (Xander, T, multiple xovers) by madimpossibledreamer

Santa Spike (Buffy/Spike, T) by veronyxk84

Walk in the Valley (Willow, T, Phantom xover) by madimpossibledreamer

Retrograde (Drusilla/Spike, E) by SomeKindOfADeviant

Can We Keep him (Buffy/Spike, E) by desicat

Lethal love out of this world Ch. 1/6 by Buffyargent

keep the fire burning (Jenny, Enyos, T) by The_Eclectic_Bookworm

Tabula Rasa: Missing Scene (Buffy/Spike, unrated) by elysianholly

[Chaptered Fiction]

Vamp for Rent 9/18 (Spike/Xander, M) by forsaken2003

second chances they don't ever matter Ch. 4 (Buffy/Faith, T) by Evil_irish_batman

the slayer's brat kid sister Ch.4 (Buffy/Spike, Dawn, T) by InvisiblePinkToast

One Day You'll Know Ch. 1-5/5 (COMPLETE) (Buffy/Spike, M) by HaleKent

surrender your power Ch. 9/15 (Buffy/Faith, E) by paperwasp

Come Undone Ch. 31/31 (COMPLETE) (Buffy/Angel, M) by BuildMeUpButtercup_x

The right kind of wrong CH. 14 (Buffy/Giles, E) by DancingAngel0013

Heart Don't Lie Ch. 21/25 (Buffy/Spike, E) by NautiBitz

hit rewind Ch. 16 (Buffy/Spike, M) by untiljanuary

Crash and Burn CH. 21/35 (Buffy/Spike, E) by NautiBitz

New York CH. 14/43 (Giles/Xander, M) by drsquidlove

Goodbye to Everything That I Knew Ch. 7 (Buffy/Spike, M) by My_Barbaric_Yawp

Blood and Chaos CH. 52 (OC, Ensemble, M) by Aetheron, quote_Amy_unquote (Sannah_banana)

Stepping on Butterflies CH. 12/22 (Buffy/Angel, T) by melodys_muse

Love Letters To Spike CH. 1 (Buffy/Spike, G) by CecyTheRomanticist

The Mayor Dates, Chapter 1 (Joyce/Mayor Wilkins, G) by Desicat

Rules of Engagement , Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, E) by all_choseny

One Girl in All the World, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, G) by violettathepiratequeen

The Plunge, Chapter 6-7 (Buffy/Spike, T) by Harlow Turner

Walk It Back, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, G) by violettathepiratequeen

Now where did I leave that universe? Ch. 1 (Dawn, M, multiple xovers) by LaraBr

What do you mean I'm Magical Nobility? Ch. 32 (Xander, M, Harry Potter xover) by KnightofTempest

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:Buffy & Angel by kairosimperative

Artwork:Spike by juicysnoop

Artwork:Spike by isevery0nehereverystoned

Artwork:Buffy & Willow by buffyandwillow

Artwork:Willow by pzyii

[Reviews & Recaps]

The thing I always forget about Bad Girls before I rewatch it is just how ridiculously plot heavy it is. by coraniaid

Buffy s5 e10 by pinksparkl

PODCAST: Episode 3 - Aquafortis and Quicksilver (The Witch) by The Sunnydale Diaries

PODCAST: BTVS 503 - The Replacement by Another Buffy Podcast

[Community Announcements]

Signups closed/Initial pinch hits by [personal profile] buffyversesecretsanta

Panfandom Hanukkah Bingo by hanukkahbingo