#ship: drusilla/spike

[oprairierose]

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

So. I have some thoughts. And I could put them into words, but I think it's better if I just...

Also:

Okay those are my thoughts :)

[boopsterliv]

Why should I have to choose between Spuffy and Bangel, or Sprusilla and Spuffy? The obvious solution is for the four of them to date each other and be a happy little polycule

[winepresswrath]

james and elizabeth are so funny. at the time i resented them for not being spike and dru, but i do really enjoy that angel and darla keep on having the same problems with the people they make being wildly obsessive in love and/or murder. it's you! it's how you make them.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Oh, dang. In the Angel tie-in book I'm reading it now (Endangered Species), it shows that Darla actually did eventually try to help Angelus after she lost him, by finding a way to remove his soul.

[vcgardenia]

under the moon’s veil (Luke Castellan x Apollo!daughter)

summary: Cora is kinda losing her cookies but in an interesting poetic way! And Luke is totally there for her like Drusilla and Spike or Catherine and Heathcliff.

wc: 2483

cw: angst, lit + greek mythology references, kissing, suggestive content, depictions of insanity, gore and blood

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results - Albert Einstein

It was the dark of night, and Nyx had tucked all the world in his shining blanket of stars. A glistening sky sighed as another day had passed them by- all was sound, and all were quiet… Well, all but one.

Cora tossed and turned in her bed, anxiously anticipating a rustle from the bushes. After an hour of waiting, tossing, and turning some more, she sat up from her bed and stared longingly at the door. Where was he?

The Apollo cabin was dead silent; not a usual occurrence, and Cora could not have been more relieved. She looked around at the drooling, passed out campers around her- trying to scope how asleep they all were before she made any first moves. Her half-sister Heidi had practically fallen off of her top bunk, and Cora knew she had to leave the cabin before that happened.

She stood up from her bed- almost stepping on the baby deer that her half-brother Liam had adopted after he found it stabbed in a clearing. Normally the counselor would’ve said no, but it was a baby deer with a limp… and the head counselor wasn’t a monster.

Cora tried not to look at it. She avoided its presence entirely before continuing on her self made quest. She cautiously slipped on her Crocs- trying to ensure that no rubbery friction from the shoes would give her away. 

Cora tried to steady her breathing, but it was becoming more erratic by the second. He was supposed to rustle the leaves at the bushes at 10, and then Cora would come out by 10:15. It was currently 11:07 and she had no idea where he was. Cora felt as if she was breaking into a cold sweat; she could feel her hands shaking as she thought of the worst. 

What if he got hurt by someone? Or his ship sunk? Backbiter may have stopped working, someone caught him on the way here- thousands of possibilities were circling through her mind.  Cora’s heart was now racing… what if he was dead? 

She shook her head, refusing to believe her own thoughts. Her entire body was shaking at this point, and she knew she had to run out of the cabin before she started bawling. So Cora ran. She sprinted out of the cabin, and off the well worn path, into the forest. As she ventured further into the woods, less and less moonlight came from the sky above; covered by the growing number of trees. Through the tears and flem in her throat, she began to yell, practically scream his name,

“LUKE. LUKE. LUKE WHERE ARE YOU!” She was breaking down into tears, collapsing over herself into a heap of despair. What had the world done to her love?

“Hey sunshine.” Luke appeared from behind one of the trees Cora had just run past. She kept her head down, sobbing into the ground beneath her; more out of relief now than sorrow. Luke quickly knelt down next to her- rubbing her icy cold back with his pleasantly warm hands. With each up and down motion he made, he would make patterns on her back with his delicate yet deliberate fingers. Slowly, Cora was able to collect herself. While her breathing was still erratic, she was no longer wailing so loud the gods could hear. 

“I didn’t mean to worry you baby.” Luke’s face was full of concern and worry for his love. He hid his face in her hair, muffling his next words,

“Can you forgive me?”

Cora looked up for the first time, turning her head around to see him. Immediately she gasped,

“What happened to your scar?” She instinctively held his face in her hands. Luke smirked, giddy from the attention,

“Percy reopened some old wounds both figuratively and literally.” He chuckled. Cora scowled.

“If you had let me go with you this wouldn’t have happened.” Luke took a large sigh,

“Let’s not talk about this right now. I just wanna see you happy.” Cora’s scowl quickly turned into a beaming smile,

“How could I not be happy when I’m with you, my winged Romeo?” She planted a kiss on his wound, longing to make it disappear with some magic touch.

She could tell even by how Luke held her, that he had longed for her touch. His body bent as easily to her will as a stick of puddy at her fingers. Cora wrapped her arms around Luke’s neck; melting into the warm embrace. She missed this. 

When they started meeting up in the woods, Luke would talk to her about his adventures, she would talk about hers. But, over time it just hurt too much for the both of them. Knowing that the love of their life was existing without them by their side. 

These days they would just touch. Making sure no area was undiscovered before the end of the night; it never felt the same way twice. New scars, new bruises, nothing could stop the passage of time. 

“How long can you stay tonight?” Cora looked up at Luke, searching for an answer in his eyes; begging him to stay just a little longer than last time. In response Luke inhaled, looking ahead of her- knowing he couldn’t bear to see the expression on her face.

“So not that long then?” Cora furrowed her brows. Luke dug his head into her shoulder, shaking his head. After sitting there for a little longer, Cora spoke, 

“Let me go with you.”

“No I- you know you can’t. It’s too dangerous.” She looked at him with bitterness in her eyes, shaking her head,

“If you don’t let me go with you Luke,” Cora searched for her words, tears filling her eyes,  “the last time you’ll see me is hanging from a tree.” Cora started getting up, ready to run away from his phony warm embrace.

“Cora don’t say that. Please don’t say that baby.” 

“Do you even love me Luke?” Luke stared at her with the most puzzled look,

“Why are you saying these things?”

In truth, Cora didn’t know. She just wanted everything to be normal again. She wanted them to swim in the lake together; finding the secret passageway that would take them to the stone cave, overgrown with green ivy. He would hold her in his arms, lifting her up to the ledge where they could just sit. She would put her head in his lap and he would caress her features. They would just talk. They could just talk back then. 

But now, Cora didn’t know what had become of them, of her. Luke was crying, holding his head in his hands as he tried to hold back his sniffles. His voice was breaking with the little whimpers that dared to escape. 

Cora thought back on the week before. She had been in the woods and she had taken a knife with her, trying to pick some raspberries for lunch that day. Cora finally found a bush full of them- not often found in these woods. As she began to pick them, her mind started to wander. Of course the first place it went was to Luke- what was he doing right now? Was he thinking about her? Was he safe? Lost in thought she cut open one of the raspberries she had picked. She gasped. The shade of pinkish red perfectly matched that of Luke’s lips. She grabbed more from her basket and continued to cut into more of them. It was incredible; the shade and pigment would’ve blended right into his if he was here. The juices of the previous raspberry escaped into the soil, merging into one as the cycle of reunion began again. Even the juice had consistency to find comfort in. 

She started cutting open the raspberries with more aggravation; almost jealous of their fate. In her fury she had accidentally cut her own hand, instead of another raspberry. The blood was a redder hue than Luke’s lips, but as she looked down, she could see that it too was able to become one with the earth. 

She smiled.

She hadn’t smiled for weeks. Luke hadn’t been visiting, and it had been filling her with more despair than she knew what to do with. But this spilling of blood was the sweet release she had been looking for. She was now part of the cycle; Cora giggled in glee at the thought. Leaning her head back and closing her eyes, she felt a new moisture on her hand. She opened her eyes to see a creature licking off the blood that had finally connected her to something; given her comfort. It had stolen her joy. It had taken the one pleasure she had away from her. Her face snapped into a look of blind rage, and she stabbed it. 

She quickly withdrew her knife, ready to inflict a second blow- then she looked into its eyes. It was a deer. From the looks of it, the harmless animal wasn’t even a year old. Cora quickly took the knife away from the baby’s untouched skin; it had now been drenched in its first bleeding… and it was all her fault.

After that Cora had made sure one of her siblings found it. The counselor let the deer stay in their cabin of course, he wasn’t a monster… but she was.

She had tried not to think about it since then, but every time she looked at Liam’s baby dear, every time she heard someone question what kind of villain would stab such a pure and beautiful creature…

She turned her attention back to the present.

She couldn’t stay and watch as another beautiful being was destroyed by her hands. Especially not Luke. Her Luke. So she ran. She ran as fast as her legs could take her. She could hear Luke yelling for her, but it all just felt like background noise to her. She had to distance herself from the world. 

Cora had learned to be strong in the face of adversity, and she had always been praised for her level headedness- always keeping perspective, being kind and gracious to all. No matter what happened she always kept her light. But Luke was the exception. He was the hamartia that would bleed her soul dry; without even having to try he could undo her.

Luke was searching breathlessly for Cora. He didn’t know what he said or did, but he had to fix it. As he wandered through the forest he pondered- what happened? He should have seen a breakdown like this happening, he had been gone for too long, he should have come back sooner. Should haves and what if’s raced through his mind as he looked desperately for Cora. She was the epitome of perfection to Luke. He felt as if he had ruined her.

He knew it was selfish to keep seeing her even after he chose his side, but Luke couldn’t help it. He had to see her. Luke couldn’t breathe without her. Some days it felt as if they inhabited the same body, he could tell how her day was going just by looking inwards; other days she was a complete mystery. She would blow up and scream at him, and he would still be just as willing to plunge a knife into his chest for her. 

He wanted to have a life with her, have Cora as a witness to everything he did… but he was a disgrace. He was an outcast of her world. He knew it could never be. She would find some man who is deserving of her- and Luke would have to watch just as Heathcliff watched his Catherine. But he searched nonetheless. Because at the end of the day, he knew that he would rather beat his head against a tree than be in a world without her.

After what felt like ages he heard sniffling coming from behind a bush. Luke let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding as he cautiously walked over to the noise. 

“Sunshine, are you here?” 

“Go away!” Cora still refused to look at him. She was curled up in a ball on the floor and didn’t look up.

“Baby I-” Luke tried to find his words as he sat to meet her eyes. “I don’t have much time left.” Cora finally looked up, staring at his gorgeous curls instead of his agonizing face. “Can’t we spend it together?” It was a plea. 

Cora moved closer to Luke; leaning in more and more until their foreheads touched. She lightly chuckled as she took her hands and placed them on his torso. Luke smirked as he pried her by the wrists away from what she knew was a sensitive area of his body. With her wrists in his hands, Luke pulled them towards him, which left both Cora and Luke mere atoms away from each other. They stayed there for a good minute- allowing the moment to breathe. 

After a while Luke set Cora’s wrists on her lap. He took his thumb and opened her mouth, letting his tender touch linger on her plump lips. Luke couldn’t help but sigh at how beautiful she looked under the moonlight; despite her father being god of the sun. Cora gave a faint smile, still tired from the buckets of tears she had produced. She leaned in ever so slightly, and was easily able to find her way to his lips.  

They didn’t talk after that, they just touched. Cora and Luke didn’t have time to take off each other's clothing as they normally would do, so they had to suffice with lifting up a shirt or pulling down some pants. Cora was gripping at his clothes almost frantically- sensing that time was running out, that their time on earth together was expiring. Luke would often take her arms and put them to her sides; rubbing them in hopes of calming her down. Then, it was time for him to go. They hadn’t gotten enough time that night, they never got enough time. 

“You have to stay here. You’re safe here. Can you do that for me baby?” Luke begged with his eyes. Cora sighed, letting a tiny whimper escape as they were separated from each other’s touch.

“Yea… yea I can do that for you.” She avoided eye contact.

“Hey. Look at me.” She allowed her gaze to wander to his eyes, “I’ll see you soon, okay Sunshine?”

“The sooner the better my winged Romeo.” She smiled mournfully.

Luke walked away and Cora knew better than to call for him. He longed to turn around, just to see her one last time- but much like Orpheus with his Eurydice, he knew he couldn’t. If he turned around, he would lose the strength to leave. He would stay there forever.

[thepunkmuppet]

THE RESULTS ARE IN!! this poll will only be a 24 hour one, but based on the top two from each category…

I like the ship a lot actually but I swear to god if spuffy wins-

edit: SHIT

[buffyverse-divorce-tournament]

Congratulations to GETHAN, your winner for the Buffyverse Divorce Tournament!

With 59% of the votes in the final round, Gethan is also one of the relationships with the fewest number of episodes (4!) across Buffy and Angel. Among the top three, it's also the shortest relationship with the youngest members! The ship dominated its run to the finals, only slipping below 60% during the final match-up.

In second and third place are Dangel and Spangel, respectively. Spangel lost to Gethan in the semi-finals, then fought their way through the losers' bracket with two more wins to take third.

Thanks all for participating in our celebration of separation, our party for partings, our anniversary for annulment. Enjoy some more fun facts below, and remember! Divorce is more than just a piece of paper. :)

RANDOM FACTS:

Angel is the only individual to have multiple relationships in the top 3. Spike came close, with Sprusilla in fourth place.

Sprusilla had the longest run in the losers' bracket; after being knocked out by Dangel in round one, they survived all the way to the losers' bracket semi-finals (top 4!). This also makes three of the top 4 a Fanged Four couple.

In addition to the top 3, five other couples made it farther in the rounds than Hank x Joyce, the only canonically divorced couple on the shows. These were:

Xander x Anya

Wesley x Lilah

Xander x Cordelia

Spike x Drusilla

Faith x Buffy

Gethan had the most resounding victory in the tournament, beating Frunn with 95% of the votes. The closest matches were Weslah vs Hank x Joyce and Willoz vs Spuffy, both with results split ~51:49.

Besides Buffy, Spike, and Angel, the only characters with multiple relationships in the tournament were Willow, Xander, and Wesley. Of these three, Xander's relationships made it furthest in the tournament (both went further than Hank x Joyce), followed by Wesley, then Willow.

The only Angel ship that failed to make it out of the first round is Bangel.

Although Buffy had four ships (out of 16 participants) in the tournament, the only one that made it past the second round is Fuffy.

Fuffy is also the only f/f ship (of two) that made it out of the first round, but made it all the way to the top 6.

There were three m/m ships among the original 16 participants, making up just 19% of the represented couples. By the finals, they made up 67%(!) of the top 3.

[spangelmybeloved]

Ok but since when did the concept of "yeah this ship isn't endgame nor is it my OTP but I still like it" die? Like, you can ship more than one ship. For example you could ship Spike/Buffy but also like Faith/Buffy and enjoy reading the occasional Spike/Xander hookup. You can like onscreen Spike/Buffy and oncsreen Angel/Buffy. You can be like me and ship Spike/Angel most of all, but also like Spike/Drusilla, have a soft spot for Buffy/Angel, and like the occasional Spike/Xander, Spike/Willow, or Angel/Darla. Why should I have to choose just one ship?

[letteredlettered]

when Spike fell for Buffy

From the first moment you see him in S5, Spike comes across as being in love with Buffy. Marsters plays him that way and even the script begins to hint at it. Obviously, Spike does not realize he is in love with Buffy, but consider the episode Crush, wherein Drusilla claims that Spike had become interested in Buffy even in S2. The idea in S5 is that Spike has always had a romantic interest in Buffy, and you can see that from episode 5.01.

However, despite the many, many people who shipped it, I don't read Spike being in love with Buffy in any part of S4. Let's face it, Marsters has chemistry with literally everyone, but he just doesn't appear more attuned or attracted to Buffy than Giles or Xander or even Anya. Spike gets that interested look he gets whenever someone does unexpected, but he gets that way at Anya probably more than any other character in S4.

So why the sudden change between the end of S4 and beginning of S5? Why does Spike suddenly fall for Buffy?

The Doylist explanation is easy: the writers didn't intend for Spike to fall for Buffy when they wrote S4. They did intend it by the time they started writing S5. By 5.01, the writers were writing Spike with this in mind and Marsters was playing the part with this in mind. But what is the watsonian explanation?

From a watsonian standpoint, the difference between S4 and S5 is Dawn. Every single character we know has been altered, because of Dawn.

And what if Dawn is the reason Spike falls in love with Buffy? What if implanted memories of watching Buffy protect Dawn, watching Buffy care for Dawn, watching Buffy be a big sister allow Spike to see what he loves most in Buffy?

Spike is a caretaker--he cares for Dru when she's not well; he tries to care for Buffy. But he also has it bad for his proverbial familial elders. Dru is a mother/big sister figure as well as a lover; Angel is a father/big brother figure as well as a (at least that one time) lover. What if seeing the way that Buffy cares for her family, family who is younger and weaker and more helpless, family for whom she feels entirely responsible--opens up those kinds of feelings that Spike had for Dru? And what if the Season 2 that Dru remembers is a time in which Dawn existed, and Buffy sacrificed everything she was to protect Dawn from Angelus, and Spike saw that and it made him have more feelings for Buffy at that time than we ever see on screen, and that's why Dru knew what we didn't?

Tl;dr, everyone's probably already thought of this before: Dawn is the reason Spike loves Buffy.

[britany1997]

The Lost Boys watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

This is longer than anything I’ve written up to this point already so if y’all like this I’ll do a part two.

(Part one-Seasons 1-3) (Spoilers for BTVS)

•Paul makes them watch it

•They’re like, ‘Why would we watch a show about a vampire slayer? Haven’t we lived that nightmare?’

•He’s like ‘wait wait wait you guys, the vampire slayer is a hot girl AND she has SEX with the vampires.’ Nightmare? More like wet dream

•They’re like 😮😮😮

•So they watch it

•They see her in the first episode and they’re like damn we got two 12 year olds with god complexes and they got this hot blonde chick???

•There is no justice.

•Paul is IN LOVE with Buffy. He watches the show with heart eyes fr

•The boys are like, ‘Paul she’s a slayer it would never work’ and he’s like, ‘I could fix her😍’

•Dwayne sighs

•The first couple of episodes are hard for them to get through, but Paul’s like, just power through it

•They think Cordelia is hot

•Angel’s introduced and they’re like, dude this tall quiet guy who reads a lot is just like you Dwayne!

•Once they find out that Angel’s a vampire that doesn’t even eat people, Dwayne’s pissed.

• “Damn, they made your guy a pussy.” Marko gets a pillow thrown at him

•Once they find out he gets the girl though they’re kind of like, gotta do what you gotta do I guess

•They hate Xander. HATE HIM.

•They grumble every time he comes on screen

•1. They think he’s annoying as hell and 2. He’s trying to steal Buffy from Angel??? LET HER FUCK VAMPIRES XANDER

•Buffy dies in the season one finale and Paul LOSES IT. He’s like, ‘there was not one single vampire hookup wtf??? All we got was some slow burn shit???’

•Oh she’s back, nevermind.

•In season two Spike shows up and they do a double take

•Marko, Paul, and Dwayne silently look at Spike, then at David, then at Spike, then at David again

•Paul says, “…is that guy supposed to be you?”

•David’s narrows his eyes and says, “I don’t see it.”

•The boys all exchange looks and then Marko says, “yeah he has a British accent and a great haircut, he’s wayyyy hotter than you.”

•Marko gets a boot thrown at him

•Marko WANTS to add that Spike doesn’t need high-heeled boots to look taller but he’s on thin ice so he keeps his mouth shut.

•Spike is a total bad ass with a hot crazy vampire girlfriend

•They’re like damn where are our hot crazy vampire partners????

•No. Justice.

•Paul says, “well, Marko’s our hot crazy vampire partner.” And Dwayne and David are like true true.

•Marko grumbles like ok but where’s MY psychopath

•Then they watch Spike get hit over the head with an axe by Buffy’s MOM and they all get second hand embarrassment, like yikes

•They’re like, ‘Lucy never could’ve pulled one over on us like that’ embarrassing.

•When Buffy fucks Angel they’re like FINALLY

•Angel turns into Angellus and eats someone in the next episode and Paul jumps up and yells “I knew he was fakin’ it!”

•Marko, David, and Dwayne groan. Dwayne’s like ‘just listen’

•Later that same episode Buffy blows up the bad guy with a bazooka and they’re like ‘damn we’ll take the twelve year olds’

•They love that Angel tortures and eats people now

•David literally pulls out a notepad and takes notes

•When Angel kills Jenny and stages the murder scene for Giles he and Marko each shed a single tear at the artistry. They’re impressed.

•Paul’s like, when are they gonna fuck again?

•When they see how Angellus turned Drusilla crazy they’re like ohhh ok so that’s how we get the hot crazy vampire partners

•Now Marko’s taking notes too

•Xander lies to Buffy so she thinks there’s no chance of saving Angel and Marko’s like, ‘can Angel just eat this guy?’

•Spike and Buffy team up? (Hot). Angel gets cured? Buffy kills Angel?????

•They take a break for blood after the season 2 finale, it’s a lot to process.

•Faith comes into town in season three they think she’s HOT

•Paul ships Faith and Buffy

•He also ships them with him😍

•ANGEL IS BACK???? AND NAKED???? COULD THINGS GET ANY BETTER????

•Paul is literally drooling through the entire episode

•They’re bored by angsty Angel he is nice to look at though they miss Angellus

•Willow and Xander kiss? Dwayne, who’s been pretty quiet the whole time, says “she could do so much better.” They all nod

•They literally think “the dog” is a better choice for her

•Xander is the biggest vampire cockblock ever they hate him so much

•SPIKE’S BACK

•His hot crazy girlfriend dumped him. Damn.

•They pause the show to pour one out

•They love Spike so much

•He’s basically David at this point and they love David. (David especially loves David so he’s a hugeeee Spike fan)

•Paul’s favorite episode is Bad Girls

•He rewinds and replays the scene where there dancing together at the bronze. Like a lot.

•Dwayne confiscates the remote after the 8th playback

•Their jaws drop when Faith kills someone, but they’re on her side.

•Marko’s like, ‘It’s not that deep Buffy, geez’

•They appreciate the use of chains in the show

•Faith is evil now? Hell yeah.

•The show needed another hot evil female character. She’s not a vampire but they’ll take it

•Hot crazy vampire Willow the next episode, fuck yes!

•Angellus is back? Just what this season needed

•He’s Marko’s favorite character

•This torture scene is weirdly erotic? David and Marko love it.

•Angellus isn’t back???? Their jaws are on the floor

•Marko’s low key disappointed but he appreciates the plot twist.

•They all miss Spike

•They love Faith but they hate the mayor.

•Second biggest vampire cockblock fr

•Also he eats bugs? What’s up with that?

•Angel gets shot by a poison arrow? Dwayne says he’ll stop watching if Angel dies, he grew on him.

• “Nooo Faith don’t die you’re too sexy ahaha”

•They HATE the watcher council, especially Wesley. They think Angel should get to eat him.

•Angel feeds from Buffy? They’re jealous.

•Paul is HELLA jealous

•He yells at the TV like, “THAT SHOULD BE ME”

•They finish season three, the gang beats the bad guy blah blah blah, but ANGEL LEAVES

•They all agree there needs to be another sexy vampire in season 4 to fill the hole Angel left

To be continued???

[deeply-unserious-fellow]

No okay bcuz actually I DO want to explain my thoughts from this post here because I love analyzing things and I think talking abt Vox's relationships thru the lens of "this is just like Buffy fr fr" could be fun :)

FIRST OFF: VoxVal as Spike & Drusilla. I do not know their ship name and tbh I'm probably never gonna talk about them again so whooooo cares. To state the obvious, in this situation Vox is Spike and Val is Dru. Now, it's been awhile since I've watched Buffy, but from what I remember, Spike & Drusilla really are THE toxic villain couple, in that they're both like. Not very good to or for eachother, all things considered, but goddamnit they love eachother SO MUCH- which really is the generous interpretation of Staticmoth. I'm not gonna go super in depth into the fucking. Is Staticmoth abusive debate rn. Because I have one million other posts that make my stance on that pretty clear I think. But the uh... nicer interpretation of their relationship is very much Spike & Drusilla I think. Like right down to the headcannon of Vox liking how Val's shit eyesight & temper tantrums makes him kind of dependent on him. Again, could be misremembering, but based off of how Spike was w/ Dru while she was weakened(and based off of how he rebounded w/ Harmony of all people 💀), I get the distinct vibe that, despite his frustrations, Spike did like having somebody relying on him the way Dru(and later Harmony) did. Vox def seems like the type of guy that would get a kick out of feeling Needed and Relied On(why else would he literally route the entire Pride rings power grid through himself-), and Valentino is. Well. Valentino. I'm not gonna go over their interaction before Stayed Gone because it makes me ~genuinely uncomfortable~ for reasons I have, once again, gone into in depth before, but suffice it to say that it's definitely in character for Vox to be into Val relying on him like that. Oh also, like somebody pointed out in the reblogs on the original post, the reason Spike & Dru broke up from s3 all the way to their reunion in s5 is that she cheated on him and that's. Yeah that sounds about right.

And second, the Staticradio twins: Spuffy and Spangel. Why the fuck did I call them the Staticradio twins? I don't know I'm tired as shit and just used most of my brain power on the VoxVal segment now get off my back- anyways, these two are actually pretty easy to explain so I'll just get right into it! Most of the similarities between Staticradio and Spuffy can really be summed up in the song Reat In Peace from Buffy's musical episode. One-sided, obsessive crush on someone who you know deep down will probably never reciprocate. You want them to just leave you the fuck alone and stay gone(hahahahahahahahah), but they just. Aren't. Like even the bits about being a dead guy without a heart beat are spot on because Vox is a motherfuckin DEMON who is a ROBOT!!!!!!! Also the Alastor Body Pillow fanon(which IS fanon. It is. I'm sorry to say but that wasn't a thing on the Instagrams y'all-) does line up with the uh. The Buffy sex bot- it does line up with the Buffy sex bot. Anyways moving on to the Spangel section-

"You were my sire man!" - Spike, to Angel, in his introduction episode. I don't remember if this was retconned in season 5(or 6?) to be Dru siring Spike? It might've been. But for the sake of this post lets pretend it wasn't. Angel was basically Spike's mentor for a lot of their time together pre-show. They ran around in their weird little vampire polycule causing problems for everyone and life was good! Then Angel got cursed. Bro got a soul and then ran away for years without a word to anyone. Then, cut to current day, and Spike is hyped to see him right up to the point he realizes Angel has Changed. And from that point onward to two are RIVALS!!!!! Narrative foils, even. And while it isn't exactly the same as Alastor and Vox's history, it's pretty damn similar right!? Al was(presumably) Vox's friend and mentor for YEARS, like to the point of being comfortable taking a picture with him. Then something happens between them, causing a rivalry to form. Throw somewhere in the mix Al's deal & him fucking off for 7 years... it's like the same pieces being put together in a new way to make a different puzzle. Is Rosie Darla in this analogy? Unclear. Val is still Dru though. Do y'all get where I'm coming from? It's far, FAR from the same thing, like there are so many fucking differences and that's just going off of the stuff we DO know(I want to know more god I can't wait for season 2-), but the dynamics ARE similar. They're narrative foils with a deep history w/ eachother where they were probably-definitely friends, something caused them to become RIVALS, and also one of them is cursed and dissappeared for several years-

Whoo boy this got kinda incoherent- Anyways, that brings me to my brand new fun and interesting point: Vox and Spike are kinda similar characters. They're both antagonists who wanna be Big Tough Scary guys so bad, and like. They are. They are big tough AND scary. Sometimes. But for the vast majority of their screen time, their emotions, capacity for love(no matter how twisted their version of love is), and the consequences of that love going wrong continually get the better of them and cause them to look to us, the audience, like silly pathetic wet cats we found on the side of the road. Then they get Weird about it(Vox's "rivalry" w/ Angel and the. Buffy sex bot.) and we remember oh yeah this guy is EVIL! They also both wear long jackets and are bisexual :)

[otherworldlychemistry]

Spike/Drusilla to be counted as a rarepair

Spike/Drusilla has enough fanfic tagged as Spike/Dru that we previously did not count it as a rarepair. However, after a few members mentioned having difficulty finding shippy endgame Spru fics, I reworked my math and discovered that many of the fics tagged Spru were actually endgame shippy fics for other ships, with only temp or past Spru.

So the issue was put to a community vote on our discord, and we decided to give Spru rarepair status!

[tana-draws]

Buffy Ships I Like But They Get More and More Strange (once again please no spoilers past 6x10)

note that this includes canon pairings and also characters that I think would be cute together but were never together, I’ve only gotten to episode ten of season six so any future ships will be ignored, and ships I like now I may start to dislike or like less due to future events, I have not seen ATS so no ships from that, and it’s by comparative rarity, not by how much I like them. If they were ranked by favoritism, Jenny and Giles would be first <3

Willow and Tara (like it less after Willow manipulated Tara and just became a general megalomaniac, but I liked it in seasons four and five and can appreciate that it was one of the first long term lesbian relationships on TV.)

Xander and Anya (I am worried please just talk to each other about your issues and fears of getting married. You had an entire duet about it. You know from that that you both love eachother but are afraid. Just talk please. Why can no one in this show fucking communicate.)

Jenny and Giles (</3)

Spike and Drusilla (Honestly don’t know whether it’s more or less well liked of a pairing that Jenny and Giles so I just put them after them. Dealers choice or something.)

Buffy and Cordelia (were never actually together and both presumably straight but I think the idea is cute <3)

Spike and Joyce (Spyce? Not major into this I just had the idea a couple days ago and was like “lol that would be cute.” Joyce and Spike’s interactions in Lover’s Walk were cute and Joyce should get to have a relationship with someone who isn’t a murderous robot.)

[ravenya003]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Welcome to the Hellmouth, S01E01

My 2024 Buffy the Vampire Slayer rewatch starts NOW!

Before I jump in, here’s some quick housekeeping:

I’ll endeavour to do this on a weekly basis; watching an episode on Saturday night and writing up a post on Sunday.

I’m not going to worry about spoilers. This show was as good as it was because of how interconnected the themes and storylines were, so if something in season one reminds me of something in season seven, I’m going to mention it.

This is the first time I’ve watched this show (probably) since high school, and it’s almost certainly the first time I’ve watched it from start to finish. It’s actually rather dizzying in this age of eight episode shows that get cancelled after two seasons to consider there are one hundred and forty-four episodes of Buffy that span seven years.

Obviously I am not unaware of Joss Whedon’s mistreatment of others on the set of Buffy, and where it seems relevant I’ll bring it up. But I also don’t think it’s fair to the rest of the cast and crew to throw the entire show under the bus because of one person, especially when it had such a huge (positive) impact on so many lives.

For the record, my favourite ships are Willow/Oz, Giles/Jenny and Spike/Drusilla. My purpose in pointing this out is to make clear that I don’t watch this show to see what true love looks like, but to watch a close-knit band of social misfits fight the forces of evil together. To me, the heart of this show is the friendship between Buffy, Xander, Willow and Giles. The show is always at its strongest when it’s focusing on the four of them, and most of the love stories just don’t interest me that much.

Once season three is over, I’ll start alternating between Buffy and Angel episodes.

Okay, let’s get to it.

First of all, I was not prepared for how dated everything looks and sounds. Naturally my most recent memories of Buffy are watching the later seasons, when there’s cellphones and internet access and fashion choices that wouldn’t seem out of place today – but season one looks like a different era entirely.

There are some references that have dated amusingly (Cordelia and Buffy bond over their shared appreciation for James Spader), some that I didn’t get at all (who’s John Tesh? What’s Debarge?) and a few synthesized musical cues that are straight out of the nineties.

I had forgotten that the Cold Open involves Julie Benz as Darla, and that show-defining twist when it turns out that she’s the vampire and not her predatory date. Ah, Red Shirt #1 played by Carmine Giovinazzo – you have the distinction of being this show’s first victim. I salute you.

Also, it’s amusing to think that we had no idea just how important Darla would end up being to the franchise’s lore. She’s just a standard vampire minion at this early stage, though I do like the fact that she was presumably cast to look a bit like Buffy.

And of course, it all starts at good old Sunnydale High.

Our first glimpse of Buffy Summers begins with her in the middle of a nightmare, which... girl, get used to this plot device. This one is a bit more muddled than her later dreams, made up of a bunch of clips that’ll be used in later episodes that culminate in the Master, the season’s Big Bad.

I had to smile at the sight of those yellow school buses pulling up at the front of Sunnydale High. Buffy may not arrive at school in one of these things, but seven years later, she’s sure as hell going to leave in one.

Joyce – and later on, Angel – are both perfect examples of Characterization Marches On regarding the fact the writers’ room hasn’t quite settled on their personalities yet. In Joyce’s case, she comes across as a lot more flaky than in later appearances.

Oh, and here’s Xander, riding in on a skateboard that we’ll never see him use again across the entire run of the series. I get that he’s a very contentious character in the annals of the show, and though I’m certainly not going to let him off the hook for his occasional (frequent?) shitty behaviour, I also think I’m fonder of him than the average fan.

Honestly, I think Joss Whedon doomed him a little when he stated that Xander was the character most based on him in high school. Suddenly all his entitled, chauvinist behaviour was re-evaluated through the lens of knowing that Whedon was a pretty awful person – but I hope we can all agree that even at his worst, Xander is a MUCH better human being than Whedon.

We’ll see how we go.

Interesting that Willow’s history with Xander is established well before she meets Buffy. Not surprising, since they’ve known each other since early childhood, but interesting. Buffy is the protagonist, but Xander/Willow’s relationship with each other takes precedence when it comes to introducing the gang’s dynamics.

And hey, it’s Eric Balfour as Jesse! Oh man, they really dropped the ball on this character, didn’t they. It’s the one aspect of this two-part premiere that really doesn’t work... but I’ll get to that in good time.

Principle Flutie! Something else I’d totally forgotten; I honestly thought this show started with Snyder.

Also, that initial on his desk plaque is B. Does that mean his name is actually Bob (which is what he tells Buffy to call him)? Not Robert? Weird.

Buffy and Xander’s meetcute involves him helping her pick up some of the spilled contents of her bag, and accidentally saying: “can I have you?” instead of “can I help you?” Oof. Yeah, that’s not an auspicious start.

Buffy meets Cordelia before she meets Willow, and Cordelia comes across as surprisingly nice when she shares her textbook with Buffy and invites her into Sunnydale's popular clique. Then of course, the second relatively big twist of the episode occurs: Cordelia reverts into absolute bitchiness when they come across Willow at the drinking fountain.

Willow scarpers and Buffy looks deeply uncomfortable. There’s a nice subtext across this episode that suggests Buffy was once just like Cordelia, only for her calling to make her more sympathetic to social “losers” like Xander and Willow.

Cordelia also describes the Bronze as being in “the bad part of town”. Huh? I’m going to chalk that one down to more Early Instalment Weirdness, since I don’t think it ever comes up again. (Later Sunnydale is described as a “one Starbucks town”, which is also funny since it’s later revealed to contain a zoo, a shopping mall, several lakes and parks, a military base, and a university).

Buffy enters the library for the first time, and the first thing she sees is a newspaper with an article titled “local boys still missing” outlined in red. The plurality of “boys” means that this isn’t referring to Darla’s kill, which probably only happened the night before anyway. Instead, it’s an indication that there are ongoing problems of a supernatural nature in Sunnydale.

And here’s Giles! The most interesting thing about this interaction is that Giles has clearly been waiting for Buffy. As in, he knows that the Slayer is scheduled to appear in Sunnydale, and that she’s going to be enrolled in its local high school. As Willow says later on, he’s also a newcomer, having only recently taken the position of school librarian.

The show never goes into any more detail than this, but I have so many questions. Clearly Buffy was under surveillance from the Watchers Council, who knew she was coming and made sure Giles had a cover story and a position to fill at Sunnydale High so that he could more easily sidle himself into her life, but a part of me wonders they pulled similar strings for Joyce to get her that job at the art gallery in order to bring Buffy to Sunnydale in the first place.

Evidence for this is that Giles already knows it’s a hotbed for supernatural activity in his discussions with her, though I suppose his dialogue suggests it’s more fate (or the Powers That Be?) rather than the Watchers Council that had a hand in Buffy’s arrival at the Hellmouth (“there’s a reason you’re here and a reason why it’s now”). Still, it’s an interesting theory to ponder, and I always felt it was a shame that the show never delved too deeply into Buffy’s life after she became a Slayer but before she moved to Sunnydale.

(Though I suppose that had to do with the spectre of the 1992 Buffy movie, who’s relationship with this show is a bit tenuous. But now I’m getting off-track).

Buffy flees from Giles and strikes up a conversation with Willow instead. Willow’s eagerness and earnestness is very cute, and though she probably has the most profound development of any other character on this show, I’ll always miss this early dorky version of her.

In describing the library, Buffy says it gives her “the wiggins”. HAH! Remember that word? Remember how it didn’t exist anywhere except this show? Remember how it was essentially Whedon’s attempt to make fetch happen? Aw, man. What a delightful throwback.

On hearing that a body has been found stuffed in a locker, Buffy naturally cannot help but investigate – though I suppose we can chalk it down just as much to her wanting confirmation on whether or not vampires are in town than to any personal sense of responsibility.

Our first glimpse of her super strength comes when she busts through the locked door into the changing room, and she gives a weary “oh great” on seeing the bitemarks in the victim’s neck.

But then of course, she follows this up by sharing her discovery with Giles, who is quick to point out that she’s doing something about it. I have a soft spot for heroes who simply cannot walk away from danger and/or a situation that needs their intervention, regardless of how loudly they grumble about it.

Turns out Xander has heard their entire conversation about vampires and Watchers and Slayers from behind the stacks... which is an elegant not-coincidence since it was established earlier in the episode (in his conversation with Willow) that he was going to the library for a trigonometry book.

Giles is still jabbering about how Sunnydale is a centre of mystical energy that attracts all kinds of supernatural beings, and Buffy’s skepticism naturally gives way to a panning shot of an underground cave where a formidable-looking vampire is intoning “the Sleeper will wake” over a pool of blood.

As villains go, the Master is obviously not particularly inspired, especially since he spends most of this season as a quintessential Orcus on His Throne, but it was also way too early in the game to have a complex or personal Big Bad. You can’t come out the gate with a Glory or an Angelus, and I think he serves his purpose just fine as a Nosferatu-esque spectre that a sixteen-year-old girl would understandably be intimidated by.

Ditto Luke as the show’s Starter Villain: a physical threat to Buffy without being all that interesting.

On Buffy’s way to the Bronze we get our first Angel sighting, and much like Joyce, his characterization is a bit off. He’s way too smarmy and negging, but also... kind of upbeat? It’s amusing to reflect that the writers room knew very little about him at this point, including the fact that he was a vampire (making his “I don’t bite” comment deeply ironic) so it’s lucky that they never filmed any of his scenes in daylight before the truth comes out six episodes later.

In any case, his role in this episode is to namedrop things like “the Mouth of Hell” and “the Harvest” (which Giles will start researching as soon as Buffy passes them on to him) and give Buffy the silver crucifix which... becomes important at some stage? I remember the claddagh ring in season three, but have no recollection of this necklace.

Also intriguing is this dialogue between them: Angel – “I’m a friend.” Buffy – “Maybe I don’t want a friend.” Angel – “I didn’t say I was yours.”

I mean, I know it’s just meaningless banter, but Buffy assumes the “friend” he’s talking about is Giles, who soon confirms that he’s never met him before. So was Angel actually referring to The Powers That Be? Whistler, maybe? Again, I know that this was just filler dialogue with no established context, but I’d be interested to see if it fits in with season two’s flashbacks where he’s introduced to Buffy from a distance.

There’s a very sweet interaction between Buffy and Willow at the Bronze, in which the former gives the latter some advice (“seize the day, because tomorrow you might be dead”) and assures her she’s coming back – despite Willow’s expectation that she won’t – when she spots Giles on an overhead balcony.

The staging of the scene between her and Giles is a bit sus – did he really have to stand behind her and lean over her like that? – but at his insistence she spots a vampire in the crowd, though not because of her preternatural senses, but because of his dated fashion sense. And uh-oh, he’s chatting up Willow, who is unfortunately taking Buffy’s “seize the day” advice.

A throwaway line from Cordelia down on the dance floor is telling: apparently her mother never gets out of bed. Our resident Alpha Bitch clearly doesn’t have a great home life.

Poor Jesse gets the brush-off from Cordelia and runs straight into Darla instead. The reveal is wonderfully corny, in which she swivels around in her hanging basket chair with a smile that wouldn’t melt butter.

We’re heading into the third act cliff-hanger now: Willow is being ushered through a graveyard by her vampiric date, Jesse is clearly also in danger, the Master has risen and sent out his minions to bring him fresh blood, and Xander’s skepticism over Buffy’s Slayer status quickly turns to concern when he learns that Willow is in trouble.

They all converge in a graveyard crypt, and – bless her – Buffy is bantering right off the bat. It’s actually a pretty good tactic, as the vampires are caught off-guard by her confidence. Though... shouldn’t Darla clock the fact that she’s a Slayer? We learn later that she’s familiar with the concept, though this is obviously another case of not having figured out the character’s background at this early stage.

A point in Xander’s favour: Buffy tells him to “go” and instead he enters the crypt to help Jesse and Willow. You have to admit, that’s classic Xander.

And we end with Xander/Willow/Jesse being threatened by more vampires outside, as Luke lowers himself onto Buffy after he’s thrown her into an open tomb. To be continued...

Miscellaneous Observations:

Do we ever get an explanation for the force field that’s keeping the Master trapped underground? It’s obviously magic, so who put it in place?

How did Angel know about the Harvest? Who sent him? I know the answers are still to come, but the question is deliberately left dangling in this episode.

Giles mentions incubus and succubus in his litany of monsters that are attracted to Sunnydale, but I think they’re the only two creatures that never actually appear in the show.

I love the little glimpses of non-main characters going about their business in Sunnydale, namely Aphrodesia and Aura gossiping about Buffy before the dead guy falls out of the latter’s locker. I wonder if those girls made it to Graduation Day...

Watching this episode, the most eye-opening character is Cordelia, who has quite the epic journey ahead of her. It’s almost funny to see her in a role that requires her to be little more than Buffy’s antagonist and foil – essentially what Buffy would have been without her calling. I’m taking a moment to think about where all these characters end up, and it’s pretty dizzying.

Giles gives the famous Slayer mantra: “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 forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer.” This is repeated in the show’s very final episode, and not only forms the crux of Buffy’s entire identity crisis, but also serves as the inspiration for her solution to it. Damn, I love this show.

But who the heck is the guy who speaks these lines in the opening introduction?? It’s later taken over by Anthony Stewart Head, but in season one at least we get a completely unfamiliar narrator.

As excited as I am to embark on this rewatch, I know that after the third season the show loses its centre a bit as the main trio form relationships that are ostensibly more important than the one they have with each other. I love these early seasons because their friendship is clearly the focus of the show – the thing not only protecting them against the forces of evil, but getting them through the hell that is high school.

The show loses its lustre when it loses sight of their bond, but I have three whole seasons to enjoy before that happens. Let’s do this.

Best Line: Cordelia (after Buffy has accidentally slammed her against a wall, thinking she’s a vampire): “Excuse me, I have to call EVERYONE I have EVER met, RIGHT NOW.”

Best Scene: The climatic fight in the crypt, not for the fight itself, but for the shock on Xander and Willow’s faces as the world (and their lives) irrevocably change.

Best Subversion: Obviously when the vulnerable and demure little blonde in the Cold Open reveals herself to be the real danger in the room.

Death Toll: Darla's date in the cold open. Thomas, the vampire that Buffy dusts in the crypt. Also, the newspaper in the library mentioned "local boys still missing" but since we never see them on-screen, the toll stands at TWO.

Grand Total: One civilian, one villain.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

I read the Buffy tales comics, and I really enjoyed them! It was fun learning about some Slayers and vampires I didn't know about--and there was definitely some interesting ones there--but I'm not gonna lie... I'm still a lame person who enjoyed the ones with Angel, SpikeDru, and Melaka Fray the most. The two Buffy ones were pretty fun, too.

Also, I just realized that I read fanfiction based on the one Angel one and didn't know it was a fanfic based on a canon Angel fanfic at the time. But now I definitely get why the author was inspired to write something based on it. It was so artful and interesting.

But, no: in this comic, at the end of it, it's pretty much going back and forth between Drusilla and Spike's PoV. Like, Dru will think one thing and then Spike will pretty much think the same exact thing that she just did and it was very soulmate-y. And this guy was torturing Dru something fierce (:(), and Spike came and saved her life, of course (like Dru knew he would), and ahh! I do love them!

Edit: I can't believe I forgot about the best part when I initially made this post, that was, like, the connecting line throughout the second part of this comic: how awesome Giles' great-aunt Edna Fairweather was!