#to kill this girl you have to love her ( buffy x angelus. )

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Saturday, July 29th

Angelus: Spike, my boy, you *really* don't get it! Do you? You tried to kill her, but you couldn't. Look at you. You're a wreck! She's stronger than any Slayer you've ever faced. Force won't get it done. You gotta work from the inside. To kill this girl... you have to love her.

~~Innocence~~

The Sunnydale Herald is looking for at least one new editor. Contributing to the Herald is a great way to get your Buffy on! Find out more here.

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Love Persisting by trahelle (Buffy/Spike, G)

Not Unavailable, More Unimpressed by evieelyzabethh (Giles/reader, not rated)

Buffy, Spike and British slang by HerMyOhKnee Granger (Buffy/Spike, not rated)

Back to Basics by temporarytitle (Buffy/Spike, G)

[Chaptered Fiction]

There Should Be Groveling - Ch. 16 by slaymesoftly (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Thirty-ish Days (and Thirty-ish Years), Chapter 24 by Dynapink (Buffy/Giles, T)

Rewrite, Chapter 26 by marrythemonsters (Buffy/Spike, M)

Divide & Conquer, Chapter 49 by Removes_and_Cleans_Glasses_00 (Buffy/Giles, E)

Knock, knock! Chapter 6 by Popsy (Buffy/Spike, not rated)

Moments that Make You: The Hero and The Princess, Chapter 31 by myheadsgonenumb (Cordelia/Doyle, T)

Red on Red, Chapter 9 by Empire_of_the_Words (Buffy/Angel, T)

Supporting Natasha Romanoff (and Iron Man too), Chapter 13 by SomeMeaninglessName (Willow/Natasha Romanov, Marvel crossover, T)

Part of the Family, Chapter 5 by HarlowTurner_1 (Buffy & Spike, T)

She's a Hoot, Chapter 15 by desicat (Buffy/Spike, M)

Don't cry sweet childe, Chapter 2 by Animenut18 (Buffy/Spike, Spike/Drusilla, E)

The Year With No Slayer, Chapter 1 by Nonkosherian (Buffy/Faith, T)

the monster in my basement, the traitor in my head, Chapter 1 by teenageapocalypsetrilogy (Faith/Buffy/Spike, M)

I Violently Dislike You, Chapter 20 (complete!) by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Dusk Rising, Chapter 20 by HappyWhenItRains (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

There Should Be Groveling (sequel to Redemption Redux), Chapter 16 by slaymesoftly (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Oh The Sights You'll See, Chapter 18 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Jigsaw, Chapter 26 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, R)

Doing my best to get back to you (Ain’t nothing I’d rather do), Chapter 20 by fortes775 (Buffy/Spike, R)

Blackout, Chapters 33-39 by bewildered (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Don't Fall for Rock Stars, Chapters 80-82 by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Closure, Chapters 8-9 by The Danish Bird (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Time Between, Chapters 15-21 by JayeMaru (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

She's a Hoot, Chapters 14-15 by Desicat (Buffy/Spike, R)

The Truth Shall Set You Free, Chapters 11-13 by Geliot99 (Buffy/Spike, R)

The joys of life of a newlywed (not so regular) couple, Chapter 4 by JSBirsa (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Up and Away, Chapter 6 by simmony (Buffy/Spike, R)

Home Movies, Chapters 15-17 by cawthraven (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Flukes, Chapter 3 by MillennialCryBaby (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Best Wishes From San Francisco, Chapter 3 by Kanita (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

The Replacement, Chapter 2 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

The Time I Dated a Puppet, Chapters 1-3 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, R)

Xanderpocalypse, Chapter 8 by AxelBlade (Xander, Harry Potter and X-Men crossover, FR15)

Defeating the Darkness, Chapter 2 by Buffyworldbuilder (Faith, Smallville crossover, FR18)

Dusk Rising, Chapter 19 by HappyWhenItRains (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Postcards and Snapshots, Chapter 21 by TheSunnySlayer (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

There Should Be Groveling (sequel to Redemption Redux), Chapter 16 by Slaymesoftly (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Don't Fall for Rock Stars, Chapter 80-82 by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Alphabet of Spuffy, Chapter 12 by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

The joys of life of a newlywed (not so regular) couple, Chapter 4 by JSBirsa (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Dream, Chapter 9 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, R)

Origins, Chapter 47 by Niamh (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

I Violently Dislike You, Chapter 20 (complete!) by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: some buffy studies by bugaboooooooooo (worksafe)

Artwork: SLAYERIC — [slay-er-ick] gender flag by johnsoncorp (worksafe)

Artwork: more buffy patches / stencils by rattusrattus3 (worksafe)

Artwork: Willow and Xander by campanula field (worksafe)

Artwork: spuffy + cangel go on a double date to see barbie by spikes-left-eyebrow (worksafe)

Artwork: my two fav Barbies going to see Barbie by tubesock86 (Buffy/Spike, worksafe)

Artwork: Buffy “Every Outfit” “Empty Places, Touched & End of Days” by whatshisfaceblogs (worksafe)

Artwork: Buffy “Every Outfit” “Chosen” by whatshisfaceblogs (worksafe)

Resources: Buffy/Angel screencaps by Neverscreens

Fanvid: Dawn and Buffy edit extended (My Sister by Juliana Hatfield) by itspronouncesally

Fanvid: angel & darla | vampire by lostlcve

Fanvid: Am I Wrong Love Spit Love Cover Angel Buffy Wesley Fred Tribute by Sierra Winters

Fanvid: Buffy Summers | Castles Crumbling by Little Tree Productions

Slideshow: Buffy la tueuse by Heroes OUTATIME ~Hors du Temps~ (in French)

[Reviews & Recaps]

The Buffy re-watch: S1E5, Never Kill a Boy on the First Date by jvstheworld

The Buffy re-watch: S1E6 (part 1) The Pack by jvstheworld

The Buffy re-watch: S1E6 (part 2) The Pack by jvstheworld

The Buffy Re-watch: S1E7 (part 2) Angel by jvstheworld

The Buffy Re-watch: S1E7 (part 3) Angel by jvstheworld

The Buffy Re-watch: S1E8 (part 1) I, Robot, You, Jane by jvstheworld

ReWatch: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - S6, E11 - 12 [Gone, Doublemeat Palace) by kimannebb

Video: Buffy's Legacy: How a Vampire Slayer Empowered a Generation by Vanessa Amaral

Video: Doublemeat Palace S6 E12 Buffy and the Art of Story Podcast by Lisa M. Lilly

Video: Dakara Discusses - Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 4! by Dakara

[Recs]

Fic rec: Slayers of the Old Republic by Michael Weyer by KitKatt0430

Fic recs: Top 10 Spuffy fics I’ve read (July 2023) by mcgnagallsarmy

Fic rec: Ahead of Her Time by haleycc [NC-17] by spuffyarchive

Fic search: Anyone have fics of Dawn's false memories from the first four seasons? by the-apples-were-monitored

[Fandom Discussions]

Cordelia is buffy’s season 1 love interest by chasingfictions

Principal Snyder by coraniaid

Dawn Summers by greensaplinggrace

The Zeppo is about Xander trying to improve his self-image by engaging in typically masculine interests by herinsectreflection an juanabaloo

dead man’s party by jenny-calendar

opinion on Angel (the character not the show) by juniperhillpatient

buffy coming back from the dead wrong by louisdotmp3

Cordelia and Scoobies in When She Was Bad by itzniaok and nevergonnabemuchmorethanweather

Do you think if Spike wasn't in the series then Xander would've been the one Buffy had the affair with in S6? by itzniaok and nevergonnabemuchmorethanweather

The way they write Oz off the show by the-apples-were-monitored

sometimes i wonder if they toyed with making joyce an out and out antagonist on btvs by Various Queer Things

[Gingerbread and Helpless being back to back] beatriceeverytuesday

Rewatching buffy season 4 and remembering how much I love Xander by imstronglikeanamazon

La petite mort and Buffy being “addicted” to having sex with Spike in season 6 (TW: suicidal ideation mention) by lunasink

My Btvs opinions part 1 by nestaenthusiast

My BtVS Sexuality Headcanons Pt 3, Other interests and love interests by Spangel My Beloved

Question - April by ChaseRules

Have your views on Buffy changed with age? continued by ChaseRules and Bop

The Gift - As A Series Finale by hoponlilmama

Wes - ingrained paranoia feeding his fear? by Stoney

Dawn's introduction by Stoney

Was Fred's Trauma Dealt With Well? by Stoney

Sexism in S3 and S4 by vampmogs

S7 Ep16 Storyteller by TurquoiseSerenity

question about fan reaction to memory alteration by redskinsguy

I wish it was Jonathan that was in season 7 instead of Andrew by darkaurora84

New Moon Rising by Tuxedo_Mark

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

Top Ten Best Quotes from Each Season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer by The Game of Nerds

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

[nileqt87]

Ramblings about Lucifer referencing Bones, “Close your eyes.” and shows influencing each other

That was never just a Bones reference being made and the season finale admitted it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv_1dJk5yEM

David Boreanaz played the ironically-named Angel on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel: the Series. His character has *so many* parallels with Lucifer (far more than Booth outside of the law enforcement/crime procedural connection).

Angel's spinoff also has noir crime drama aspects mixed with the supernatural starring an immortal protagonist with a dark past and infamously villainous reputation fighting evil as a supernatural private detective in the City of Angels (a city known for its dark underbelly juxtaposed with fame and glamor, broken dreams and chasing eternal youth) and navigating human law (including the LAPD and evil lawyers) while not legally existing.

Angel also fell in love with a blonde human heroine (Buffy Summers) after lifetimes of self-destructive, not-so-heroic behaviors (getting his soul back did *not* make Angel a hero and human Liam was a lecherous drunk with unfulfilled ambitions and father issues) who inspired him to become a better man and make human connections.

AtS made heavy use of sprawling nighttime Downtown L.A. cityscape shots, which Lucifer also shared an abundance of.

During both of their first cases, they failed to save the troubled blonde girl they were trying to help (Tina and Delilah, respectively). They also have a connection inside the LAPD through a blonde cop who also takes their identity secrets pretty badly (Kate Lockley in Angel's case).

Note that Buffy not only screamed (twice, given it repeated during her memory loss in Halloween), but also came after Angel with a crossbow when she thought he'd attacked her mother (it was Darla), so Chloe taking the Devil face reveal (Monster Reveals are iconic old horror imagery) poorly to the point of considering poisoning is par for the course. However, it only took Buffy seven episodes instead of three seasons to get the identity reveal via seeing the horrific second face (arguably also an accident on Angel's part).

They are metaphorically or literally Hell's angels. They also had long stays in Hell or a hell dimension.

Lucifer and Angel are also both Prodigal Sons with long-held grudges against their long-absent fathers (patricide in Liam/Angel(us)'s case) and they're later faced with a situation where they have unexpected, thought-impossible offspring who show up as adults (neither got to raise their miracle child) wanting revenge. Yup, major Connor/Rory parallel there.

Angel is also in a constant struggle with the Powers that Be manipulating his fate and free will (like Lucifer, he's a champion of free will no matter the cost) and making him prophecy's bitch.

Bones famously got jokes about how Booth is Angel getting his Shanshu (made human), since the character is given constant Angel-isms like references to a dark past having killed people (Booth is also named after a historical murderer, in addition to having been a sniper), both being Catholics full of Catholic guilt (note that the Buffyverse is most accurately polytheistic, though Angel does face off against a take on the antichrist--Angel has constant biblical imagery/themes and not just because of vampire iconography), kicking down doors (just not off their entire frames--LOL), turning on a dime and threatening people up against walls, constant wink-wink references to the Buffyverse (familiar casting, references to the Hyperion Hotel, etc...), etc...

The Lucifer finale used the words "Close your eyes." right before Lucifer is sent to Hell. This is literally the BtVS season 2 finale where Buffy kisses Angel and sends him to hell for a century with a stab to the gut (see the season 5 finale, not to mention Lucifer giving up his life for Chloe's à la I Will Remember You).

Note that D.B. Woodside was on BtVS (playing Robin Wood, whose Slayer mother Nikki Wood was killed by Spike). Aimee Garcia was in both episodes of AtS (Birthday--she's older than she looks!) and Bones. See her also playing a cross-wearing religious girl on Supernatural who was slaughtered in a police precinct by Lilith. Kevin Alejandro was also in an episode of Bones.

Tricia Helfer was in an episode of Supernatural playing a ghost who reenacts the night of her death every year. BtVS also had an episode along those lines, but with Buffy and Angelus possessed (not to mention Phantom Dennis!). Lucifer having Dan as a ghost is yet another thing they all have in common (ditto referencing Ghost, Patrick Swayze and/or Unchained Melody--Vincent Schiavelli a.k.a. Ghost's subway ghost was Jenny's uncle Enyos, whom Angelus killed).

Lucifer name-checked Castiel and Supernatural referenced Lucifer using their Lucifer (crime-fighting angel in L.A. made it a double-reference whammy). Supernatural returned the favor again by having Castiel forced to sing in Enochian. Lucifer's reference to his singing voice was already a zing about Misha Collins having to put on that monotone gravel voice and Enochian being far from melodious.

Russell T Davies was quite heavily inspired by the Buffyverse when he revived Doctor Who and spun off Torchwood, so there are absolute tons of Buffy, Angel and Spike respectively in Rose Tyler, the 9th/10th Doctors, Captain Jack Harkness and Captain John Hart (right down to the actor). School Reunion is the episode where the Buffyverse inspiration is most on the nose, complete with Anthony Stewart Head saying "shooty dog thing" in a school setting and a Mayor/Angel-esque speech about the curse of immortality. The Time War gave the Doctor a huge genocide-level guilt complex. Note that the creator of DC comics' version of Lucifer, Neil Gaiman, has also written for Doctor Who and is also the co-creator of Good Omens (the show is brimming with Doctor Who Easter eggs thanks to David Tennant). A barely-recognizable Tom Ellis played Martha Jones' ex-fiancé Tom Milligan during the Year that Never Was, as well.

A lot of shows take inspiration from the Buffyverse and you've probably seen some of them. It isn't just the copycat vampire romance stories either.

Angel's forerunners in turn were a mix of guilt-stricken, rat-eating Louis de Pointe du Lac (his Jekyll/Hyde-esque alter-ego Angelus is closer to the pre-retcon, fully-evil Lestat de Lioncourt, who got woobified into an antihero rocker not unlike Spike--the entire Fanged Four mirror Anne Rice's character lineup), sword-wielding, immortality trope-influencers Connor/Duncan MacLeod of Highlander fighting for the Prize of humanity (akin to Pinocchio becoming a "real boy"--see also Barnabas Collins of Dark Shadows, though he was before vampires became antihero superheroes, not just sympathetic antivillains) and Nick Knight of Forever Knight (vampire detective).

Additionally, Tom Welling was famously the longest-serving Clark Kent of them all (Smallville) on the old WB (there's that DC comics connection, too), so it's not just a Fox shows thing (though Fox, not just Warner Brothers, did indeed own the Buffyverse). One of the least-known things about Clark is that he also has an immortality problem where he wouldn't age parallel to Lois (they wouldn't be able to have kids either) without a workaround. The Kryptonite line directed at Cain/Pierce by Lucifer was quite on the nose! Lucifer and Smallville sort of crossed over even further in Crisis on Infinite Earths, so Tom is canonically the face of both Clark and Cain in parallel universes of the DC multiverse.

Supernatural had quite recently had their own takes on Cain (played by Timothy Omundson, who also played God Johnson) and the Mark of Cain when Lucifer did it. Dan's killer Le Mec was, of course, Rob Benedict, who was God a.k.a. Chuck Shurley, the ultimate villain of Supernatural. Richard Speight, Jr., who was archangel Gabriel/Loki the Trickster, directed a lot of Lucifer's later episodes in addition to being a prolific Supernatural director.

Supernatural and Lucifer use the exact same font for their titles (Supernatural Knight).

The X-Files (which Supernatural referenced constantly) and Supernatural also had stories about nephilim (see the apocryphal Book of Enoch). Lucifer ultimately had two nephilim (forbidden interspecies offspring of angels and humans), even if not saying so as a known concept. Connor can also be compared to the vampire equivalent of being something like a dhampir, though he's not quite that (mostly-but-not-quite-human offspring of two vampires instead of a human/vampire hybrid--see Blade for an actual dhampir). Supernatural has also covered the even rarer cambion species (human/demon hybrid).

[inkandpen22]

Beautiful Angel of Darkness (4/?)

Pairing: Spike x Female!Reader

Warnings: Swearing, fighting, fluff 

Word Count: 1.6k

Part Summary: Everything is perfect, Spike and Y/N couldn’t be wickedly happier! Then, an old friend of Spike’s pays a visit from Los Angeles... 

Masterlist

I observe Spike chit-chatting with a little brunette thing in the alley below as I use the ledge of this roof as a balance beam. Growing bored, I hum a familiar Blink-182 tune. Honestly, how long does it take to lure a ditsy girl away from a bar alone? You chat her up, charm her a little, make her feel special, then she’ll follow you like a puppy. I could do it better at this point!

I whine, squatting down on the ledge to check back down the many stories to the little white dot that’s Spike. Maybe I should just jump down, scare the absolute shit out of the girl, make her faint, and have Spike carry her home for dinner. She’s doesn’t even look worth it though, she’s far too skinny. I like someone who eats a lot of sweets, they taste like candy!

“Y/N...”

A voice behind me, makes me leap up from my position. A figure appears from the shadows. A tall, broad-shouldered, brunette man with a rather crossed expression stands before. Oh looky here, he has a leather coat just like Spike. Does everyone have one?! Do I need one?

I tilt my head, a smirk rises on my lips. “And who might you be?”

“I’m a friend,” the handsome man states simply.

I hop down from the platform and approach him smoothly like a snake. I bite my lip, circling the gentleman steadily.

“A real friend? Or...” I drag out. “Are you the type of man that says he’s a friend, then hurts me?”

He raises a brow, following my motion with the turn of his head. “Spike as you tightly round, doesn’t he?”

I step quickly to meet his gaze, “you know Spike?”

“My name is Angel,” he states plainly. “I’ve known him for many years.”

“Angel...” I repeat, arching my head back to the sky. “Pretty name for a pretty boy.”

“Thank you.”

I giggle, my eyes falling shut. “Are you used to getting compliments? Do you just drown in them?” My face falls as my eyes flicker open. “I’ve dreamt of drowning. In a dark river on a stormy night. My car would go over a bridge. The water... it would be so cold, blood piercing,” I describe in a mutter as I recall the memory vividly.  

“Y/N, I’m here to help you,” Angel tells me.

I swiftly direct my focus to him. “Help me? In what way?”

“You’ll need to come with me,” he instructs vaguely.

“Come with you? Come to play?” I giggle like a child. “I love playing games! I love messing with people’s minds and making them all jumbled up,” I twirl my fingers around beside my temples.

Angel appears unfazed. He doesn’t even flinch. What a bore.

“Spike, he turned you right?” He questions instead, sticking to business. 

I hum, strolling about randomly. “That beautiful angel of darkness,” I whisper to myself as the image of Spike flashes across my mind. 

“Has he ever mentioned me?” Angel inquires.

“Is he supposed to?” I frown.

“Not per se,” he shrugs. “But I’m a large portion of his history.”

“Are you one of his lovers who left too?” I joke, laughing wickedly.

“No, I’m his grandsire,” he explains.

“Oh, is that right?” I skip to be in front of him again. I run my hand down his chest. “So you’re the really big-bad?”

Angel doesn’t react to my actions or my words. He’s constantly frowning, crossed about something. My goal is to break him. I love breaking people

“I like bad things, evil things. Evil things are far more interesting,” I whisper to him as my eyes fall to his lips. “Are you interesting sweet Angel?”

He grips my arms urgently, causing me to gasp. “This isn’t the real you, Y/N! You lost your soul! I can help you get it back!”

“And why would I want to do that? I have so much more fun now.” I snicker and graze my thumb across his lower lip gently.

“This isn’t the way. You’re hurting people, destroying lives!” He preaches, ignoring my flirtatious behavior.

My face falls, “Oh... oh my God!” Tears start to whelm up in my eyes, “you’re right! I... I...” I turn it off, “I don’t care.”

Angel growls, squeezing my arms, “listen to me-”

Abruptly, Angel has shoved away from me and he hits the ground a few yards away. Spike appears at my side, panting angrily. “Piss off Angel!”

His arm crosses in front of me protectively and he guides me to hide behind him. 

“Spike, you know this is wrong!” Angel yells, rising from the floor. “You can’t keep doing this to her!”

“I’m not doing anything to her. She made her choice,” Spike grumbles.

Angel storms up to Spike, his face filled with hatred. “She didn’t know what she was signing up for when you turned her! Now, she isn’t in the right mind to decide!”

“Are you calling me crazy? Okay, that’s fair,” I shrug, strolling away from the dramatic duo.

Spike gets into Angel’s face. “Did Buffy send you?!”

“She called me, but I came on my own!” Angel informs him sharply.

"This has nothing to do with you!" Spike yells. "This doesn't concern you or the Slayer!"

“You’ve been ravaging the city! How could it not concern her?” Angel fires back. 

I peer up at the sky, the shimmery stars they’re so clear tonight. It distracts me. I wonder away, leaving the boys to have it out. The stars, I could fall into them. A peaceful tune plays in my mind and I sway to it. I roll my head back and my eyes fall shut. Oh what I’d give to fall into the sky. 

“Pretty, pretty, stars,” I mumble. Then, the most brilliant idea pops into my head. “Do you ever think that the sky could swallow us whole?”

Suddenly, Spike cups my face frantically. He lowers himself to my level and his beautiful blue eyes plead with me. “Baby! Baby, you-”

I place my hands over his and snicker, not a care in the world. “Can we blast Nine Days when we get home?”

“Y/N, look at me! Don’t listen to a word Angel says, okay? He lies!” Spike instructs sternly.

I peer into Spike’s eyes, I get lost in the morning, noon, and night. He’s the real angel, a dark angel. 

“Come with me Y/N.”

I glance beside us and Angel’s there offering me his hand. Spike takes my hand hurriedly. 

“Don’t look at him, Y/N!” He demands.

“You can come to stay with me in Los Angeles,” Angel requests calmly. “I’ll help you regain your soul.”

“Los Angeles? The city of Angels?” I mumble, searching Angel’s face for any sign of deceit.

“Yes,” he nods, starring into my eyes solemnly.

Why must he always look so sad? Does he never smile? A sad angel sounds contradictory.

“How ironic...” I mutter, slipping my hand from Spike’s as I step closer to Angel slowly. “Tell me Angel, are there Angels? I used to believe in them once. So beautifully white.”

“There are good people there, who I work with,” he tells me. “They’ll help you too.”

“Doesn’t sound very welcoming to me,” I worry quietly.

“You’ll be safe. I can teach you a better way of existing,” he assures.

“Don’t listen to him, Love,” Spike warns behind me.

I whip my head around and meet his gaze. He’s no longer pleading with me or frantic. He stays back, squeezes his fists until his knuckles are white. His jaw clenches as he restrains himself.

“He’ll only bring you pain, that’s what a soul does!” Spike barks, his eyes locked on Angel behind me.

“He’s lying, Y/N,” Angel argues gently.

I flicker my attention back to him and he peers down at me.

“A soul brings back your humanity. You’ll be able to live amongst humans again and not feel the urge to kill them constantly.”

“Y/N-” Spike shouts and I snap my head back.

“You’ll be able to see your family!” Angel interrupts, dropping a massive bomb.

I look back to Angel, utterly torn.

He nods, “I met them today. They miss you.”

“Stop it, Angelus!” Spike growls, storming up to us.

He grabs my hand and starts ushering me away toward the ledge to get out of here.

“Listen to me, Y/N!” Angel pleads, following us. “Come with me! I can offer you another chance at life!”

“But...” I stumble slightly as I switch my sight between Spike and Angel.

“It’ll be okay,” Angel guarantees. “I promise!”

I halt, causing Spike to jolt back. I stare at Angel, unsure of what to do. One part of me is saying to trust him, but the other is saying to not listen and go with Spike.

“Love, let’s go!” Spike tugs on my arm to come along.

I yank my arm free and march up to Angel. He towers over me and I stare into his eyes, tired of this torment.

“I don’t like it when things are ‘okay,” I confess to him vulnerably. “It means something bad is just around the corner. An impending doom...”

He shakes his head slowly. "Not with me, Y/N I’ll protect you,” he whispers.

"And why should I trust you?" I question.

I mean, why should I trust someone who comes at the beck and call of the Slayer? He could be lying for all I know.

"Because I'm not the one who made you choose death to be with me," he reasons, his eyes flickering back to Spike.

My heart sinks in my chest as my eyes fall to the black covering of the roof beneath our feet. So many voices in my head yelling at what to decide, it's excruciating! A small piece of me is yearning for a soul, a conscious to tell me right from wrong. Is it possible that there's an ounce of humanity left in me? The majority of my instincts thrive off the pain of others and claws for more. I want to give in to the darkness and live blissfully. Yet, that small bit continues to nag at me! I don't know. I don't know what to do!

________________________________

Masterlist

Tags:  @shy-ginger-in-the-graveyard​  @mx-pibbles​  @currently-obsesed-with-spike​

[prose-for-hire]

Bad, evil, rotten lovers

Pairing: Spike x vampire!reader

Request: Hey there! Could you write a spike x reader thing, where they have been friends/together since being humans and both have problems to hide their giddy and fluufy relationship from the scoobys and trz to act all dark and tough?

Requested By: Anonymous

A/N: I enjoyed this request - hope you like what I’ve done with it! 

For some reason I always default to season 4, not sure what’s up with that (it’s not even my favourite season) so I challenged myself with this request! We’re set in season 2 today with an ‘evil’ spike/reader.

You were never part of his usual crowd. You had been visiting the area he lived with his mother for only a brief period, staying with a distant relative but William had become instantly smitten with you. You had both got on so beautifully and when he had been missing for a while it had really hurt you, he had been the only one you cared about there. He loved you and you had been fast falling for him, he had even suggested that he would ask permission to begin courting you. So, when he went missing there was a hole in your heart. That was, until he came back for you, tapping on your window one fateful night. And that, as they say, is history. You had been sired and luckily the qualities he loved about you hadn’t changed and you fell in love outside of society’s strict code with neither of you looking back (unless you were reminiscing of course).

That was then, but now you and Spike were walking through a graveyard in Sunnydale. You had maintained a reluctant truce with the Scoobies to get rid of Angelus, secretly you liked the strange little group of kids but you would never tell them, or Spike. Angelus was starting to annoy you and your love, he had gotten into the whole Slayer killing, which was Spike’s thing. All that seemed to calm him down from his irritation was you, he really loved you which was lucky because you matched this love. You had taken to walking aimlessly at night, to get out of the mansion and strengthen Spike’s legs after being stuck in his wheelchair in front of Angelus. Your late night walks were where you could both discuss your frustration and maybe kiss a little between the gravestones. He had draped his leather duster over your shoulders, knowing you weren’t affected by the cold but wanting you to have it.

He had paused to gaze at you softly under the moonlight, the look he had given you all those decades ago. The first time you met at a society function. He had been so earnest back then, almost shy, now he was only like that with you alone. You liked it this way – you got the best of him. You had both apparently been reminded of the same thing, as he spoke his thoughts out loud.

“I remember practicing over and over, reciting long lines of wanting before I asked…” he referred to the night he asked you to be his.

“Sweetie! Your poetry still makes me blush, and I have no circulation!” You grinned at him as he appeared to duck his head slightly and you embraced him in a hug.

“Please don’t pull away, pet… not yet” he mumbled to you, as you started to move, but your embrace was unfortunately cut short as you both heard an almost inaudible whisper.

“Poetry?” Buffy and Xander had mouthed in confusion, both looking at each other. Xander raised an eyebrow, holding up a cross as you started to walk closer to them. This has to be a trick right? You were both evil and evil doesn’t write poetry or have cute pet names… do they? Buffy got in a stance ready to fight as you both finally noticed them.

“Well, well if it isn’t Betty the vampire layer” Spike smirked as you cackled, making sure to allow your most menacing scowl for the slayer.

“You know how many Slayers Spike’s killed? Two, soon to be three isn’t that right?” You bragged as Spike nodded along.

“Currently, you’re working with us though, sweetie” Buffy mocked. You both postured, starting to speak over each other in your haste to maintain just how bad you both were. You finally stopped as the slayer raised an eyebrow and started tapping her toe as if she were bored of your very evil tales.

Eventually Buffy and the boy walked away, having set your plan out for later. You both walked on, hand-in-hand, through another graveyard. Eventually you slipped your hand from his, a sparkle in your eye as you plotted. As spike was explaining something, he didn’t notice you slip away and hide behind a gravestone waiting to see how long it would take him to notice. He only noticed when he heard a soft giggle from behind one of the gravestones and his face melted as he realised. He wouldn’t admit it, but he enjoyed your impromptu games of hide-and-seek amongst the gravestones. He started to prowl through the stones, looking for any sign of you. He softly narrated where he was going, to see if he could make you giggle and give yourself away.

“Come here… big bad’s gonna eat… you… up” he whirled around at the last word, eyes locking with yours as you squealed and he scooped you up before you could run.

“You found me!” You cheered as he pulled you by your middle and held you to him.

“I’ll always find you, pet” He said, cupping your cheek softly. It was as if he were staring into your soul, even though neither of you had one. His cold blue eyes sparkled as you stared back, a smile on your lips. You could recall it all, you wouldn’t share the rest of your un-life with anyone else.

“Sweet William, you always know the right things to say to me!” You matched his soft almost-smile as he leaned into you, your lips meeting in small, soft kisses that turned slow and sweet. Your hands ran through his bleached hair as you both smiled into the kiss, reluctantly cutting it short. He was about to carrying on walking but you grabbed his shirt sleeve, “Wait! One more kiss, for luck!” you asked enthusiastically, and he smiled, pulling you in softly once more. Willow walked over to you, but neither of you were really paying attention to her, she must have gotten separated from the others. The young girl was too trusting, having spoken to you more than once without so much as a stake for protection. A small cough interrupted your kiss, she was clearing their throat and you both jumped in surprise before slowly turning to see Willow watching you both. Spike coughed, trying to show he hadn’t just jumped and almost yelped in shock at the tiny human.

“What do you want, little red? Never heard of the things that go bump in the night?”

“Y-yeah, we’re gonna eat you up after we all get rid of Angelus” you insisted. The girls pulse barely changed and you and Spike looked at each other. Willow wasn’t convinced you both were as bad as you say you were, especially since the truce. The girl was in a fluffy pink jumper, she looked like a marshmallow and her personality appeared to match the ensemble. You and Spike looked at each other, growling at her before deciding to head back before the sun rose.

Back at the mansion, you were sat on Spike’s lap as he wheeled you both into the room. He was still keeping up the pretence that his legs weren’t working. You were sitting sideways on his lap and you looped your arms around his neck, snuggling into his chest as he stopped in the centre of the room.

“I’ve got a surprise for you!” You smiled, “Close your eyes!”

“Love-” he started, but did it anyway, for you. 

“Hold your hand out, palm up” You asked and when he closed his eyes and did it, you grabbed his hand and interlocked your fingers with his with a wide grin. He peeked and looked down at your hand and smiled, moving your entwined hands up to his lips so he could kiss the back of your hand. You giggled and he smiled that smile that was only for you.

“I’ve always liked the way your hand fits in mine, pet” You both got lost in each other’s eyes, a soft smile as your hands held onto each other. He was about to lean in and kiss your forehead when a voice startled you both.

“H-has anybody told you that you’re kinda sweet together?” A small voice interrupted from the corner. You almost jumped, you had forgotten that spike had grabbed the little witch as your tasty snack for later when the Slayer inevitably double-crossed you both. She was tied up in the corner and you had forgotten. Even spike looked a little sheepish that you had been caught being so soft together.

“We’re not sweet!”

“We are evil, nasty creatures of the night!” Spike pointed threateningly at Willow, wheeling himself towards her as you got up from his lap.

“We’re bad! Rotten to our core!” You insisted, Spike had changed into his vamp face to prove your points. She just looked away and moved further into the corner.

“You couldn’t even dream of the horrible things that we’ve done!” You shouted, frowning, your eyes flashing amber, “The terrors that we have inflicted on entire cities!”

“Y-yeah you are evil, you’re j-just sweet to each other” she corrected herself. You and Spike gazed at each other before you were snapped out of it once more.

“Quit playing with your food, the Slayer’s here!” Angelus ordered to you both from another room. You both looked at each other, shrugged and grabbed Willow along too. This was going to be interesting.

[whitewolfofwinterfell]

Angel and Cordelia (Cangel) - an in-depth analysis of their relationship

Angel and Cordelia are a ship I never expected to ship before watching Angel, but since finishing the show around November, I’ve fallen in love with them (and the show generally) and wanted to compile a post where I could express all my thoughts and feelings about them. This meta will be very in-depth and is divided into 9 sections: 

1. ‘Pensiver Face’: Opposites Attract - Will explore Angel and Cordelia’s personalities and the ways in which these two unlikely characters came together and brought out new and wonderful sides to each other. 

2. ‘Help the Helpless’: Finding purpose - Discusses the way in which Angel and Cordelia found purpose in their lives through meeting and the creation of Angel Investigations.

3. ‘We’re family’: Belonging and Family - Insight into how Angel and Cordelia created a family and home with each other that provided them with a sense of belonging (perhaps for the first time in their lives).

4. ‘My Dearest Friend’: Friendship and Love - Looks at Angel and Cordelia’s friendship and how that was at the core of their relationship throughout the series.

5. ‘You’re not alone’: Emotional connection - Uncovers the profound emotional connection Angel and Cordelia established with each other.

6. ‘It’s the stars’: Everyone can see it - Reflects on the common ‘Everyone can see it’ trope and how that was important to Angel and Cordelia’s relationship.

7. ‘Were we in love?’: Romantic love - An exploration of when and how Angel and Cordy’s romantic feelings for each other developed.

8. ‘I’ll be seeing you’: Missed Opportunity - Analyses the writing in seasons 4 and 5, and the ways in which Angel and Cordelia’s relationship was hugely disadvantaged by the writing.

9. ‘There are no people like us’: Why Angel/Cordelia are misunderstood and live in Buffy/Angel’s shadow - Unpicks some of the common misconceptions I’ve seen about Angel and Cordy’s relationship and the how comparisons made between their relationship and Buffy and Angel’s is unfair and does a disservice to both couples. 

As you can see, section 9 does discuss Buffy and Angel, because I really couldn’t discuss Angel and Cordelia without also talking about Angel’s relationship with Buffy since she was so significant to Angel. It won’t be anti-Buffy/Angel (because I’m a huge Bangel shipper, as anyone that follows me will know), but I just wanted to give a warning for those that are a big fan of the ship as you might not want to read. However, the primary focus throughout will be on Angel and Cordelia’s relationship on ATS (I don’t really give much focus to BTVS since their interactions were so brief and lacking).

Before we get into it, I wanted to say this post is long, (coming in at around 9k words, whew! I had more to say than I realised), so if you’re interested in reading you might want to grab a drink or a snack and make yourself comfortable. 

1. ‘Pensiver Face’: Opposites Attract

What makes Angel and Cordelia’s relationship so special is that it’s between two unlikely characters who, on the surface are polar opposites, but that compliment each other beautifully. Cordelia was specifically chosen to be a regular on ATS because she was the opposite to Angel - Whedon stated that Cordelia’s bright smile was needed to counteract Angel’s broody persona (x). The fundamental differences in Angel and Cordelia’s personalities meant that together they brought out different sides to each other. Angel was known for being reserved, contemplative, melancholy, deep and pessimistic, whilst in contrast Cordelia was known for being outgoing, bubbly, outspoken, shallow and optimistic.

Both characters came to ATS season 1 displaying these characteristics which they were well-known for on BTVS, but through meeting each other, they changed. Angel smiled more with Cordelia than arguably any other character in the Buffyverse (x) (x) (x) (x). Her infectious personality, witty sense of humour and straight-talking attitude coaxed him out of his shell. Also, because he was more submissive by nature, Angel responded to Cordelia’s assertiveness - she wasn’t afraid to take charge, call him out on things, make demands of him and ensure he stayed on the right path. She was the one that took charge of the business, launching Angel Investigations from practically nothing; she persuaded Angel that he should pay Gunn for working with them; she didn’t easily relent after he fired her, Wesley and Gunn; she told him he needed to set boundaries with Fred when she had a crush on Angel to prevent Fred from getting hurt; she held him accountable for getting Darla pregnant in season 3; she consistently encouraged him to fight for Connor no matter how hopeless or difficult it became and even in her brief return in season 5 she continued with this pattern. She straight up told Angel that he’d lost his way, lost sight of their mantra to help the helpless and had become entangled in the messiness of W&H. In doing so, she set Angel back on the right path. It’s strange because generally people view Angel as having more positive traits than Cordelia, but despite his good intentions, he was more prone to giving up and wallowing than Cordelia. Angel was more malleable, more willing to accept the bad in the world whilst Cordelia, on the other hand, persevered no matter what obstacles came her way and was firm in her morals. She knew what she believed to be good and she didn’t stray from that no matter what. That clear-cut attitude really helped Angel, who being a vampire and having seen so much evil, often become lost in the blurriness between good and evil, and became disheartened about fighting the good fight on numerous ocassions. Cordelia was truly Angel’s centre of gravity and moral compass - she was the one he relied on most in his redemptive journey and helping the helpless. That’s why throughout the series there was such a heavy emphasis on Angel needing Cordy (x) and why he proclaimed to be lost without her. Angel needing Cordelia was also demonstrative of a deeper emotional connection between them, which I’ll discuss later on.

Whilst Angel and Cordelia’s differences helped/changed Angel, they did the same for Cordy. Cordelia as a person was very focused on superficial gratification. She sought popularity and status, and she enjoyed money and material objects because of the pleasure they brought her. Her desire to become an actress reflects those desires she had. Although Cordelia demonstrated on BTVS that she was much more than the stereotypical popular-shallow girl she was portrayed to be (x), she wasn’t inclined to be considerate of others and empathy didn’t come naturally to her. In comparison, Angel spent a majority of his time thinking of others and had a wealth of empathy, for everybody regardless of whether they were those he loved or strangers; good or bad. There’s no doubt that the visions were a large part of what enabled Cordelia to be more empathetic since she was quite literally experiencing the traumas of others, but being close to Angel also impacted this. Until Cordelia became friends with Angel (and Doyle, Wes and Gunn), she’d never really been prioritised or cared for unconditionally. Angel’s kindness, consideration and support enabled Cordelia to open up emotionally in a way she never had before, not just to those closest to her, but to everybody. Ironically, a vampire (albeit a vampire with a soul) was the deepest insight Cordelia had gained into humanity. Angel devoted himself to helping others and Cordelia witnessed first-hand the positive impact that had on others and the rewards it brought. Whilst she fought against evil alongside the Scoobies on BTVS, it was being part of Angel Investigations that truly showed her the true meaning of fighting. It gave her purpose and belonging, which in turn allowed her to blossom in an entirely new way.

2. ‘Help the Helpless’: Finding purpose

Despite being different in many ways, Angel and Cordelia had one main thing in common - they were both seeking purpose, meaning and belonging in their lives at the start of ATS  - and they found that with each other.

On BTVS Angel went through a traumatic ordeal with losing his soul, being killed by the woman he loved, being trapped in a hell dimension, coming back to life and then having to break up with Buffy. After Angel was cursed and his soul was restored, he retreated into the shadows and lived like a hermit for a century. He no longer belonged in the vampire or the human world, and he was so consumed with the guilt about his actions as Angelus that he was paralysed. He lived a lonely and purposeless existence - until the moment he saw Buffy. Buffy symbolised hope for Angel, because she was destined to fight evil and helping her provided him with a purpose for the first time in decades and I strongly believe that this (amongst other reasons) is why he fell in love with her. So when he split up with her and left for L.A. he lost his purpose along with Buffy. It’s clear that Angel’s time with Buffy and the Scoobies had been so significant to him that he couldn’t return to the life he had before he met Buffy, he needed to continue helping people, but he didn’t know how. Meeting Doyle immediately provided him with a sense of purpose by providing him with a connection to the HP, but as I already mentioned above, Cordelia really cemented that. Although Doyle knew he and Angel had a mission that they needed to work on together, he didn’t know how to make that a reality. Cordelia’s practicality, pragmatism and organisation is what took an idea - helping the helpless - and made it a reality - Angel Investigations. Like I said, Angel knew he wanted to help others but he didn’t really have a plan. When Angel Investigations was born, it became so much more than simply helping the odd person in distress after having stumbled upon them by chance. It became an indefinite commitment and mission which provided Angel with a true purpose - a purpose he realised was the singular most important thing to him in ‘Epiphany’ (2x16).

Cordelia was also in a similar place to Angel when she arrived in L.A. at the start of ATS. During her time on BTVS Cordelia’s character was built upon her status in high-school - she was pretty, rich and popular. Although she wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she believed in (such as defending Xander against her HS friends), she generally sought the approval of others. In HS Cordelia felt that she was somebody and that really came from her popularity and status. However, she admitted that that popularity came with a downside and that she was in fact, very lonely as a result of it (x). Cordelia’s experience in her relationship with Xander only fuelled that loneliness she felt because she isolated herself from her friends to be with him, and when he cheated on her, her ‘friendships’ with the rest of the Scoobies were revealed to be superficial in nature and quickly broke down. By the time she came to ATS, she had left high school and therefore was without her boyfriend (Xander), friends and the status that HS afforded her. This explains why she was on a mission to become a famous actress - to reclaim that status that she’d lost but on an even grander scale. The problem with this is that regardless of how shallow Cordy may have appeared, she clearly craved more than just popularity, fame or money. She’d already had that but it hadn’t  fulfilled her. Enter Angel. Cordelia saw that Angel (and Doyle) needed guidance and that she could bring something important to the table. When she joined Angel and Doyle and set up Angel Investigations, she found her purpose just like Angel did. Initially, Cordelia’s desire to stick with Angel may have been because she didn���t have any other particularly appealing options, but it became so much more than that and by the end of season 1 Cordelia was wholly devoted to helping the helpless (x). In ‘Disharmony’ (2x17) she told Harmony that despite the popularity she had at HS, she was happier than she’d ever been because of the work she was doing, and having that sense of purpose came from meeting Angel. ‘Birthday’ (3x11) further reaffirmed this, when Cordelia chose being with Angel and helping the helpless over her dream of being a famous actress. 

The creation of Angel Investigations (not just the business but also the family) wouldn’t have happened if Angel and Cordelia hadn’t of come together in the way they did. From the beginning, they were the heart of everything it was and when Angel lost Cordy in season 5, he admitted that he lost his way and was lost without her (again, this beckons back to Cordy being Angel’s centre of gravity). Poetically, Cordelia kissing Angel in ‘You’re Welcome’ (5x11) and passing on the vision to him quite literally set Angel (and co.) on the path to their final battle and brought purpose back into his life. But in addition to bringing purpose to each other’s lives through their shared mission of helping the helpless, they brought something else, perhaps more significant - belonging and family.

3. ‘We’re family’: Belonging and Family

Although Angel and Cordelia had bonds with others prior to ATS - Angel had relationships with Darla, Dru, Spike, Buffy; Cordelia with Harmony, Xander and the Scoobies - they never had with anyone else what they found with each other (and the rest of Angel Investigations) (x). In season 1 Cordelia referred to Angel as being her family and Angel reiterated that later in the series. The unconditional support, acceptance and care Angel and Cordelia had towards one other was unlike anything they’d had in any of their previous relationships (particularly for Cordelia).

Angel prioritised Cordelia, he devoted himself to keeping her safe (x) (x), he was always concerned for her well-being and he took the time to get to know her as a person. He didn’t like Cordy because of her status or popularity, he liked her for her and he expressed that numerous times - he told her he liked both versions of her (old and new), that she was an extraordinary woman and that he’d never known anybody like her (x) (x). Likewise, Cordelia accepted Angel - warts and all - without white washing his past or being ignorant to his darkness. She knew Angelus had done terrible things, and that Angel wasn’t immune from making mistakes and she held him accountable for that. But she also encouraged Angel to be open with her about that side of himself, telling him to drink blood in front of her and reassuring him that she and Doyle wouldn’t judge his vamp face (x). Cordelia came face to face with Angelus multiple times and she knew that even with a soul Angel had the capacity for darkness, but she still saw the good in him and believed it out-weighed the bad. She was never under any false illusions that Angel was perfect and that’s why she was firm in her promise that if needs be she would stake Angelus without hesitation.

It’s really that unconditional support and acceptance that led them to consider each other family. What’s most significant about this is that neither of them really had that before ATS. Angel (Liam) grew up in a volatile family situation with an abusive father and Cordelia’s family was so insignificant in her life that we only had a few references to them throughout the course of BTVS and ATS and not a single appearance from them. Neither of them really had a true home or family until they found each other. The friendship they found with each other (and the rest of Angel Investigations) truly was one of the most beautiful things that ever happened to either of them and provided them with a true home for the first time in their lives. In fact, in season 4 Angel explicitly said when Cordelia was missing “We’ll do whatever it takes to bring her home, where she belongs”, which perfectly sums up the title for this section about belonging and family. The bond they forged was one of the first they established with another that felt completely secure and contented (which is also why Cordelia reacted so negatively to him abandoning her, Wes and Gunn in season 2 over Darla), because at it’s core it was a friendship built upon familial love, which in my opinion, is the strongest and most enduring love there is.

4. ‘My Dearest Friend’: Friendship and Love

The most common argument I’ve seen against Angel and Cordelia as a romantic ship is, “They should’ve just stayed friends, they were better that way”. My issue with this is that Angel and Cordelia didn’t just fulfil one or the other - friendship or romance - they fulfilled both and so much more (x). What makes Angel and Cordelia’s relationship so special is that they morphed from acquaintances, to coworkers, to confidantes, to friends, to family, to lovers and were often some (or all) of these things to each other at once. Their feelings for each other cannot be boxed in, because they encompass so much, but there is no disputing that they loved each other.

Angel and Cordy had a profound connection spanning across the entirety of ATS, that no amount of words I type can quite express. They were a constant presence in each others’ lives for years, they were by each others’ sides through some of the most significant events of their lives and they shared it all - the highs and lows, the good and bad. Even when their romantic feelings came into fruition, their friendship remained unchanged. Nothing could change that fundamental dynamic between them or the ease with which they communicated and bounced off of one another. Any scene between Angel and Cordy has a natural chemistry (the nature of that chemistry is up to interpretation), and even when Angel was a awkward, bumbling and flustered fool, their interactions never felt strained or uncomfortable. This is because they knew each other so well and were so attuned to each other, but also because their relationship was already so well established by the time they realised they had romantic feelings for each other that there was no danger of those feelings complicating or endangering that friendship. It’s why in ‘Spin the Bottle’ (4x06) Angel told Cordelia that she was his dearest friend and he wanted that back. He was able to push aside his romantic feelings and desires because her friendship was more important to him than anything else.

Some may claim it’s weird for two people who referred to each other as family to be in love with each other, but when you’re in love with someone they are your family. The fact that Angel and Cordelia had that kind of connection provided them with the closeness, comfortableness, familiarity and security for those romantic feelings to blossom. Angel, in particular, had an aversion to romance because of The Curse and his experience with Buffy, but he felt so safe with Cordelia that it’s almost like he allowed himself to feel that way about him. Likewise, Cordelia was rather guarded in matters of the heart given her romantic history with Xander, but she felt so safe with Angel that she was able to finally open herself up in that way without even really realising she was. That profound connection between them can’t really be quantified, but can be seen in their actions.

5. ‘You’re not alone’: Emotional connection

When I say that it would do them a disservice to try and box Angel and Cordelia’s relationship into the platonic or romantic arena, that’s because of the emotional connection they shared which extends beyond such labels.

According to Wiki, ‘Emotional intimacy is a psychological event that happens when trust levels and communication between two people are such that it fosters the mutual sharing of one another's deepest selves.’ It involves trust, mutual trust, sense of community, understanding, open communication and sharing a duty. As you read this I’m sure you’re realising that Angel and Cordelia had all of this. They lived in close proximity day after day for years - they worked together, they fought together, they laughed together, they loved the same people (Doyle, Wes, Gunn, Fred, Connor), they grieved together (for Doyle and Connor), they shared the same beliefs and morals and they were united in the same mission to help the helpless. All of this led to them developing a profound emotional connection whereby they came to rely on each other and trust each other, and were able to open up to each other without fear of judgement or rejection (x). Throughout the series Angel and Cordy had multiple heart to hearts in which they confided in each other, encouraged or reassured each other and those talks became more regular as their connection grew. Something as simple as Angel calling Cordelia ‘Cordy’ (which he didn’t do until ATS ‘Are You Now or Have You Ever Been?’ 2x02) demonstrated that developing connection between them.

Again, it would be futile for me to list every example of when Angel and Cordelia had a scene that showed this emotional connection (particularly since you’ll have seen them all if you’ve watched the show), but off the top of my head some key examples would be - Cordelia helped Angel open up about Doyle’s death after Angel accidentally called Wesley Doyle; Cordelia helped Angel to open up about Buffy’s death after he’d spent 3 months trying to come to terms with it; when Cordelia fell ill from a vision Angel reassured her that her value to him wasn’t invested solely in her visions; generally Angel supported Cordelia repeatedly through the trauma of her visions; after Connor was born Angel developed an overly-protective paternal instinct and wouldn’t let anybody hold him, and Cordelia was the first he allowed to hold him; after Connor’s kidnapping Cordelia was able to simply sit with him in the silence and provide the emotional support no one else could and when Angel was insecure about bonding with Connor (after his return) she reassured him he was a capable and loving father. 

Nothing showed the depth of that emotional connection more than the beginning of season 4 when Angel was at the bottom of the ocean. In order to hold on to his sanity, Angel repeatedly dreamt of Cordelia in various romantic scenarios and admitted to Wes and Gunn when he returned that the one thing that had kept him holding on was the thought of returning home to Cordelia. Cordy and his love for her was the tether to his humanity, his hope when everything was hopeless, his light in the dark. 

I could continue exploring this because their emotional connection is demonstrated in nearly every scene they have together, but the point has been made that Angel and Cordelia consistently opened up to one another and were by each other’s sides through the hardest of times. Although they both had the rest of Angel Investigations (Wesley, Gunn, Fred and Lorne), they primarily turned to each other in their time or need or when they were feeling low. They instinctively knew what to do/say to ease each other’s insecurities, fears or anxieties and were each other’s source of emotional strength. What’s even more significant about this is that their connection was so profound, that even those around them noticed it. 

6. ‘It’s the stars’: Everyone can see it

‘Everyone can see it’ is a popular romantic trope whereby a couple are perfect for each other but don’t realise their feelings for one another, but everyone else around them does. This was an integral part of Angel and Cordelia’s relationship since they found it very difficult, as friends, to make sense of their romantic feelings for each other and to acknowledge those feelings.

The first person to notice the chemistry between Angel and Cordelia was Fred in ‘Offspring’ (3x07). After seeing them sparring Fred spoke about kyrumption (two heroes meeting in battle and recognising their same fate) and moira (the gut physical attraction between two larger-than-life souls). Angel’s feelings for Cordelia had already been present long before then, but Fred’s observations provided him with an opportunity to acknowledge them for the first time and reflect on them. 

Lorne being an empath naturally had an insight into Angel’s feelings and in ‘Waiting in the Wings’ (3x13) he revealed that he’d read Angel and knew he had feelings for Cordelia. Like Fred, he also spoke of kyrumption and told Angel that the way he was feeling for Cordelia was real. Lorne consistently was attuned to Angel’s feelings for Cordelia and understood that they’d grown beyond friendship. He also actively encouraged Angel to act on them because he believed Cordelia felt the same way about him and he shouldn’t miss the chance to see what they could be. 

I watched ‘Waiting in the Wings’ with commentary from Whedon last week and in that he explained that the spell was a way for Angel and Cordelia to act on the feelings they had for each other (that they were only just starting to realise) in a way whereby they didn’t actually have to admit that they had those feelings and wanted to act on them (because they were afraid of the consequences). Fred and Lorne’s observations are very much the same - they’re a conduit through which Angel was able to internally explore his growing romantic feelings for Cordy and slowly come to the realisation that he was in love with her. 

7. ‘Were we in love?’: Romantic love

Although I’ve been primarily focused on the general connection between Angel and Cordelia and what they brought to each other’s lives, there was definitely romantic love and attraction between the two of them and it’s important to discuss that.

I think when people compare Angel and Cordy’s relationship to Angel’s relationship with Buffy people feel Angel’s love for Cordelia wasn’t romantic or passionate, but it was, it’s just that the love he had for Cordy and their relationship was so fundamentally different from his relationship with Buffy that the two can’t really be compared. Buffy was Angel’s epic, great love - it consumed him from the inside out, it was intense, passionate and devastating - but Cordy was something entirely different. She wasn’t supposed to be some big epic love, she was supposed to be a friend with whom he developed a strong bond with and slowly came to fall in love with over time. Their love wasn’t characterised by angst-ridden scenes, grand speeches of forbidden love and sexual tension - it was grounded in family, friendship and emotional connection (as I’ve explored above). Their feelings for each other weren’t sudden and didn’t start out big (they truly were just acquaintances at the start of ATS season 1), but as they spent time together, shared experiences and got to know each other, their romantic feelings quietly grew in the background until neither of them could ignore it anymore.

It’s frustrating that we never got a clear admission of love between the two (all of their love confessions were to other people or cut off before they finished), but there is no doubt in my mind that Angel and Cordelia were in love. Their actions proved that and from a personal perspective, I could feel the love between them. Everyone will have different interpretations of when they believe the pair fell in love, but interestingly, I don’t think there’s supposed to be ‘one moment’ that they fell in love, because the whole point of their relationship is that it was never that clear cut. They didn’t go to bed one night as best friends and wake up the next day a think, “I’m in love with Angel/Cordelia!”. It was a subtle evolution of feelings over time, which neither of them truly noticed until it was brought to their attention by others, because they were so used to being friends and navigating within the realms of that, that they didn’t consider the possibility that their feelings could have gone beyond that.

Since ATS was primarily focused on Angel’s POV, it’s very easy to follow Angel’s evolving feelings for Cordelia and attempt to pin-point the moment at which his romantic feelings came to fruition. Like I said, I don’t think there was one particular moment where Angel realised his feelings for Cordelia, but in my opinion, they had definitley developed by ‘Dead End’ (2x18). At the beginning of season 2, Angel had a crisis due to Darla’s return and he fired Cordelia, Wesley and Gunn. It was really the darkest we saw Angel get in ATS whilst he had his soul, he truly lost his way for a while and Cordelia was so hurt and angry by his actions that she couldn’t forgive him. When Angel finally realised he’d made a mistake cutting his friends out of his life, he did everything he could to make amends, but he seemed most affected by the loss of Cordelia’s friendship and he was determined to earn her forgiveness. What’s interesting about this is that at this point one could argue that Angel’s friendship with Cordelia wasn’t that profound and it didn’t particularly matter if they made up, because they still could’ve worked together as co-workers (although it might’ve been a little awkward and uncomfortable). But Angel was adamant that he wanted her friendship back and almost the entirety of ‘Epiphany’ (2x16) was focused on Angel’s desire to make amends with Cordy and his devastation when she refused to accept him back. This continued in ‘Disharmony’ (2x17), with him desperately fighting to earn her forgiveness and ending with him winning Cordelia over by buying her clothes, which he was visibly happy about (x). Angel’s reaction at the prospect of losing Cordelia beckons back to ‘To Shanshu to L.A.’ (1x22) when we witnessed for the first time how scared he was to lose her and also suggests that at this point in season 2 his romantic feelings were developing for her. In the following episode ‘Dead End’ (2x18), he was so focused on making Cordelia feel better (and this was likely a continuation of him making it up to her) that he brought her food and his reaction to her saying she loved him was perhaps the brightest smile I’ve ever seen on Angel’s face (x). In ‘Belonging’ (2x19), Angel’s attraction to Cordelia was made clear when he saw her in a bikini and he also expressed anger at the director of the commercial she was filming for treating her like a ‘commodity’ and a ‘slave’, forcing him to apologise to Cordelia for the way he spoke to her and telling Cordelia he would rip his head off if she wanted him to. When Cordelia was sucked into the portal to Pylea in ‘Over the Rainbow’ (2x20), Angel’s profound emotional connection to Cordelia was clear (x) - he just wanted her back, he didn’t care how or what they had to do and he expressed that he couldn’t lose Cordy again after just getting her back (also that one line, ‘It’s Cordy’, that Angel says to Wesley when he tells Angel it’s too dangerous to go through the portal and they may never get back holds so much emotion). When Cordelia admitted to loving Groo in Pylea, Angel mistakenly thought she was saying it to him and was disappointed to learn otherwise. So basically, by the end of season 2 Angel undoubtedly had romantic feelings for Cordelia, but wasn’t yet aware of them. Season 3 continued to build on that by allowing Angel to heal following Buffy’s death and reach a resolution  in ‘Heartthrob’ (3x01) whereby he could start to process his feelings for Cordy, putting him a situation where he was faced with the prospect of losing her again, therefore cementing the depth of his feelings for her (‘That Vision Thing’ 3x02) and having Fred share her observations about his feelings for her, finally allowing him to fully acknowledge them for the first time. 

From Cordelia’s POV it’s much harder to guess when her romantic feelings for Angel developed, because we didn’t get as much insight into her. I do think her feelings for him didn’t come as soon as Angel’s did for her and neither did the realisation that she felt that way. ‘That Vision Thing’ (3x02) hints that Cordelia’s feelings for Angel may have begun to grow beyond friendship when she said, “If I lose the visions I wouldn't be able to help you anymore. You wouldn't need me.” Notice, Cordelia was concerned with Angel needing her, not the rest of the team. Also, since Angel was so devoted to saving Cordelia and explicitly told her she was more important to him than his vendetta against W&H, we can assume this impacted Cordelia’s feelings towards him since this was perhaps the first time she noticed how committed he was to keeping her safe and how much he wanted her in his life. I also think that witnessing Angel go through the process of becoming a father significantly impacted Cordy’s feelings for Angel. Seeing him take on the role of a father showed an even softer, nurturing side of him and the bond Cordy developed with Connor also brought them closer together. However, ‘Birthday’ (3x11) is the first episode that properly affirms the depth of Cordelia’s feelings for Angel. She was given everything she ever wanted - fame, money, stardom - and she gave it all up to return to Angel. Despite having no memory, upon seeing Angel so broken, Cordelia instinctively leaned in and kissed him fulfilling the old fairy-tale trope of true love’s kiss breaking the spell. I think from Cordelia’s POV, she was much more closed off to allowing herself to acknowledge her romantic feelings for Angel because she didn’t even consider Angel a romantic option given The Curse. This also explains why upon Groo’s return in season 3, she resumed her relationship with him despite having clearly developed profound romantic feelings for Angel that led her to prioritise him above Groo repeatedly to the point that Groo himself noticed that she had feelings for Angel.

This brings me back to the main point about Angel and Cordelia’s romantic feelings for each other never being straightforward or easily defined. In ‘Waiting in the Wings’ (3x13) it was clear - spell or no spell - that Angel and Cordelia shared a mutual sexual attraction and that Angel’s canonically confirmed romantic feelings for Cordelia were reciprocated. Yet Cordelia didn’t confirm her feelings for him explicitly to the audience until 9 episodes later in the finale of the season. This is for a number of reasons, but primarily because it was easier to continue denying their feelings and remain friends than face the complications that a romance posed. Even if they had been given the chance to openly express their feelings for each other, what would’ve happened next? As Angel said to Lorne in ‘Waiting in the Wings’, what could he offer her (as a cursed vampire)? It would’ve been too complicated and they knew that.

That criss-cross and complexity of their love is part of the reason I love them so much, because it’s authentic and relatable. Particularly in the case of friends who have fallen in love - it’s no easy transition and it’s definitely not easy to make sense of your feelings Plus, Angel and Cordy had the added complications that went with their life (Angel being a vampire, The Curse, Darla, their friends, Angel Investigations, W&H and the supernatural world generally, to name a few). In an interview a long time ago SMG said that the most heartbreaking thing about Buffy and Angel was that it was unfulfilled love, and in this respect so are Angel and Cordelia. It’s heartbreaking because they truly loved one another but they were never even given the opportunity to see what they could potentially be. They missed their chance and because of that they were always left wondering ‘what if?’ 

8. ‘I’ll be seeing you’: Missed Opportunity 

The fact that Angel and Cordy never got their shot to be together (which they discussed in ‘You’re Welcome’ 5x11) is the tragedy of their love. However, it wouldn’t be the same love story if it didn’t have that unresolved element to it. Everybody longs for closure and resolution with their ships, but the truth is, in real life few people truly get that, they simply have to move on and live with their regrets. But whilst I love Angel and Cordelia’s relationship and story as it is, there’s no escaping the fact that they were done dirty in seasons 4 and 5 in regards to the writing and as a result their story did go in a...shall we say unfavourable direction? 

Everyone that’s ever watched ATS has problems with season 4 (I could write a separate post about the problems with season 4, particularly in regards to Cordelia’s character), and when it comes to Angel and Cordelia’s relationship, there’s a lot that was handled badly which unfortunately, derailed the beautiful development that took place between them in season 3. We still had a lot of key moments that played out between Angel and Cordelia in season 4, but the main problem with the season is that we don’t actually know when Cordelia was actually Cordelia. At what point was she herself, if she ever was? Did she really have amnesia? If so, can we count amnesia!Cordy as still being Cordy to an extent? When did Jasmine start to take over? Did she have any agency at all when she was possessed by Jasmine, even if it was only the briefest of moments? All of these questions remain unanswered and make it very difficult to fully assess the Angel/Cordelia relationship during season 4, but I’m going to try to anyway. 

What remained clear throughout season 4 was that Angel loved Cordy. In fact, despite Cordelia technically being absent for the majority of the season, it was very Cangel-heavy, perhaps more than the seasons before it. Angel had multiple dreams/fantasies about Cordelia, devoted himself to finding her when she was missing at the start of the season, was visibly distraught to have her lose her memories and strike up a relationship with Connor, and lost his soul from a fantasy of making love to her. In my opinion, this is the season that really affirmed that Angel was in love with Cordy beyond any doubt. When Angel asked Cordelia if they were in love and she replied, “We were”, I strongly believe that was Cordelia. She’d just gotten her memories back so Jasmine hadn’t had chance to worm her way to the forefront yet, and I believe in that moment that was Cordelia finally breaking through and telling Angel that she loved him. Although the circumstances are ambiguous to say the least, I believe this to be the first admission of love exchanged between the two whereby the words were said plainly (because obviously they said ‘I love you’ to each other repeatedly before this moment in other ways). However, this doesn’t undo the dirty that was done to Angel and Cordelia in this season. Despite the fact that we know Cordelia wasn’t responsible for any of her actions since she was possessed by Jasmine, it’s still very hard when watching her with Connor to separate Jasmine from Cordelia. And from Angel’s perspective, he literally watched the woman he loved have sex with his son. Finding out afterwards that it wasn’t actually Cordelia doesn’t reduce the devastating impact of witnessing that and the way the Cordelia!Jasmine arc was written did taint some aspects of their relationship by forcing Angel to have to witness ‘Cordelia’ enter into a romantic relationship with Connor and have a child with him. Also, it was utterly ridiculous and unbelievable that Angel and co. wouldn’t recognise that Cordy wasn’t herself. This is definitely a writing issue, because the whole possession thing was handled so badly in the respect that Cordelia seemed like herself (even her sleeping with Connor was believable due to her amnesiac state), but it was still not in-keeping with the show that none of her friends (and especially Angel) would notice that Cordelia was possessed. Overall, season 4 did a huge disservice to Angel and Cordelia’s romance (although the biggest disservice was definitely done to Cordelia’s character) and whilst their relationship was beautifully developed in seasons 1-3, season 4 stopped that development in its tracks. 

Season 5 continued to do a disservice to Cordelia (and Angel and Cordelia) by practically erasing Cordy from existence (I know that backstage issues with the cast need to be taken into consideration here, but the lack of consideration to Cordelia’s character is still a valid point to discuss). Despite how utterly terrified Angel was whenever faced with the prospect of losing Cordelia, in season 5 he was visibly fine about Cordelia being in a coma and wasn’t even attempting to pull her out of it. The fact that Angel (and co.) would simply stand by and go on with the rest of their lives without devoting every single second to waking Cordy  is ridiculous and completely OOC for all of them. Angel, Wes, Gunn, Fred, Lorne and Cordy were deeply connected and would have done anything for each other, and there’s no way they would’ve given up on Cordy like that. But back to the point, despite Angel being in love with Cordelia throughout season 4, there was no reference to his feelings for her until ‘You’re Welcome’ (5x11). Now, don’t get me wrong, I love that episode and I always will, but I also can’t help but notice how out of place that episode feels within the rest of the season. In the episodes leading up to it Cordelia was barely mentioned and in the episodes afterwards, her death was completely ignored with only a few passing references from Angel near the end of the season (don’t even get me started on the fact that she didn’t even get a funeral. What the hell was that all about?!?!? This is Cordy.) Furthermore, Angel reverted back to being actively in love with Buffy (particularly in ‘The Girl in Question’ 5x20, which is honestly such a bad episode, I can’t even) with no consideration given to the fact that he had feelings for Cordelia. Personally, I believe all of these consistencies come from fan pandering - the reaction to Angel and Cordelia becoming a couple was very negative so they reverted back to the Angel/Buffy relationship because it was so popular and well-loved. But back to, ‘You’re Welcome’, the episode definitely redeemed some of what was done to Cordelia (and her relationship with Angel) by giving her/them a satisfying ending after an horrendous season 4, but nothing can truly make up for the fact that Angel and Cordelia’s relationship was so abruptly ended in the manner it was. It also can’t make up for the fact that we missed out on two entire seasons worth of development that we would’ve potentially got if the Jasmine plot hadn’t taken place (again, I understand this was largely down to behind-the-scenes complications with Charisma and Whedon). 

These flaws in the writing (and execution of the relationship) in seasons 4 and 5 is far and above my biggest criticism of Angel and Cordelia’s relationship as a whole (although it’s a criticism of the writers more so than Cordelia and Angel or David and Charisma). It never would have made sense for Angel and Cordy to have a plain sailing fairy-tale romance, but they had so much more potential and could have grown to become something even more beautiful if season 4 had continued to build upon their development from seasons 1-3. ‘You’re Welcome’ perfectly demonstrates the potential they had and what they could’ve become if Cordelia hadn’t been possessed by Jasmine. And that was only a taster and we could’ve had, we could’ve so much more. In my opinion, there were no limits on where their relationship could have been taken since it was so well written, built-up and established leading up to season 4. The fact that we’ll never know how the relationship would’ve played out if it had continued is sad, but as I said, that missed chance that they had is key to Angel and Cordelia’s relationship. It’s the one that got away, the love that could never be and that one person whom we always wonder, “What if?” about. 

9. ‘There are no people like us’: Why Angel/Cordelia are misunderstood and live in Buffy/Angel’s shadow

The final section I wanted to do is an exploration of the reasons why I feel Cordelia and Angel are misunderstood as a ship and how I believe this primarily stems from the fact that they live in Buffy/Angel’s shadow. This is where I’ll be comparing Angel/Cordelia and Buffy/Angel, so if you’re a fan of Buffy/Angel, you may not want to read this final section. However, this isn’t anti-Buffy/Angel, it’s really me working through my own thoughts and feelings as both a Buffy/Angel and a Angel/Cordelia shipper (yes, we exist haha). 

People have a tendency to make comparisons between the Angel/Cordelia and Buffy/Angel relationship two relationships, when in reality (as I’ve mentioned above) the two aren’t really comparable. Angel’s relationships with Buffy and Cordelia were distinctive, took place under completely different circumstances and brought different things to his life. Angel was fully engaged in a romantic relationship with Buffy for 2 years (on and off), but he never had the opportunity to do that with Cordelia. The romantic feelings were there, as was the potential for them to act on that and see what they could be, but it didn’t happen. So to compare the two relationships (when technically Angel and Cordy never entered into a romantic relationship) is futile to say the least. However, people naturally make those comparisons and when they do they seem to come up with two key reasons Angel/Cordelia are inferior to Buffy/Angel:

1. Sexual relationship/chemistry - It hasn’t escaped my attention that Buffy and Angel have a lot more sexual chemistry than Angel and Cordelia. Honestly, in my opinion, nothing can really compare to SMG/David chemistry, it’s so damn good. However, this criticism simply fails to understand that Angel and Cordelia’s love/connection never was primarily one of a sexual nature (notice that every fantasy Angel ever had of Cordelia was romantic not sexual). Romance was definitely part of their relationship (particularly in seasons 3, 4 and 5) and they had an attraction and they had chemistry (’Waiting in the Wings’ damn well proved that), but their relationship was never about sex. In comparison to Angel and Buffy, their relationship was deeply rooted in attraction. From the moment they meet each other they’re very physically attracted to each other and in seasons 1 and 2 they both make references made to how badly they want to kiss each other whenever they’re together, whilst in season 3 they discuss the difficulties they find in fighting against their sexual attraction to each other. As a result, Angel and Buffy’s relationship was always heavily steeped in sexual tension. The fact that Angel and Cordelia’s relationship didn’t have the same level of sexual attraction doesn’t make that relationship any less important, just different (which I know I keep saying, but it’s kind of my whole argument here - the two relationships are so fundamentally different you can’t compare them). 

2. Buffy is Angel’s one and only true love - There’s no denying that Buffy was and always will be Angel’s great love, but to quote one of my not-so-favourite shows (The Vampire Diaries), contrary to popular belief, people can (and usually do) have more than one great love in their lives. Clinging too tightly to the Buffy/Angel relationship ignores the immense changes Angel undergoes on ATS and the fact he moved on from Buffy (up until Spike’s return in season 5, which reverts him back to being kind of obsessed with Buffy, which is such bad writing and so inconsistent that it annoys me. And this isn’t  including crossovers either, because damn, they’re so problematic/inconsistent and I didn’t even realised until I watched ATS, but I can see now why the writers didn’t want to do too many crossovers despite the fans wanting them). Buffy was always in Angel’s heart and he always carried her with him, but he didn’t actively pine over her or yearn for her when he moved to L.A. (he did more so in season 1 and particularly after the events of ‘I Will Remember You’, but he slowly moved on). Angel conclusively and healthily moved on from Buffy - he established a life for himself which he loved and made him happy, he found a home, friends and embarked on a new love with Cordy. When two people have shared a love like Angel did with Buffy, it never goes away but it does change and it almost grows dormant (for reference, there’s a brilliant meta that discusses Angel moving on from Buffy which you can read here). To use a real life example here, my mom (who’s now 50) has been in around 5 serious long-term relationships in her life and has been with her current partner for 5 years and is completely in love with him. However, she’s openly admitted to me that she loved my dad more than she’s ever loved any man and she still regards him the love of her life. That doesn’t mean she’s still in love with him, because she’s not. She hasn’t seen him in two decades, she’s moved on and she’s found love with someone new. That love she had with him is a memory in her head and her heart, but it has no place in her life now. She’s a different person, her life has changed dramatically and that love is in the past. If he rocked up now he’d be a stranger to her and regardless of those memories she has of him, he’s no longer the person she’s in love with. That’s exactly what happened with Buffy and Angel. They always loved each other, but Angel truly did move forward (whether Buffy moved on is something I’m less unsure of). In ‘Heartthrob’ (3x01) Angel told James that he’d lost the woman he loved (Buffy) and that he had loved her with his whole heart. In response, James said that that couldn’t be true because if it was, when she had died Angel would’ve died along with her. After that, in a scene with Cordy (x), Angel admitted that he was okay and had dealt with Buffy’s death and how he felt guilty about that. In my opinion, this episode (and those scenes in particular) confirmed that Angel had moved on from Buffy and had gotten to a place where he could finally open himself up to Cordelia wholeheartedly. In fact, David spoke about how Angel had moved on from Buffy and that Cordy was what he needed (he also mentioned Darla, which is a topic I won’t get into because I could write an entirely separate post about that too) and here’s what he said: 

Interviewer: Darla killed herself, right? The baby's mother? Who's gonna step up and help Angel raise the baby? Buffy?

David: God, no. Buffy's pretty much out of the picture. They've played their storyline and that's just the past. I think between Cordelia and Fred he'll be mommied to death. But, Buffy's just the past.

Interviewer: Oh, come on. Buffy can never really be just the past, can she? I mean, that's Angel's soulmate.

David: I think Darla was probably his soulmate. I mean, they spent a hundred years together, then made a baby. You can't just--

Interviewer: Well, then Buffy was his first love.

David: Angel was Buffy's first love, but Angel loved Darla in a sick way.

Interviewer: I'm a Buffy/Angel fan. Sorry.

David: You're forgiven. No, I'm just saying that the two shows are on different networks and it's not gonna happen. There's no more story there for those two. Buffy isn't Angel's priority anymore. In season one and two of our show, she was always in the back of his mind, well, now it's all about the baby and Buffy is just, well, she's just a person he used to know.

Interviewer : Awww, come on! The story there was so incredible.

David: And like every good story, it came to an end. And then started over. On. Different. Networks. (again with the emphasis)

Interviewer : Is Angel going to hook up with Cordy?

David: Well, I'm all for it. I don't know what the writers have planned in that regard, but I'm a fan of Charisma's work and I'd love for our characters to be romantically involved. Cordy is really what Angel needs, I believe. (x)

See, it’s important to acknowledge that as amazing as Buffy and Angel’s story was, they broke up and went their separate ways. As David rightfully pointed out, it was the past and Buffy was no longer his priority. It’s always frustrated me that Angel was expected not to move on and to pine for Buffy, whilst Buffy was allowed to move on and find love again. The argument is that Angel was so much older than Buffy that he couldn’t or rather shouldn’t want to find love, whilst Buffy was still young, but the problem is, although Angel was technically old, he was still a teenager himself in terms of his experiences in love. He didn’t have a soul for 100 years so was incapable of love and then he spent 100 years when he had a soul cut off from the world. He had barely experienced anything the world had to offer and he certainly hadn’t had the opportunity to forge connections with others or explore the world of love. Buffy was able to move on from Angel and experience different types of relationships/loves with Parker (urgh), Riley and Spike (amongst others who she flirted with or briefly dated post-BTVS season 3). Angel deserved the same opportunity to experience new types of relationships that were different than the one he had with Buffy. I’m going to use another quote The Vampire Diaries because I feel it sums this up perfectly, “I realised that I may not be able to explain what I feel for her, but it is something, and, yeah, maybe all love isn't true love in the messed up way that you and I have experienced it, but I think this could turn into something even better.” This right here is exactly how I perceive Angel’s feelings for Buffy and Cordelia to be. Angel had only ever loved one person, Buffy was all he’d ever known of love and it was so big, messy and all-consuming , but with Cordelia he realised that love didn’t necessarily have to be like that and that there are different types of love. 

There’s no disputing that Angel never loved Cordelia in the same way he loved Buffy (which this post explains perfectly) - Angel will never love anyone the way he loved Buffy, but he did fall in love with Cordelia and she enriched his life in new ways and filled a void in him in much the same way Buffy did. During ATS Cordelia surpassed Buffy in importance simply because of the place she had in Angel’s life - she was the center of his world and without her it wouldn’t be the same (we saw that in season 5). It would be unfair to claim Angel couldn’t or shouldn’t love someone else just because he had such an intense love with Buffy. What makes his relationship with Cordelia so special is that it was so different than the love he had with Buffy. Those two loves will always sit in contrast to each other, but will never overshadow or replace one another because they’re both significant and special for different reasons. 

The point of talking about this was really just to highlight that Angel and Cordelia’s relationship is not by any means invalid or inferior because of Buffy/Angel. Both relationships are important and exist in contrast to each other. Angel and Cordelia’s relationship does tend to be misunderstood and/or unappreciated due to the nature of the writing (which had a lot of problems in seasons 4 and 5, and even a little in season 3) and because they’re too heavily compared to the hot and heavy romance between Angel and Buffy. However, Angel and Cordelia’s relationship developed organically over time in a subtle way and is demonstrative of how much relationships can evolve as life progresses and circumstances change, and how two people can grow together. Theirs was a story about two people, who in the beginning were indifferent to each other, but grew to know each other profoundly and found a lot through being in each others lives - purpose, belonging, family, friendship and love - and through having and sharing that, they fell in love. It’s not a conventional romantic love as most of us would expect, and they didn’t have the chances to fully explore their romantic connection because their story ended prematurely, but it was a beautiful relationship embedded in human connection and friendship at the deepest and purest level.

If you got to the end of this, thank you so much for reading. This took me days and days to write and edit, so I’m really grateful to you for reading and would appreciate likes/reblogs if you found this interesting. I’d also love to hear your thoughts on this topic, so if you have any feel free to stop by my ask box :)

[buffster]

Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered (BTVS 2.16)

This is part of my ongoing Buffy Project, where I write notes/meta for every episode in an attempt to better understand the characters and themes of the show. You can find the full list here. Gifs are not mine.

This is a Valentine’s Day episode. You don’t see too many of those. Not only was it Xander focused (because SMG was filming SNL the week of filming) it was a warning against wishing the whole world was obsessed with you. 

The episode begins with Buffy and Xander in a graveyard waiting on a vampire to rise. Xander is asking for Buffy’s approval on a necklace he’s gotten Cordelia and later even asks her to dress him (funnily enough, she dresses him a bit like Angel). Buffy admits she likes the necklace but would like to see him with someone better. He very casually notes that the only other girl he’s interested in (Buffy) is not available. I like how Buffy and Xander are able to maintain their friendship despite the unrequited love they’re both aware of. One somewhat sad thing is that Xander defends his dating Cordelia by implying he just doesn’t have a lot of options. 

Not even Cordelia Chase can get away with such a social faux pas as dating the school geek. Harmony is the new leader of her group and Cordelia’s being ignored. Social status is very important to Cordelia, so when Xander gives her the necklace she says she loves it but then dumps him. Poor Xander has clearly dealt with a lot of rejection in his life and he’s pretty upset. When he walks into school the next day everyone is mocking him. 

Xander: I want some respect around here. I want for once to come out ahead!

He goes to Amy Madison, who he’s learned is a witch now (by the way, the Scoobies could have done something more about this alarming fact. Also why didn’t they bring her into the fold after Witch?). He wants her to cast a temporary love spell on Cordelia so that he can dump her and not be the rejected one for once. Let’s go over a few things here: he never says anything about taking advantage of her in any way. He also doesn’t really want to hurt her because he thinks she doesn’t care about him. He wants to humiliate her because she humiliated him. On Valentine’s Day. Right after he gave her a gift.

Does it make it okay? No, and Xander does later realize his mistake. Buffy is also correct when she later asks him if she’s just a toy. It wasn’t fair of him to do this, but it also wasn’t any more evil than Willow dabbling in magic because she was tired of being powerless. I think we all need to take a step back and realize Xander did a stupid thing (as a sixteen year old!) because he was tired of being rejected. I knew a guy in high school that got dumped at prom by his girlfriend. She later asked him out again and he said yes only to dump her at the next prom. Pretty sure that’s exactly what Xander was trying to do and he simply didn’t realize the gravity of involving magic (by the way, it makes no sense to me that Xander was the one to summon Sweet in Once More, With Feeling. He knew better at that point.) It was revenge. Not saintly, but an understandable human impulse. And yeah, you could make the argument that it was a misogynist thing. But I also think you could argue that it wasn’t. Just saying.

Giles tells Buffy that Valentine’s Day is an important day for Angelus. He’s prone to “brutal displays” that Giles believes he views as affection. Spike and Angelus both get Drusilla a present. Spike gets her a necklace and Angelus brings her a heart. Unsurprisingly, she prefers the heart. Drusilla seems entirely oblivious to the two boys’ rivalry over her. They are also at odds when it comes to how to handle situations. Angelus is obsessive and sort of seduces his prey into darkness. He views killing as an art form. Spike is all about getting the job done.

Spike: Why don’t you rip her lungs out? That might make an impression.

Angel. It lacks...poetry. 

Spike: Doesn’t have to. What rhymes with lungs?

Joyce and Buffy are enjoying the perks of being single women. They’re snuggled up with snacks and movies when the doorbell rings. Angelus leaves Buffy a bouquet of roses with “Soon” written on it. Both Angelus and Spike chose to warn Buffy before their attacks, but I believe they had two very different reasons. Spike was attempting to lure Buffy into complacency until Saturday and then attack early, thereby having a better chance of beating her. For Angelus knowing his prey is nervously awaiting his arrival is part of the fun.

When the spell is cast, every female at the high school becomes attracted to Xander (how does this work? Were lesbians attracted to him? What about gay boys? Who knows). Buffy is the first to come on to him and he at first believes it’s real, showing that he’s still holding out hope she’ll come around. But he refuses to touch her when he realizes it’s not (yes, yes. Xander doesn’t get a gold star for not committing sexual assault. Just noting that he isn’t a rapist). We get an interesting peek into Xander’s bedroom, which looks like it’s fit for a twelve year old. X-men posters, toy cars...Xander is clearly still a kid and a bit of a geek. Willow tries to kiss him there, and when he rejects her she calls Oz crying and he punches Xander in the face. Giles’ face was priceless (his fed up attitude was the best part of this episode). Amy turns Buffy into a rat after they argue over Xander.

Jenny attempts to come to Giles and talk things over this episode but is distracted by her feelings for Xander. Giles has no time for Xander or the spell, probably because he knows the dire consequences that can occur because of youthful stupidity.

Giles: I can’t believe that you are fool enough to do something like this. Xander: Oh, no, I’m twice the fool it takes to do something like this.

Even Joyce is under Xander’s spell. Cordelia and Xander end up trapped in her basement (again) trying to escape all the women. Even Drusilla is obsessed with him, which saves his life when Angelus tries to kill him as a message for Buffy. He backs off when she says she’s obsessed with Xander. Is he afraid of her or just respectful?

Xander: You’re just so desperate to be popular!

Cordelia: I’m not the one who embraced the black arts just to get the girls to like me!

Giles and Amy are able to break the spell and things go back to normal (although Willow is still upset). Cordelia makes Xander smile when she says she will date whoever she wants to date, but it slips off his face when she says “no matter how lame he is”. Xander still needs someone who doesn’t think he’s a loser. He helps her after she freaks out about walking away from her friends.

Character Notes:

Joyce Summers: Buffy notes that her mom is suppressing everything. I believe this is an integral part of her character. 

Harmony Kendall: Cordelia calls Harmony a sheep.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, September 17th

WILLOW/WARREN: No, she was never gone. She was with me. We should have been forever, and I— (cries) I let her be dead. She's really dead. (breaks down into tears) And I killed her. (falls to the ground sobbing)

~~The Killer in Me~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

The Witch and the Heir to the Demon by SeaSpectre160 (Arrow crossover, Willow/Nyssa, G)

Sounds Like Fun by Bobbie23 (Giles/Jenny, M)

Watch this by onlyone87 (Buffy/Spike, Giles, PG)

Buffy Meets The Avengers...At Last! by Manchester (FR13)

[Chaptered Fiction]

warrior queen - Chapter 1-2 (COMPLETE!) by The_Eclectic_Bookworm (Jenny/Angelus, Jenny/Spike/Drusilla, M)

The Music - Chapter 1-2 (COMPLETE!) by EllieRose101 (Buffy/Spike, T)

Stained, Ch. 5 by bakedbakermom (X Files crossover, Scoobies, not rated)

Under The Rubble, Ch. 45 by Geliot99 (Buffy/Spike, R)

Chosen One 2: Welcome to the Hellmouth, Ch. 5 by all_choseny (Buffy/Spike, R)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Digital drawing: Willow by lemonharmonica (worksafe)

Gifset: #you know i love a london boy by natscatorrcio (Spike, worksafe)

ASMR sleep video: Spike's crypt on a rainy day while he waits for his show Passions to come on by foxscully89 ()

Go to PROM, they said. It’ll be FUN, they said. by gleafer (Buffy, worksafe)

=

Artwork: Spike by Jorell Rivera ()

[Reviews & Recaps]

Adam Busch gave a fantastic performance - by ArcadeViolet and others

[Fandom Discussions]

Discussion of 3.11 "Gingerbread" (cont'd) by thrasherpix

Lorne's line in Epiphany, A Cop out or not a Cop out? (cont'd) by The Whirlwind, bespangeled, Stoney

Who's your favorite blonde girl that Angel saved? by DarkstarX84 and others

Poorly describe an episode [AtS] by ginime_ and others

If there was another series, parallel one, showing seasons 1-4 according to everyone's memories with Dawn... by Imaginecoolname and others

Describe an episode badly [BtVS] by BluFaerie and others

Nightmares by DifficultRice7075 and others

What makes someone a witch? by stupidhrfmichael and others

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

Original Buffy the Vampire Slayer stars returning for new Audible series about Spike (cont'd) via BAF and PuckRobin

Edmonton Expo 2023 Reports, Pics & Videos [of James Marsters] via jamie_marsters

Everything We Know So Far About ‘Slayers: A Buffyverse Story’ - by Ashley Bissette Sumerel of telltaletv.com

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Join the editor team :)

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, June 18 - Wednesday, June 19

ANGELUS: Well, you're new... and a little dim. So let me explain to you how things are now. There's no belonging or deserving anymore. You can take what you want, have what you want... but nothing is yours. Not even her. WILLIAM: You're wrong. We're forever, Drusilla and me. DRUSILLA: (enchanted) Are we? ANGELUS: Ah, still the poet now, aren't we, Willy? WILLIAM: William. ANGELUS: Right. William. You know, you really should find a new name for yourself. It just doesn't strike the right note of terror.

~~Destiny (Season 5)~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Not Just Research Girl (Ensemble, G) by badly_knitted

England Two, Colombia Nil. (Buffy, Willow, T) by steeleye

A Sheep Among Wolves (Drusilla, T) by worldstealers

Stories With Happy Endings (Tara, T, Matilda xover) by Zetared

good for me for now [Podfic] by storiesfortravellers, narrated by blackglass

That Won't Work on Me (Buffy/Giles, G) by GhostDetective

Division (Cordelia, T, Doctor Who/Glee xover) by gleefulmusings

[Chaptered Fiction]

Lil’ Ripper Makes a Friend, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike, E) by tempestt

Bleed Black, Chapter 17 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Gaia-VoidMother

Dreamscape, Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Holly

Let it burn!, Chapter 5 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Axell

Myth Taken, Chapter 4 and Chapter 5(Buffy/Spike, M) by Twinkles

Breaking the Habit , Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Red_dragon

What You Mean to Me, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike, G) by pinkbox

Prophecy Fulfilled, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, E) by All4Spike

Autumn's Advancing, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Cosmic Tuesdays

Civilized monster, Chapter 18 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Axell

Dreamscape, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Holly

All Except One , Chapter 21 (Buffy/Spike, E) by EllieRose101

In Death, That I May Live..., Chapter 22 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Irishrose

[Images, Audio & Video]

Icons:Willow Icon by sweet_lyri

Artwork:Oz Sketches by artsying-ifer

Screencaps: Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Complete Season 3 Caps by captoit

Video: BTVS - Willow x Tara - Explosion by bigfanofbuffy

Video: BTVS - Fuffy - Live Fast Die Young Bad Girls Do It Well by bigfanofbuffy

Video: Buffy Summers | Look What You Made Me Do by usuallysunny

[Reviews & Recaps]

Where The Wild Things Are (BTVS 4.18) by buffster

New Moon Rising (BTVS 4.19) by buffster

A Buffy rewatch 4x04 Fear, Itself by ettadunham

PODCAST: S5 E7 "Fool For Love" by Buffy Virgin

PODCAST: Episode 024: "Even Ants Love It!" by What The Hellmouth?!

PODCAST: S06E14 - Keep What You Kill - Older and Far Away by Pop Culture Role Call

PODCAST: by

[Community Announcements]

Reminder time! The solstice free-for-all starts in 2 days! by seasonal-spuffy

Reminder time! The solstice free-for-all starts in 2 days! by seasonal-spuffy

[Fandom Discussions]

Spuffy Archive Search by eurydice72

Fic meme by cornerofmadness

Dawn and Buffy’s relationship is super interesting and we should talk about it by mybitca

Why Lilah Morgan is so great by asspansy

Kitten poker by mizjoely

Potential Slayer dichotomy by demandingbillydolls

The missing scene from Life Serial by ofstormsandwolves

Leaving the Hellmouth unguarded? by ofstormsandwolves

Xander and Willow by justletthembehappy and luscious2

Why do anti Bangel shippers say Buffy and Angel love is puppy love by mrsgordo84

Should there have been more scenes between Bangel? by sulietsexual

When did you start to get obsessed with Bangel? by gracenm

Buffy in Chosen by i-only-have-eyes-for-you

Why Season 4 Falls Flat by bethanythevampireslayerr

How do you think Buffy and Cordy compare? by we-pay-for-everything

As the seasons go on what makes you like Buffy less? by we-pay-for-everything

Cordelia Returning to Sunnydale by we-pay-for-everything

Spike is underrated by i-am-satan-hahaha

Thoughts on the comics by ofstormsandwolves

Quick question, the issue where Anya is all buddy buddy with Angel will be part of the Buffy comics? by buffythecomicslayer

Buffyverse and the International community by Faith 2019

Discussion of 6.06 "All the Way" by Multiple Authors

Unpopular Opinions by Multiple Authors

Who was more sexy -- Buffy or Faith by Faith 2019

What if the government had nothing to do with the initiative but the Watchers Council did instead? by Multiple Authors

African American Slayer by Faith 2019

Buffy's Happiest Season? by DeadlyDuo

Is Buffy a Republican or a Democrat? by Faith 2019

Who Would Win? by scsingh93

Watching Angel for the First Time - Darla Appreciation Post by sjsharksfan12

Something that bothers me about Giles by Sasutaschi

Small Facts about the Characters by SosaLola

Angel/Liam by fallrose11

Normal Again, again. Astrology? by LandfillLandline

Some Thoughts on "Passion" by maedocc

Spike’s Sire by _graveboy

Why didn’t Buffy go to Angel’s when on the run from Glory? by chinderellabitch

I am still not over it by ApatheticQuicksand

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

PUBLICATION: The Cast of Angel Is Reuniting… Without Angel by TV Guide

PUBLICATION: BUFFY Meets ANGEL in BOOM!'s First Event Crossover by Newsarama

PUBLICATION: BOOM! Studios reveals a set of new three-part connecting cover illustrations by siphen0

PUBLICATION: Angel #5 will be the official prelude to Hellmouth, the historic Buffy & Angel comic book event. by ohmymithrandir

PUBLICATION: BOOM! Teases Top Secret Buffy Comic for Hellmouth Crossover via Variant Covers by Bleeding Cool News

PUBLICATION: Buffy & Angel meet in ANGEL #5, the start of a historic comic event by Comics Beat

PUBLICATION: EXCLUSIVE: Buffy, Angel Covers Welcome Third, Top Secret Buffyverse Title by CBR

PUBLICATION: Buffy and Angel Cross Over in Buffyverse's Hellmouth Event by CBR

PUBLICATION: How Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed TV and no one noticed by Looper

PUBLICATION: Legacies And Buffy The Vampire Slayer: 5 Ways They Are Similar (& 5 Ways They Are Different) by Screen Rant

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter - Monday, September 14th

Wesley: Of course, training procedures have been updated quite a bit since your day. Much greater emphasis on field work. Giles: (very bored) Really? Wesley: Oh, yes. Not all books and theory nowadays. I have, in fact, faced two vampires myself. Under controlled circumstances, of course. Giles: Well, no danger of finding those here. Wesley: Vampires? Giles: Controlled circumstances.

~~Bad Girls~~

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Five by Five (Buffy, Faith, G) by Aisalynn

Buffy Summers is Dead (Buffy, Spike, Willow, G) by MrSquirrel

They say romance is dead (Angel x reader; Spike x reader; Faith Lehane x reader [Choose your own ending], PG-13) by prose-for-hire

Wounded (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by incendie

[Chaptered Fiction]

The Other One Whom Joyce Loved, Chapter 1 (Lilah/Joyce, M) by filmFreak1

Moments that Make You: The Hero and The Princess, Chapter 47 (Cordelia/Doyle, K+) by myheadsgonenumb

Detention (v.2), Chapter 23 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by Frillyria

Be Brave, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Ajmilone

Queer Eye for the Undead Guy, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Ajmilone

Inside Man, Chapter 9 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Holly

A (Mostly) Comprehensive Guide to the End of the World, Chapter 14 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Annabellee

Rebuilt, Chapter 14 (Buffy, Cybersix crossover) by batzulger

A Touch of Her Style 16: Mission Matters (Buffy/Spike, M) by myrabeth

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:Round 7, Challenge #8: Character Study (Harmony) by emmatheslayer

Video: Buffy & Giles | Young Thing by demonicanthony

Video: faith and buffy ll worse than nicotine Buffy the Vampire Slayer by مستر دردر

Video: Spuffy - Flirt by RatCat92

Video: Spuffy │ Buffy The Vampire Slayer │ Dynasty by Hime Hemera // Amv

Video: Buffy - Dizzy (Willow/Spike) and other vids uploaded by XandraVids

Music:Buffy the Vampire Slayer Intro (8-bit Cover Remix Version) - 2020 by 8 bit remixes

[Recs]

Highlander/Buffy: Dinosaur!verse by darklyndsea (Xander, PG-13) recced by white_sin at fancake

Where's The Doctor, Buffy and the Dalek Slayers, and Dawn of the Doctor by Miss Murchison (Buffy, Spike, dawn, Doctor Who crossover, PG) recced by flow

[Community Announcements]

A Trip Down Memory Lane (Fall 2005, Spring 2006) at Seasonal Spuffy

A Trip Down Memory Lane (Fall 2005, Spring 2006) at Seasonal Spuffy

Halloween Requests sollicited by prose-for-hire

[Fandom Discussions]

Dating Faith and Buffy by council-of-readers

Video: How Much Did Buffy The Vampire Slayer Influence Modern TV Shows? by Geek tea42

Why do people try to retcon Buffy's love confession to Spike continued by burrunjor and others

Darkest season of ATS (show) continued by Joan the Vampire Slayer and others

Why do you, or don’t you, read fanfic? continued by telperion66and others

IOHEFY - what does it even mean? by flow

BtVS rewatch: SEASON 7 (continued: Sleeper) by Stoney, debbicles and others

I just want to find someone who looks at me like Oz looks at Willow by OhMyLanturn

Does anyone else not hate any character? by alpacinos_hair

Dopplegangland by Justeneyyy

Inconsistencies about killing... by [deleted]

Unpopular opinion: Angel IS Angelus with a conscience by Passion211089

Anyone have this emulator ? Buffy the Quest for Oz by JustDaggerz

Which moment in Buffy and Angel made you cry? by cityofangels98

Season 6 rewatch: does anyone else hate Willow's storyline?? by lavenderthembo

Shower thought of the morning: Vampires must have had a much rougher time before the invention of electricity by avanopoly

What parts of the series impacted YOU the most and why? by sunnydale_

Who think that Jonathan should have joined the Scoobies? by fanaticnotfanatic

God Xander makes me angry in “Into the Woods” by jessluise