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sunnydaleherald · 6 months

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, November 1

WILLOW: Did you find Jesse? XANDER: Yeah. WILLOW: Was he dead? BUFFY: Worse. (sits at the end of the table) I'm sorry, Willow. We were too late. And they were waiting for us. WILLOW: At least you two are okay. XANDER: I don't like vampires. I'm gonna take a stand and say they're not good. BUFFY: So, Giles! Got anything that could make this day any worse? GILES: How about the end of the world? BUFFY: Knew I could count on you.

~~BtVS 1x02 “The Harvest”~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Such A Nice Girl (Joyce, Darla, PG) by badly_knitted

Startlingly Moral (Buffy/Spike, T) by acekoomboom

Old Relics and Movies (Buffy, Giles, G) by Greensword101

Trick or Treat Little Witch (Willow/Tara, Xander/Anya, G) by 29PheonixLement

Portents (Buffy/Faith, M) by aliceinwonderbra

Ghostly Fears (Angel, Spike, T) by Celeste Belle

Help (Xander, Spike, T) by Celeste Belle

Trick or Treat (Willow/Tara, Xander/Anya, G) by riah alice drake

Stand Off (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by MillennialCryBaby

All's Fair in Love and War (Buffy/Spike, R) by Behind Blue Eyes

can't fight with you anymore (Buffy/Spike, PG) by sunshine-of-my-lifetime

Thankful or Not (Buffy/Spike, G) by violettathepiratequeen

Take These Broken Wings (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by FoolForSpuffy

Candy Corn Mischief (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by honeygirl51885

The First Annual Spooky Scoobie Party (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by acekoomboom

[Chaptered Fiction]

Through the Looking Glass, Chapter 5 (Buffy, Dawn, T, SG-1 xover) by BrennaLynn

House of Slayer: The Slayer, The Witch, & The Key, Chapter 24 (Buffy, Dawn, Harry Potter xover, T) by BrennaLynn

New York, Chapter 4/43 (Giles/Xander, M) by drsquidlove

Days of Future Past, Chapter 28/34 (Buffy/OC, Angel/OC, Buffy/Angel, M) by a2zmom

Forgotten Memories, Chapter 4/12 (Buffy/Angel, M) by Ilovebooks10

A Family Room at the Heartbreak Hotel, Chapter 11/11 Complete! (Buffy/Spike, T) by julikobold

Unmasking, Chapter 3/4 (Cordelia/Anya, T) by BeatriceEveryTuesday

Her Old Fashioned Boy, Chapter 12 (Giles/Jenny, T) by Bobbie23

Blind Date, Chapter 9 Complete! (Xander, Joyce, M) by Spooksdarkhero

[French language] Du Passé au Présent, Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, T) by guepard54

Shadow Over Hellmouth, Chapter 65 (Buffy/Tara, Ensemble, M) by Tuxedo Mark

1632 Revello Drive, Chapter 2 (Buffy, Giles, T) by A Most Sovereign Lady

Spiderwebs, Chapter 42 (Buffy/Spike, R) by Willow25

Spike v. Logic, Chapter 4 Complete! (Buffy/Spike, R) by Soulburnt

Lover's Walk 2.0 (After When Anne Met Spike), Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, G) by To Be Hers

56 Hours, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Soulburnt

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: ‘I may be dead, but I’m still pretty’ (Buffy, worksafe) by mistyintherivers

Artwork: morning break doodle - I miss these guys (Spike, Angel, worksafe) by simongablelundmark

Gifset: lgbtqcreators battleship bingo — the chosen one (Buffy, worksafe) by sylvielaufeyz

Gifset: lgbtqcreators battleship bingo — free choice (Willow/Tara, worksafe) by sylvielaufeyz

Artwork: Task description - make a copy of the screencaps without using an Eyedropper or drawing over the photo (Buffy, Spike, worksafe) by lialivingart

Artwork: Grom with the gays (Buffy, Willow, worksafe) by pzyii

Manip: Happy Halloween! (Spike, NSFW) by pass-the-dyanmite

Video: Top 20 Most Badass Buffy Summers Moments by MsMojo

Video: 'Slayers: A Buffyverse Story’ Official Trailer by Audible

[Reviews & Recaps]

ReWatch: Angel (the series) S1, E1 - 3 by kimannebb

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 6X02 REACTION | First Time Watching by EvilQK

I AM SO SADDDDDD Buffy The Vampire Slayer | 2x21-22 'Becoming' | Blind Reaction by Vic

Buffy the Vampire Slayer THE MOVIE (1992) | REACTION (With Nicologik Reacts) by JayPeaKay

I'm Crying! // Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episode 2x17 Reaction // My heart is broken! by Brooke Whipple

**RETURN OF THE QUEEN!!** Angel Season 2 Episode 9 "The Trial" Reaction: FIRST TIME WATCHING Buffy by Nick Reacts

Angel 1x20: War Zone Reaction!!! by Victor & Grace Reacts

Thoughts on the Original Buffy Screenplay by Plasticglass456

PODCAST: Episode 41: Amends by Gym Was Cancelled

[Recs & In Search Of]

[Original IWRY Marathon] Entry for IWRY 2023: "In Fair Verona" by melodys_muse recced by iwry_marathon

Top 10 Spuffy fics I’ve read (Oct 2023) recced by mcgnagallsarmy

drsquidlove’s posting New York to AO3. It’s an amazing epic recced by thirteenthblackbird

Rec: Pub Crawl by kangeiko recced by lupines-slash-recs

Advent Calendiles: Calling all Calendiles Appreciators! Feel free to send me asks with short prompts! For each one, I’ll write a 100-word drabble requested by hal-1500

[Community Announcements]

Threesome Month 2023 Has Begun! by btvscrackships

Buffyverse Top 5 Community to Close by buffyversetop5

Q&A with fanfic writer Hannah (Cosmic Tuesdays) on Saturday 11th November 2023!! by Stoney

[Fandom Discussions]

Angel Season 3: Becoming a Parent by andrew-heard

[ask] Do you think Wesley agreeing to help Fred take revenge on the professor is selfishly motivated? asked by angelustheimmortal, answered by we-pay-for-everything

[Musing about Xander being an insert for Joss Whedon] by nancydrewwouldnever

[Spike & The First vs Angel & The First] by krimreader

according to this article, the guy who played Xander tried to get them to do a Xander/Buffy romance in season 7 by aphony-cree

[About Ethan and Giles's backstory] by kindaorangey

This scene makes me absolutely insane. unhinged. absolutely raving. “We missed the bed again” by raisedbythetv89

Slayers: A Buffyverse Story SPOILERS by hermyohkneegranger

[ask] Would be awesome if they make a comic series of cordelia the vampire slayer answered by buffythecomicslayer

jenny and giles are the kind of people who have like a really ridiculous esoteric couples’ costume by jennycalendar

[Giles's relationship with the Scoobies] by coraniaid, likeasouffle

[Spike and the soul lore in 'Slayers: A Buffyverse Story'] by girl4music

[ask] buffy/cordelia for the ship bingo thing? :-) answered by reallyreal-madeingold

one of my absolute favourite ship tropes is when person a calls person b by a name no one else usually calls them by johnsspacesuittight

Fuffy fans / Eliza fans: Here at The Fuffy Agenda we have some breaking news by juanabaloo

Honest Trailer: Buffy The Vampire Slayer '97 started by AlphaFoxtrot

What would the Watchers Council do to Buffy if she succeeded in killing Faith to cure Angel? started by Joshua

Who do you find the most relatable character on Buffy? started by NotASlayer

Angel kind of sucked at romance started by The Whirlwind

Buffy 30 Day Challenge started by Priceless

How likely do we think it is that the watcher's council had been intentionally murdering each of their slayers before they reach full adulthood using the ritual in helpless? by AnyNeck1885

What are your favorite minor vampire moments by The810kid

Giles - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Season 5 by flow

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

NYCC Interview: Christopher Golden & Amber Benson Talk ‘Slayers: A Buffyverse Story’ by thecosmiccircus

NYCC Interview: Charisma Carpenter & Emma Caulfield Ford Talk ‘Slayers: A Buffyverse Story by thecosmiccircus

PUBLICATION: Buffy's James Marsters refused not to be in love with [Redacted] in Slayers by Radio Times

PUBLICATION: Alyson Hannigan nods to Buffy the Vampire Slayer roots with vampire dance on DWTS by Entertainment Weekly

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Join the editor team :)

#btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #slayers: a buffyverse story #ats #angel the series #fan art #fan fiction #meta

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coraniaid · 2 years

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One of the criticisms I’ve seen of Season 7 (and one which I’ve echoed myself) is that the First Evil’s plan to kill all the Potentials and then Buffy doesn’t seem to make sense. After all, Buffy is not the “active” Slayer and hasn’t been since her death way back in Prophecy Girl. Faith, surely, is the only person whose death would trigger a new Slayer to be Called? And I think I had the impression that that had always been the case, something we’d known ever since we met Kendra in What’s My Line. It didn’t seem to make sense that the First wouldn’t know it.

But rewatching Season 3 (and looking around the internet to find write-ups of an interview with Marti Noxon that was published around the start of Season 6), I’ve realized that that’s not right. It’s not Season 7 that’s the outlier here: Season 6 is. It’s only that season that suggests Buffy’s death wouldn’t result in a new Slayer (and that too only implicitly, unless I’ve missed something important).

In Season 3′s Enemies the Mayor explicitly mentions not wanting to kill Buffy because he doesn’t want to deal with a new Slayer. (I mean ... uh, let’s skip over the fact that said new Slayer wouldn’t necessarily be Called in the same town or even the same hemisphere; and let’s forget that she certainly wouldn’t be as much of a threat to him as Buffy herself even if she were. He says it, even if it doesn’t make sense.) And I don’t think there’s any reason to think he was meant to be wrong about that. After all, he certainly knew Faith had been activated as a Slayer after Buffy, and he’s shown as knowing an awful lot about demons and magic more generally.

As far as I can tell, it was only after The Gift that the writers decided not to introduce another Slayer into the mix and came up with the whole idea of Buffy no longer being “active” as a Slayer to justify that. (In fact, if secondhand reports in old alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer Usenet group discussions can be trusted, apparently the writers had said in interviews after Season 2 that Kendra’s death wouldn’t necessarily lead to a new Slayer being called. Which certainly suggests that in the writers’ minds Buffy was the “active” Slayer at the time. Though for what it’s worth I’ve not been able to confirm those claims anywhere else.)

But in canon, I don’t think we know that another Slayer wasn’t called when Buffy died: it’s just that we don’t see her if she was. And why would we expect to? The world’s a big place and there’s nothing happening in Season 6 that would justify the Council sending a Slayer to Sunnydale; or at least not until the very end of the season when it would have been too late.

Anyway, I’m adding “actually, Buffy is still an active Slayer and Kennedy was Called as a replacement Slayer when Buffy died in May 2001” onto the ideas pile for that Season 7 AU I’m (probably) never going to get around to actually writing (to go along with my Drusilla post from last month.)

#btvs #doesn't have to be Kennedy of course #but why not?

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the-anxious-dimosiographe-1989 · 1 year

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Such vampiric patriarchies not only reveal their un-desirability through their direct association with the monstrous but further align their structures with evil through the direct threat they pose to the safety of the Sunnydale teenagers. Both the Master and the evil Angelus pose particularly potent threats to Buffy and her friends, each not only succeeding in destroying part of the teens’ inner circle—Jessie is turned into a vampire at the Master’s bidding to bait Buffy (‘Welcome to the Hellmouth’, 1001/ ‘The Harvest’, 1002), while Jenny Calender is murdered by the sadistic Angelus (‘Passion’, 2017)—but also have a powerful hold over the slayer herself. While ultimately the slayer and her pals vanquish these vampiric patriarchs, Buffy is, at first encounter, powerless to land the killing blow. While it is Buffy’s love for Angel that stays her hand against Angelus (‘Innocence’, 2014), the Master imposes a much more alarming control on the teenaged warrior. It is the power of the Master himself, his authority as patriarchyincarnate, which commands the obedience of the young slayer. Through his hypnotic control over Buffy, the Master is able to remover her ability to fight back, to defend herself against being penetrated by his bite. This control and thrall which the vampiric patriarchy exercises over the slayer suggests the attraction that traditional structures still hold for the teens of Sunnydale. However, the appeal of the patriarchy is again undermined by the inherent corruption of the Master. Rather than offering security and safety for the teens of Sunnydale, the Master’s family is intent on their destruction. The artificiality of the traditional family is revealed through the Master’s bite which violates and drains the life, albeit temporarily, from a disempowered Buffy. Far from providing security and structured guidance for the teenaged Buffy and her friends, patriarchies within the Buffyverse threaten to destroy them, brining chaos and corruption to their ordered suburban world. [15] Just as the conception of the traditional patriarchal family unit as cohesive and stable is revealed within Buffy as a construction and ultimately artificial, so too is the world of the cohesive suburban family revealed to be a fabrication. While certainly the human families of the show’s protagonists are located as ‘good’ compared to the monstrous patriarchy, even these family units are loaded with negative connotations. The families of Buffy, Willow and Xander represent the dysfunction and disintegration of the American nuclear family, highlighting, as Owen explains, the fear of “the fragmented heterosexual, middle-class family unit, and the failures of the rational world paradigm” (Owen 1999, 27). Each of the show’s protagonists’ families are represented as fragmented. Buffy is part of a divorced, single parent household where her absent father is constructed as disinterested in the family he has lost, choosing to enjoy a European vacation with a new fling rather than support his family through Buffy’s Mother’s illness (‘Family’, 5006).

https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/76372636/stevens_slayage_8.1-with-cover-page-v2.pdf?Expires=1667324409&Signature=V-rDW11SR4PknEFxMGcPozPsd0W-Ln5CFaiwbIPofEu-7NvuMySUo6jZnKCGuCmOCHbDPdSvzGf7UV1lMBhn7tbMWO6w2c~iMn7tpHaMLhssugn8Ukl4kOpfX9ptNNiAiAiDmargTqI1EJWi3iVw6EgJKrBUvLcI4M3j00vA~Y6U1B9nXFl-3BZpHK2PIQr7uoTP9tXEXAtXRkf7wEtjQAIUuE4p13ZfHurG6uzzqeNTQya9J5dUHgwVnO4wHcFejfevdFlyYJI9TUXHmHizZMkuSb7KVkcQJ54zdx5nFBqy5oDefbnM3MYu-i8mFNo9mOZU5V0SYiZ7m5c-QtdTOg__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA

#buffy the vampire slayer #patriarchy #academia

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promo-cchm · 5 months

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arc-one • p r e s e n t

opening the bronze here in new orleans had given faith somewhat of an upper-hand on all the supernatural happenings; before they happened. rumors are constantly pouring in and she reveled in the fact that her nightclub was even more banging than willy’s place back in sunnydale. of course, she was still the one giving the beatings for information. her duties as a slayer doubled when this place opened but she never had to worry about how she was going to maintain the rent or utilities. thankful to faith for having done her duties in tracking down and putting an end to a lot of slayers with the potential to dabble in the dark arts the watchers council took care of her bills. living in the spacious loft above her club faith was still expected to continue on seeking out new information about rotten slayers to terminate them.

divergent • c o n n e c t i o n s

marcellus 'marcel' gerard (x)

faith takes notice of a very infamous vampire in the quarter. he knows the inner workings of new orleans better than anyone else on the underground. he likely knows all the hot spots of violence, and where the slayer can find some of the rouge slayers chilling around the city with his expansive amount of connections.

samuel 'sam' winchester (x)

while sam is busy learning more about being a shadowhunter, faith is living her wildest life as a slayer, taking out whoever she deems a threat, along with her own kind when need be. as sam is going by the book, this could make for a very interesting altercation as faith is very set in her ways of slaying.

hayley marshall (x)

this particular hybrid is looking to out all slayers as the baddies, thinking its one of them slaying all the wolves. faith can help in her hunt for 'bad slayers' and also provide the proof she might need to leave the scooby gang alone.

PLOT • A V A I L A B L E • APPLICATION

#rp #rpg #tvd rp #tvd rpg #tw rp #tw rpg #tmi rpg #tmi rp #btvs rp #btvs rpg

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crescentcityhellmouth-rpg · 9 months

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arc-one • p r e s e n t

after angel witnesses the return of the old one illyria ultimately killing one of his close colleagues at angel investigations, the demon disappears and takes his newborn son with her. he is distraught and has no choice but to recruit help in stopping the calamity she could bring about the world. he tracks her movements all the way to new orleans and lets the scooby gang from sunnydale in on the details. ultimately, his biggest concern is that of his child.

divergent • c o n n e c t i o n s

camille o'connell (x)

after arriving in the city, a girl by the name of camille may just seek angel out to pick his brain on a few things. she has studied her family lineage and read up on the notorious vampire angelus - only to find out she is distantly related to him. it may make for a very awkward family reunion.

niklaus mikaelson (x)

it isn't long before angel finds out of the original family and their recent dilemma eerily similar to his own. angel could try his best to explain to the hybrid of illyria and what they believe may be her plan and let him in on where hope just might be found. though this could lead to an altercation.

stefan salvatore (x)

angel had never met a vampire as willing to make up for his wrongs in the past. angelus the monster had commited such heinous things, he wants nothing but to make up for it and stefan salvatore seems to have a similar goal. possibly they could help each other obtain repentance.

PLOT • A V A I L A B L E • APPLICATION

#cchm angel

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snowdrenched · 6 years

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@taramcly

Genevieve knew what it was to be new, what it was to be alone somewhere, to be with many people, surrounded by them and still feel as if you are the only one, as if you were single, as if there was no one else, no one else who could share you position, your feelings, even when with friends, people you believed to be friends.

And so she was determined, very determined, to extend the hand of friendship, of something shared, to the newcomer, the girl who was Willow’s friend, no not friend but girlfriend.

“Willow, she says that you are a witch, that you were always, that it is in your family? That your gifts, that you are very talented. That sounds very exciting!”

#set this when tara is new to the scooby group if that's okay?#because genie would be so interested and enthusiastic about tara's gift and who she is as a person #which is too cute for me to resist #although i'm more than happy to also do something set further on in your post-seeing red main verse/#just let me know if you want a second thread and i'll do one for that too :)#v; sunnydale #taramcly

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prose-for-hire · 2 years

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The Cold Shoulder

(Previous Part)

Pairing: Spike x reader

Request: Not requested. Second part to ‘Frostbite’ from last year, couldn’t not put out at least a little something for Christmas/new year. This starts off a little after the last one ended.

Desc: You and Spike are happily spending the holidays together, recovering from the Scooby Christmas party when a visitor approaches to turn your sleepy celebrations upside down. Will you and Spike make it to the new year? Not if Mr Frosty has anything to do with it.

Warning: Swearing. Some festive violence.

There was a chill in the air, the kind that made your hairs stand on end. There was frost on the ground but this had no effect on the current temperature. The dump was still, it was a silent night to all concerned in the town adjacent to this place. Sunnydale appeared calm in the days following the 25th.

But nobody could see the dark forces that stirred around the dump, stray litter whipping into a frenzy as the wind whistled through the hills made from people’s waste. Here lay the forgotten, the unwanted and the damned.

There was no Christmas cheer here. No good will. No merriment. This was the end of the road.

There, lying on top of the tallest pile of refuse, a deflated Christmas decoration. It had once been a snowman, that had stood at almost 6 feet. Crushed baubles surrounded him, the carving knife still left in his deflated corpse where there was a large slit down his middle. This was arranged as if a festive crime scene.

Mr Frosty.

The air cracked and the sky filled with thick, black clouds as the atmosphere appeared to fill with magic in the form of a thick fog. This magic was not the kind that brought Santa and his sleigh, however. The kind that brought yuletide recrimination knocking at your door.

With the next crack from the sky and flash of lightning that happened to be directed exactly towards the top of that large mound of rubbish, came movement. First an arm. Then a twitch of the head. Just as the fog thickened and the clouds began to cry jagged, icy tears. Which in turn, became thick flurries of snow that landed in the surrounding area.

The snowstorm continued, through the day and into the night. Spreading over the entirety of the sleepy town.

You were lying beside Spike, he had been a little too merry this Christmas and was trying to sleep it off before he got the worst hangover of all time. You had enjoyed yourself too but you hadn’t drunk quite as much. Or, as you had teased earlier, insisted you could handle your drink better. Which rather than a retort, you received a growl as he flipped the V’s.

You had a good meal and the scooby Christmas party was bearable even for spike. He only talked about killing twice and threatened buffy once which, by all accounts, was a success. They were your best friends and you had asked him to make an effort, he murmured ‘only you’ before shaking his head and walking into the party.

He would only do this for you. Because of how much he loved you. I mean, his crypt was still giving Lapland a run for its money and although he (not so) secretly loved it, he would have never thought to decorate if not for you.

When you returned from Buffy’s house, Spike wanted to continue the party. He had raided the liquor before he left and poured you both a glass of something he knew you liked. He was sweet in his own way, nobody could deny that, he had stolen it with you in mind. Plus, it was a victimless crime in his eyes they would probably assume they had just drunk it during the party.

He downed his and you followed his actions. Both of you smiling. He turned to pour another for you both and you moved to the record player. You selected a soft Christmas ballad. Usually he would scoff and try to make you listen to some ‘real’ music instead. But not tonight, tonight he took your waist in both hands, pressing you against him and almost knocking the air from your body. You weren’t sure what was next but you definitely hadn’t predicted that he would take your hand in his, raising it up whilst keeping the other hand on your waist, snaking to your lower back.

He started to move slowly, closing his eyes contentedly. You realised you were moving in time to the music. You were slow dancing.

“Love you, pet. More than any…” He tailed off, his eyes glistened as he moved back just to look at you before breathing the final word, “Anyone”

God you could get so lost in those eyes. He nodded in agreement with himself, leaning into you further and inhaling your scent. He could get drunk solely from how he felt when he was close to you in this way.

You continued to dance, long after the record stopped playing music, the glow of the Christmas lights made the scene appear as if it were something at the end of a Christmas movie. Except, this was your life. Despite how you loved to tease each other so and you of course had your off days, everything just felt so perfect. You were in love. Deeply in love.

Even as long as he had been around, he hadn’t felt it like this. And you had heard his self-descriptor of ‘fool for love’.

You now lay beside him, as he slept in, smiling to yourself as you thought about the Christmas celebrations of the night before. You were wrapped around him, your arms cradling him against you. You didn’t want to move, to change anything about this moment. It was perfection. Waking up to him by your side always was.

This, of course, couldn’t last. An eerie feeling descended. And was that… jingle bells?

“Spike? Spike!” You hissed.

“What? Trying to rest in peace here” he grumbled although he truly couldn’t ignore you for long.

“Do you hear what I hear?” You asked, more urgently this time.

“Do I-?” He started to repeat your words before he went very still.

There was a thumping at the door before it came crashing down, crumbling to the floor completely out of the frame. Spike immediately rose from bed, holding his head as the room evidently began spinning as he did before he stalked up to the upper level of the crypt.

“What is that bloody infernal racket?! And what is that godawful stench – I’ve known corpses with a better smell” You heard him shout before you pulled on some clothes and followed him upstairs.

You gasped when you saw him. You had completely forgotten about him in your loved up Christmas daze with Spike. He had disappeared. And had now, apparently gained sentience. The snowman moved his head to the side. Scanning the vampire he was set to wreak revenge upon. His coal smile turned into a grimace as he spoke, his voice as deep as gravel.

“You may know me as… ‘Mr Frosty’ I believe”

“Oh, yeah, and I’m the little drummer boy” Spike scoffed. “Now, will you Sod off before I rearrange your face?”

You tried to stop yourself from laughing, you really did. But the idea that spike might drop his fighting stance and walk over to take his carrot nose out and swap it for the coal of his eyes made you start to laugh. Spike and Mr Frosty both looked at you bemused as you tried to hide your laughter.

But it was too late. The snowman decided he didn’t like your reaction and started to attack. Spiek didn’t even blink, just threw himself full force into the fight. I mean, he had beat him the first time hadn’t he? He wasn’t the one that had ended up deflated on a pile of crap.

“Bloody hell, you’re strong for a snowman” Spike muttered, moving his fingers around after his latest punch. The snowman lunged at you and you ducked, just in time too.

The fight raged on and you threw things at the snowman rather than throwing yourself into the fight immediately. Spike stumbled back and jumped twice as if he was about to go again. However, he turned to you briefly as the snowman looked for a weapon to use.

“What’s the plan?” He asked you.

“Kill him?” You asked rather than stated.

“Well then get on with it!” He shouted, grabbing your hand and pulling you out of the way as the snowman lunged again, this time wielding a broken liquor bottle.

“What? Me?! Why me?” you asked.

“You bloody brought him into my house! You can get him out again!”

“Our house, Spike, it’s our house and I’m sorry for trying to make a little effort!”

“Little?! The bugger’s bloody ginormous!” He said gesturing the height with his hand wildly, before adding, “Freakishly big if you ask me” As he looked upwards at the full height of the demon.

After holding him off, barely, inside your home you decided to change your plan. You grabbed Spike’s hand and shrieked at him to run. You left the crypt, not realising how bad the weather had become. The snowstorm made seeing even more than five steps in front of you was difficult.

Luckily for you, you could hear the snowman coming every time he moved. There were jingling bells that sounded any time he came near to catching up to you, making Spike pull you into a faster sprint when you heard it.

It appeared after a while, that you had outrun him, at least for now. You slowed to a walk, your hands entwined as you squabbled over whose fault it was that the evil snowman, formerly known as Mr Frosty, had come to life looking for revenge.

Your hands entwined and you squeezed his hand tight, you knew even while you were squabbling you were very much in love with each other. It was something you did for fun sometimes, squabbling.

“I’ve dreamt about this at Christmas” You smiled, admiring the snow.

“You’re tellin’ me you’ve been dreamin’ of a white Christmas?” He said shaking his head at you as you beamed at him. You had, in fact, been about to say this. You began to feel the cold the more you looked at the snow, however. You and Spike hadn’t had time to layer up and you weren’t exactly dressed for the weather.

There they were again. Once brought joy, now fear ran through you. The jingle of bells. He was coming. He managed to cut you off in the direction you ran, moving towards you both as you backed up.

“You think you can kill me? You think you can defeat me?” The voice echoed as he lunged.

“Quicker than you can sing Rudolph the red nose bloody reindeer”

Spike ran at the snowman and punched with all of his strength leading to the circular head rolling off his shoulders. Spike smiled cruelly and kicked the body for good measure but his face dropped slightly when Mr Frosty began reaching for his head to re-attach it.

You both ran for it again, while he was distracted. You ran until you found another cemetery. Spike gestured with his head at a shed. It was used by those that maintained the cemetery you had both stumbled into. It was the same temperature indoors as it was out, but it was at least slightly sheltered and you could catch your breath from all the running you had been doing.

You just hoped Mr Frosty got bored but something told you that wouldn’t be happening.

“It’s so cold” You complained.

“Strip” he said, smiling as if he had just discovered a cure.

“What?”

“We’ll both take off our clothes. Hear it keeps in the body heat” He smirked, an eyebrow raised as he scanned your body. The one he adored to look at so much. This telling you he was more interested in you than your body heat.

“You don’t have body heat to conserve” you laughed and huddled closer to him anyway, with your clothes still on for now. Although, you were still considering just biting the bullet and hoping it would do some good.

You cuddled together for a while but Spike was getting antsy. He didn’t like running, he liked fighting the threat head on. But he couldn’t find a way to get the upper hand. Yet. You spoke for a while, talking about anything and everything. Trying to distract him from his growing irritation at both himself and the situation.

“I’ve always imagined a traditional Christmas, you know - Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…”

“Yeah, well, Jack Frost’s already nipping at my buggering nose” he muttered before standing up and kicking something, “why are we bloody hiding like a pair of-”

He was cut off by the sound of bells, quickly followed by the splintering of wood as the door split open. You were half expecting the walking snowman to call ‘here’s Frosty’ but alas, he wasn’t exactly old enough to make those kinds of references yet, given he was a couple of hours old.

How he had found you, you didn’t know. It was as if he had some sort of tracking device on you both, or perhaps the attachment of revenge was truly that strong.

“Looks like there’s no room at the inn, mate” Spike warned in that menacing way that was so very attractive when you weren’t on the wrong end of it. You nodded along, trying to emulate his stance.

Mr Frosty clearly had now taken on some otherworldly powers, including being made of real snow where he definitely hadn’t been before. The snowman started to land ice-cold blows that just made the pain worse as he fought against Spike. He clipped you which only made Spike fight more ferociously. You kicked the snowman in the middle sending him flying backwards. You silently apologised – you had, after all, brought Mr Frosty into your house and felt kind of sad that you were now trying to get rid of him.

No matter how hard you tried, he appeared to get stronger as the snow continued to add to his strength. Spike, as good as he was at fighting, was beginning to slow. Whether it was the snow or the raging hangover, you weren’t sure. He was still fighting but wearily in the cold as you tried to help.

You decided you had to go for the backup plan when the fight wasn’t being won. You tried the only thing you knew could get you out of something when fighting alone couldn’t help. You took out your cell phone quickly as Spike distracted the threat.

‘Spell 4 killing abominable snowman. FAST’

As you typed you hoped that she would reply with something helpful. And really fast. Luckily for you, she did. As if by magic, she appeared to know the exact spell you needed and promised to recite this at the same time as you did.

You spoke the words she sent and hoped that she had sent you some magic through your cell. It weakened him and the layer of snow began to melt, leaving punctured plastic now showing underneath.

He began to deflate and you side-eyed Spike at the state of his previous wounds. He must have deflated the snowman and he had managed to become living to get revenge. But, really, you were too relieved to be annoyed in any way as Spike appeared to be gaining the upper hand. Mr Frosty had been on sale anyway and it had mostly been bought to tease spike.

“Merry… Fucking…. Christmas!” He said this, between blows as he knocked the snowman down. He disappeared slowly, disintegrating into many flakes of snow slowly cascading to the ground.

“Joy to the world! The snowman’s dead” You cheered slightly in tune to the Christmas carol but Spike let it slide on account that you had both almost died.

You walked back home in mostly silence. Spike slid his hands around your shoulder, keeping you close to him. He almost winced at how icy cold your shoulder felt. He slid his hand around you mostly for his own comfort (he adored being in physical contact with you) but he was also conscious that you were getting colder without your coat on. You smiled, you loved how he could be completely brutal in a fight in one moment and laying the sweetest gestures of affection with you the next. You trusted that he looked out for you and that he knew you looked out for him – in your own way.

The snow was still falling, although not as much as when the storm had been raging. It was like the movies, or on a Christmas card. It was the most peaceful you had seen Sunnydale, under a blanket of the whitest snow. You leaned into spike further as you walked and he pressed a cold kiss against the side of your face.

“Hey Spike?” You asked with a smile as you weaved through the graveyard towards your familiar crypt.

“Yes, pet?” He sighed, although you knew he would always humour you.

“How do you win an argument with a snowman?”

“Already demonstrated that once tonight-”

“Give him the cold shoulder!” You laughed, looking expectantly at Spike to join in.

But he wasn’t having any of it. He needed his bed. His chest rumbled, a warning growl at you as he tried to block the door of your crypt from the cold. After he shrugged, it would do for now and moved further into the living area. You followed him, a glint he would have recognised in your eye as you started to speak.

“Aw, Chill out, Spike. You know I love you… snow much”

He just glared at you and walked towards the bedroom, with you thinking up your best puns as you followed him downstairs. Despite his continuing hangover and his freshly bruised face, he wasn’t really in a bad mood with you. You did appreciate that he humoured your puns.

Even in his worst mood, he tried his very best not to snap or show his irritation with you. Especially not at Christmas.

He rolled into bed and pulled the duvet over his head, grumbling as he went. Something about ‘snow bloody way’ he’s leaving the crypt again before new year. You smiled at him and giddily hurried to slide into bed beside him. You settled in, pressing yourself flush against his back and nestling in the crook of his neck. You whispered hushed assurances of your love, thanking him for always protecting you.

“We could make this a tradition…” You said softly, pressing oh-so-soft kisses against his now warming skin (from your own body heat). He just mumbled a vague agreement as he began to fall asleep although he can’t think why you would want a yearly fight for your life. He was just content with you pressed against him, by his side just like you should be.

You enjoyed the quality time you and he spent together, not necessarily the fight part. Partying with the Scoobies but coming home to the arms of the other. Selecting and decorating the tree. Walking through the snow hand in hand.

You had wanted to start new holiday traditions like this with Spike now that you were together. You just hadn’t banked on the fact that the Hellmouth didn’t take a break for Christmas. For now though, you could relax in bed away from the threat.

Until the same time next year…

#Spike x reader #Spike btvs x reader #Spike x you #Spike btvs x you #Spike imagine #Spike btvs imagine #btvs #btvs x reader #Buffy The Vampire Slayer #buffy the vampire slayer imagine #gender neutral #gn #mr frosty's revenge #btvs x you #btvs imagine

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nileqt87 · 2 years

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Notes on the early development of the Buffyverse in regards to the unaired pilot and Witch being the first episode shot

In regards to the acting coach’s perspective on Buffy season 1 (last reviewing Witch): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tt5L6IeHT4

Witch was actually the very first episode shot.

Many new shows will film a few filler episodes first while the actors are still building their chemistry, so that the first episodes aired will be even better. This was absolutely the reason why Witch was filmed prior to Welcome to the Hellmouth and The Harvest. Might be worth noting in terms of green performances and chemistry. The chemistry is great already, though this is luckily a very fatherly episode for Giles, so it's not as jostling as that slightly creepy, personal space-intrusive version in Welcome to the Hellmouth shot later. In Nicholas Brendon's case with his visible waiting for the next line, outside of the unaired pilot, *this* was actually his first episode.

Obviously, this is one of the cases where the pilot was never aired (for good reason--and not just because of replacing Willow and Flutie) and many times those will have scenes redone for airing. Sometimes things are reshot due to replacing an actor, but without reshooting the whole thing. For example, Smallville had a Martha Kent stand-in due to Annette O'Toole being already cast, but only available at a later date.

In Buffy's case, the unaired pilot was obviously a lost cause. They were still working out how to do major SFX staples of the show like the dusting effect (they tried stop motion before settling on dodgy CGI with no skeletons until season 3), as well. Even the makeup changed a bit over the first season from Julie Benz being the original test dummy for The Lost Boys prosthetics, as can be seen by the white/purple makeup being made more flesh tone. It was her first scene that coincidentally changed the least in the rewrite and performance (except for a costume change) from the unaired pilot to Welcome to the Hellmouth. She also was originally meant to die in what became The Harvest's showdown, but was kept for another episode (and then a lot more episodes!) by having her run away (note how often Darla runs away from danger!) from Willow's holy water.

Darla's costume change became the Catholic schoolgirl look (she was just wearing a floral '90s grunge dress before) that got an explanation in 1x07. Darla doesn't know she's trying to jealously scare off a Slayer (she doesn't know until the mausoleum scene) with the dead guy in the gym locker, but she knows Angel is in Sunnydale and has been following a schoolgirl. Darla later mocks Angel for this, but also exposes her insecurity and jealousy, all the way later in Dear Boy on his spinoff. Angel, of course, is Catholic, so that's another pointed jab. A lot of viewers don't even pick up on the Catholic schoolgirl uniform, which was worn prior to Darla knowing Buffy's secret identity, being that meaningful. The other thing viewers don't pick up on in regards to 1x07 is the in-hindsight meaning of Angel having human blood in his fridge after two decades eating rats and how that potentially affected his ability to socialize with humans and why he knew about delivery day at the hospital in The Dark Age, despite Whistler mentioning blood from the butcher. Something as simple as a costume change got a whole character-building backstory in a later episode. That layer of storytelling was absent in the pilot.

For continuity reasons that weren't because of anything being performed badly like Buffy's hair color and the school library becoming a set (Torrance High's spiral library staircase would've clearly become a hazard for Tony Head!), the footage had to all be redone. Buffy had a slightly longer dialog in the library scene, for example, that is actually something of a loss because it goes into more depth about what happened to her in L.A.

Xander's tour of the school isn't strictly necessary for the plot, but was a chemistry-building scene, and perhaps a remnant of Joss Whedon's intent for him to be the every man who wins the fantasy girl who is out of his league, rather than the female protagonist instead winning her unattainable, forbidden fruit fantasy (the male gaze vs. the female gaze).

Whedon was still being talked into having the Angel character at all back then, originally intending for Xander (notoriously known for being Whedon's not-so-nice “nice guy” self-insert) to be the love interest. David Greenwalt, Marcia Shulman and Gail Berman were Angel's biggest cheerleaders and the latter two (rather degradingly described as "puddles of drool") outvoted Whedon during casting. The WB also only agreed to renew the show (they were actually quite disappointed by season 1) if season 2 contained more Angel and the Bangel romance, which was heavily promoted (look at any of the WB's ad campaigns) and brought in the show's highest ratings (the entire show's ratings peaked at Surprise/Innocence).

Not only was Whedon against casting David Boreanaz, comparing him even to the jocks who beat him up in school and talking about how he hated making a spinoff about a white Alpha male lead as a hero, but he was reluctant to have any good vampires at all. Come season 2, Whedon was also pushing James Marsters up against a wall and threatening to fire him because he was getting too popular. Whedon made the remark that Marsters had it easier than him getting laid because of how he looked (that was on Marsters' second day of work well before School Hard ever aired!). Whedon didn't like it when he ended up with a good vampire sex symbol the first time, then ended up with two sympathetic vampire sex symbols on his show.

Coincidentally, both characters weren't meant to stick around and survived intended final death scenes, as well. Angel was never meant to be more than a cryptic messenger for a few episodes (before he became the love interest or a vampire), then wouldn't have come back from hell if it weren't for the spinoff (which the WB wanted--it wasn't just Whedon being finally impressed by Boreanaz's performance as Grace Newman). Spike was originally intended to be killed by the church organ falling on him. Faith was originally going to hang herself after staking Finch.

For that matter, the original villain of season 2 was meant to be the Anointed One (hence the absurd build-up in season 1 that goes nowhere) until it was apparent that Collin’s actor had grown up too much and wasn’t that successful (cue Spike flash-frying him in a cage), with Whedon reluctant to believe Boreanaz could carry the Big Bad role. Angelus arguably turned out to be the Buffyverse’s greatest villain and Buffy’s most personal. The most subtle foreshadowing was undoubtedly the fact that the production didn’t feel the need to hire Mark Metcalf for a silent performance of the Master in When She Was Bad, so it’s actually Boreanaz (look for his wider mouth shape) beneath the Master’s prosthetics. Buffy’s having nightmares of the Master, but it’s really Angel underneath! When She Was Bad also teases what would happen if it came down to a fight between Buffy and Angel.

Whedon's intentions being outvoted so forcefully by other writers, producers, the network and audience is mirrored by the likes of Sera Gamble attempting to villainize and kill off Castiel (whose Little Mermaid-esque arc arguably overshadowed the Winchesters and created an unintended third lead, no matter how much he was nerfed of his powers and left out of Monster of the Week episodes due to him making human hunters irrelevant) on Supernatural, only to fail with a massive audience outcry and was forced out of the show herself. Shows occasionally get away from their creators or showrunners.

Greenwalt had to also create the soul/curse mythology (massively to the franchise's benefit!) to explain how Angel was the first gray-area exception to Whedon’s black & white world-building where vampires and demons are always bad and only there to be allegories for human problems. This is in stark contrast to today's vampire mythologies that are no longer default-evil and mostly about "choosing boyfriends, the movie", whereas the Buffyverse ended up taking most of its vampire archetypes from Anne Rice, despite Whedon absolutely hating "that crap". Ironically, Rice's vampires are all sexually impotent and murderously evil, despite Louis feeling guilty and eating rats in alleys (sound familiar?). Come the spinoff, it wasn't just Angel, but characters like Doyle and Lorne (not to mention Wolfram & Hart's human lawyers) further muddying that original intent. The Buffyverse was straddling two eras of genre fiction in regards to the development of the evil-to-sympathetic/misunderstood-to-good monster.

The pilot definitely felt like it was a better set-up for Xander to not be so easily friend-zoned, but the friend-zoning is complete here in Witch. That one scene here in Witch actually turns out to be a significant one, and it's especially significant in an episode that was shot first and doesn't contain Xander's rival. By the time that Witch was filmed, it appears the writing staff were aware that Xander wasn't going to be the love interest. The next few episodes also are aware of it, even when Angel doesn't or barely appears. Earlier drafts for Never Kill a Boy on the First Date and The Pack didn't have Angel juxtaposed against Owen/Xander (this episode got the heaviest rewrites of all) or the scene of Buffy (wearing Angel's jacket) and Willow discussing Angel in the Bronze + Xander's jealousy under the hyena spell at all.

Only 25 minutes were presented of a full-length pilot script (dated January 1996) that even contained Angel (back when they hadn't even decided he was a vampire yet and you'll notice the bigger Angel episodes were all the last episodes written and shot with scenes dropped into earlier scripts that didn't contain him before) as a mysterious motorcycle guy who stakes a vampire outside of the auditorium showdown. Boreanaz even mentioned shooting the motorcycle scene in the 20th anniversary special that probably confused anyone who hadn't read the unaired pilot script (which is only a minute fraction of the franchise's older diehards who even know where to get a hold of it!)!

Despite Boreanaz being already cast with a cut scene, it is only Mercedes McNab who is in both the unaired pilot (yet not Welcome to the Hellmouth) and Not Fade Away. Boreanaz is the only actor in both Welcome to the Hellmouth and Not Fade Away. He's also in the most episodes by a far margin. Angel is in 167 episodes, with Willow coming in at 147 and Buffy only 146.

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in-every-generation · 6 months

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@ghxstwrxter sent: "Stop licking the damn thing!"

"It's fine...this toad isn't one of the poisonous ones; or at least I don't think it is. Arwyn said the toxins contained in its skin contain magical properties and can help with astral projection. I thought...if it worked...I could use it as a means of searching the town, seeing if I can pin point our demon."

#ghxstwrxter #ch: sara #v: new sunnydale

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raith-way · 3 years

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Fic Writer Tag Game

My first AO3 fic was posted back in June, of this year, so some of these answers are going to be embarrassing. Most of my AO3 catalogue is oneshots and drabbles, but let’s do this! Thank you @asirensrage for the tag!!

How many works do you have on AO3?

What’s your total AO3 word count?

78,540

How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they?

6 – Bandom (My Chemical Romance, Avenged Sevenfold, Falling In Reverse, Taylor Swift) / Buffy The Vampire Slayer / Fast & Furious / DC Extended Universe (Batman V Superman, Justice League) / (The) Suicide Squad / Marvel (The Avengers)

What are your top five fics by kudos?

Keeping Us Down Is Impossible – The Suicide Squad (2021) / Rick Flag x Reader / Oneshot / Summary: You’re on a mission with a new team, thinking about your original team, only to find out part of that team is here. One thing is clear: You are going to survive this mission, and so is Rick Flag. / Kudos: 42

Things Are Getting A Little Hazy – Buffy The Vampire Slayer / OFC x OMC / WIP / Summary: Grace Blackburn’s great destiny was to give Angel a choice, and his decision sets the future for Sunnydale. With visions of the end and the formation of strange friendships, Grace navigates the new direction her life has taken while trying to convince her new brooding vampire bestie that he can be happy. AU after BTVS Season 3 & ATS doesn’t exist. / Kudos: 5

One Step At A Time – Fast and Furious / Jakob Toretto x OFC / Oneshot / Summary: Everything around them is being destroyed, and all they have is a moment. Just this one moment. / Kudos: 3

Memento Mori – DCEU (Post Justice League) / Bruce Wayne x OFC / WIP / Summary: Ryan Lopez should be six feet under, or at least be reduced to ash along with her former life. Instead she was trapped in the corporate world of Gotham, with nothing but cryptic messages from a grandfather she never knew and a soldier who acted like her butler. Not to mention that there was something very wrong with that Bruce Wayne guy. / Kudos: 2

Mistakes – Suicide Squad / Rick Flag x OFC / Oneshot / Summary: Rev waits at Belle Reve for Rick to return from a meeting, and not just because she wants to see him in his too-tight suit. (But also so she can see the way he looks in his too-tight suit.) / Kudos: 2

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, because I like letting readers know that I read their comments and appreciate that they took the time to leave a comment.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

That would be a oneshot, Washing Away Reality, in the DC (Batman) fandom.

Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Not really? Two of my fics crossover, but they’re both in the same DC Universe so I don’t think that counts.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Nope.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I don’t have any posted, yet, but I do write it. The kind depends on the fic and the character perspective I’m writing in. Sometimes it’s more vague, some scenes focus more on the emotion of the moment, and others are more graphic.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I’m not even sure how to answer that. Out of all the fandoms? I definitely can’t choose. Out of my current fics? My all-time favorite ship is probably Grace Blackburn (OFC) and Eliot Greenwood (OMC), from my BTVS fic Things Are Getting A Little Hazy. Their relationship is practically destined.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish, but don’t think you ever will?

My band fic, Soundtrack Of The Revolution. It’s planned out, all 400 chapters of it, but I’ve been working on it for a decade. I’m not giving up, but we’ll see if it ever gets completed.

What are your writing strengths? What are your writing weaknesses?

Someone who’s read my stories would have to tell me my strengths, because I have no clue. I just ramble sentences onto a word document and hope that it makes sense. My weaknesses would probably be my descriptions. I overly describe things and occasionally go off on tangents, which causes my chapters to be ridiculously long. I consider that to be a weakness.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I try not to do it, because I’m only fluent in English, but I will write dialogue in another language with the help of Google Translate. If I get it too wrong, hopefully someone will correct me. When I can though, I prefer to just mention that the character is speaking in another language without having to actually write the other language because I don’t want to butcher it.

What was the first fandom you’ve written for?

This question hurts my soul. The very first fandom? It would have to be a band fic, probably Avenged Sevenfold, way back in about 2006. Thankfully, all of those fics have been lost to time and will never be read by anyone ever again. Knowing that helps me sleep at night.

What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

This is such an unfair question, because how do I pick just one? My favorite fic, that I have personally written, isn’t posted under this name so it’ll have to remain a mystery. My favorite fic that I’ve written under this name, has to be Soundtrack Of The Revolution. Yes, it’s a band fic even though those stopped being popular over a decade ago. I also realize the irony of my favorite fic being the fic that I'm not sure if it'll ever be completed. It’s the most self-indulgent fic that I have ever written, and I��ve been working on it off-and-on since 2009. Seeing how it’s changed and what has remained the same over the years is mind-blowing, and I truly love the story and the characters. So, yeah, it’s my favorite.

Tagging: @wordspin-shares @thecharmedburrowspn-files @lokitrasho @reggiemantleholdmyhand-tle @darknightfrombeyond @stanshollaand @captainrcgers @jinxsflame @jewelswrites-ish @hiddenqveendom

#fic writer tag game #tagged by siren #thank you!!#i know it's a rambling mess #but it was fun to answer!#also #if i tagged you #you can completely ignore it

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inkandpen22 · 3 years

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Beautiful Angel of Darkness (8/8)

Pairing: Spike x Female!Reader

Warnings: Mild fluff

Word Count: 1.5k

Part Summary: Y/N falls apart after Spike disappears again and can’t find the way back until something snaps Y/N out of it

A/N: FINAL PART!!! Woohoo the first end to one of my series! I hope you all enjoy :)

Masterlist

A week later...

Emptiness. All I feel is emptiness. For the last six months, I've been running toward finding my new purpose in this life. Then, one day Spike appears and knocks me off course. The walls and foundation I built grumbled into nothing. I am nothing. I feel nothing. In his absence, I'm nothing.

There's a knock on my front door for which I ignore.

"Y/N!" I hear Angel call from the other side of the door. "Y/N, answer the door."

For the last week, I've laid in my bed waiting for some absolution. I stare out my window from dusk until dawn, yet nothing happens. Upon my silence, Angel wiggles the nob to learn that it was unlocked the whole time. He storms into my apartment calling my name until he appears in the doorway to my bedroom.

"Y/N, no one has heard from you in days," he sighs as he approaches my bedside.

My eyes remain fixated on my window. I watch as the branches on the tree wave in the wind, leaves fall from it with each passing breeze. Taking a seat on the edge of my bed, Angel releases a deep sigh.

"Spike returned to Sunnydale," he tells me quietly.

"I know," I speak for the first time in days.

"He...um... " Angel stammers as he reaches into his coat pocket to reveal a piece of paper. "He stopped by the office before he left a few days ago. He wanted me to give you this. I was reluctant but Fred insisted."

Gently, he places the folded-up paper on the edge of my bed beside my hand. I don't react, instead, I remain as I am, as I've been for the last few days.

Angel brushes his hand over my cheek and rises from my bed. "I'm here if you need me," he assures quietly. He starts toward the door but stops in the archway. "He's not worth your pain, Y/N," he mutters over his shoulder. "I'll be back later to check on you."

Once I hear him enter the hall, I lift the piece of paper and begin to unfold. Soon, Spike's handwriting is revealed on the small parchment. It's evident it was a last-minute decision, being on an official Wolfman & Hart labeled paper.

My Love,

I leave Los Angeles without you with great despair, a sense of pain I haven't felt in centuries. You are my dark angel. I'm nothing without you. My soul belongs to you.

I will love you always and forever.

Yours,

Spike

Memories flash across my mind like seconds of light. My entire human life was superficial and ordinary. Then, I met Spike and I felt instantly that he was my dark angel sent to lead me through life. One, in particular, stands out to me, the moment I knew wholeheartedly that I was where I was meant to be.

“Okay, one more time,” he so kindly does it again.

I huff, growing slightly frustrated that I’m missing it and losing my streak.

An IL word, how hard can it be?

“Is it a phrase?” I question aggressively. It’s the one solution.

He hums, a mischievous smirk appearing on his lips.

To help me figure it out, I begin to name the letters out loud.

“I, L, O, V…” I stop saying them, but Spike continues writing out the letters.

Slowly, I turn onto my side and Spike’s hand slides to my waist. A faint smile remains on his lips as he brings his fingers to my temple and brushes my hair back. His eyes search my face with such admiration.

“I love you,” he reveals quietly between us.

A breathless laugh escapes my lips as I leap to wrap my arms around him. He falls onto the bed with laughter. I climb on top of him, utterly exploding with happiness.

“You love me?!” I question for positivity.

He snickers, amused by my reaction. “Don’t believe me?”

He sits up, resting against the headboard, and grips my waist. “Yes, Y/N, I love you! I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you!”

I cup his face, pressing my lips to his. I can’t help but smile against the kiss. I want to make this moment last forever. I break away, realizing I haven’t said it back yet.

“Oh! I love you too! I love you so much!” I rush out.

He smiles brightly, “I was hoping you would.”

His hand wraps around the back of my neck and he brings me in for a gentle kiss. I’ve fallen under his spell, he’s utterly immaculate. Every moment with him is magical. I want to make up for every minute we spent apart before we met. As long as Spike’s mine, nothing bad can ever happen to us.

We rest our foreheads against one another, starring at each other’s eyes.

“From now until forever,” he promises me.

“Forever,” I repeat the vow, meaning it wholeheartedly.

God, I love him so much. My entire world is him. He’s the sun, the moon, everything. I will love him for eternity.

As if resurrected and given a second chance, I rise from my bed and hurry to get dressed. I gather a bag of a few items that I can fit and rush down the hall to my living room. When I get out there, Angel is sitting in the armchair on the phone. When he sees me enter the room, he hangs up quickly.

"Y/N?" He first says with confusion, then with seriousness. "Y/N! Where are you going?" He urgently questions as he flies up from his position.

"Sunnydale." I grab my keys off the side table and march toward the door.

Angel follows me like a shadow to the door as I swing it open. "Are you crazy?!"

I chuckle wickedly and glance over my shoulder at the vampire. "Absolutely mad," I wink as I walk off.

_______________________________________

From atop the mausoleum, I watch as Spike returns from the Bronze. Even after almost a year, Spike hasn't changed his routine. I suppose I should be thankful since it made locating him much easier. He walks with a sense of gloom about him, instead of the usual confidence and lack of care. I smirk as I leap down from the roof onto the leaf-covered grass. Spike halts and whips his head around to investigate the sudden thud. I linger in the shadows and out of sight to his annoyance.

"Who's there?!" He barks and awaits a response as he spins around. When he doesn't receive one, he huffs. "Whoever it is, it's Halloween! Take the night!"

He starts to march off toward his tomb and I follow a few yards behind. It's sort of ironic now that I think about it. He must've done this when we first met. He hunted me like prey, lingering in the shadows. I felt his presence and now he feels mine. It's funny how the roles have reversed. He found me and now I must find me.

"I said back off!" Spike snaps as he stops dead in his tracks. "We don't hunt on Halloween!"

"That's a shame," I chuckle lightly as I hide. "Halloween was always my favorite..."

"Y/N?" Spike mutters to himself, unsure if it's real.

I emerge from behind a nearby tomb and approach him stealthily. His crystal eyes meet mine in awe.

"Here I am," I smirk.

"What are you doing here?" He questions quietly.

I circle him with a mischievous grin as he did when we first met. Our little game of cat and mouse continues, except this time I'm the big bad cat.

"Some blonde, problematic, North London vampire left me this note, would you happen to know anything about that?" I tease.

I stand behind him, gliding my fingertips across his back. He inhales sharply with a hiss at my touch. The reaction makes me giggle.

"Perhaps," he answers, his voice a tad shaky.

"I read it. Quite short, but there was something about it...The words made something snap inside my head. It was like I was dreaming and rose again," I describe the experience.

"Is that so?" He plays along and I can feel his body relax.

"It was like someone turned on a light." I pause to whisper in his ear, "a sweet cure."

"And now?" He presses, filled with curiosity.

I step to stand before him and I meet his beautiful eyes directly. They've haunted me for months and I finally have them starring into mine again.

"Nothing else matters," I tell him.

Hesitantly, he reaches up and caresses my cheek with furrowed brows. "You've come back to me?"

I nod, leaning into his touch.

"I've always loved you," he confesses breathlessly.

"I know... and I never stopped," I confess softly in return as my eyes fall shut to ponder the sensation of his hand.

"You and me forever?" He questions urgently as he cups my face.

I nod gently and bring my hand to cover his. "All time."

The edge of his lips curves upward to a light smirk as he leans down and brings them to meet mine. I'm electrified by the feeling and am reminded that my place in the world is with him. For all eternity.

________________________

Masterlist

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

#btvs fanfic #btvs imagine #btvs #Buffy The Vampire Slayer #buffy summers #buffy #spike #spike fanfic #Spike x Buffy #spuffy

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sunnydaleherald · 6 months

Text

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, October 29th

Willow: A time-honored classic! (holds up a ghost costume) Buffy: Okay, Will, can I give you a little friendly advice? Willow: It's not spooky enough? Buffy: It's just... you're never gonna get noticed if you keep hiding. You're missing the whole point of Halloween. Willow: (smiles) Free candy? Buffy: It's come as you aren't night. The perfect chance for a girl to get sexy and wild with no repercussions.

~~Halloween~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Trust by veronyxk84 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

A gift for Buffy by Sapphire77 (Xander & Spike, Spike/Buffy, T)

Not a dark prince by Stand_with_Ward_and_Queen (Angel & Spike, T)

The Granny Slayer by stelladonna (OC, Buffy, Giles, T)

Imagine Losing your virginity to Rupert Giles by what_immortal (Giles/Reader, rated E by author but is not explicit)

The First Annual Spooky Scoobie Party by acekoomboom (Buffy/Spike, anthology rated NC-17)

Cold Comfort by scratchmeout (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Hardships by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, collection rated R)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Forgiveness Doesn't Come Easy, Ch. 1 by slaymesoftly (Buffy/Spike, NSFW)

John and Buffy series, part 1-4 by Slaymesoftly (Buffy/Spike, rating ranges from G to M)

New York - Chapter 1-2 crossposted by drsquidlove (Xander/Giles, M)

Plenty of Fish, Ch. 16 by all_choseny (Buffy/Spike, PG)

L'amore troverà la via, Ch. 14 by Violette-Milka (Buffy/Spike, NC-17, in French)

Willing Slave, Ch. 39 (COMPLETE!) by Sigyn (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

It's Easy Time, Until It's Not, Ch. 28 by hulettwyo (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

Under The Rubble, Ch. 55 by Geliot99 (Buffy/Spike, R)

Twice Broken, Thrice Burnt, Ch. 17 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Closure, Ch. 19 by The Danish Bird (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

New Normal, Ch. 21 by holetoledo (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

Destiny or Choices Made? Ch. 21 by charmed4lifekaren (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Where Clocks Don't Tick, Ch. 4 by Willow91 (Buffy/Spike, R)

When Anne met Spike, Ch. 4 by To Be Hers (Buffy/Spike, G)

Spike v. Logic, Ch. 3 by Soulburnt (Buffy/Spike, R)

56 Hours, Ch. 3 by Soulburnt (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Hell Hath No Fury, Ch. 1 by the_big_bad (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Uncontrollable Urges, Ch. 1 by bewildered (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

56 Hours, Ch. 3 by Soulburnt (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Magic of Sunnydale, Ch. 2 by Buffyworldbuilder (Harry Potter crossover, Buffy, ensemble, FR15)

Twice Broken, Thrice Burnt, Ch. 17 by ClowniestLivEver (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Autumnal Shorts, Ch. 28 by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, R)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Gifset: A Witchy Quote from Tara by charmedslayer (worksafe)

Manip: Cozy little tomb with a view by moirabarrie (Buffy/Spike, worksafe)

Manips: Spike and Buffy picked each other's costumes for Halloween by MoiraBarrie (Buffy, Spike, almost worksafe - sexy costumes but only moderate nudity)

Comic: Told ya! by Axell (NC-17)

Vampire cosplay (game face makeup) by GHBoyette ()

[Reviews & Recaps]

[The whole doomed alternate universe angle in The Wish] by coraniaid

I think Amends is pretty good by coraniaid

[David Boreanaz' face acting in Halloween] by thesearemycurrentobsessions

Little gems - BtVS Season 1 by Stoney and Priceless

Seeing Red S6 E19 (Buffy and the Art of Story Podcast) by Lisa Lilly

[Recs & In Search Of]

Top 5 Late 2022 Works recced by yourlibrarian

5 great 2023 Summer of Giles fics recced by sparrow2000

5 great 2023 vids from SlayerVid recced by sparrow2000

[Community Announcements]

Signups are now open for Buffyverse Secret Santa

The Original IWRY Marathon could use a lot more people signing up

Signups are now open for Buffyverse Secret Santa Gift Exchange

[Fandom Discussions]

The striking difference between Cordelia and Buffy (and therefore between Cangel and Bangel) and a fanvid rec by girl4music

Worst act by a Hero? by The Whirlwind and others

Does anyone else just not like Fred? by ThrowAwayFoodMood

Is there an ideal "jumping off" point for Angel? by ChildrenOfTheForce

What Buffy episodes don't feel like Buffy episodes? by breakfastisconfusing

Giles - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Part 4 (Season 3) by flow

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

James Marsters & Juliet Landau Hal-Con 2023 Reports, Pics & Videos via jamie_marsters

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

#btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #angel the series

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melonsmessymusings · 3 years

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How come Giles never got arrested and charged with Jenny's murder? Like surely the Police would take one look at the situation and conclude he killed her. Yes, there might not be lots of literal evidence but who else is it going to be? Giles is more than capable of breaking someone's neck, he's killed before, history of violence, he's the boyfriend and they always say it's someone close to the victim. I'm just confused how he escaped a prison sentence, any ideas?

Bloody hell Anon, really? There's a few ways of answering this but wither way, it’s a long one. Oh and here's the disclaimer that although I’m genuinely a qualified Legal Professional in the outside world and it is my day job, that's for English Law not American, plus I specialise in Civil not Criminal Law...which is different. Anyway, here’s why Giles didn’t get arrested and charged with Jenny’s murder:

Insufficient evidence.

That's what it boils down to. You can't go charging people with murder all willy nilly without a shred of proof. And you can't be detained by the Police without a charge brought against you (very simplified).

We've all watched how Police Investigations go on TV. CCTV, pathology and forensics would eliminate Giles as a suspect. It was 1998, not the Cretaceous Period, it’s not difficult to confirm his whereabouts. Even the most useless Police Department in the world would figure out pretty quickly that Giles had nothing to do with it. They probably kept him for three hours, tops.

They could potentially detain him for is obstructing a murder enquiry. And if he said he had no idea who could've done it, they're likely to believe him. Especially given the almost catatonic state he was in when talking to that officer at his flat. If they thought he knew more than he’s saying (possible, though unlikely), then perhaps they'd press further. Due to his clear emotional distress and being forensically eliminated as a suspect, they'd maybe just give him a ‘friendly’ reminder to call them if he remembers anything. Tbh given the amount of mysterious murders in Sunnydale, they'd not be hurried in finding the killer. Obviously, like I said, it'd likely be a tad more complicated but I'm not well versed in American Police procedures, so idk for sure.

So I’m going to teach you about how the English Legal System would approach this, in super-basic terms. While it is different to America, most of the principles are the same/similar, and illustrating exactly why Giles couldn’t be charged will probably help. I’ll even chuck in a few case citations/examples for good measure.

Murder is the most serious Unlawful Homicide Offence, a Common Law Offence. This means that it isn’t contained within an Act of Parliament, so there are no explicitly set directives to follow. However, in the 17th Century, Sir Edward Coke (fancy, influential English dude) defined it, and this definition is still widely used today. It says that murder is the “unlawful killing of a reasonable creature in being, and under the Queen’s Peace, with malice aforethought, express or implied”.

In order for a charge to be brought against someone, the Crown Prosecution Service (the equivalent is the U.S. Attorney’s Office) have a checklist of criteria that needs to be met. If one of these isn’t, there may be insufficient grounds for a charge brought against the defendant to be successful in Court. Also, the burden of proof is on the Prosecution, they need to have a watertight case to secure a conviction “beyond reasonable doubt” in Court. It can get quite confusing but essentially, it’s innocent until the Prosecution proves otherwise.

There’s two key components of a crime: Actus Reus and Mens Rea. Guilty Act and Guilty Mind. We just use the Latin to sound pompous and confusing because we’re English and apparently it’s necessary. Without one, you can’t have the other.

The Actus Reus of murder is “unlawful killing of a reasonable creature in being and under the Queen’s Peace”. It’s split into 4 parts:

Jenny’s death must be unlawful, which it was because it wasn’t a justified killing (Clarke and Morabrir), e.g. meaning not in self-defence.

Causation, but it’s easier to hang fire on that for now.

Was Jenny a ‘reasonable creature in being’? Yes, according to the criteria established in Attorney General’s Ref No.3 1991 and Malcherek and Steel (she’s not an unborn baby, nor braindead).

Did she die under the ‘Queen’s Peace’? Yes, because it didn’t happen in a war-time situation.

If all parts are ‘satisfied’ then the defendant will be found to have an Actus Reus and we move onto the Mens Rea.

Establishing a Chain of Causation then. This is where it gets a bit more complicated. The defendant (Giles) must have both Factual and Legal Causation for Jenny’s death. For factual, we use the ‘but for’ test. Would Jenny have died ‘but for’ the defendant's actions? (R v White (1910)). For Legal, we must ask if the defendant’s actions were the “operating and substantial cause” of death/injury (Malcherek and Steel). The defendant’s conduct must “contribute significantly” to Jenny’s death (Benge). Giles has neither of these, so there is no chain of causation, therefore the second part of the Actus Reus cannot be satisfied and thus, the Prosecution cannot proceed.

You could then discuss New Intervening Acts (we also use Latin for this bit but I cba) to see if anything else happened that could’ve broken the chain of causation, for instance gross misconduct of a medical professional. Seeing as Giles has no causation for Jenny’s death based on the evidence that the Police will have gathered (not from what we as an audience already know), he can’t be charged. They may suspect he had something to do with it, but in all genuine honesty, I doubt it and they couldn’t prove it in Court anyway.

So they can’t do him for murder. They could try to get him for manslaughter (accidental death), in this case either Gross Negligent Manslaughter or Voluntary Manslaughter, but again, there’s insufficient evidence and it wouldn’t be pursued by prosecutors. Other than that, unless Angelus planted evidence to frame Giles, our Watcher remains a free man.

So let’s look at the ‘evidence’ then. Giles is a big guy. 6ft1, relatively strong (he’d have to be to train Buffy), much bigger than Jenny and he’s the boyfriend. The scene where the body was found appeared to be that of a romantic evening between the happy couple. Giles could’ve lost his temper and resorted to violence, lashing out and killing her. Any investigator taking one look at the tweed clad, stammering Librarian (who called to report the crime himself) would figure that he isn’t a likely suspect.

Pathology would prove that Jenny’s time of death was before Giles came home, likely by over an hour. CCTV from the school car park would show Giles leaving at least 30 minutes prior. His car registration/model would be picked up on various cameras in Sunnydale on his way home/wherever he went. They’d find Jenny’s classroom and forensics would show DNA from another individual that matches prints on the body (Angelus) but obviously that wouldn’t be in the system, so it’d likely be a cold case with the killer having never being found. There is no evidence.

Also, Giles can have ‘violent tendencies’, but arguably only in times of distress. The Police wouldn’t think this unless they looked at his medical record. Even if they did, so what? Sunnydale is full of weird shit and the school librarian apparently gets bi-weekly concussions, big deal? Maybe he just gets hit on the head by falling books? The Council also likely purged any criminal record Giles obtained during his ‘Ripper rebellion’ so there would be nothing on the system to indicate he has violent tendencies, nor that he has killed before.

My initial reaction was to scream “BECAUSE HE DIDN’T BLOODY KILL HER!” from the rooftops but that wouldn’t have been helpful... Hopefully this wasn’t too confusing though... :)

#btvs #giles #i mean i did warn you this was a long one #also this is the extrememly over simplified version #its actually far more complex #but its also 4:30 am so like...#meta #i guess technically it is

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