#faith stealing buffys body away from her in who are you and willow stealing buffys body away from her grave. is that anything. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

prose-for-hire · 4 years

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I [still] know what you did last Halloween...

Part one // Part Three // Part Four

Pairing: Scooby gang x reader (platonic)

This is the second part to a platonic story with the reader as part of the Scooby gang. Set season 3. This is a multi-parted serial killer/slasher fic for Halloween. Yes, I had to include Spike. Yes, I am sorry. Reader lived with Giles, but is not related.

Warning: It is a serial killer fic, main characters are going to die (I’m sorry, it’s Halloween). Violence. Blood mention. Alcohol consumption. Swearing.

Sunnydale students: SOS

Sunnydale Express, October 1999.

The Sunnydale slasher strikes again, leaving one teen dead and two injured. There was a house party last night [12/10/1999] which left the student body with one less. The identity of the teen, who is yet to be identified based on extensive injuries should be announced to the public after the family is informed.

However, it makes us at the Sunnydale Express question: was it the teens fault for breaking curfew?

It was the day of the funerals. There was to be two back-to-back.

The first funeral was Giles’. It was an intimate ceremony, the core group and a Watcher who had never met Giles alive. He was there to ‘oversee’ matters but Wesley told him where to go. This had surprised you, the man wasn’t usually so forthright but he had appeared to be fond of Giles in some way.

Your group stood, staring into the open grave. You were now minus two members. There had been some crying earlier, but everyone’s faces were stony now. As if they were set in place. Exhausted from crying, not sure if you would die from dehydration if you wept another drop.

All of the colour had been sucked out of the world and you were all now aware that you were only briefly passing through this life. You weren’t aware everyone else was sharing your cynical thought, but they were.

You felt the most immeasurable guilt. You felt guilty for Giles’ death. For being the reason he was gutted so brutally. Used to write a crude message on the wall. His life had come down to being the ink in someone’s pen and it angered you that this was what his life had been reduced to. But mostly, it sickened you.

And, as Willow tapped you on the shoulder and gestured that it was time. Your mind still trying to wrap your head around the imagines you had seen in the past week. It was never going to get easier.

It was all a blur. It was screaming and rushing of bodies all around you.

The room had started to thin. Only the injured and your friends remained. Willow had started to mutter something, a kind of protective spell - she grabbed your hand needing your strength.

The slayers danced around each other, their fight mean and brutal. he appeared human, but his reflexes were good. Almost, too good.

He was blocking them at every turn. He appeared to be enjoying it. He was studying them. Learning their movement. Anticipating what would come next. They fought hard. Buffy hissing as the tip of the scythe cut into the flesh on her upper arm.

Then it happened. You could barely stomach thinking about it. Xander had walked into the room-

Xander had been a good friend to you. He was never perfect and you liked that about him, he never pretended to be someone he wasn’t. He looked out for you and he had been there for you when you had almost broken down and run to the police months ago. He had been firm that it had to be kept secret what you had done, but never refused you a shoulder to cry on.

His funeral was a lavish affair, his parents turning on the waterworks despite everyone knowing how they would treat him at times. They had paid for only the best, with a large number of people attending. The church was packed out. It made you wander that if any of them knew what he had been involved in with the rest of you, would they be so quick to say they had always liked him? Always seen him as brave and strong?

Any time the family saw any of the people that were there that night they scowled. They glared. And they burst into more tears. Why were you spared, when he wasn’t?

The six of you huddled together. Oz was more distant than usual, his hand on Willow’s shoulder as she couldn’t control her sobbing now. Buffy was sat with you, trying to hold it together as you wrapped an arm around her - willing yourself not to fall apart either. Cordelia and Faith had started bickering. It was getting progressively louder and your group was getting funny looks. They eventually stopped but only when the priest shushed them and started to say the final words before Xander was cremated.

Bravery. It was a word that had been said a lot that day, in that stuffy church hall. But it rang true, clearer than the tolling bell.

He had been brave.

Everything stilled when he entered the room, as if time had been slowed for that one moment. And who knows, maybe it had. It was Sunnydale. The masked figure stopped fighting Buffy and stepped over an injured party-goer. He had been waiting for this. the guest of honour.

The masked figure had just been killing time fighting the slayers. Xander’s fate was decided before he had got to the party that night.

Xander’s face had twisted in horror, his eyes met yours and you started to scream. He nodded, resigning himself to what was coming. The figure swung his scythe back, shrugging Faith off him who had tried to tackle him and swung at Xander.

A sickening noise. A splatter of blood sprayed the entire room. Willow dropped your hand in horror, stunned into silence as Xander’s head rolled to Buffy’s feet, the same look in his eye.

There were media crews set up everywhere outside the church. They were using Xander to tell their stories. It would anger you, but you felt too washed out to say anything. You didn’t even comment when you overheard Harmony on her fifth interview, now talking to the local news outlet.

“Did you know the victim well?”

“Well, yeah. He was a total dork- which was so cute we all loved him” She smiled saccharine sweet making sure nobody had noticed her initial look, “Like, everyone wanted to date him he was a total stud-bucket”

“Were you there that night?”

“Yeah – everyone was, duh! But Carrie totally crashed and I don’t hang around with losers. Even being seen with her is like social suicide!” Harmony maintained firmly, as if that was the most important thing she had been interviewed on, “So I left early”

“Okay- that’s great Harmony. One last question: how are you and the rest of your high school class going to cope after this devastating loss?”

“Well, we’re all gonna graduate as long as we’re not all dead first. I am going to be a counsellor at Camp Crystal Lake in the summer. I’m just pleased to have a break from Sunnydale – senior year has been kind of a bummer so far what with the killings” Harmony shrugged and turned away, swishing her long blonde hair as she walked and her clique followed her. Even Cordelia rolled her eyes as Harmony walked past your group.

You stood motionless for a moment, it felt like a second to all of you but to onlookers there had been enough time to paint a detailed impressionist painting. The only title fitting was: loss.

“Where do we go from here?” someone finally spoke up.

“To the function”

“I-I don’t think I can” Willow sobbed into Oz’s shoulder.

“It’s worse if we don’t show our faces. Even if it’s just for a minute…” You suggest, really wishing the words hadn’t come out of your mouth. You didn’t want to have to face Xander’s family again, “Angel said he might come, what with the sun going down soon”

“Free alcohol. Score” Faith smiled.

“You’re right” Buffy said, still staring into the distance.

“You wanna get drunk?” Faith raised an eyebrow that lowered when Buffy shook her head.

“No. Y/n’s right. We should go. But we all need to talk – in private, when our heads are clearer. Need to figure out what’s going on” Buffy spoke, her usual self-assured tone was weakened slightly. Her voice hoarse from all of the crying.

You all nodded distantly, walking into the function room together, but feeling miles apart.

Death! Destruction! Mayhem!

Sunnydale Express, October 1999.

Rioting of many stores in the centre of town has been widely reported by those on the ground. Many young people, have taken to the streets to ‘protest’ the curfew. These troubled teens do not understand the importance of hard work and have instead taken to looting and picking up where the killer left off: damning our town.

They have old friends to meet; Disco music to dance to and big ticket items to steal from struggling small businesses.

Meanwhile, the death toll of the cases related to the ‘Sunnydale Slasher’ is now 5, and we ask the residents of Sunnydale: when will they learn?

You walked into the magic shop, one of the only shops on the row that appeared to be untouched. Maybe people knew better than to loot a magic shop. The rest were fair game. You had been hoping to find some kind of ingredients that would help you sleep. Or at least, allow you to relax for even a minute. You felt responsible. For everything and you weren’t sure how to deal with it anymore.

But apparently, this store hadn’t been untouched by those taking what they wanted. You stumbled in on a vampire having a midday snack. Spike. Shit.

You started to back out slowly, but he had seen you. He dropped the corpse of the shop-owner and stepped over her, walking slowly towards you. You sighed, you really weren’t in the mood for this. Everyone around you was dying and now you had to talk to one of the undead.

“Don’t move” He warned, pointing at you as he licked the side of his mouth to catch the blood that had been dripping there. When he noticed that you weren’t even scared, almost a little bored – waiting for him to finish he got annoyed, “You know what I could do? I could snap your neck and-”

“I already have one killer after me, what’s one more?” You sighed again. He raised an eyebrow and you just shrugged, not willing to get into it. Not until he said something.

You had sat, sliding down the wall and he had for some unknown reason (to either of you) decided to join you. He was sobering up and needed some kind of distraction at any rate. He had been staring, sitting beside you and scanning your features in a way that would make you feel uncomfortable if you had cared what he was deciding on.

“You seem different, y/n. From last time, I mean. Not sad, but damned near it - you’re almost making me feel better about my Dru”

“I killed someone. Well, not me, but I helped cover it up…” You admit, after a huge sigh. Spike barely even blinked, this kind of confession didn’t phase him in the slightest.

“Who did?”

“Slayers”

“I think they have a licence to kill, love. Don’t make it right but there it is” he shrugged, ready to get back to his feet and look for some liquor. Until you spoke again.

“He was human” You say softly, “Mr Bates. He had a name and a-a family-”

“I’ve killed hundreds of humans, so what?” He spoke over your turmoil. He didn’t feel guilt in that way, so he couldn’t really relate to your low mood.

“It hurts. It aches… but worst of all it makes every experience I’ve ever had… tainted. Wrong in ways I can never describe. It’s like I’m walking through a nightmare, and everyone else is right there with me. It’s not as if I can go to the police. Or talk to anyone else about it… not properly”

“Thanks, that’s sure to make a fella feel special” implying he wasn’t counted in anyone. But he wasn’t very hurt by the statement. This was the first full conversation you had together, he wasn’t that invested in your relationship.

“You know what I mean” You shrugged. And he did. He started to explain to you why he was back. About Dru and everything that had happened since you last saw him. You tried your best to wade through your own thoughts and chip in here and there. He clearly needed to vent too.

You and Spike eventually left together. You had convinced him, after hearing of his predicament, he needed to convince Dru to take him back and he agreed. You walked part of the way before he was going to go and get into his car and you were going to head home.

Night had fallen and you were about to part ways when he came for you. Spike heard him before you saw him. But the figure still made the both of you flinch slightly, before Spike rolled his shoulders and decided he would have to fight doubly hard for showing that weakness.

The hood was down and you could see the mask properly. It was a black material, with a chiselled grey skull etched so forcefully it was as if it was his actual face. The bones were harsh and looked as if it could cut despite it being a plastic mask.

Spike ran straight for him and started to match his offensive blows with his own. Spike appeared to have the upper hand as you just stood and watched. You knew if it came down to it, you could be collateral damage and neither of them would be too bothered.

Somehow, Spike had been knocked to the floor and before he could get up, a scythe had been lodged deep into his torso, hitting the ground beneath him with a horrible metallic sound. The reaper hacked at Spike, who hissed and cursed at him, but didn’t die as the killer had suspected. The reaper stepped back a few paces. It allowed Spike to get to his feet. There was a lot of blood running down Spike’s torso. His shirt was in tatters.

“I bloody liked that shirt!” He snarled, looking down. Trying not to choke on the blood that was moving up his trachea. If he had been mortal, he would have died ten minutes ago.

The masked figure cocked his head, figuring something out. Not working. Not human.

Spike charged at him, throwing punches and blocking the scythe easily. He was stronger. Spike had bit into him and knocked him to the floor. He started to stamp on him repeatedly until a gargled choking sound was heard from behind the mask. He landed on more swift kick for good measure before deciding he was as good as dead.

Spike turned back to you, for some unknown reason, and for probably the first time in his un-life he went to check on you. A human. He felt that you had some kind of bond after you both shared your woes. He was about to ask if you needed any help before he drained the killer and left to find Dru, but the words never left his lips.

“Spike!” You screamed as you saw the killer rise to his feet and remove a stake from his pocket. It all happened in slow motion. Spike wasn’t able to turn quick enough, he had been caught off-guard. Bollocks. The killer plunged the wooden object directly into his heart and the bleach-blonde vampire exploded into a pile of dust.

“You did this” He spoke for the first time. His voice like gravel. He knelt and took a handful of dust and walked towards you. You stumbled back, hitting a brick wall. You had nowhere to run. You were backed into a corner. He threw the dust over you, leaving you spluttering and rubbing your eyes. You were expecting death any moment, but it never came.

When you opened your eyes again, there was nobody except you in the street.

Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

Sunnydale Express, October 1999.

Many have petitioned the Mayors office due to the large volume of litter and dust that has appeared, often overnight, leaving citizens having to take matters into their own hands. The large number of ash filling our streets tells us that unauthorised fires and barbecues have been set up through town with little being done by authorities to subdue this illegal activity – especially after our newly enforced curfew.

We implore the mayor’s office to make an immediate press release and ensure there is enough man-power to make sure our humble town is cleared during the night.

You were in Giles’ house. It had been left to you. You were touched, but every footstep you made in that house filled your body with guilt.

You were hosting a scooby meeting. You didn’t have any food in, everyone had started to pass around Giles’ single malt, drinking it straight from the glass. Even Buffy took a sip every now and again. You all needed it. Life was starting to become unbearable. Cordelia had joined late, rushing straight from cheer practice.

“What do we know?” She asked as she set her bag down and looked around as if you had the killer tied up in the bathroom, waiting for her to come so you could unmask him.

“Zip. Nothing”

“The killer is targetting us, that’s all we know. Some kind of twisted revenge. We just need to find out how he knows and why he’s so strong”

“Simple then” Faith shook her head.

“Oh and he takes out anyone in his way, so it’s not just us”

“What did the swim team ever do to him?” You wondered out loud

“It’s the tight pants, he likes a little modesty” Faith snickered and you scowled. How could she be so okay with this? She was the one that had stuck the stake in his hear, finished him off. You were feeling all this guilt and she just didn’t seem to even care.

“But does he even have any proof? Let’s just go to the police and say we’re being targeted”

“Yeah there’s witness protection! We could get new names!” Willow backed Buffy up quickly.

“That won’t change anything. We’re still killers” You mutter and everyone stopped. You had never said anything like that out loud before. You were usually the one that kept everyone optimistic. But it was too hard at the moment.

“Shut up! We’re not! It was an accident. Just an accident”

“How do you explain Giles?” you said glumly, glancing sideways to where his body had been.

“What is up your ass today? God, people are dead. We all feel it. But you’re just giving up! It’s not right!” Cordelia shouted.

“I’m living in our dead librarians house. Rent free” You sighed, “The house we cleaned and made look like an accident”

“Can it, y/n. None of this is our fault. We gotta do this or we’d be in jail”

“But if we keep doing this, we’re going to die” You replied, “Like Spike… he was gone. Just… dust”

“Well, I can’t say I’m gonna shed many tears” Buffy muttered.

“He was… nice. The last thing he did before he died was come over to check on me”

“Oh come on, y/n! He was probably gonna eat you”

“Whatever. I know what I saw and I can’t help feeling that you’re suddenly on team psycho” you muttered. Faith was watching in interest, but didn’t speak up again. She took another swig of alcohol and shrugged. You couldn’t help think you saw a satisfied smirk on her face, but it may have been a trick of the light. Or the whiskey. You set the glass down and went to see what Willow was looking at some research.

Giles had left some books open on his desk. He had been looking into the Sunnydale slasher, it seemed. When the books gave you nothing, you turned to the internet. You all started looking for some magical solution. There had to be something.

As the night wore on and the words got blurrier, it was getting harder to concentrate. And harder to get along.

“There’s no- no trace!” Willow said, getting more frustrated, “I can’t find anything”

“Maybe if someone did less cheating on her boyfriend and more reading” Cordelia snapped.

“That’s so not fair! I’m doing more than you!”

“Will, you’re doing the same amount as her” You offered. Cordelia had been researching too.

“Why are you always on her side – you’re supposed to be my best friend”

“I’m just being fair”

“You think this doesn’t involve you, huh?” Faith suddenly stood up and stared you down. You had been the first to admit you were at the centre of it all, but the way she phrased the comment, just made you snap.

“Well, you were the bitch that killed the poor man and managed to be surprisingly cool about it. Maybe you’ve done this before. Maybe, you did it on purpose!” You shouted and Faith pushed you hard. You landed on your ass.

“Fuck you!” She screamed. Not as cool or collected as you thought. The flash in her eyes spelled danger. It concealed guilt and deceit. It told you everything you needed to know. You got to your feet, walked straight out of the room and slammed your bedroom door. Allowing them to let themselves out.

Cordelia had gotten worked up as you stormed out, standing up to Buffy and shouting, “Sunnydale would have been better without you in it! All you do is attract stuff like this. You know who I blame, Buffy? You. You’re a Slayer all wow and look at me but what have you done? What have you done to protect any of us?!” Cordelia flung her arms out in annoyance, the glass that had been holding the whiskey flying out of her hand and crashing to the floor.

“Cordelia-” Buffy started.

“No, let her speak” Faith said nodding along.

“They’re picking us off one by one and of you – either of you – have done anything except hide bodies and celebrate that you’re slayers so you’re not gonna die! What about us!? What about people that are meant to be your friends?” Cordelia shouted. She was scared. She was angry. She couldn’t trust any of them anymore. You had given in. Willow just agreed with Buffy and she had a history with her. Buffy and Faith didn’t seem to be anything and she just wanted to escape. Hopefully with her life intact.

“Cor, we’re doing everything-”

“You’re not! You’re so not!”

“So what’s your plan then, huh? Lay down and wait for the killer to come get you? ‘Cause I haven’t heard anythin’ helpful come out of your mouth” Faith

“Shut up anyway, you just got here and you expect us to care? I hope you go next!” Cordelia screamed in Faith’s face. Faith just shrugged, but the whole room could tell that had stung her. She then turned back to Buffy, “This is your fault, Buffy. This, everything that has happened since last Halloween is your fault”

“Get out” Buffy said firmly, “Go!” she raised her voice as a tear slid down her cheek and Willow quickly went to comfort her.

“Fine. I’ve had enough! I’m leaving – I’m moving! I don’t wanna see any of you ever again!” Cordelia shouted, slamming the front door behind her and cursing every single one of you as she huffed and stalked away into the night.

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mj-spooks · 4 years

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Alright, judging by how successful that last Harry Potter experimental question was, Buffy's scooby gang, as a Leverage Crew? Is it too simple to say Buffy as a hitter and Giles as a mastermind?

Which version of the gang are we talking here? Can I go across the whole series? Season 1 only? All Stars? Fuck it I’m cherry picking because THAT’S HOW WE DO.

So, Giles is absolutely on the money. He’s the Mastermind, no doubt. He’s the watcher, he trains the others (mostly Buffy and Faith, but let’s be real, he trains all of them in their own way), he’s the one that works things out, leads research parties, comes up with plans. He’s the Mastermind, at least at first. Like Nate, he graduates out of that position (although I think the others sort of share it after he steps down, rather than one person picking it up).

But Buffy’s not the hitter.

Buffy is the grifter.

Think about it. Pretty, blonde, posterchild for popularity. She’s charismatic. She’s endearing. You like her. You’d probably do anything she asked you to. She’s an an excellent liar, a brilliant actor. She plays the part. The only reason she doesn’t have Sunnydale wrapped around her fucking finger is because all the bullshit with demons and vampires is Too Obvious for no one to ever notice how weird she is. If they could be even slightly more subtle, or pick slightly more convenient times to get up to their nonsense, no one would ever suspect she was anything but what she looks like.

No, the hitter? That’s Faith. And yes, I’m counting her as a Scooby. My girl got done dirty, alright. Granted, she did some people pretty dirty as well. But she was a teenage girl with a really shitty childhood, and I’m not one to use the shitty childhood as a get out of jail free card (get it), but dude. Dude. Every single thing that could’ve gone wrong for her, did. And every time the team had a chance to prove she could trust them, they fucked it up. Mostly Wesley fucked it up, but let’s not go there. And did I mention she was a teenage girl? Also, it helps that she was only Properly Evil for like, a few months, after which she was in a coma, and was Properly Evil for all of five minutes before deciding “Actually I just wanna be Buffy,” because guess what, she never WANTED to be the bad guy-

I’m getting off topic. The point is. Faith is the brawn, alright? Post-Faith, I guess that position goes to Spike, who let’s face it, is basically Buffy’s backup/guard dog from the moment he realizes he can still kill demons, and especially after his big “Oh shit I love the slayer” realization. For the record, bad decisions being made by an ostensibly helplessly evil soulless monster aside, no one EVER had Buffy’s back like Spike did. Not a single damn person. Fucking fight me. Every. Single. Other. Person. Let her down. Constantly. Or they were never in a positoin to properly have her back in the first place. The one time he really did screw it up, he realized how fucked up he was, and went off and got a fucking soul for her, so basically

Riley, for the record, is not a Hitter and does NOT count as a Scooby, because screw that guy. Also while I’m on the subject, screw Xander, because the episode where Riley leaves and Xander gives Buffy the “you’re the bad guy” speech sits so fucking wrong with me, and Xander goddamn Harris can get fucking bent. I’m still off topic, I know, I know. Sorry, I just. I have VERY STRONG OPINIONS ABOUT BUFFY.

ANYWAY. Willow is the hacker, big fucking shock. She’s... she’s literally a hacker, okay. Even when she stops being all computer-y and starts being all witch-y, her approach to witchcraft is... is to hack it. She hacks magic. Literally. That’s what gets her in so much trouble with it, because she’s too fucking good at cheating the system. It’s how she brought Buffy back. She’s the goddamned Hacker. Age. Of. The. Fucking. Geek. Baby.

Thief............ hmph. I don’t know?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?

See, the thing is, basically all of the properly involved Scoobies had to steal something at one point or another, all with basically the same level of success, so... wait.

Okay. No. The thief is Dawn.

She’s literally a thief! She steals from everybody all the goddamned time! With varying degrees of success, sure. But if she was actually trained at it, she’d be better than all of them. She’s the only Little Sibling out of the bunch (Well, okay, Tara had an older brother, but her homelife was so fucked she has Very Different Younger Sister energy than Dawn). She has a specific talent for it that I bet would serve her well if she was actually trained. I honestly at this point have read so much fanfic that I cannot for the life or me remember if canon!Spike ever helped teach her to knick stuff or if that’s just widely accepted fanon!Spike because people love that dynamic (as they should, it’s great). I’m doing a rewatch but... uh... I kinda stopped partway through S5 because I’m like four episodes away from The Body and gods I just can’t take it. Point being, I dunno if that’s legit or not. BUT. If it were legit, and she was taught how to steal, she’d be great at it.

I guess Spike is kind of also the thief. But he’s also the only one of the scoobies that’s properly been a villain (I’m not counting Faith or Willow’s brief insanity, and Angel isn’t the villain, Angelus is, so...), so naturally he’s got the shady skills. He can kind of grift and mastermind, too, except he’s too impatient for it, which is why he ends up stuck as a hitter most of the time. Everything else is too slow for his ass. See, the entirety of S2.

For fun, under the cut, the remaining scoobies and what position they’re best suited for:

Xander: Hitter??? He’s not got the super strength and he’s kind of played for laughs, but there was that whole bit where he had the tactical training from his brief stint as GI Joe in the Halloween episode. He’s a decent tactician, which is kind of the hitter’s job. I bet that if the wasn’t so busy feeling inferior to Buffy and he actually like. Trained. He could be a decent fighter.

Cordelia: Straight fucking grifter. Which she proves plenty of times on Angel. It’s extra great because she basically IS Sophie, what with the whole “can grift like a boss but put her on stage and she’s terrible” bit. She’s also a decent mastermind, also showcased on Angel. She whips him into shape from day one, and is the only thing that keeps AI running half the time. Also not unlike Sophie. Honestly Cordelia is my favorite character from the OG cast. She deserved better.

Angel: Mastermind. He’s got all of Angelus’ brains, remember, just not necessarily any reason to use them. He’s smart, though, and definitely good at planning. He’s also really into knowing the most and keeping his cards close to his chest. The parallels with Nate are a little strong, honestly, because he also has that whole... guilty conscience spiraling downward holier than thou thing going on. And yes, I do ship him and Cordy, thanks for asking.

Oz: Hacker! Not a lot of people really remember this, since his prominent character traits were “In a band”, “Willow’s boyfriend”, and “werewolf”. Plus there’s the whole flunked-senior-year plot point which I honestly think they did just to keep him around. But the first time Oz actually properly interacted with Willow was because they’d both gotten singled out for their badass computer skills on career day. He’s very nearly as good as her.

Anya: Grifter. I mean, the whole vengeance demon schtick relies on the grift. She’s very good at it. Which, she ought to be, she’s been doing it for over a thousand years. It’s sort of hilarious though because it seems like the second she loses her powers, she also loses her ability to blend in. I think that’s likely because she’s used to short term cons, and running the long con that is being human again is more difficult. Still, this is where she shines.

Riley: He doesn’t count because I kinda hate him. But fine if you wanna go there. Hitter. He doesn’t deserve the title though because Eliot is both brains and brawn and Riley can’t think his way out of a paper sack without someone giving him directions, and even then it’s dicey.

Tara: This one is super hard for me! I can’t see her as any of the actual team positions. I suppose the one skill she displays would be grifting, since she does try to hide her identity as a supposed demon from the others for a while before her birthday comes up. But honestly I see her less as a member of the crew and more as a Maggie. Voice of reason, moral high ground, not putting up with shenanigans if she can help it... yeah. Tara’s the Maggie. Every crew needs one.

#leverage anon #buffy the vampire slayer #btvs meta #leverage #This is a Pro-Spike blog antis will be blocked on sight lmao #and also fuck xander harris #there I said it

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whitewolfofwinterfell · 4 years

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No rush, but if you're in the mood for another question: pick your one favorite and least favorite season of each of these series :) Charmed, BtVS, Angel, Friends, TVD. I know it's hard to pick just one favorite and one least favorite, so good luck ;)

Charmed

Favourite season: Season 4

What can I say about this season? It’s just brilliant. Although Prue is my favourite character, the aftermath of her death, introduction of Paige and transition to a new trio is handled brilliantly. I love the different dynamic that Paige brings to the show and how Piper and Phoebe’s worlds are completely turned upside down by losing Prue and finding Paige. I love getting to know Paige in episodes like A Knight to Remember and A Paige From the Paige, I adore seeing the process of Piper accepting Prue’s death and embracing Paige and their magic in episodes like Hell Hath No Fury and Lost and Bound. And despite the controversy surrounding the Cole/Source plot, I enjoyed Phoebe’s arc in this season with adapting to becoming the middle sister, getting married and pregnant and suffering the most life-changing, soul-destroying losses imaginable. We even got a Leo-centric episode with Saving Private Leo which finally gave us insight into Leo’s past. Season 4 is a consistently strong season in my opinion (albiet with a weak finale) and episodes like Charmed Again, Hell Hath No Fury, Charmed and Dangerous and Long Live the Queen are some of the most memorable episodes of the series for me. You can read more about why I love season 4 here.

Least favourite season: Season 8

This season is so weak. The show could’ve (and probably should’ve) ended with season 7 so the whole season suffers from a complete lack of direction. All of the characters have already gone full circle with their arcs and development so there’s nowhere new to take them. As a result, they all feel watered down. Phoebe and Paige lose all of their personality and spark, whilst Piper is reduced to a stereotype where her snark and sarcasm is taken to unnecessary levels. Billie and Christy are poor villains for the final show-down and neither actress fits within the show. They steal too much focus from the sisters and since it’s the final season this is the season that should be all about the sisters. In addition, there’s a complete lack of sisterly moments in this season, Darryl is absent and Leo is removed for a large part of the season. Not to mention, Paige and Henry and Phoebe and Coop are rushed romances established simply to give Phoebe and Paige their “happily ever after” for the season finale. Even the final episode is pretty weak. Whilst I appreciate the happy ending, it all seems cheesy and too good to be true, and it’s way too Piper-centric and lacks balance. You can read more about why season 8 is my least favourite here.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Favourite season: Season 2

This season is a solid and a really great season. We have Spike and Drusilla as the best villanous pairing in teleivision history, a brilliant two-parter with a dramatic twist in Surprise and Innocence, the Angelus arc which I never get tired of watching and a strong ending with The Becoming Part 1 and 2. For Passion alone this season deserves to take the number 1 spot, but my love for Angel/Angelus (and Bangel) only adds to how much I love the season.

Least favourite season: Season 7

Whenever I rewatch BTVS, I rarely make it through the final season. It’s just not a good season. I don’t like the direction Buffy and Spike’s relationship is taken in, I dislike the introduction of the Potential Slayers, the after-math of Willow’s dark arc is handled poorly, the Willow/Kennedy romance is rushed and completely forced, The First is a poor final villain to end the series with particularly following villains like the Mayor, Angelus, Spike and Dru. All of the supporting characters (Willow, Xander, Anya, Dawn etc.) are pushed aside and given no real arcs or development. Overall this season is completely forgettable and a very weak end to a brilliant series.

Angel

Favourite season: Season 2

Ah, it’s so hard to choose because it’s a toss-up between season 2 and 3. At this present moment, I’m going to go with season 2. I love Darla’s arc in this season and her dynamic with Angel, it’s also so satisfying to see Dru and Darla wreak havoc together. Angel gets pushed to arguably the darkest place he’s ever been (up until this point) and I love seeing him lose all faith in the world, life and humanity only to then have an epiphany where his entire perspective shifts and he gets absolute clarity. Seeing Cordy, Wes and Gunn go off on their own is great, I love their dynamic and how strong they are in this season. This is also the final season that features Kate, who I really like and think is very underrated. There’s a lot of focus on other minor characters who I love such as Lilah and Lindsey. This is also the season that we get the newest additions to Angel Investigations: Lorne and Fred. Honestly, the end of this season really lets it down for me, but the beginning and middle is so strong with Darla and Angel that it always sits near the top as my favourite season.

Least favourite season: Season 4

This probably won’t come as a surprise to any Angel fans reading this. Season 4 is undoubtedly the worst season of the series. It takes a beautiful, complex, well-developed character in Cordy and completely decimates her. Everything that she is and that fans love her for is stripped away, her agency is removed and she’s hijacked by an evil being who uses her body to commit horrendous acts. Seeing Cordy!Jasmine sleep with Connor will always make me feel physically sick. For Angel to have to witness that and endure the pain of seeing the woman he loves having sex with his adolescent son is disgusting. Overall, the treatment of Cordy and Connor in this season makes me so uncomfortable. Fred and Gunn’s relationship is dismantled to make way for Fred and Wesley, which in my opinion is by far the weaker ship. Even the appearance of Angelus and Faith later on in the season doesn’t make up for the rest of the season. Losing Cordy and Lilah are huge losses that also make this season my least favourite.

Friends

Favourite season: Season 3

This is a great season. Whilst every season of Friends is generally a mixed bag in terms of the quality of episodes, season 3 is pretty consistent. The ensemble feels at its strongest in this season and every episode gives focus to the group as a whole. Ross and Rachel’s relationship is great in this season and their break-up is genuinely heart-breaking; we have Janice this season who I find highly entertaining; Monica and Richard’s relationship which I enjoy (despite being a Mondler shipper) and of course, the chick and duck. Despite this being a sitcom, all of the characters go through genuine development in this season too. Joey gets to experience what it’s like to be on the other side of things when he falls for Kate who plays around with his feelings; Chandler navigates his first serious relationship with Janice where he has to try and overcome his fear of commitment and later deal with the hurt of their break-up; Monica deals with the loss of her first great love in Richard and has to reconsider what she wants from her future; Rachel progresses in her career and tries to establish her own identity and independence for the first time; Ross has to face up to the damage his relationship with Carol has done to him in regards to his jealousy and insecurity. It’s rare that we see character development like this in a sitcom, but season 3 is definitley a strong season for this. There are so many golden episodes from this season: TOW No One’s Ready, TOW the Flashback, TOW the Football and TOW the Morning After.

Least favourite season: Season 9

Lets get this straight, there’s no such thing as a bad season of Friends, however, this is the weasest season in my opinion. I don’t like Chandler’s move to Tulsa, the direction Ross and Rachel’s relationship takes, how Rachel’s feelings for Joey are handled and the two parter TO in Barbados is my least favourite season finale, I really, really don’t like those episodes. I also find that there are quite a lot of episodes in this season that are just plain bad and not funny like TOW the Sharks, TOW Phoebe’s rats and TOW Monica sings just to name a few. Overall, there’s not a single season 9 episode that I could name as being a favourite or even coming close to being on my top favourite episodes list.

The Vampire Diaries

Favourite season: Season 3

This is an easy choice for me (although season 2 is a very close second). I love season 3. It’s the season of the Originals and for that reason I can’t do anything else but love it. Klaus is the best villain and feels like a genuinely terrifying threat to the gang. The overall plot across the season is tight and well executed. Despite my dislike for the triangle, it’s handled amazingly in this season and it’s the only season where I can genuinely appreciate the triangle and the dynamics within it. As a Stelena shipper, I live for the angst between Stefan and Elena in this season and adore every single scene they have together. I also love Stefan’s arc with him being forced to become Klaus’ side-kick to save Damon and then being compelled to turn off his humanity despite how hard he fights against that. It’s a great season for Stefan’s character and shows the complexity of him better than the previous two seasons. Elena is also at her best in this season. Her strength and resillience really shines through and in this season she stops feeling like a by-stander and like someone that’s taking charge of her life and getting shit done. Alaric’s arc is dark and heart-breaking. Caroline and Tyler are strong in this season and they’re one of my favourite TVD ships. However, Klaus and Caroline’s dynamic is intruiging and brings a new flavour to the show. And although I never wanted Elena to become a vampire, the season finale is fantastic and a very strong ending to a brilliant season.

Least favourite season (note that I haven’t watched seasons 7 and 8): Season 5

Urgh, this season is just the worst. It totally retcons the mythology and history of the show with making Stefan a doppelganger. As much as I love Paul’s acting, Silas is such a crappy character. The Travellers are pointless; Damon and Elena’s on-again-off-again relationship is tiresome, the Augustine plot goes no where; the switch from high school to college is bumpy; Stefan is completely sidelined by awful writing choices; the best character on the show (Katherine) is done a huge disservice and her exit from the show is pitiful; Bonnie suffers once again (surprise, surprise); the introduction of Nadia just doesn’t work; there’s stupid scenes and episodes that are present for the sole reason of baiting Stelena shippers (5x04 and 5x18) and the finale is completely dumb. There’s not a single thing I like about this season.

Thanks for asking, lovely!

#answered #meant-to-be-waiting-for-me #my meta #charmed #buffy the vampire slayer #angel the series #friends #the vampire diaries

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marshmallow-the-vampire-slayer · 6 years

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MTVS Epic Rewatch #208

Don’t forget to vote on the season 7 polls!!

BTVS 7x21 End of Days

Stray thoughts

1) So this is how Faith is doing as the leader…

…and this is how Buffy is doing as the outcast Slayer…

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I wonder who’s the boss… (maybe we should ask Abed.)

2) I don’t like seeing Faith hurt, but I do get a very sick (I admit it) satisfaction at seeing all these girls hurt and scared because they kicked Buffy out and they screwed everything up in the worst possible fashion. I know that by having Faith lead them into yet another trap the writers were trying to prove the point that what happened at the vineyard could’ve happened to anyone and that it wasn’t Buffy’s fault (Buffy will make this same point herself later on the episode.) Both Buffy and Faith were trying to do what they thought was best, yet it backfired. Shit happens yada yada yada. Yet I just can’t help but feel personally vindicated when I see Faith and the potentials fuck everything up so spectacularly.

On the other hand, not only was Buffy able to pull herself together after the group (and her friends! Her family!) kicked her out and made her feel like the worst piece of shit in the whole world, but she also managed to A) get the scythe and B) make Caleb nervous, which was a first. So yeah. #teamBuffy

3) So why exactly were the Scoobies looking for Buffy? I mean, didn’t they kick her out literally the day before? And now they’re suddenly worried about her or something? The only person who followed Buffy after they all kicked her out was Faith. Faith! Do you see how wrong/ironic that this? Do you see how painful it must’ve been for Buffy not to have NONE OF HER FRIENDS – not Xander, not Willow, not Giles, not even her own sister! – go after her to see if she was okay? To ask her where she was going or what she was going to do? The only person who showed any concern whatsoever about her was probably the only person she would’ve labeled a potential enemy.

Damn you all, I’m still pissed off. I hate this. I hate having to feel this way about the characters I’ve loved for seven seasons in the FINAL EPISODES OF THE SHOW. It just feels so wrong, but I can’t help but HATE THEM. What the hell was this fucking writing choice? I hate it. I hate everything about it.

4) If I have to say something in favor of Kennedy is this, when shit hit the fan, she was the only one who wasn’t screaming like a moron and who was actually trying to fight off the Turok-Han. So yeah. The girl got spunk.

5) But she’s nothing compared to our designated BAMF.

6) No one is kicking Buffy out now, HUH? HUH???????????????????

Yes. Yes, you did.

8) And this is exactly why they shouldn’t have kicked her out or “rebelled” against her or whatever the fuck they thought they were doing.

BUFFY You guys, it was a trap. It's not her fault. That could've just as easily happened to me.

9) While I do appreciate the pun and the side glances between Buffy and Willow…

I still feel it’s very wrong they’re all just talking and Giles is playing around with the scythe as if the last time they’d been together they HADN’T HUMILIATED BUFFY AND KICKED HER OUT OF HER OWN FUCKING HOUSE???? LIKE SERIOUSLY??? In Willow’s own words, you're not gonna jokey-rhyme your way out of this one.

Like, I know the apocalypse takes precedence, but maybe say “sorry for kicking you out” and “thank you for saving us AGAIN”.

10)

11) Again, I get the same feeling with Xander. Like, did they all suddenly forget they had left Buffy alone and kicked her out of her own house? Xander is all like, “I don’t need you to protect me just because I lost an eye” but literally a day before he was telling her it was HER fault he’d lost it, and using that as a justification not only for removing her from her role as a leader but also TO KICK HER OUT OF HER OWN HOUSE. And now it’s just like nothing ever happened? How is that possible? How is literally no one apologizing to Buffy? And not only is he not apologizing, but Buffy is telling him that he’s her heart and the reason she’s still alive, which okay, it’s all kind of true, but he’s also the guy WHO BLAMED YOU FOR LOSING HIS EYE AND WHO KICKED YOU OUT OF YOUR OWN HOUSE THE DAY BEFORE?!

I didn’t know that End of Days could make me as angry as Empty Places but here I am.

We’re 14 minutes into the episode and still, no one has apologized to Buffy and they’re all pretending like they didn’t turn their backs on her and it’s pissing me off. I hate feeling this way in the episode prior to the series finale. This is not how a fan should be feeling right before the show ends!

12) Not only do I know what a glottal stop is but I’ve also learned how to pronounce it. Or at least I was able to pronounce it a few years ago.

13) And hence the fate of Miss Kitty Fantastico was finally revealed…

DAWN Xander, my crossbow is not out here. I told you, I don't leave crossbows around all willy-nilly. Not since that time with Miss Kitty Fantastico.

If you must hate Dawn, it should only be for this.

14) Did anyone really believe Xander would hurt Dawn?

15) What was the point of this scene…?

…I mean, other than to give us Nathan Fillion’s orgasm face?

16) And this is the difference between Buffy and the rest… just remember how everyone reacted and treated Buffy after the vineyard, and see how she acts here after literally the same happened with Faith in charge…

FAITH What do you want me to say? I blew it.

BUFFY You didn't blow it.

FAITH Tell that to—

BUFFY People die. You lead them into battle, they're gonna die. It doesn't matter how ready you are or how smart you are. War is about death. Needless, stupid death.

She’s understanding and reassuring, she’s not pointing fingers or kicking people out. And that’s why she’s a hero and the rest are a fucking bunch of morons. I’m sorry, I’m still so angry about Empty Places and this episode is not making things any better.

17) But I do love when my two slayers see eye to eye…

FAITH So, here's the laugh riot. My whole life I've been a loner.(…) No ties, no buddies, no relationships that lasted longer than... (…) Me, by myself all the time. I'm looking at you, everything you have, and, I don't know, jealous. Then there I am. Everybody's looking to me, trusting me to lead them, and I've never felt so alone in my entire life.

BUFFY Yeah.

FAITH And that's you every day, isn't it?

BUFFY I love my friends. I'm very grateful for them. But that's the price. Being a slayer.

FAITH There's only supposed to be one. Maybe that's why you and I can never get along. We're not supposed to exist together.

BUFFY Also, you went evil and were killing people.

FAITH Good point. Also a factor.

BUFFY But you're right. I mean, I... I guess everyone's alone. But being a slayer? There's a burden we can't share.

FAITH And no one else can feel it. Thank God we're hot chicks with superpowers.

BUFFY Takes the edge off.

FAITH Comforting.

BUFFY Mm-hmm.

This is something that had been a long time coming. Since day one, Faith had envied Buffy. Just like Buffy saw in Faith her road not taken, Faith saw in Buffy the life she could’ve had but didn’t. She envied it and she wanted it for herself. She literally tried to steal it away several times. So if she couldn’t have it, if it wasn’t meant for her, then she could take Buffy away from it, drive her to the dark side, where she lived. Every attempt was futile, even stealing Buffy’s body and literally taking her life. It only made her feel more undeserving, more inadequate, more unworthy. But every time she’d taken a shot at being the leader, it was by playing tricks, by taking what it wasn’t rightfully hers. This time around, she had somehow earned it. There was no foul play on her part. Others made the decision for her and gave her the role she’d craved for so long. And she finally understood that it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Yes, Buffy did have friends and people who looked up to her and cared about her. But when push comes to shove, when tough calls must be made, the Slayer is always alone. The weight of the world is only on her shoulders, and she can’t share the burden. It took four seasons but Faith finally got it. And she could finally let go of all the envy and jealousy.

18) I just love the fact that for the first time Buffy is the one who opens up to Spike. She’s always been the one who pretends there’s nothing between them and who skirts around her feelings and dismisses his. But not this time. And for me, it was enough that she acknowledged that it meant something, even if they – and we – don’t know exactly what that was.

BUFFY You're a dope.

SPIKE I'm a what?

BUFFY You're a dope. And a bonehead. And you're shirty.

SPIKE Have you gone completely carrot-top?

BUFFY Do you see this? This may actually help me fight my war. This might be the key to everything. And the reason I'm holding it is because of you. Because of the strength that you gave me last night. Look, I am tired of defensiveness and weird, mixed signals. You know, I have Faith for that. Let's just get to the truth here, OK? I don't know how you felt about last night, but I will not—

SPIKE Terrified.

BUFFY Of what?

SPIKE Last night was... God, I'm such a jerk. I can't do this.

BUFFY Spike...

SPIKE It was the best night of my life. If you poke fun at me, you bloody well better use that, 'cause I couldn't bear it. It may not mean that much to you, but—

BUFFY I just told you it did.

SPIKE Yeah... I hear you say it, but... I've lived for soddin' ever, Buffy. I've done everything. Done things with you I can't spell, but... I've never... been close... to anyone. Least of all, you. 'Til last night. All I did was... hold you, watch you sleep. And it was the best night of my life. So, yeah... I'm... terrified.

BUFFY You don't have to be.

SPIKE Were you there with me?

BUFFY I was.

SPIKE What does that mean?

BUFFY I don't know. Does it have to mean something?

SPIKE No. Not right now.

19) Update: 29 minutes in and I’m still waiting for someone to apologize to Buffy.

20) Am I the only who thinks this speech is okay but like, the writers were trying too hard to give Anya her “Anya Speech Moment” of the season and it kind of feels a bit, I don’t know, forced?

ANYA Well...I guess I was...kinda new to bein' around humans before. But now I've... seen a lot more, gotten to know people... seen what they're capable of, and... I guess I just realized...how amazingly screwed-up they all are. I mean really, really screwed-up in a monumental fashion. And they have no purpose that unites them, so they just drift around, blundering through life until they die...which they...they know is coming, yet every single one of them is surprised when it happens to them. They're incapable of thinking about what they want beyond the moment. They kill each other, which is clearly insane. And yet, here's the thing. When it's something that really matters, they fight. I mean, they're lame morons for fighting, but they do. They never... never quit. So I guess I will keep fighting, too.

21) #priorities

22) And in another episode of Plots Totally Pulled Out of the Writer’s Ass… (a.k.a. Joss Whedon Tries to Rectify the Fact that He Wrote a Bunch of Men Violating the Original Slayer by Putting a Demon Inside of Her and Thus Utterly Destroyed the Whole Slayerness Equals Feminism Theme)

WOMAN We forged it in secrecy and kept it hidden from the Shadow Men, who...

BUFFY Yeah. Met those guys. Didn't really care too much for 'em.

WOMAN Ahh, yes. Then you know. And they became the watchers. And the watchers watched the slayers. But we were watching them.

BUFFY Oh! So you're like... what are you?

WOMAN Guardians. Women who want to help and protect you. We forged this centuries ago, halfway around the world.

Okay, I get it, I get what you were trying to do, but it was so fucking obvious, it was so transparent. Like, I know most of the so-called metaphors in this show were not so subtle (think the fucking monster-penis in Doublemeat Palace, for instance.) But the feminist struggle in the slayer vs the council struggle was always something that I personally enjoyed. And this is how Joss’s brand of “feminism” began to crumble down, in my opinion. This is what a white dude who is a self-proclaimed feminist believes to be a Good feminist storyline, but it’s so clichéd and self-evident it's almost cringe-worthy. Like, you get a bunch of Evil Men quite literally raping a Poor Woman, who is faked Empowered (her powers were lent to her by the Evil Men and the source of her powers is Evil, Demonic in nature because duh! she is a Woman) so that they can Manipulate her and Use her for the benefit of the Patriarchy. But oh wait! This is a Feminist Show! So in spite of what the Evil Men who were supposedly the Powerful ones did, there always were These Great and Powerful Women behind it all, the True Guardians of the Slayer, This has been a Matriarchy all along, you see?! PLOT TWIST!

Yawn.

The worst part? I can imagine all the writers patting themselves on the back for writing such a groundbreaking and Feminist storyline and for sticking it to the Men.

23) And btw, just to show you how big a Feminist Show this is, we get this…

I guess since this is a Feminist Show and Angel is the hero here and Buffy the damsel in distress, that makes Angel a woman, right?

But hey, at least he (or she?) literally let Buffy deliver the lethal blow…

24) And yes, this totally makes sense!

because Angel has not claimed to be in love with Cordelia and Buffy has not just had her more honest heart-toheart with Spike. Let’s just disregard whatever arcs have been developed in both shows in order to deliver a Ship Moment for the Bangel fans, right? Who cares about character development, right? Because I’m positive this is what former lovers do after not seeing each other in over a year, being currently emotionally unavailable, and facing the greatest evil of all. Suck face.

25) Update: minute 42 and I’m STILL waiting for someone to apologize to Buffy.

26) Sorry for the bitter rant!

27) If you’ve got this far, thank you for reading! If you enjoy my recaps and my blog, please consider supporting it on ko-fi. Thanks!

#Buffy the Vampire Slayer #BTVS #Buffy Summers #Faith Lehane #The Chosen One #MTVSepicrewatch #mine #recap #End of Days #BTVSrewatch2015 #btvsrecap

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buffylikescoke · 6 years

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer 12#3

If we don't make through this...keep up the fight. ~ Buffy Summers

The Reckoning is derivative and boring. While the art is best it's been in this season, the dialog is simply subpar. Buffy has always been lauded for its dialog yet there's not a single memorable line in this issue!

Scoobies, accompanied by slayers (no known faces present, just a nameless, generic, slayer-y mass) are preparing to face Harth and the demons at Willow's empowerment center. Andrew arrives just in time to help them - a white suit wearing, heat packing, apple juice drinking fabulous gay mega-baller Andrew. It's nice to see him! Andrew brings supplies, mostly communication gizmos for all the fighters and a command van for Giles. Naturally, he wants to join the fight, but Buffy sends him away, similarly to how she send Angel away in Chosen. Second front and all that - if things go bad, Buffy and Giles want Andrew to rebuild Watcher's council. Andrew promises to not let them down and leaves. I like it, it's a solid ending to Andrew's arc. What follows his departure is a number of personal pre-apocalypse-y scenes. It's like End of Days, almost exactly, just with less impact, nuance and wit. It's an off-brand End of Days. Xander and Dawn have a completely unnecessary scene about Xander's involvement in the battle (as opposed to him staying with his daughter) where Xander sounds like he's fifteen again. Angel and Fred finally talk about the body sharing issue. It's a quiet, well-done moment, it's just, why now? This stuff should have been addressed in the previous season of Angel, you know, before Angel and Smurfette started dating. I like the scene but this isn't the time nor place for it. What, they haven't discussed it before? Willow talks to Faith. Understandably, Will is downhearted about her future and Faith gives her a nice, little pep talk. Willow had a lot of scenes like this, in pretty much every season since the sixth. There's nothing new here. So what's the point? And why Faith? After all, Willow and Faith are not that close. Why not Buffy? Or Xander? Or maybe even Giles, it's already a rehash so why not reference the similar exchange from End of Days too? Buffy and Spike have a bittersweet, goodbye-but-not-really moment, very similar in tone to their interactions from late season seven and early season ten, just more couple-y and way more mature. Why were they broken up, again? I mean, if they're still written like the lead couple?

The battle looks great, visually, the art is a big improvement over the previous issues, sadly though, all of this is completely boring and I dislike how there's so much focus on characters who are not Buffy! We don't really get to see her fight. Fray and Erin confront Harth, Angel and Spike kick ass together, snark-free, and Illyria punches through demons. Faith takes most of the page space, however, suggesting that she should sacrifice herself instead of Buffy and when that turns out to be impossible (don't even ask, even I can't wank that away!) she charges at The Mayor. Yes, progress, character development and so on - where's Buffy? I don't understand it, this is supposed to be Buffy's epic, legendary, final battle and we don't get to see Buffy actually battle? Anyway, initially the plan was to take out Harth as fast as possible but as the fighting progresses Buffy decides to go with plan B and let the history play out just like in Harmony's tale. Buffy's seemingly desperate decision rings hollow because the situation is not that desperate. Aside from nameless slayers nobody cares about nobody actually dies. So why the desperation? Why can't they just keep fighting? Angel and Spike try to dissuade her but Buffy's made her decision. Buffy and Giles say their goodbyes, a shameless rehash of a similar scene from Spiral. After a trite and vapid speech (stop with the speeches, Buff!) Buffy and Willow grab the scythe and, just like in the previous season, suck the power out of slayers. I need to say this. Buffy is officially as bad as the watchers, possibly worse. One thing that characterizes boys in tweed is that they don't see the slayer as a person, but as a weapon. Well, to Buffy the slayers aren't even weapons, they're batteries and, at this point, she's basically a vampire. Thankfully, at least slayers' memories are left untouched. Does that mean that the history can be changed? Yes and that's exactly what Harth does. Using the staff of one of the wizards that created the slayer line he absorbs the entirety of its power. Shocking twist, huh? No, no it's not, this is the third time in a row where the increasingly lame (seriously, Harth has all the dialog lines and charisma of a bad 80s cartoon villain, he's what Buffy used to parody for goodness' sake) big bad steals Buffy's power. I'll rehash myself - if you do it every season it's not shocking, it's not surprising, it's just obnoxious.

This issue is not awful but it should have been so much more. I’m disappointed.

#buffy comics #buffy season 12 #Buffy The Vampire Slayer #btvs #buffy

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dragonydreams · 6 years

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Fic Year in Review 2017

While I wasn't as prolific as I was in 2016, I still wrote 22 stories this past year. All links and stats to/from AO3.

January Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Not the Obvious Choice (Amaya Jiwe/Mick Rory) Teen Summary: Amaya seeks out Mick after the events of The Chicago Way. February Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Brighten My Northern Sky (Sara Lance/Leonard Snart, Amaya Jiwe/Mick Rory) Teen Summary: Double date weekend getaway. Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Waverider Book Club (Team!Fic, Sara Lance/Leonard Snart) G Summary: Between missions, the team of the Waverider has a book club. Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Ring My Bell (Sara Lance/Leonard Snart) Teen Summary: Prompt from laweizhu: food delivery guy/girl au? Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Priorities, We Have Them (Sara Lance/Mick Rory/Leonard Snart) Teen Summary: Mick gets hurt while out in the field and all Sara and Leonard want to do is take care of him the best way they know how. March Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Always With You (Rip Hunter/Gideon) Teen Summary: Rip can’t get that kiss out of his head. Spoilers for 2x13 (Land of the Lost). Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Uncharted Territory (Rip Hunter/Gideon) G Summary: Rip doesn't know what to do with his newly realized feelings. Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Willful Blindness (Sara Lance) G Summary: Sara kept her distance from Mick because spending time with him reminded her too much of losing Leonard, so she stayed away. Hard to notice a person's mental decline if you're avoiding them and the painful thoughts they arouse. Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: The Care and Feeding of Training Assassins (Sara Lance/Leonard Snart) Teen Summary: gawkydoteficus prompted: FLUFFY PROMPT FLUFFY PROMPT FOR CC: Sara will forget to eat when she trains to Len starts leaving little snacks for her in her room/around the ship/in the training area? April Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Steal the Air (Sara Lance/Leonard Snart) Teen Summary: Leonard Snart is your regular quiet nerdy guy by day, but at night, make sure to catch his Facebook Live posts as the mysterious Captain Cold. Modern Pump Up the Volume AU Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Devil is in the Details (Sara Lance/Leonard Snart) G Summary: Two important shopping trips in preparation for Sara and Leonard's wedding. This fits in my Unfamiliar Dreams series. Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Feeling Human Again (Sara Lance/Leonard Snart) Explicit Summary: When Kendra suggested she get in touch with her human side, Sara didn't think she meant for her to do it in this way, but Leonard doesn't seem to mind. Timeline: End of 1.04 White Knights May Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Stolen Kisses (Sara Lance/Leonard Snart) Teen Summary: When Leonard doesn't die in the Oculus explosion, Sara needs to come to terms with that kiss. Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Five More Minutes (Sara Lance/Leonard Snart) G Summary: Leonard offers a new distraction from her bloodlust. June Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Under the Pale Moonlight (Sara Lance/Leonard Snart) Teen Summary: Sara is bored at a Gilded Age party and decides to tease Leonard. Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Aruba: Best. Vacation. Ever. (Sara Lance/Leonard Snart, Amaya Jiwe/Mick Rory), Explicit Summary: When Mick drags Leonard to Aruba for a well-earned vacation, he doesn't expect to enjoy it quite so much. September Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fic: Finding Where We Belong (Sara Lance/Leonard SnartWillow Rosenberg/Spike) Teen Summary: Faith, Dawn, Willow and Spike end up in Legends 'verse when their only chance of survival was to escape through a portal Dawn created. When Gideon senses the portal opening but isn't sure what to make of it, the Waverider crew goes to investigate and find much more than they bargained for. Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow Fic: Playing With Fire (Mick Rory/Sin) Teen Summary: After Rip drops everyone back in Star City May 2016, Mick stays with Sara. After Sara can't find Laurel right away, but before she goes to the Bunker, she tells Mick she needs to check on one other person: Sin. October Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: The Time is Now (Rip Hunter/Gideon) Summary: The ship crashes after being shot at by time pirates and Rip can't get Gideon back online. While the team is out trying to figure out where and when they'd crashed, they come across a young woman with amnesia and bring her back to the ship. November Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: New Levels of Intimacy (Sara Lance/Mick Rory/Leonard Snart) Teen Summary: Intimacy, Sara was learning, had less to do with sex and everything to do with trust. Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: Thankful for You (Sara Lance/Leonard Snart) Teen Summary: Thanksgiving in New York. December Fandom: Legends of Tomorrow Fic: The Grinch Who Couldn't Stop Christmas From Coming (Sara Lance/Leonard Snart) Teen Summary: Sara doesn't take well to Ray's idea of celebrating Christmas on the Waverider and Leonard wants to know why. Total word count: 57,037 (according to AO3) Fandoms written in: Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d predicted? About what I expected. I knew that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the sheer volume that I did in 2016. What’s your own favorite story of the year? Waverider Book Club was so much fun to write. I love the idea of it and I had a blast brainstorming for the books with the Legends Crew. Did you take any writing risks this year? Steal the Air is a modern day Pump up the Volume AU. It terrified me to do, but I am very pleased with the results. Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the New Year? Just to keep writing. My best story of this year: According to the Kudos on AO3 it would be The Care and Feeding of Training Assassins My most popular story of this year: Going by the Hit Count on AO3 it's Feeling Human Again Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Willful Blindness - I think a lot of people just didn't see this one because there was no pairing associated with it, but I really enjoyed delving into Sara's psyche for why she let the team treat Mick so badly in S2. Most fun story to write: Waverider Book Club Story with the single sexiest moment: Feeling Human Again Hardest story to write: Finding Where We Belong - LoT/BtVS Crossover - I've mostly been out of the Buffy fandom for at least 5 years, so I had to re-familiarize myself with the characters. Biggest Surprise: TimeShip Best lines: Mick frowned. "Why do I gotta go?" "In case they don't speak physicist," Leonard said. - The Time is Now Story/stories I haven’t yet written, but intend to: This hasn't really changed from last year. I still haven't written these. * Sicily story - post Destiny with meta!Leonard. * Making My Body My Own sequel set in angelskuuipo's Saints & Solders 'verse. (After she finishes and posts it. No pressure!) - This has been started, but needs to be finished. * Next part in Finding Home series. - Started this yesterday. * Next part in Unfamiliar Dreams series. * Alternate Earth with seaQuest crossover.

#year in review

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tialovestelevision · 7 years

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On Buffy and Faith

My girlfriend (@ruckafangirl - follow her!) asked me to write a bit about the relationship between Buffy and Faith after the two-parter I just finished reviewing. I can do that. I'll be doing a followup post after Angel's crossover story. I don't think it's a stretch to call Faith the most significant relationship in Buffy's life - more important than Joyce or Willow or Angel or Riley or even Giles. They have, thus far, drifted through one another's lives only briefly, but the way they've touched each other has changed them both to the core. They are sisters, lovers, twins, enemies... they switch bodies, and there is no discomfort, because they know each other in a way neither of them has ever known someone else, with the possible exception of Buffy and Kendra. To every generation, there is but one... but they are two. And one. From what we see, neither of them has any formal martial arts training before they are Called, no real experience in combat. I absolutely think Faith's been in some scuffles, but the sorts kids who get in trouble get into - drive a fist into a nose or slam a face agianst a table and it's done. Buffy's athletic experience, meanwhile, is cheerleading - a physically demanding activity, and dangerous, but it's not combat. Seriously, though, cheerleading IS dangerous. Like, on par with major contact sports dangerous. The work cheerleaders do is underappreciated and vastly undercompensated, and you should get on Google after you read this and learn about the way the major sports leagues treat their cheerleaders because it's a travesty. The point I was getting at: To be the Slayer isn't just to get a stack of physical gifts. It's not just strength and stamina and reflexes and speed and resistance to magic and illness. The Slayer, when Called, is changed on a mental and spiritual level. She learns martial arts - not at the point of being a grandmaster; if that was the case, they wouldn't need to train, but at quite a high level - from the Call. She gains the ability to sense vampires and dark magic. The Calling infects her dreams, turning them from a safe way to rest between days normal and traumatic alike and into terrifying prophecies of death and destruction and oncoming evil and apocalypse. As a champion of Good, the Slayer's mind is opened to the worst of Evil. There is no one else who understands the Slayer. How could they? From childhood - and a fourteen-year-old is a child, if one starting to grasp at adulthood - she is drenched in blood and the stench of the grave, her sleep interrupted by demons to the point that it is safer for her to be awake fighting them than to close her eyes. She knows what vampire dust, what grave soil, what demon ichor looks like, smells like, tastes like. She is Called, and she never knows safety again. How much must it have hurt, then, for Buffy to have met Kendra, made friends with her, found a sister in spirit and experience, only to have her killed? The episode where Kendra dies sells that as being a tragedy because of the lost chance for Buffy to take time away from being a Slayer, but she loses a sister there. Angel and Drusilla and Xander and Joyce strip her of the few people who she really relies on, really trusts, the people who understand the most about her, and that story is one of the most difficult in the series to watch. But when Buffy died, the Slayer line passed from her to Kendra, so Kendra's death passed it from her to Faith. And in Faith, Buffy found a second sister. One who could speak to parts of her that she didn't know existed. The lust between them is obvious - moreso from Faith than from Buffy, though that seems to be more from Buffy's straight-laced nature than from a serious difference in level of feeling. Then comes the Deputy Mayor's death. The death of a man who was on his way to offer help to them in stopping the next apocalypse. It is an accidental killing, an innocent caught in the crossfire of war, no more Faith's fault than the death of a young man killed by a vampire while Buffy was fighting the Master would be Buffy's. But... everything changes then. Faith's reaction to that is more immediately devastating, but no one reacts well. They are failed by the Council and by Buffy's friends, manipulated by the Mayor, and they betray each other. Faith's betrayal of Buffy's is deeper and more primal, but Buffy fails to stand by Faith, fails basic tests of empathy with Faith, and helps - with a huge, huge, HUGE assist from Wesley, who was the worst actor in the situation - drive her into the Mayor's arms. So by the time of the two-parter, Faith has tried to kill Buffy, and Buffy has tried to kill Faith. Faith has poisoned Buffy's boyfriend, and Buffy has killed the one real parent Faith ever had. They are sisters, and they are lovers, and they have done these things to each other. Could their hatred for one another be anything but all-consuming? Evil Angel told us about the power of passion in the well-intended but badly-assembled episode where he murdered Jenny. It's a running theme in the setting - passion steals Angel's soul, passion kills Jenny, passion saves Angel and kills him, passion and the urgent need to feel even its echoes brings people into reach of the burrowing demon. And Buffy and Faith's most passionate relationships are with each other. So of course, when Faith awakens, Adam is forgotten. Faith touches Buffy's soul; Adam is merely an unstoppable murder machine. But it's more than that. In season 3, it's clear how much each of them has that the other wants. Buffy craves the simplicity that Faith seems to live life with, the honesty. Want, take, have. The ability to have her power be something other than a burden. And Faith? She wants the mother, who she never sees the abuse from. The good Watcher who cares for his charge. The loyal friends. The ability, even for a moment, to relax, knowing that there are others around who will actually care for her. Here, for a brief time, they get those things. Well, Faith does, anyway - what Buffy gets is a huge pile of the consequences of the things Faith does, plus a reminder of how bull-headedly always wrong the Council is. Seriously, the last decent choice they made was hiring Ripper. Anyway, Faith gets the friends and the mother and the Watcher and the boyfriend, but all she can do is run, because that's all she's ever really known how to do, and getting those things doesn't change the life she's lived or the trauma she carries. She could trust the Mayor only becaue she knew exactly how he was using her; that Riley and Giles and Joyce and Willow didn't want things from her meant she couldn't trust them. But they are still the Slayer, still drawn as moths to the same flame. They are still sisters and lovers and cannot disentangle themselves from one another. It is their nature. Until one of them is dead, they'll never be free of each other. Even then, I expect the memory of the dead will haunt the living.

#buffy the vampire slayer #buffy summers #faith lehane

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tialovestelevision · 7 years

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Who Are You?

So, “This Year’s Girl” was great, and now we get a Freaky Friday story about Buffy and Faith. With Buffy in Faith’s body being caught by the police already, and pursued by the Council. I’m looking forward to seeing Sarah Michelle Gellar’s interpretation of Faith and Eliza Dushku’s of Buffy. It’s something new, and should be wonderful. 1. Faith is holding Joyce’s hand while Buffy is put into the ambulance. Police and paramedics are taking Buffy away, and Faith is going back into the house with Joyce. This WAS a lovely present from the Mayor - revenge and a shot at life, all in one go. 2. “Guest starring Kristine Sutherland.” “And Eliza Dushku as Buffy.” I like that. 3. Faith just made a rape joke. About… herself? Her body, anyway, even if Buffy is in it. Joyce is scandalized. 4. Faith is not used to hugs. And is very uncomfortable with heartfelt conversations. And wants a bath. So she’s having one. Getting used to Buffy’s body, I think. She looks… happy. Now she’s looking at herself in the mirror and making faces. “Why yes. I would be Buffy. May I help you? Buff-y. You can’t do that. It’s wrong! You can’t do that because it’s naughty. Because it’s wrong.” Her practicing her Buffy here is kind of wonderful. And terrifying. She’s a very broken person. 5. Buffy is in the hospital. They’re trying to hold her down and sedate her. “I have to go home. She’s with my mother!” And they’ve sedated her. 6. Willow and Tara are in Tara’s room, talking about Faith. Tara is hurt that Willow’s friends don’t know about her. “And I really want you o meet them. But I just… kinda like having something that’s just, you know, mine. Do you get that at all?” “Ido.” “I should check in with Giles. Get a situation update.” “I am, you know.” “What?” “Yours.” God, their smiles there. 7. Faith is getting dressed for a night out. Or to leave the country. She found Buffy’s passport. She’s taking money. Faith is going to go see Buffy’s friends at Giles’s house. She wants to take the lipstick she picked out before the fight, but when Joyce pointed it out she says to burn it. 8. Buffy’s in a cop car, and coming to. The cops are surprised. But the car is being ambushed by the Council team, which has loaded her into an armored car. 9. Faith is at Giles’s place. She doesn’t know Anya. “Well, she did all those crimes and now she’s being arrested. I guess that’s just regular justice.” 10. The Council team is a special operations team. They do wet works. Faith can’t stop laughing about Buffy being taken to England by the Council team. She’s also offended by Willow’s dislike for her. To the point of fantasizing about stabbing her in the gut repeatedly. 11. Anya is surprised that “Buffy” is fine with everything. Willow noticed something amiss. But Faith reassured her. Giles just brought up Adam, who Faith knows nothing about. Faith says she’s going to patrol, but she’s out dancing instead at the Bronze. Bouncing from guy to guy. She ran into Spike, who is offended. Now she’s insulting him in a very un-Buffy-like way. “You know why I really hate you, Summers?” “Because I’m a stuck up tight-ass with no sense of fun?” “Well… yeah, that covers a lot of it.” Wow, okay Sarah Michelle Gellar KNOWS Faith. And Faith just beat Spike more thoroughly than Buffy ever did. 12. Ah. There’s Adam. And the joy in the episode just all rushed out. He’s been thinking about vampires, and now he’s talking to vampires, in his terrible long-winded way that bores me to tears. He did rip a head off. That’s kinda cool. He wants to talk to the vampires about plans. 13. Buffy is talking to the Council people. Where Sarah Michelle Gellar has Faith’s attitude down, Eliza Dushku has Buffy’s VOICE. If I weren’t looking at the TV, I’d be wondering how Gellar was doing such a good impersonation of Dushku’s accent… it sounds like Buffy’s voice coming out of Faith’s vocal cords, and it’s uncanny. 14. The Council people deliver the package, and don’t care what’s inside. That… sort of backs up the Council being really bad at things. The other Council guy spat in Buffy’s face. 15. Willow and Tara just walked into the Bronze. Faith is encouraging a guy to chug beer, and Willow just introduced Tara to her. Faith is delighted with meeting someone new, but is also walking away. Tara is staring after Willow as she leaves. Faith is looking at Tara. She sees what’s going on, but is of course expressing it in a way that hurts. A lot. A whole lot. Wow, Faith is being awful. Willow spotted a vampire, and Faith isn’t on it as fast as Buffy would be. Tara’s about to start sobbing. Faith slayed the vampire.The girl the vampire was eating is thanking Faith, and Faith isn’t sure what to do with that emotionally. Willow’s walking Tara home. Willow just gave Faith the idea of visiting Riley. 16. The Council guys are going to try to sedate Buffy, but she caught the guy doing so. Threatened his life, but the other guys didn’t care. They do have discipline, I’ll give them that. They’re going with the contingency plan. Faith is visiting Riley. 17. Willow and Tara are at Tara’s room. Tara’s on the edge of tears. And… huh. Tara knows it’s not Buffy. From the way Willow has talked about her, I think. And the cruelty Faith showed. Also from magic. Buffy’s energy was fragmented. Willow is worried about hyenas. Willow is wearing a ring from Buffy. Tara is looking up a spell, and Willow and Tara are going to cast a spell. It’s astral projection, and Willow will need Tara’s protection. Willow trusts Tara. 18. Now Faith is dancing on Riley’s lap and kissing him, but Riley’s going to close the door. Faith saw that he’s hurt and wants to take him for a test drive. Faith is not good at playing Buffy in the bedroom, but Riley is sufficiently clueless to think she’s doing some sort of roleplay and to go to bed with her regardless. 19. Willow and Tara did their spell. It’s certainly having an effect. Willow fell down, and… I think had an orgasm? 20. Riley and Faith had sex. Riley: “I love you.” Faith is forcing Riley off her and freaking out. Very freaking out. “Who are you? What do you want from her?” Faith can’t handle actual tenderness at all. Ye gods, that girl is broken. Nothing is wrong and that’s the scariest thing in the world. 21. And Adam again. Blah blah blah. Extinguish life. Blah blah blah. You are my first. Blah blah blah. Now he’s making me miss the Master. And I think going to send the vampires into the sun. 22. Faith is leaving Riley’s room wearing one of his shirts. Forrest is talking to her. She says she doesn’t care what Forrest thinks, but she does, and he hurt her. 23. The Council people are getting ready to kill Buffy, but she got their gun and broke out of the chains. She’s trying to steal the car. Got it. She’s a terrible driver and has a heavy vehicle. The Council is bad at things. 24. Faith is at the airport, getting ready to leave the country. 25. Note to self to talk about magic penises in my episode summary. 26. Buffy got to Giles’s house safely. Giles is terrified. “I know what you’re going to say, and I…” “I’m Buffy.” “All right, I didn’t know what you were going to say.” Giles is funny. But he should have known. Willow and Tara are there and know about Buffy and Faith’s body switch. Tara and Willow made a replacement for Faith’s body switching device. Adam’s vampires have taken over a church and taken hostages. Buffy and Faith are both watching a report about it. Adam has actually been useful to the episode plot now! 27. The vampires are there to mock God. Riley and the Initiative are there now, and have taken over from the police. Faith also just arrived. “Don’t tell me what to do. I’m Buffy. I have to do this.” 28. Faith just went in. And is delivering one-liners. “You’re not going to kill these people.” “Why not?” “Because it’s wrong.” Buffy and Giles are on their way with the armored car. Giles is distracting the police while Buffy goes in. The vampires just started a fight with Faith inside. She staked one. The vampires found their fear again. One tackled Riley and is fighting him outside, but he threw it into the sunlight. Buffy saw him. Buffy staked a vampire that was beating Faith up, and now they’re fighting again. Buffy managed to hit the katra thingy and swap their bodies back, and now Faith is terrified and running like mad and Buffy is a little shattered. 29. Back at Riley’s room. Faith has escaped, and the Council guys have left town. Buffy knows Riley slept with Faith now, and is very hurt. Riley and Giles both missed it and Tara caught it and Buffy seems very aware of that. 30. Faith is in a truck bed, surrounded by wood, with a box, riding away to somewhere. Anywhere. Overall: I think I’m going to praise the episode, then complain about it, then praise it some more. It was good. No, you don’t get it. I mean it was REALLY GOOD. Not only did it have Tara and Willow being absolutely lovely, not only did it establish Tara’s competence and empathy and the glory that is her, not only… a dozen different not onlies. It was GOOD. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Eliza Dushku were amazing here, playing each other’s characters, though I feel a bit bad for Dushku missing out on a major point in her character’s development because she was busy being Buffy. The acting work was breathtaking, the writing a wonder. Two weaknesses: First, Adam was involved, and his presence in a scene just stopped the episode’s dramatic momentum dead. He’s just… boring. Constantly, incessantly boring. Long-winded speeches in this weird monotone that’s supposed to be both emotional and intimidating and fails at both those things. God, I hate him, and not with proper villain heat. No, he has X-Pac heat - I don’t want to see him get his ass kicked; I just don’t want to see him. Second, the magic penis. Sex with Buffy’s nice and proper and good Iowa heartland apple pie and mom pork-and-beans salute the flag yippee-ki-yay! boyfriend is what “saves” Faith here - what turns her toward helping people. Yes, there’s the scene before with the girl she saves, but that is badly undersold compared with Riley’s Magic Dong. It’s offensive and doesn’t stand scrutiny and even if proper guy-sex did save women Riley’s like a walking scoop of plain yogurt. Gods, I’m bored just writing about him. Those are HUGE problems for the episode to have, but it gets through them and comes out as one of the franchise’s best anyway on the strength of everything it has going for it. Kudos to Amber Benson and Sarah Michelle Gellar for their scene, by the way… Gellar channeled her character from Cruel Intentions there without PLAYING her character from Cruel Intentions, while Benson just… was hurt and beautiful and tough and brilliant. Good God, if television was this good more often...

#buffy the vampire slayer #buffy summers #faith lehane #tara #buffy season 4 #season 4

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tialovestelevision · 7 years

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Bad Girls

Now through with monster of the week stories for a bit and into some advancement of the season arc. We now hit a two-parter, starting with “Bad Girls.” 1. Faith is surprised Buffy has never fucked Xander. Buffy has had sex a grand total of once. 2. Vampire with a sword! 3. The vampires’ weapons got stolen from under Buffy and Faith’s noses by Mr. Trick. 4. The Mayor reads The Family Circus. Mr. Trick reads Marmaduke. 5. “With any luck, they’ll kill each other. Then everyone’s a winner! Everyone, of course, meaning me.” 6. “Guest starring Kristine Sutherland.” Well, crap. 7. What did Oz do to his hair? 8. And Xander’s back to his usual slut-shaming ways. 9. “Chemistry’s easy. It’s a lot like witchcraft, only less newt.” 10. Oh, look. It’s another Watcher. Well, given Giles’s recent termination, a Watcher. Young and insufferable. 11. “I have in fact faced two vampires myself. Under controlled circumstances, of course.” “No danger of finding those here.” “Vampires?” “Controlled circumstances.” 12. “New Watcher?” “New Watcher.” “Is he evil?” The Council is bad at things. 13. “Is he evil?” “Not in the strictest sense.” I’m in love with Giles again. 14. Wesley does recognize the swords. He’s quick on his feet, at least. 15. “Are you not used to being given orders?” “Whenever Giles sends me on a mission, he always says please. And afterwards, I get a cookie.” 16. “New Watcher?” “New Watcher.” “Screw that.” 17. Now Buffy is looking for Balthazar’s amulet to keep it away from the vampires. 18. Found it. 19. And now she’s in a sarcophagus. 20. And the vampires have the amulet. 21. And Buffy and Faith are hunting them. Down a manhole. 22. “Tell me you don’t get off on this.” “Didn’t suck.” 23. Giles has no patience for Wesley. 24. “You’re not helping.” “I know.” 25. Buffy. No talking. 26. And now Buffy’s leaving with Faith. 27. And now Buffy and Faith are sexy-dancing together. 28. Huh. Balthazar is alive. 29. Wesley has no idea what’s going on. Faith has given out her number. 30. Balthazar… does not look terribly threatening. 31. Oh, wait, he can crush vampires with his belly. Now he’s scary. 32. Now they’re breaking into a sporting goods store and stealing crossbows. 33. “Want. Take. Have.” 34. And now they’re under arrest. 35. Joyce is talking about brunch. Buffy is checking to see if she’s being hunted. 36. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to meddle in your slaying.” Because the last time you did that, you got influenced by demons and tried to burn your daughter at the stake. 37. Now the sword vampires are trying to kill the Mayor. 38. Now the sword vampires are also trying to kidnap Giles and Wesley. 39. Willow is worried Buffy likes Faith better than her. Pretty sure she’s wrong… Buffy has both the hots for and a unique camaraderie with Faith, but likes Willow better. 40. And now Faith has staked the Deputy Mayor. Who isn’t a vampire. Oops. 41. Wesley has broken already. 42. Buffy, Angel, and Giles are fighting the sword vampires. That’s exciting. 43. And Balthazar is trying to crush Angel’s head. But Buffy electrocuted him. 44. “When he rises, you’ll wish I’d killed you all.” 45. Now the Mayor is chanting in a pentacle. To become invincible.”Call temp agency. Become invincible. Meet with PTA.” 46. Faith is having guilt. Rather a lot of it. This season doesn’t seem sure how to distribute guilt. Buffy is supposed to feel guilty for getting kicked out of her house, Angel for the fact that a demon inhabiting his body murdered people, Faith for accidentally killing a human she thought was a vampire trying to kill her friend, but Joyce isn’t supposed to be guilty for kicking Buffy out or trying to burn Buffy at the stake. 47. Pretty sure that was guilt, anyway. She was washing clean clothes, and scrubbing them furiously. Pretty sure “I don’t care” is a lie. But regardless of whether she’s having guilt or not, the show thinks she should. Overall: That was a good episode. Lots of fighting, Balthazar’s fear of the Mayor does a lot to build the Mayor up as a credible threat. Not that he wasn’t already - he’s smart, charismatic, and efficient, the last of which is a trait sorely lacking in our major vampire antagonists. Wesley is awful, but he brings out the best in Giles and the show’s aware of his awfulness so he gets to live in the Land of Snyder and thus be a character I appreciate the presence of. In spite of it communicating strangely with the rest of the season about the idea of what sin is, what responsibility is, it holds up really well on its own. Looking forward to the follow-up.

#buffy #faith #buffy the vampire slayer #buffy season 3 #bad girls

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tialovestelevision · 7 years

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This Year's Girl

Yay, good Angel stories! And now, yay Faith! Getting her back will be nice both because she’s one of the best characters in the franchise and because it will give us a break from Adam, the most bland villain since Coach Who Turns His Swimmers Into Fish Demons Guy. 1. Buffy is making a bed. I think it’s her room at home. Yeah pretty sure. And there’s Faith. They’re talking about the smell of the sheets. Buffy: “I wish I could stay, but…” Faith: “Little sis coming. I know. So much to do before she gets here.” Faith is bleeding on the bed, because Buffy stabbed her with the sketchy mall knife and didn’t notice. “Are you ever gonna take this thing out?” 2. Faith is in her hospital bed. The hospital looks… kind of awful. 3. “Guest starring Kristine Sutherland.” Haven’t seen that in a while. Haven’t missed it. Xander is trying to fix the lightning gun. Willow suggests just pressing some buttons; Giles vetoes it. They’re all in Xander’s basement again. “Will, you haven’t seen this Adam thing. He’s the Terminator without the bashful charm.” 4. They haven’t heard from Riley, but the Initiative has told Buffy he’s fine, which indicates that she’s not on the run from them any more. Which sort of makes me wonder why they’re in Xander’s basement instead of Giles’s house. Xander got shocked by the blaster, while Giles and Willow reassure Buffy that the Initiative wouldn’t be hurting Riley. Buffy thinks they might have put him back on the drugs, though, which is something that would make sense for them to do - gives them a leash and him power. 5. Riley’s looking a ton better. He’s out of bed, but there’s a guard at his door. Forrest just relieved the guard. “The shish kebob that walks like a man.” Forrest thinks they should deal with Adam without involving Buffy. 6. Faith is blinking her eyes. No, REM. 7. Faith dream: She’s having a picnic with the Mayor. She’s worried it’s going to rain. He found a snake and released it. He was getting cheesecake, but Buffy stabbed him to death. “I told you I had things to do.” Now Buffy is chasing Faith with the sketchy mall knife. 8. Buffy, Willow, and Xander are patrolling. Buffy has a leopardprint coat. They found a demon who’s been flayed. 9. Willow thinks Adam killed the demon to study it. Buffy is planning to defeat Adam, and to rescue Riley. First Riley. She wants to launch a frontal assault after Willow magically hacks the Initiative, but Riley is at the basement. Buffy is surprised-delighted. Xander asked Riley if the Initiative put a chip in his brain. That’s a good question, but Buffy derailed it. 10. Back to Faith’s dreams. Buffy is chasing her at a leisurely pace through a graveyard with the knife. Faith is running but can’t get away. She fell in a grave. There’s thunder starting. Buffy jumped into the grave as it starts to rain. There’s a stabby noise and grunting, Faith climbs out of the grave. And now she’s awake. 11. She’s weakened, in the hospital, IVs hooked up. Removing her equipment. That should be summoning a nurse. This hospital is terrible. Dark and dingy. Someone just came in with a bear and a hoodie. Faith needs to get to Sunnydale High School graduation, but the school isn’t there any more. It’s Friday, February 25. She knows the Mayor is dead, and now has the girl’s hoodie as she leaves the hospital. 12. Buffy and Riley are having a conversation about his time in the infirmary. Riley is a little somewhere else. Riley has no orders, and what he does is follow orders. “I’m a soldier. Take that away, what’s left?” “A good man.” Buffy is looking for brainwashing chips and kissing Riley while sitting in his lap. “You’ve been strong long enough, Riley Finn. I’m gonna help you.” 13. The doctor, the nurse, and the police are in Faith’s room, talking about the lack of security. No kidding - when she pulled her equipment, it would have read her flatlining, and no alarms went off and nobody noticed. Never mind containing a murderer; this hospital is terrible at hospitaling! Hospital security has found the woman Faith took the hoodie from. The nurse just called someone to tell them to “send the team.” 14. There’s Faith at the high school ruins, staring at them. She’s very sad, and now walking lost through Sunnydale. Looking a little stronger, though. Moving better.Terrified, though. Alone. 15. Now she’s at Giles’s place. Giles, Willow, Riley, and Buffy are discussing Adam, who needs to recharge because he’s working off an autonomous power source. Riley fixed the blaster. Giles and Buffy think Riley should go to the Initiative to do the double agent thing. Xander is disapproving of another of Buffy’s boyfriends. 16. Buffy just got a phone call. She has a face. She now knows Faith is awake and free. Xander: “I’d say this qualifies for a Worst Timing Ever award.” 17. Buffy has basically put the Adam search on hold because of Faith’s return, and has now explained who Faith is to Riley. Buffy hasn’t found Faith yet, and edited out Angely bits of her conversation with Riley about Faith. And there’s Faith. 18. Now, after some verbal sparring, Buffy and Faith are fighting. Police show up and Faith retreats after knocking them out. Buffy’s chasing her across campus. Faith went over a wall and got away… she’s almost certainly hiding right in the blind spot the wall makes. 19. Willow and Tara are looking for Faith. Tara likes that Willow said “recon” and thinks Willow’s a fool monster fighter. Willow would be lucky to bruise Faith’s fist with her face, though, and knows it. Tara is very bad at violence. “She’s like this cleavagey slut bomb walking around going all, ‘Oh, check me out. I’m wicked cool. I’m five by five.’” Nobody knows what five by five means. 20. They recon ‘till nightfall then the ritual hiding begins. 21. They gave Xander the blaster. He and Giles are hunting for Faith, but found Spike. “Is this bird after you?” “In a bad way, yeah.” “Tell you what I’ll do, then. Head out, find this girl, tell her exactly where all of you are, and then watch as she kills you.” Are you ever going to remember that he’s evil? 22. Xander: “We’re dumb.” 23. There’s a helicopter arriving at the hospital, with the nurse waiting. N410JC. Just Googled that; it’s an FAA registration for a single-engine aircraft but was registered in 2014, so that’s not relevant to an episode made in 2000. Those guys look very Council. Helicopter is leaving; the guys are walking into the hospital. So now we have Buffy, Spike, the police, the hospital, and the Council all looking for Faith, who’s looking into a window at a bunch of knives that would be bad for stabbing with. 24. Cop car shows up, so instead of stealing knives she vanishes ito a crowd. 25. Demon greets Faith. “Faith, a friend sent me. I got a little remembrance from him.” She kills the demon and takes an envelope from him, which has a VHS tape. The Mayor is on it with a message for her. Gods, having him show up is a painful reminder of Season 3, when the show had a really good main villain and was producing episodes like Amends. He made the message while Faith was in her coma - the brief window between her being stabbed and him Ascending and dying. He wishes he could make the world a better place for Faith to wake up in, but her watching the video means he failed. He also sent her a box. It’s not going to bite. It’s some sort of magic item. “And here’s the good news. Just because it’s over for my Faith doesn’t mean she can’t go out with a bang.” 26. Riley wants to help fight Faith, but his injury is still bothering him. He wants Buffy to tell him why Faith gets so far under her skin. “I know Faith. She’ll come after me and she’ll come after the people that I love.” Cut to Buffy’s house, where Faith is at the door. “Hi, Joyce.” Punch. 27. Faith is going through Joyce’s makeup and has taken Joyce hostage. Buffy hasn’t been by the house in a while… can’t blamer her there. But Buffy just came through the window to attack Faith. Joyce somehow got free of her bindings and is calling the police. Faith and Buffy just rolled down the stairs. Faith thinks Riley could use a little roll in the sack. Wow, Joyce’s house is getting wrecked. Faith has a knife. 28. “Hello, Rupert. The team from the helicopter is in Giles’s house. 29. Police sirens outside Buffy’s house. Buffy and Faith still fighting in the living room. Faith got out the thing the Mayor sent her, and grabbed Buffy’s hand. They’re looking at each other in surprise, then Buffy punches Faith out. She has a weird expression on her face and just broke the artifact. Handing Faith over to the police, then says “Five by five.” Body swap time, apparently. Overall: That was very much part one of a two-parter. Faith and the Mayor here are almost painfully good, a reminder of the time the show had the best understanding of its strengths. Season 3 was, apart from a set of bad one-off episodes, incredibly well-assembled and very focused, with a villain and a dragon who were as interesting as they were threatening. Season 4 has been a meandering mess basically from the word go, and they supplanted the Initiative in the main plot with Adam just as the Initiative started to show some promise, wiping that promise away in favor of a bland cyborg guy. This, though? This was good. The Mayor’s presence is felt throughout it, Faith is both sympathetic and terrifying, and both Buffy and the script find a focus they’ve been lacking this whole season. Adam exists merely as a cloud that hangs over the events, rather than a presence, which works for him - “We’re already under this existential threat, now Faith is back too” is a great way to take this story. The way Adam is put aside for Faith, though, isn’t good for Adam’s legitimacy as a villain, and he really couldn’t afford to lose any more of that. All that said, though, whatever the implications for the rest of the season from this, I’m glad this episode is happening, because it’s been the best ride the show’s given me all season.

#buffy #faith #buffy the vampire slayer #this year's girl #buffy season 4 #season 4

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