#Buffy comes back at some point

[disco-tea]

5 headcanons about Spike + Dawn in a medieval AU

OK WAIT THIS IS BRILLIANT. Also this might have turned out much longer and with a little more world building than i meant sksksksks whoops

Our story takes place in the kingdom of Sunnydale that is equal parts magic and violence. It’s a land of goblins and dragons and trolls and fae, and occasionally, beings that are both supernatural and human, known as half-breeds. Legend has it that the kingdom was built upon the gates of hell itself.

The monarch that resides over the kingdom is named Elizabeth, though those in her inner circle often call her “Buffy.” Buffy comes from a long line of monarchs and it’s said that the royal bloodline has been entrusted with guarding the world from the evils that lurk beneath the kingdom of Sunnydale. Monarchs of Sunnydale are expected to be more than just rulers, more than just the law, they’re expected to be warriors, to fight the monsters and demons and armies of hell besides. The next in line is Buffy’s younger sister, Dawn. So we have Queen Elizabeth and Princess Dawn. Buffy has an inner circle of extraordinary people who help her rule and protect her kingdom. An adviser named Rupert, a mage named Willow, a friar named Xander, a changeling switched by the fae at birth named Anya …and her most trusted Knight, Sir William.

William has fought beside his Queen for many years and been through some of the worst battles the kingdom has seen. As a result, it has earned him the special title of the Queen’s Champion. Many of the other knights also call him Spike. Some say it’s because in his early days of knighthood he was a renowned jouster, some say it’s because he once slew a dragon with just a metal spike. Neither are true. As the Queen’s Champion, one of his many duties is to look after the young Princess. He accompanies her on journeys and public outing and all manner of things and if you were to ever spend any prolonged amount of time with them…you might realize how much they look and act alike. You might realize that he is the Princess’ best friend and at times their relationship is almost…familial.

And you see, Sunnydale is a kingdom of mysteries and secrets, and our protagonists are no exception. Each hold secrets, great and small. The Queen has many secrets, one of which is that the royal bloodline is comprised of half-breeds, endowed with strength to help fight and keep the darkness at bay. Her chiefest knight is also a half-breed. And her sister…well, her sister is not her sister at all, but her daughter. Nobody knows the real story, everyone thinks that Princess Dawn was merely sent away in secret while the former king and queen were alive. Sent away at birth to a far away land for protection and education and returned when she was a small child. But that’s not what really happened. The real story goes like this.

Years ago, not long after the King died and Queen briefly ruled alone (then Queen Joyce), Buffy was still a Princess. She never wanted to be the Queen. Didn’t want the burden and the pain. Didn’t want to have to choose a suitor from amongst the royalty. And there were suitors—one from the clan of Finn, a distant king named Angelus, and many others—but in the end, she fell in love with a young and brash knight with a soft heart. A knight named William.

They hated each other at first, always arguing and bringing complaints before the Queen, who bore it with patience and a knowing smile. Buffy hated him all the more when he was assigned to aid her in her quests and journeys and he made a show of hating her for much the same reason. It was a lie. In time they realized they were more alike then they ever could’ve guessed. Hate gave way to friendship and camaraderie and then eventually…love. 

But it could never be, because Elizabeth was royalty and she must marry royalty and he was just a knight, and— the secrets of the crown notwithstanding—a half-breed knight to boot. Still, that didn’t stop them from being in love, no matter how much they fought it. Despite the dangers and potential scandal, The Queen herself did very little to discourage it once she found out, having spent her life married to a man she didn’t love all because she had caved to her own parents demands.

Eventually, William and Elizabeth were married in secret and not long later…they had a daughter. A daughter named Dawn. Shortly before the Queen died, she helped them fabricate a story and told the entire kingdom that Dawn was a lost princess of the now deceased king and queen, finally brought home at last. Very few people actually know the truth, not even Dawn herself.

They continued that way for many years. That is until one fateful day…Elizabeth died in battle. William blamed himself, wished that he could follow his queen and wife to her grave. But he couldn’t, because there was a new queen now, one so young and broken-hearted. One who had no family left, save him, but she didn’t even know that.

Queen Dawn was coronated at only 14 years old. She was so young and scared, and barely had time to change out of her funeral clothes before the kingdom was thrusting a crown upon her head, expecting wisdom and strength and perfection from her, just as they had her sister before her. But through it all, a Knight was by her side. To keep her safe, give her strength, protect her from the many assassination attempts that followed. And often, to make her laugh when no one was looking. Because unlike the council or advisors or subjects, he hadn’t forgotten that she was still just a child…his child.

Five headcanons game

#forcing my self to end this hete because I think it’s starting to sound silly sksksks #*here #Buffy comes back at some point #maybe she faked her death for the good of the kingdom who knows (I do) #btvs imagine #no major proofreading we die like spuffy #spuffy #spike and dawn #btvs asks #long post

[fungal-rot]

Pure Instinct - Surrender

okay so i've been seeing those tiktok ads about that Pure-Instinct perfume and I had A Thot- it was originally supposed to go a different route, but i kinda went everywhere with this LOL.

summary: no outbreak; you bought a new perfume, one that's supposed to entice the opposite sex. but just how well does it actually work?

warnings: MDNI- smut (unprotected p-in-v), joel being a bit of a horndog, semi-desperate sex, oral (f receiving), use of 'good girl' and pet names (darlin', baby, pretty girl, honey), a bit of bulge riding, slight dom!joel, established relationship, no age specification for reader- lemme know if i forgot anything! - also please note i’m getting back into writing. i’m a lil rusty and still getting back into the flow of things; apologies for any mistakes.

w.c.: 2.7k

    ⁺˚°｡⋆♱✮˖☽𓋼𓍊◯𓍊𓋼☾˖✮♱⋆｡°˚⁺

All over the internet you've come across different videos advertising some 'pheromone perfume-' a blend of essential oils that are meant to work with your own natural scent, enhancing your body's pheromones- or something of the sort. Seeing the men become infatuated with their girlfriends and wives, clinging to them with lust-blown pupils certainly had your interest piqued.

After an- albeit, quick- internal debate with yourself, you bit the bullet and looked up the seller's site, coming across different smells like 'Crave,' 'Lucky,' 'Fallen-'

And 'Surrender.'

Sounds sexy. With a smirk you click on it, reading the description,

'Surrender has a sophisticated and mature scent which designed for the woman who wants to feel confident, beautiful, and sensual. Own any room you enter in. You won't just be noticed — you'll make heads turn. Sexy, but not vulgar.'

Sounds dominant.

There were different layers of notes, like magnolia, mandarin, vanilla, sandalwood; the list went on. Seemed like a good choice. You were about to add it to your cart, finger hovering over the button, but then you hesitated. Did you really need this? Was it that important to find out if it was worth the hype? To see if Joel would be unable to tear himself away from you, kissing you hungrily while ripping your clothes off an-

Added to your cart!

It was for science.

You even opted to pay extra for express shipping, heart racing with a giddy bite of your lip.

The day it arrived, you were practically bouncing on your feet with glee. Joel was at work, wouldn't be home for another hour or so. That meant you had plenty of time to get things together and play around with it.

Taking a quick shower then pulling a low cut shirt over your head and shimmying a pair of leggings on, you grabbed your little container of liquid-luck, rolling it over your heat points; a little between your breasts, behind your ears, along the crook of your neck, wrists, and fold of your arms. It definitely smelled alluring upon first apply. Now to let it dry and wait.

-

Keys jingled outside the door, the knob twisting a few times before the entrance swung open followed by a rather exhausted looking Joel Miller who stumbled through. The man heaved a heavy sigh as he tossed his keys into the dish and toed of his shoes before padding to the couch where you sat, pushing your cuticles back as you watched a rerun of Buffy: the Vampire Slayer.

"Hi, sugar," you greet, flicking your eyes to him as he flopped down, making you bounce softly. His hair was damp with sweat from being out in the hot Texas sun all day, thick veins protruding from his work-callused hands, trailing up his arm.

"Hm," he grunted in reply and placed his palms over his eyes as he leaned against the back of the couch, chest expanding with a deep breath only to falter for a split second. Joel took in another breath, this one loud and deliberate. With hands lowering from his face, he turned his head to you, slowly, with knit brows.

"D'ya smell that?" He asked, sniffing again with a curious glance of the room.

Now, you had to play this right. You couldn't just outright tell him you bought perfume that would have him slobbering all over you, no. That would defeat the purpose of your little experiment.

So instead you played coy and sniffed at the air just as he did, nose turning up with a gentle shake of your head and small bob of your shoulders.

"I don't smell anything."

He nods slowly, eyes narrowing with a slight slack of his jaw, tongue poking through the side of his teeth while he studied you.

"You don't smell that?" Joel pressed further, almost exasperatedly.

"Smell what, Joel?" A quiet titter sounded with your words, brows arching as an amused grin toyed at your lips.

"Jus'..." Joel trailed off, wetting his lip with a quick swipe of his tongue. The scent wasn't too overbearing. It was sweet, musky, and a hint of something so conversant. Something that always managed to get him hot under the collar. A heat that not even the dry summers he endured on a frequent basis could compare to.

That's when you leaned over him- totally not at all planned- reaching an arm past to grab one of the magazines on the end table. Joel drew another quick breath and it hit him. Before you could retreat he snatched your wrist with a tight grip, pupils dilated widely with parted lips. " 'S' you..." He murmured, attention solely on you and you alone.

The corner of your mouth twitched up into a smug smirk, "Is it?" You hushed back, feeling goosebumps erupt across your skin as he pressed a kiss to your inner wrist, slowly trailing up your arm and to your shoulder. A curt chuckle sounded from his chest as his own lips turned up. "Mm, I think so, baby," Now his lips danced on the crook of your neck, taking another whiff.

'Oh, fuck, that's good.' He thought, emitting a low growl.

"Yeah..." He purred, teeth grazing over your pulse point and eliciting a quiet moan from you, "that's alllll you, darlin'."

Hell, if Joel was tired before, he was certainly up now- in more ways than one.

"C'mere, pretty girl," He muttered and sat back, legs spread as he motioned two fingers in your direction. He watched with hungry intent as you crawled into his lap, thighs straddling his. Joel pawed at your hips, rolling them forward against the bulge straining in the confinements of his jeans with a grunt.

"Got me so damn hard an' ya haven't even done anything," With another forced roll, he throws his head back with a sigh. "Ride." He ordered with a strained voice, chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. You didn't move just yet, however, and took in the sight of him; eyes shut and brows knitted softly, plush lips parted.

"Ride," Joel repeated with a firm smack to the meat of your ass, making you yelp and rut against him once more. You could feel the warm thickness of his cramped length through the thin cloth of your leggings, each continuous grind against your clit made you writhe in pleasure.

Good god, you were doing a number on him. He bucked his hips up in time with yours, panting faintly before sitting up and wrapping his thick, strong arms around your body.

Joel buried his nose into your neck again, allowing your enticing scent to flood his mind. His stomach tightened, and he had to pull you off his lap before he came in his underwear like a damn teen. You whine at the loss of friction, expression forming a soft pout as he laid you down, head against the armrest.

"I know, baby, I know," Joel cooed and tenderly cupped your jaw, brushing his thumb over your bottom lip, " 'M gonna take care'a ya." He leaned down and planted a quick peck to the side of your nose.

"Always do, don't I?"

The man lowered himself down your body, hands stopping to caress and grab every now and then before slipping his fingers into the waistband of your leggings, swiftly tugging them down and watched as a string of arousal pulled, connecting the fabric to your lips. He smirked, relishing the fact you were just as turned on as he was, but what really caught his attention was-

"No panties?" He quirked a brow, a shit-eating grin apparent on his face as he continued shimmying you out of your pants. "Y'had this planned, didn't ya?"

You chuckled, biting your lip meekly and avert your gaze. Whoops! Caught.

"So, what is it?" He asked, curling a leg into the couch as the other planted on the floor, his head dipping to your center and placed an open-mouthed kiss to the inner crease of your hip.

"Surrender," You answered breathily, peering down at him as continued lavishing you with loving smooches and pecks, his wiry facial hair scratching at your body that only fanned the flames in your tummy.

His brows drew together with a vague frown as he lifted his head, "Whaddya think I'm tryin' ta do right now?"

Even though his words made you clench around nothing, you still couldn't help but laugh and bring a hand to your mouth to stop yourself. With a shake of your head you say, "No, dummy. I mean, that's the name of the perfume I bought."

Joel tilted his head back in a slight nod, uttering a soft 'Ohhh.'

"I dunno how I was s'posed ta know that," his head lowered once more, breath fanning over your wet heat and flicked his eyes to meet yours, "but it's fitting."

He didn't even give you a chance to process what he said before diving straight into your folds, tongue lapping over every crevice and drinking you down.

"O-oh, fu-fuck!" You breathed out, thighs instinctively closing around his head as your hand grasped at his sweat-matted brown hair.

He growled into your cunt, bracing his hands on either side of the soft, pillowy flesh of your legs and forcing you open again. Normally, Joel loved using them as his own personal pair of earmuffs, but now? He wanted you spread for him, needed it actually. He'd drown in you if he could, and by god he'd willingly die trying.

His mouth detached for a moment, just long enough for him to stick out his tongue and let a string of drool fall over your labia, watching with a satisfied smirk as it slid down to your entrance. Snaking a hand from under your thigh, he brought two fingers to your clit, brushing the pads of them over it with teasing glides. Your hips twitched and bucked with a soft mewl leaving your throat.

Joel dragged his bottom lip between his teeth before lowering his fingers. Down, down, then circling at your hole and slowly pushing in. A sharp gasp ripped from your chest, back arching as you finally got that stretch; so achingly sweet.

His cock twitched at the sound, begging to be let free and seek shelter deep inside your pussy. He had enough restraint (for now) to get you off first.

And they say chivalry is dead...

He latched his mouth back onto you, slurping obscenely as he licked his way up, fingers curling into the spongy spot of your canal.

"Jo- oh- el!" You cried his name brokenly, hand closing a tight fist into his hair with a tug. You could feel the fucker- no pun intended- smirk against you as he pumped his fingers in and out, picking up the pace as he suckled on the sensitive button. Your whines grew more relentless, hips rolling against the flat of his tongue and holding his head in place as the coil in your stomach began to tighten.

Joel felt you clench around his fingers and took that, along with the way you fervently bumped against the bridge of his nose, as a sign you were close. With a wince he reached his free hand to his jeans, fumbling with the button before sliding the fly down, reaching in and finally pulling out his hard cock.

Said hand went back to its rightful place against your thigh while he rutted against the cushions, pre-cum making a mess into the leather.

"C'mon, darlin'," He murmured, taking a quick glance at you and reveled in the sight of your flushed cheeks, eyes screwed shut and head thrown back against the arm rest. "Give it t'me, cum around my fingers." You didn't need to be told twice. In an instant, that coil snapped. Your legs trembled and shook as your climax ripped through your body, eyes snapping open and mouth agape, but no sound came out other than a few breathy whimpers.

"Good girl," Joel praised, still subtly grinding against the couch, desperate for his own release. "Good fuckin' girl." You had made a complete mess of his hand, your spend dripping down his fingers, into his palm and down his wrist, dribbling onto the sofa.

After your body relaxed, hand releasing the harsh grip from his hair, Joel pulled his fingers from you, making a shudder run up your spine. He sat back on his haunches, pushing his hand to your mouth and said, "Open."

Complying happily in your blissed-out state, your jaw slacked, allowing him to slide his soaked fingers into you warm mouth, palming himself with his other hand while he watched your lips close around the digits, feeling your tongue lick and clean your slick off them.

With a satisfied hum, he removed his fingers and replaced them with his tongue, greedily shoving his way past your teeth and licking the roof of your mouth.

Joel backed away, staring deep into your eyes. He huffed, pulling his pants down further, stepping out of one leg. He was so fucking horny and desperate right now he wasn't going to bother with the other one. This would do just fine.

"Need t'fuck you, baby," He spoke in a hushed tone, and without further warning he grabbed your leg and hooked it around his waist just before sliding right in with ease.

The two of you moan in unison. Either he was fucking huge- spoiler, he was- or you were really fucking tight.

Joel collapsed, a hand splayed next to your head to catch himself so he wouldn't fall directly on top of you as he bared his teeth with a hiss.

"Chris' onna damn bike," He slurred, gently lowering himself further and snaking an arm under you as he lazily thrusted into you.

He glanced down to where you two met, watching as he delved in further, "She's jus' swallowin' me in."

An aquiline nose sought out your neck, the sound of Joel consuming your scent filled your ears once more. He simply couldn't get enough. Hips snapped against yours incessantly, skin against skin bouncing off the walls and drowning out the sound of the tv in the background.

The man above reached a hand under your shirt, groping and squeezing your tit as he lowered his forehead to yours, half-lidded eyes boring into yours intently.

"Fuck," He muttered, eyes widening, hips stuttering, "Fuck, 'm close." Joel was a little ashamed of himself. He couldn't remember the last time he made it to the finish line so quickly.

He was quick to remove his hand from under your shirt, finger dipping to the spot where his cock pumped in and out, collecting your slick before sliding it up to your puffy clit yet again.

"Y'think you can gimme another'n, honey?"

"Y-yeah," You nod, feeling that familiar flame lick up your spine. "Wanna cum on your cock."

Joel's lip curled into a snarl at your admission, eyes rolling back before fluttering shut. His movements blundered, then he pulled out, leaving just the tip slotted in your entrance.

"Please," he whined. Whined.

That fucking did it. Your body tightened for the second time this evening, eager to let go and milk Joel of every last drop he had to offer.

"I'm c-" He interjected with a slam of his hips, making you see stars as he fucked you through your orgasm, the head of his dick tapping your cervix as he pushed himself as deep as he could, jerking into you almost feverishly. Your name fell off his tongue like a mantra while he held you flush against him, your back peeling off the leather with arms wrapped around his back as you nestled your face into the crook of his neck, breathing in the musky, sweaty scent of him- your personal favorite brand of 'pheromone perfume' he wears.

After his body lightened, he turned his head and placed a listless, yet tender kiss to your temple. You made a move to crawl away, but that made his grip on you tighten.

"Not yet," he spoke lowly and leaned back, pulling you with him. "Wanna stay like this. Jus' for a minute."

His hand smoothed back your hair, the two of you laid there in silence to catch your breath. After a good ten minutes or so, you lift your head to peek at him, "So, I take it you liked the perfume?"

Joel offered a lopsided smile, rolling his head to the side with a swallow, "Loved it, darlin'."

You'd have to remember to buy more in the future.

⁺˚°｡⋆♱✮˖☽𓋼𓍊◯𓍊𓋼☾˖✮♱⋆｡°˚⁺

hi, hello, thank you for reading. as stated above, i’m still basically re-learning to write. i’m trying to get in the hang of properly pacing out the story, not too rushed but not too wordy either. feedback is appreciated! pls feel free to interact with a reblog or comment <3

#joel miller x reader #joel miller #joel miller tlou #joel tlou #the last of us hbo #joel miller x you #tlou #the last of us #joel miller one shot #joel miller the last of us #joel miller imagine #joel miller smut #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x female reader #tlou hbo #tlou fanfiction #pure instinct

[cy-cyborg]

The Untrustworthy Fake: Disability Tropes

[ID: A screenshot of Willy Wonka from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as he limps towards a crowd using a cane. In the picture, he has a brown top hat in his hand, and he's wearing a suit with a purple jacket, multicoloured bow tie and cream coloured pants. Beside him is text that reads: "Disability Tropes, The untrustworthy Fake" /End ID]

Tell me if this sounds familiar: A new character is introduced into a story with some kind of disability - usually visible but not always. Maybe they're a seemingly harmless person in a wheelchair, maybe they're a one-legged beggar on the street, or maybe they're an elderly person with a cane and a slow, heavy limp. But at some point, it's revealed it's all a ruse! The old man with a cane "falls" forward and does a flawless summersault before energetically springing back up to his feet, the wheelchair user gets to their feet as soon as they think the other character's backs are turned, the one legged beggar's crutch is knocked out of his hand, only to have his other leg pop out of his loose-fitting tunic to catch him.

All of these are real examples. Maya and The Three introduces one of it's main protagonists, Ricco, by having him pretend to be missing a leg in order to con people (something that works on the protagonist, at least at first), Buffy The Vampire Slayer had the character Spike, pretend to be in a wheelchair, until the other characters leave and he gets up, revealing it's all a ruse and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory introduces Wonka by having him slowly limp out into the courtyard of the factory, only for his cane to get stuck, causing him to "fall" and jump back up, revealing that he's actually perfectly fine. Virtually every single major crime show in the past few decades has used this trope too, from CSI to The Mentalist, Castle, Law and Order and Monk all having at least one episode featuring it in some way. Even the kids media I grew up with isn't free from it; The Suite Life of Zack & Cody sees Zach faking being dyslexic after meeting someone who actually has the condition in the episode Smarter and Smarter and the SpongeBob SquarePants episode Krabs vs Plankton has Plankton fake needing a wheelchair (among other injuries) after falling in the Krusty Krab as a ploy to sue Mr Krabs and trick the court into giving him the Kraby Patty Formula.

No matter the genre or target audience though, one thing is consistent: this trope is used as a way to show someone is dishonest and not to be trusted. When the trope is used later in the story, it's often meant to be a big reveal, to shock the audience and make them mad that they've been duped, to show the characters and us what this person (usually a villain) is willing to stoop to. Revealing the ruse early on though is very often used to establish how sleazy or even how dangerous a character is and to tell the audience that they shouldn't trust them from the get go. Gene Wilde (The actor who first played Willy Wonka) even said in several interviews that this was his intent for Wonka's character. He even went so far as to tell the director of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that he wouldn't do the film without that scene because of how strongly he felt this trope was needed to lay the foundations for Wonka's questionable intentions and motivations. His exact words are: "...but I wouldn't have done the film if they didn't let me come out walking as a cripple and then getting my cane stuck into a cobble stone, doing a forward somersault and then bouncing up... the director said, well what do you want to do that for? and I said because from that point on, no one will know whether I'm telling the truth or lying."

There's... a lot of problems with this trope, but that quote encapsulates one of the biggest ones. whether intentionally or not, this trope ends up framing a lot of actual disabled people as deceitful, dishonest liars. Now I can already hear you all typing, What?! Cy that's ridiculous! No one is saying real disabled people are untrustworthy or lying about their disabilities, just people who are faking!

but the thing is, the things often used in this trope as "evidence" of someone faking a disability are things real disabled people do. A person standing up from their wheelchair or having scuff-marks on their shoes, like in the episode Miss Red  from The Mentalist isn't a sign they're faking, a lot of wheelchair users can stand and even walk! They're called ambulatory wheelchair users, and they might use a wheelchair because they can't walk far, they might not feel safe walking on all terrains, they might have unstable joints that makes standing for too long risky, they might have a heart condition like POTS that has a bigger impact when they stand up or any number of other reasons. Also even non-ambulatory wheelchair users will still have scuff marks from things like transferring and bumping into things (rather hilariously, even TV Tropes calls this episode out as being "BS" in it's listing for this trope, which it refers to as Obfuscating Disability). A blind beggar flinching or getting scared when you pull a gun on them isn't a sign they're faking their blindness like it is in Red Dead Redemption 2. Plenty of blind people can still see a little bit, it might only be a general sense of light and darkness, it might be exceptionally blurry or just the fuzzy outlines of shapes, or they might only be able to see something directly in front of them, all of which might still be enough to cue the person into what's happening in a situation like that. Even if it's not, the sound of you pulling your gun out or other people nearby freaking out and making noise probably would tip them off. A person needing a cane or similar mobility aid sometimes, but being able to go without briefly or do even "big movements" like Wonka's rolling somersault, doesn't mean they don't need it at all. Just like with wheelchairs, there's a lot of disabilities that require canes and similar aids some days, and not others. Some disabilities even allow people those big, often straining movements on occasion, or allow them to move without the aid for short periods of time, but not for long. Some people's disability's might even require a mobility aid like a cane as a backup, just in case something goes wrong, but that still means you need to carry it around with you, and unless it can fold down, it's easier to just use it.

Disability is a spectrum, and a lot of disabilities vary in severity and what is required of the people who have them day to day. This trope, however, helps to perpetuate the idea that someone who does any of these things (and many others) is faking, which can actively make the lives of disabled people harder and can even put them in very real danger, physically, mentally and even financially.

Just ask any ambulatory wheelchair user about how many times they've been yelled at for using accommodations they need, like disabled toilets or parking spaces. How many times they've been accused of faking and even filmed without their consent because they stood up in public, even if it was to do something like get their wheelchair unstuck or as simple as them standing to briefly reach something on a high shelf. I've caught multiple people filming me before, so have my friends and family, and it's honestly scary not knowing where those images have ended up. This doesn't just impact the person either, a friend of mine was filmed while standing up to get his daughter (who was about 4 at the time) out of the car. He was lucky to have stumbled across the video a few days later on facebook and contacted the group admins where it was posted to get it taken down, but had he not stumbled across it by chance, pictures with his home address and his car's number plate, his child's face and his face all visible would have just been floating around, all because a woman saw him stand briefly to pick up his daughter.

Many people don't stop at just saying a nasty comment or taking a photo though, a lot of people, when they suspect people are faking, will get violent. I have many friends who have been pushed, slapped in the face, spat on or had their mobility devices kicked out from under them. I've even been in a few situations myself where, had I not had people with me, I think the situation would have turned violent.

There's even been cases where those photos and videos I've mentioned before have been used against real disabled people and they've been reported to their country's welfare system as committing disability fraud. While cases like this are usually resolved *relatively* quickly, in many parts of the world, their payment will be halted while the investigation is in process, meaning they may be without any income at all because of someone else's ignorance. If you're already struggling to make ends meet (which, if you're only living off one of those payments, you probably will be), a few weeks without pay can mean the difference between having a home and being on the streets.

Not to mention that when there's so many stories about people faking a disability in the media, especially when the character is doing it to get some kind of "advantage", such as getting accommodations or some kind of disability benefit, it perpetuates the idea that people are rorting the systems put in place to help disabled people. If this idea becomes prevalent enough, the people in charge start making it harder for the people who need them to access those systems, which more often than not results in disabled people not even being able to access the very systems that are supposed to be helping them. A very, very common example of this is in education where accommodations for things like learning disabilities require you to jump through a ridiculous number of hoops, especially at higher levels, only to have some teachers and professors refuse to adhere to the adaptations anyway because they're convinced the student (and usually disabled students as a whole) is faking.

Yes, the "untrustworthy faker" is a fictional trope, and yes, it does occasionally happen in real life, but not as often as media (including things like news outlets) would have you believe. However, when the media we consume is priming people to look for signs that a disabled person is faking, it has a real impact on real disabled people's lives. "Fake-claiming" is a massive problem for people in pretty much all parts of the disabled community, and it ranges from being just annoying (e.g. such as people spamming and fake-claiming blind people online with "if you were really blind, how do you see the screen" comments) to the more serious cases I mentioned above. It's for this reason a lot of folks in the disabled community ask that people leave this trope out of their works.

#Writing disability with Cy Cyborg #Long Post #Disability #Disabled #Disability Representation #Writing Disability #Writing #Writeblr #Authors #Creators #Writing Advice #Disabled Characters #On Writing #Disability in Media #Tropes #Disability Tropes #faking disability trope

[olderthannetfic]

A short while ago you mentioned fic on AO3 that was written in the “AO3 style”, or something to that effect. I was wondering if you could elaborate on what that means/is?

--

Oh god. This topic comes around every 6 months or so. Others should feel free to help me out here, but basically...

A lot of fanfic sounds like the other fanfic and other stuff that the same communities consume. In a given era and sector of fandom, that leads to a samey style. It often has a lot of overlap with a specific sector and era of genre fiction with a heavy dose of watches-tv-does-not-read-books elements on top.

AO3 House Style is relatively similar to the height of LJ Western slash fandom. Other fanfic styles are often similar but start showing other influences the more distant you get.

There are some major strains, not always in the same works:

Transparent genre fiction prose that doesn't call too much attention to itself. It's there to convey plot, not make you notice the language qua language. You'll see something similar in, say, a Mercedes Lackey novel (along with the terrible editing and protagonist centered morality that are also common in fic, haha).

YA boom era YA vibes.

Kind of forced "snark" and samevoice from many characters in a way that tells you the author spent a little too much time watching Buffy.

World building and complex thriller/mystery/etc. plots that actually work typically take a back seat to pining, angst with a happy ending, and other more ship-focused, character interaction-focused, and emotions-focused things. The general idea of a mystery, vampire AU, etc. is often present, but it's more of a backdrop. (Depends on the part of fandom though!)

Huge focus on the internal psychological and emotional state of characters.

Lots of hurt/comfort, both physical and emotional.

Lots of serialized work that shows the traces of being written that way (dangling plot threads, inflated word count, returning to similar plot points in a way that wouldn't happen if the thing were completely written, revised, and then only posted serially).

Certain cliched phrases like "He smelled of __ and __ and something uniquely him", carding fingers through hair (thanks, commenters for researching this one a year or two ago and proving it's way more common in fic!), "Oh. Oh.", etc.

If the fic is more self-consciously literary, it's full of sentences that trail off to the point where you're almost not sure what actually happened.

Often lots of very short paragraphs and lots of scenes that are almost all dialogue

Frequently third person limited present tense. Some third person limited past tense. Less of other stuff unless you're looking at a fandom where canon is first person or you're looking at readerfic (which is on AO3 but is not really "AO3 House Style").

Honestly, some people would just say "sounds like fanfic", but if you go read primarily on SpaceBattles or something, you're going to find a lot of stories that don't sound quite the same as your prototypical AO3 fic.

[littlenastieswewhispered]

i get that spike/spuffy antis have to hate season seven on principle (and the fact that they act like spike’s arc is entirely frivolous and unimportant is so wildly dismissive of buffy’s i don’t think they actually even like her!), but so many are straight up factually incorrect about what actually happens. i don’t know if it’s a media literacy issue or a choice to be obstinate. probably a mixture. when you want something to be a certain way, misunderstanding something gives you room to declare yourself right.

their main talking point is that ensouled spike forces his presence on buffy. this… just doesn’t happen even once in the season. at all.

spike doesn’t return to sunnydale to see buffy. he goes back to the hellmouth. probably because it’s all he knows, as a demon he considers it home, and not for nothing he’s already being controlled by the first who wants him in place for a specific purpose.

in the first episode, lessons, buffy comes across spike on her own. he’s at some of his most insane for this interaction, and he walks away from her. in the next episode, beneath you, buffy seeks spike out. she goes to the basement and can’t find him. he’s actively hiding from her.

later in the same episode he gets himself cleaned up and goes to her, for the first and only time. he says it’s because something terrible is coming and he wants to offer his help. he tells her if she doesn’t want him around, tell him and he’ll leave and she can revoke his invite (which notably is still active). she doesn’t. she accepts his help.

they talk while looking for the demon and buffy says she can tell something is different about him but she doesn’t know what. spike makes a point to say he isn’t going to tell her what it is. that’s MAJOR. spike does not want buffy to know about his soul. he doesn’t put it on her, and he doesn’t make it her problem. he ends up telling her only after it’s nearly forced out of him and he’s triggered back into insanity after a lucid period. after he reveals his soul, he leaves.

in the next episode, same time same place, buffy seeks spike out. he’s once again hiding in the basement, so she knows where to find him, but he does not go to her. she enlists his help that episode, twice.

the next episode is help. buffy goes to the basement to see spike. she asks if he knows anything about cassie. he later helps buffy save cassie from the boys trying to sacrifice her.

in the next one, selfless, buffy once again goes to spike. it’s a definite a pattern. buffy seeks out spike. it’s actually a lot like much of their relationship in season six, only much more one sided. she tells him to leave the basement because it’s bad for him.

the next episode, him, sees a big shift. it’s still buffy going to spike, but this time she doesn’t just leave him in the basement. she actively chooses to help him out of it, getting xander to let him move into his apartment. there’s a huge and important change in their dynamic now. they are solidly in each other’s lives, and that was and continues to be buffy’s choice.

i won’t do little synopses for each episode from the rest of the season, but from here spike offers to leave at minimum four additional times, half a dozen or more total all season.

he earnestly wants buffy to kill him in sleeper and never leave me, because he’s devastated and terrified that he’s killing. buffy says no, she’s going to help him and she believes in him. she rescues him, because she wants to, and moves him back into her house.

later on spike seems to be gaining back control of his mind, but when the first threatens him he once again says he’s a danger and needs to leave and buffy says no because shes not ready for him not to be here.

buffy wants spike in her life. she makes that fact extremely clear. maybe at first it wasn’t for the healthiest reasons, but a major theme of season seven is spike and buffy healing both as individuals and growing closer together because of it. their relationship empowers and strengthens buffy, and the final episode is called chosen for a reason. this season is about buffy’s agency. that starts when she decides who’s in her life and who isn’t.

there’s never a single moment where spike makes that decision for her. he doesn’t once tell buffy she has to accept him, or that he should have access to her. he doesn’t come around when she says to leave, because she doesn’t say to leave. he stays away from her until she beckons him back. over and over.

spike doesn’t think he deserves anything from buffy. he believes the opposite, even encouraging her to date and hiding his heartache about it. he doesn’t make his insanity and suffering her problem. she volunteers to help him.

i understand having issues with the writing choice of spike back in buffy’s life at all after what happened in season six, but only if you’re engaging with it honestly. you can dislike that buffy makes the choice to have spike around, but it’s obvious when you disregard her agency and pretend he’s the one calling the shots. you hate a story that didn’t happen, and it’s impossible take seriously.

#spuffy #btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #you’re the one buffy #i believe in you spike #btvs meta #rant full steam ahead #basically a subtweet to a particularly pathetic anti on insta #spuffy is endgame #buffy loves spike #and spuffies stay winning

[sanjoongie]

Bet!

❦ Pairing: Vampire Hunter! Reader (f) x Vampire! Jake (Enhypen)

❦ Genre: modern vampire au, co-workers to lovers? (think buffy and spike)

❦ Warnings: oral (f receiving), bite kink, exhibitionism, public sex, mentions of blood, hypnosis, death

❦Word Count: 1,195

❦Rating: 18+ MDNI, smut

❦Summary: Jake makes a bet with you. If he can manage to make you cum then he gets to bite you too

❦Dedication: @mejuii & @downtoamagicalland because they’ll always read what i write, no matter the cost :3 AND @beomgyusbabygirl for listening to me talk about it 😭

You were desperate to keep your hips from twitching upwards but it was almost becoming an impossible mission at this point.

“What’s wrong, Miss Vampire Hunter?” Jake drawled from between your legs, “I thought you said I couldn't possibly make you cum?”

How did you end up in this particular position, you may wonder? Jake was a vampire who was also your informant. If you needed to pursue a rogue vampire or investigate some questionable hypnosis situations, Jake was your go-to guy. Charming with his good boy looks but with a mouth dirtier than a whores, it was an easy choice to keep him an arm's length away. Especially considering the both of you were on two different sides of an on-going, underground war. But then Jake decided to take your distant attitude as a challenge.

“Have you ever been bitten?” Jake asked seemingly nonchalantly as he wrote down an address for you. Seems there had been sightings of a vampire who was luring a girl by pretending to be her dead boyfriend. 

You sent him a look of disbelief that he couldn't possibly see, with his neck bent over the paper he was diligently writing on. “No? Why would you ask?”

Jake shrugged and handed you the paper. “It could have happened while you were staking one of us. I was just curious.”

You rolled your eyes. “Puh-lease,” You drew out the word into two syllables, “Like I’d be dumb enough to let myself get bit.”

Jake cocked his head curiously, tongue playing over his lip piercing. “You’re not even a little bit curious? Don’t you think you should know? To sympathize with the people you save or just to be aware of your profession?”

You shook your head. You moved to take the paper from him. “I don’t think half those vampires know how to bite without tearing your neck apart. Just like most men can’t perform oral.”

Jake frowned deeply. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He hasn’t let go of the paper yet.

“It means,” You frowned back at him, tugging at the paper, “Why would I let some bloodthirsty creature bite me when I can’t even trust a man to--JAKE, GIVE ME THE DAMN PAPER!” You shouted in frustration.

A teasing smile pulled at his charming features. “How 'bout we make a bet then? If I can make you come, I will bite you.”

“I don’t fucking think so,” You said without even contemplating it.

Jake’s smile widened. “What’s wrong? Think you’ll lose that bet?”

“No! Are you even listening to me? If I don’t trust you to bite me, I certainly don’t trust you between my legs!”

Jake nodded resolutely. “I can do it.”

“Sir, you are getting on my nerves,” You growled, shaking a finger at him in warning. 

Then, the bugger had the audacity to capture the tip of your finger between his teeth, his canines showing now. And your pupils blew wide in reaction. Shit.

“Fine! And if you can’t, you will never make another pass at me,” You vowed.

“Scouts Honor,” Jake held two fingers up but they were crossed, not put together. 

Jake escorted you into a nearby alley, where you could still hear the murmur of the crowd and the traffic but far enough that no one would know what was going on unless they walked down the alley itself. Your head hit the brick wall behind you, trying to quell the cord of lust that was winding tighter and tighter in your stomach. 

Jake’s eyes swirled below you and you knew he was triggering a power of his: telepathy.

Go ahead, moan my name, no one can hear you

“I don’t feel the need,” You said through gritted teeth.

Jake’s tongue swirled around your clit lazily, leg still over one of his shoulders. He started to work his middle finger into your hole and you slammed your fist against the brick, hoping for some pain to clear your head. 

Come on, admit it, Jake’s words swirled inside of your head. His tongue was working up your clit and he was already pushing another finger inside of you. You’re enjoying yourself

You tried to think of every poor girl that had ever fallen victim to a hypnosis from a vampire and lured back to his kiss to get sucked dry. You tried to think of the two puncture wounds that had long dried up on a corpse. Anything to keep your impending orgasm from exploding over you but it was starting to become a lost cause.

Make a mess of my face so I can bite you

That was the last shred of sanity you had left. You cried out desperately, loudly and with enthusiasm as pleasure raced through all of your nerves. Damn, Jake knew how to give head. And just as your orgasm washed through you, Jake moved his mouth to your plush thigh and bit down delicately. Tiny streams of blood pushed from the small holes he created and he licked those lines like you were a melting popsicle. 

"Oh my god," You exclaimed, breathing heavily.

"Jake, actually. Thought you'd have learned that by now," Jake quipped. He daintily licked the holes to seal them and sat back on his heels, letting your leg down.

You pulled down your short skirt quickly. You always dressed like a slut on the hunt for a vampire fang bang, just in case anyone was suspicious of a lonely human wandering into the vampire section of town. You were starting to think that figuratively was biting you in the ass.

"Are you satisfied?" You grumbled, "Our working relationship is ruined now, you damn vampire."

Jake slammed an open hand against the brick, cracking the stone and allowing a poof of dust to fall around you. "That's Mister Vampire to you, Miss Vampire Hunter."

You rolled your eyes. "Is my blood that invigorating, Jakey?" You cooed, not intimidated in the slightest.

Jake was back to his charming self. "To answer your question, no, I'm not satisfied. I'm high on your blood and I have a raging hard on."

Your eyes moved down to his slacks and the clear dick imprint against them. Your eyes moved back up to meet with his brown ones, swirling with red. "I did not sign up for that."

Jake started to play with his lip ring again. "So you're fine with me finding relief with someone else then?"

You narrowed your eyes at the vampire who was suddenly even more cocky, or was it borderline confident? "Jake, I told you, I never want to hear about what you do as a vampire. I just need your information. I don't want to muck about in that gray area and have to hunt you down."

Jake looked smug now. "Well, apparently you need my tongue and fangs now as well."

You visibly winced at his remark. Fuck. 

Want to bet that I can't make you come again?

"Get out of my head, Jake," You growled. Your fingers inched towards the stake you kept firmly between your breasts.

"Only if I can get between your thighs again~"

You sighed. "Who needs who again?"

#kvanity #kwritersworldnet #thekpopuniverse #enhypen smut #jake sim smut #don't look at me i dunno why i wrote this either #but here we are #❂enha #topaz's work

[niuniente]

I got Buffy The Vampire Slayer tarot deck. As my attempt is to get to back to tarot and learn to read them intuitively via images, too, I always go through tarot decks to see if any of the cards pick my interest. If the illustration is somehow different or in a way or another chances the atmosphere of the card's usual meaning (for example a broken Tower VS an intact Tower).

Here are my faves from BTVS deck:

The Lovers is a card for Tara and Willow. Not only it is nice to see The Lovers depicting a same sex Lovers, this The Lovers feels like "I found you! Finally, I found you!" The Sun (The Spirit) is shining its blessing on this love. This is very easy, relieving and fulfilling love, where possibly two different kinds of people (lush tree & scorched tree) come together. (Typically, The Lovers card for me represents love which requires some work and effort, and might be challenging at first).

The Tower in this deck is intact and seems to be able to hold its form despite everything going around it. It is a message tower, so this The Tower underlines communication, knowing, intuition and the gut feeling. Notice the person leaping into freedom from this Tower. This Tower represents circumstances which ask you to leave more than everything crumbling around you whether you want it or not, and taking part of you with it.

10 of Swords in this deck is the most peaceful 10 of Swords I've ever seen. It's like "Well, it is how it is and there's no changing it". Things have ended and there's really nothing you can do anymore but go with the flow and let the old die. Don't take the hand of old (Angel) trying to reach back to you - it is going and it needs to go. Keep your head clear and calm (Buffy).

Judgement card has a message on it: "Please check ALL bags/backpacks at counter". What are you carrying in your bags? What are you bringing under the eye of Judgement? You will be judged based on that because what you put in your bag, that will go with you and you have to deal with it. So, check your bags!

The Sun card with Buffy and Spike looks a lot like traditional The Lovers, which is a really nice touch, as both cards are good - and when combined together, SUPER good! Fans of Spuffy might also be happy to know that The Sun represents the highest point in one's potential. It has now been reached, you have reached your personal enlightenment in a way or another. Hardships are behind and one has survived them.

5 of Cups is probably my favorite! Typically this card depicts a person crying after 3 fallen cups, while 2 are still fine. Buffy here, however, doesn't mind the fallen cups but keeps going, filling her own cup with the strength, resilience and stubbornness she's got. A really positive card for 5 of cups.

#tarot #btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #buffy #spike #willow #angel #anya #tara

[coraniaid]

Of course the boring truth is that (with just a handful of exceptions) the Buffy writers never really take seriously the idea that Buffy is not actually "the" Slayer. They try as much as possible to pretend that Kendra and later Faith simply don't exist when they are not the immediate focus of the current episode or arc.

In fact, they do this so aggressively that the episode immediately after Kendra's first appearance (in the two-parter What's My Line?) starts with Giles's pre-show voiceover solemnly repeating the (just proven false) claim that "in every generation there is a Chosen One … she alone will stand against the vampires" (and after What's My Line?nobody mentions Kendra again until she shows up to die a few episodes later). And so aggresively that, between going to prison in Sanctuary [which happens just before Season 4's The Yoko Factor] and coming back to Sunnydale in Season 7's Dirty Girls, Faith's name is spoken just four times over a run of 63 consecutive episodes (once in Season 4's Restless, twice in Season 5's Checkpoint and once in Season 7's Bring On The Night). In fact they do it to the extent that Faith's very last words in the show are to earnestly ask Buffy what Buffy is going to do now that she's "not the one and only chosen anymore" (something that Buffy has of course never been at any point in the roughly four years Faith has known her, exactly because of the mere existence of Faith herself).

But. Putting that aside for a moment.

Do we think that the monks who turned the Key into a human and sent her to be protected by "the Slayer" knew in advance that there was actually more than one Slayer in the world? Or did they only know to come looking for her in Sunnydale after the fact?

I mean, it doesn't seem like they had much time to prepare after "the abomination" found them, turning the Key into a human seems very much to have been a last minute spur-of-the-moment kind of plan born of desperation as much as anything else, and it's not clear why an order of monks who guarded some mystical glowing green energy for centuries would have spent much time keeping track of the lives of individual vampire slayers (let's face it, even the Watcher's Council didn't ever bother to do that, and some would argue that it is quite literally their only job).

In other words, did the monks actively pick Buffy Summers to look after the Key (and if so, how did they know who she was?) or did they just send the Key to "the" Slayer and get very lucky?

Is there some possible alternate world where one day Faith Lehane wakes up in prison somewhere in California and suddenly remembers that she has an estranged kid sister she hasn't seen in years who lives on the other side of the country?

#btvs

[angelthemanspanker]

If Buffy found out Angel kicked out Connor she would also be told why and, I think, maybe cut Angel some slack. I don't believe Angel throwing out Connor was, in fact, the same as Joyce throwing out Buffy. There is a quick, easy-to-miss scene towards the end of Angel season 3 that supports this viewpoint, one where Connor throws Angel in the ocean in a box with the intention of leaving him there forever to shrivel up in eternal agony and insanity

Now Buffy might have done that to Joyce at some point tbf it's been a while since I watched the high school seasons but I feel like maybe there's a difference between removing your extremely strong and dangerous son, who tried to put you in the Torture Nexus last time you saw him/the surface world, from your home (AND with an important "You can't be here yet" attached), and telling your daughter that if she leaves she can never come back because you demanded an explanation and then refused to accept the truthful one she gave you even though she's saying she slays vampires and thirty seconds ago you saw her slay a vampire.

Just because two scenes would look real symmetrical if you put a few lines out of context next to each other in a gifset does not the same thing make

#another day another Buffy Flies Off The Handle Half Cocked characterisation 😔 #buffy obsessors we fight on #buffy summers #angel #joyce summers #in her famous Worst Moment Ever. but band candy lies ahead so she brings it back #buffy the vampire slayer #angel the series #connor angel #hes at the end bc i forgot to give him his last name that i find hilarious #geraldo jr over here 👉 #btw i dont hate on the other players in this game we call Blogging #this is pure defense of buffy #oh and angel i guess but I'm less invested in debesmirching his name. smirch the bastard see if i care

[darling-i-read-it]

Replacement

Rupert Giles x fem!reader, slight Wesley Wyndam-Pryce x fem!reader

Word Count: 2.6k

Warnings: younger reader (12 years younger than Giles but super legal ofc), btvs season 3 spoilers, jealousy/insecurity, drinking, light insinuation to smut 

Author’s Note: I know this is literally not on the list of things I was supposed to write and I’m going to get to the requests tomorrow I think but the fact there’s so little giles content makes me wanna DIE. anyway here’s this <3 watching buffy season 3 and feeling things for him. 

Summary: Set in season 3 when Buffy gets Wesley as the new Watcher. The reader, the assistant librarian and also Giles’ girlfriend, gets hit on a bit by Wesley and Giles gets protective™. 

Genre: mostly fluff! 

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

(not my gif)

“They’re sending in the new Watcher soon,” Rupert murmured. He was sitting on the couch in front of you. You could only see the back of his head but you could tell what kind of look he had on his face. Contempt, annoyance, some disappointment lacing his features. He had a glass in his hand, his arm over the back of the couch. He glanced back at you in the kitchen. “I fear I might be a tad unbearable for the next couple of days.” 

“You’re always unbearable,” you quipped, grabbing your own glass as you finished pouring it. “That's what I like about you.” 

You knew Giles was extremely worried about Buffy’s new Watcher. It had been the topic of conversation ever since Buffy’s test. It had also been a general point of contention; how could he let her go through that? Though now that he was being punished through various other means, you laid off on the argument. 

“Do you know who it is?” 

“No. They won’t tell me. Fear of my reproach I imagine.” He shook his head a bit. “I can’t believe they’re allowing someone else to come in after Gwendolyn Post.” You stayed silent. It was better to let him just talk through this himself, without any kind of argument or solace from you. “Buffy will never trust someone as she trusts me. Trusted me that is, I suppose. I never should have gone through with it. No, don’t say anything. I’m just conceding to your earlier point, I know.” You rolled your eyes. 

“Relax. The Watcher won’t be here tonight…” you put your hand on his arm. “So let’s not talk about him hm?” 

“You’re being suggestive. Is it because I conceded to your point?”

“One of the various reasons,” you explained. “Relax Rupert. I have no ulterior motives, I’m not a vampire, I’m not possessed. I’m just a girl in your house with some light alcoholic suggestion.” He nodded slowly. 

“You know, I don’t need that much convincing.” 

“I know.” You grabbed his drink and put it down on the coffee table. He admired you with an eyebrow raised until your phone rang. You groaned, picking it up beside the drinks. “It’s Buffy.” He let out a soft sigh. 

“Duty calls.” 

“Hey, it’s my phone. Maybe she just wants to gossip.” 

“Moments like these I remember we’re from slightly different generations.” You rolled your eyes and answered the phone. 

“12 years is not that many years. Hey Buffy.” 

“Arguing about your age difference again?” she said over the phone.

“Always. Ever the straight.” You kicked your legs up onto his lap. He grabbed his glass back from the table and took a drink. 

“I have said you have odd taste in men right?” 

“Once or twice. What can I do for you?” 

“Was gonna ask if you want to go to the Bronze with Willow and I before patrol. I fear this will be my last night Watcherless.” 

“Does she know I can hear her?” Giles questioned. You shrugged. 

“I would love to come but I think I’ve got my hands full over here. Men's feelings are hard.” 

“Tell me about it,” Buffy muttered. You could almost see her rolling her eyes over the neverending Angel ordeal. 

“You should go,” Giles said. “I’ll be fine.” “I made plans I don’t like to break,” you pouted. “Rain check Buff?”

“Sure thing.”

“Have fun.” 

“I would say you too but that brings awful images to my brain.”

-

You came into school a little bit late. You were working as library assistant, at Snyder’s hope to keep Giles the least destructive as possible. Giles woke up ungodly early and usually had several cups of coffee before you even saw him. 

You pushed open the doors to the library, holding your bag to your side. You slowed at the sight of a man you didn’t recognize by the check out desk. Your eyebrows furrowed as you tried to place the suit. Familiar, but foreign. The man turned around, revealing some glasses and an even looking face. 

“Good morning,” he said, just as evenly. 

“Good morning…” You craned your neck to look behind him, wondering if you had suddenly entered a world with a different librarian. 

“Are you here for the librarian? He’s out at the moment.” He stumbled over his words a bit, making you unsure of his dedication to the sentence. 

“Who are you?” He cleared his throat. 

“Wesley Wyndam-Pryce.” He offered his hand. You shook it, warily. 

“Wesley Wy-” You paused and thinned your lips. Maybe it was the British accent that gave him away or maybe it was the suit. “Are you the new Watcher?” His eyebrows raised. 

“I take it you know about the slayer” You shook your head. 

“Just a tad. I swear I’m not a threat, just a friend. Y/N.” He nodded once, looking you over. 

“What kind of friend?” You scoffed a bit. 

“You Watcher’s have a type,” you observed. 

“Hm?” 

“Where’s Rupert?” 

“Out.” 

“What was it? Westley?”

“Wesley. Wyndam-Pryce.” You nodded, pointing a finger at him. He smiled shakily, looking down. You opened your mouth to speak when the door opened again. 

“Oh man. You’ve met the new Watcher,” Buffy observed. Wesley straightened up and cleared his throat. “Getting along?” “Well,” he observed. Buffy raised an eyebrow at his stiffness and then glanced back at you. “I wonder if the Watcher’s have a book that says what kind of girl they’re allowed to go for. Maybe Giles just stuck a picture of you somewhere and this guy read it wrong.” You rolled your eyes. 

“Do you know where Rupert is?” 

“Nope. He’s not my Watcher anymore, remember?” she said, defeated. She passed you further into the room. You put a hand up in defeat. 

“He could be dying and none of us would know.” 

“I’m sure he’s alright,” Wesley promised. “Are you and Rupert…” 

“Yeah,” you said curtly. As if on cue, Giles walked into the room, holding a stack of books, looking completely in his natural habitat. “Thank God. Giles.” He halted when he caught sight of the two of you. 

“You met the replacement.” 

“I did. He’s a little stiff.” You squeezed his bicep. He watched you do it. “I was looking for you.” 

“Is everything alright?” He put the books down on the counter. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just wasn’t sure where you had run off to and I like keeping tabs.” 

“That’s unhealthy,” Buffy noted. 

“Your boyfriend is dead,” Giles retorted. She shrugged with a point taken look on her face. You turned back to him. Wesley gave a once over at the two of you. Giles had put a hand on your upper arm, a gesture that was familiar to the two of you. You took the top book off his stack. 

“Whatcha reading?”

“You’re miraculously calm.” 

“One of us has to be.” You took the book and walked over to sit beside Buffy. She was eyeing the new Watcher intensely, like the whole world could come down at her mere gaze. Knowing her, you wouldn’t be surprised. 

“He’s gonna say something stupid,” she muttered. 

“Hm?” you asked. Wesley was looking at Giles. 

“Don’t you think she’s a bit on the younger side for you?” 

Silence went over the room as the words seemed to hang in the air. Giles stared bullets into his former colleague. 

“I don’t think that’s any of your concern,” he said coldly. 

“She looks closer to the slayer's age. My age. I have every right to ask, as a proceeding member of the council and part of the investigation towards your extermination.” Giles took a step forward, too close. You were suddenly reminded of the ‘not so booksmart’ person he used to be, the one who would throw a punch before working with words. You stood back up. 

“Keep her out of your mouth or so help m-”

“Alright,” you intervened. You stepped between the two of them. “I’m only 12 years younger but you flatter me. Giles, a moment?” You grabbed Rupert’s arm, gently pulling him in the direction towards his office. It took him a moment, not wanting to digress from the standoff. Eventually he followed. 

“Don’t leave me here all by my lonesome with this guy,” Buffy pleaded. 

“Vetoing your contribution here slayer,” you called back. She let out a huff, returning to staring bullets. You shut the office door gently behind you. 

“That’s a tad dramatic,” he pointed out. “I’m fine.” 

“I’m not going to put words in your mouth but I’m allowed to observe, yeah?” He pursed his lips, shoving his hands in my pockets. You nodded. “Other Watcher, bad. Wiles Westley Watchamacalllhim is making you, Rupert Giles, sad. You want Buffy to remain under your watch, lack of better word, and this new man is now stepping all over your toes in that regard. Observations correct?”

“Generally.” 

“What am I missing?” He shook his head. 

“It’s not important. Move on with your speal please.” 

“Buffy won’t trust this man the way she trusts you. She never could, you have too much history. You have the upper hand here, despite the council not backing you up. He’ll never be half the Watcher you are,” you promised. You grabbed his hand. “Speal over.” 

He nodded gently, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“You do have a way with words.” You laughed gently, shaking your head.  

“I’ll try to be more Bronte later.” He squeezed your intertwined hands, a defeated smile on his lips. 

There was a knock on the office door. You rolled your eyes and released his hand. You swung open the door to meet Wesley on the other side. 

“I have to speak to Mr. Giles.” 

“He’s all yours Wes.” You patted his chest as you walked past, back to Buffy. 

-

As the day wound down and everyone started home, you were stuck in the library still. You loved the place but the more you spent in it with two Watchers, the more you were starting to see its lesser qualities. Giles had followed Buffy and Faith out to have a generally mentor-like talk. 

Leaving you alone with Wesley. 

“So you know of Buffy because of Giles?” he questioned. You raised your head from the book you were reading. You had hardly noticed him watching you. He had a cup of coffee in his hand, standing disgustingly straight. You sat on the steps. 

“I was assistant librarian. Almost died by vampire. Happens to the best of us.” 

“He fraternized with a colleague?” 

“Continues to do so. Don’t look so jealous, Wes.” You put the book to your chest. “You’re ruining the perfect balance of the scooby gang you know.”

“Perhaps it needed to be out of kilter. I don’t see it going swimmingly right now.” He walked over to you. You looked up at him, observing his very even stature. You wondered, not for the first time, if Giles looked like this when he was a little younger. “What are you reading?”

“Rereading.” You glanced at the book. “Wuthering Heights.” 

“Classic.”

“Yes sir. One of my favorites. Helps me forget about the neverending impending doom,” you muttered. He looked awkward for a moment and then sat down beside you on the steps. You raised an eyebrow. 

“I’ve always enjoyed a bit of light fiction reading.” You opened your mouth to speak, reading the signals he was not so eloquently putting off. You were interrupted by the library door opening. 

Giles slowed his walking speed at the sight of you. Wesley stood up, embarrassed. You gave Rupert wide eyes, a gentle I don’t know sign. 

“Go do Watcher duties won’t you? The girls need someone to watch them before patrol.” Wesley wanted to argue but noted the look in Rupert’s eyes and decided against it. He gave you a nod and then passed him to leave the room. 

You were alone with Rupert. Finally.

“Wuthering Heights?” he asked gently. You nodded, a small smile on your face. 

“Am I so predictable?”

“You’re a classic.” 

You leaned against the railing, watching him with admiration in your eyes. There was something special about emotions fluttering around the room, knowing there was something to be said and something understood. You softly patted the stairs beside you. He walked over, sitting down without a word. 

“You know what I’m going to say,” he breathed. You grabbed his hand, staring down at it as you traced the lines of his palm. 

“Wesley will never be you.” 

“Are you speaking for Buffy or…or for you.” 

“For me.” You wanted to argue aggressively, assure him that whatever he was thinking was wrong. You felt the opposite, you would never love someone like you loved him. That Wesley, no matter the difference in your ages, it would always be Giles. That the age truly wasn’t even that big of a deal. You were consenting adults with fully formed frontal lobes. 

Instead you leaned down to him and put your chin on his shoulder.

“I love you,” you whispered. He did a double take with his eyes, not moving his head so as to not disturb you. You hadn’t said that yet. “You don’t have to say anything-”

“I love you too.” 

You smiled brightly. You kissed his shoulder and then sat up all the way. 

“Can you read to me?” He glanced up at you, wondering how you had moved on so quickly. 

“Hm?” 

“I just like to listen to you talk Rupert,” you murmured. You handed him your book and slid down the stairs so you were sitting beside each other. He cleared his throat curiously. “One second. I’m gonna go grab one of your sweaters from the office, I like to get cozy. You got any blankets in there Rupert?” You got up and walked away. He smiled to himself. 

“Under the desk.” 

“Ah ha!” you peeked around the corner. You emerged wearing one of his gray knitted sweaters. “I love that you have blankets in your office. Hm. I love you I think.”

“Oh?” You shrugged. 

“Yes sir.” 

You sat beside him again and put a blanket over his lap. 

“Go on. Heathcliff won’t read himself.” 

When Wesley returned he glanced through the door window before walking in. Your head rested on Giles’s, eyes closed in content. You looked rather cozy on that step. Giles kept reading, even as you presumably slept. 

Wesley turned back to bother Buffy some more.

#rupert giles x reader #rupert giles imagines #rupert giles x fem!reader #btvs imagines #btvs fanfiction

[centrally-unplanned]

Rewatching Buffy is also a fun exercise in context-aware consumption. As a show I like I have read a number of production interviews & such about it, and its not a show aiming for hyper-realism; I am rarely fully suspending disbelief when watching. I know this is media, made by actors & crew members.

It is something that makes it very hard to get "mad" about things that fans back in the day were mad at, that almost always ignored the reality of said production. Tara being killed in Season 6 and never returning is a classic example - extremely controversial decision, death-threats-faxed-to-the-team fan response drama. The Big Bad of season 7 has the ability to wear the form of anyone dead, and in one episode tries to convince Willow to stop using magic in the form of some other dead girl speaking for Tara, but not Tara herself.

So why is Tara not-even-a-ghost? Because actress Amber Benson really wanted to leave the show. She had big conflicts with someone on the production - she has never confirmed, but all odds point to Alyson Hannigan (Willow) - and mid-production in Season 6 they came to a head, and also she had an opportunity to do some directing for a shoot in England, so she asked Joss to write her out. Dying fit the themes, and maybe coming back for an episode was on the table but like it didn't really work out. That is TV! Obviously it would have been better for the ghost episode if that was Tara, but its hard to be mad at it, they did what they could.

Season 7 has a bunch of things like this too - Caleb certainly shows up pretty late in the game! So does Faith! Couldn't they be there for more episodes? Not with the contract as a non-regular Nathan Fillion & Eliza Dusku had. Who is main-billing w/ residuals, who is recurring, who is a "special guest", these are important questions for TV productions, and the ideal script doesn't care. So Caleb's arc in Season 7 is rushed, for sure. Its a criticism, I do think they should have written *around* that reality better. But its way to easier to look past that and see the good stuff when you know the constraints.

#buffy the vampire slayer

[writingbyshiloh]

Vampire AU headcanons for the Marquis de Gramont

CW: 18+ for the smut part, Vampires, blood, blood drinking, a brief reference to sex in a mirror, slightly obsessive Vincent, slight NSFW content (but there is a warning before it too), (minor)Vincent blames the reader for drinking their blood, GN! Reader  I read it for grammar but we all know how that goes

Summary: Hcs about the Marquis du Gramont in a vampire AU. 

AN: I had the BIGGEST crush on Angel from Buffy so anything vampire is a yes from me. I wanted this to be headcanons with a few blurbs sprinkled about. Not sure what it turned out to be, but it's long and I feel like I focused more on the vampire than MVdG. Also thinking of doing vamp!reader and hunter!MVdG. If you don't like this concept it is okay just don't read

Being a vampire hunter is your life, and not to toot your horn but you're fairly good at spotting them, luring them into a secluded place and then killing him 

That's how you first spot him. 

A friend gave you a spare ticket to a ballet she's in, you dress up and go to support her. It’s good to balance normal things and monster hunting. 

The audience is small, spread out in the large theatre. She told you it's a special performance, for benefactors and close family/friends

You go to the bathroom during intermission, but end up bumping into him

Tall, dark hair, a pale face and handsome, his dark suit sparkling under the lights.

It takes a few minutes for you to realize that his a vampire, you’re more so used to the newer ones, drunk on immortal life mostly in night clubs. 

He's a gentleman though, oozing manners. If you had to guess he’s a couple of hundred years old 

You extend your hand to him for a handshake and tell him your name. He repeats in a soft French accent. Slender fingers cup your own as he brings your hand to his lips, gently placing a kiss on the back of your hand. You’re embarrassed by how fast your mind goes to all the other places you want to feel his lips. The lights flash above the both of you, a silent reminder that the show will continue. As you make your way back to your seat, half of you hopes that you'll see him again, and the other hopes you never do,

Turns out you don’t have to wait that long before seeing him again. You want to go back to congratulate your friend, tell her how great she was etc. He sees you and “accidentally” bumps into you backstage. Every part of your brain tells you to run, fight, and get away but you don't. You want to know him. 

He asks if he can see you again and you tell him to meet you at the Louvre. It’s a public place which makes you feel safer, 

Tells you to meet him during the night. You’re not sure how he gets this kind of access to places like this, he's loaded with money, he has to be to rent out a place like this overnight 

He tells you about the paintings, pointing out details and societal context that would have been important (almost like he was there during that period hmmm)

And you really should not be alone with a vampire in the museum, and if you were you should take the time to kill him 

But something keeps causing you to trust him. Plus you have fighting experience and he doesn’t even look like he gets his hands dirty, You'll be fine? Right? You can protect yourself 

(you can't)

He tells you that you should go to his estate, he has a private art collection, which he thinks would suit your tastes more 

(Don’t go to his house, you will not make it out the same)

You protest, not wanting to be in a house with a vampire, he tells you to come during the day if it makes you feel safer 

It almost feels like a joke when he says it

So you do

He leads the tour of his house but remains fully in the shadows. As long as you’re in the sunlight you'll be fine

The tour ends with his private art collection, you notice a theme of blood, eroticism, murder, and cannibalism. 

(He has some portraits of him done over the centuries there too)

You’re so caught up with looking at the paintings of him over time (and how he never ages). Most vampires try to hide what they are, especially with a slayer BUT he's not. He knows what you are and knows that you know what he is

As you admire the paintings, he takes the opportunity to shut the blinds, the gold chandeliers casting light and shadows over his face, making his face look more angular, teeth look sharper etc etc 

You’re looking at the painting while he looks at you, and your exposed neck

You’re not making it out unbitten HAHA

Only let's get into a few NSFW ones which lead into a whole other rambling

Neck kissing, hickeys, you name it

He's trying SO SO SO HARD not to bite you but can't resist some indulgences, trying to satisfy the craving by feeling your pulse points with his lips

This goes hand in hand w the classic vampire who can’t drink the blood of a loved one because of they do they won't stop 

Eventually, EVENTUALLY he does drink your blood and you both do get into it, but you also lose a lot of blood. His fangs hurt, like a strong pinch but it also feels really good. He can’t stop drinking until he notices that your cries of pleasure are now cries of pain, you’re getting too weak and are feeling sick.

This pulls him out of it, and the last thing you remember is his arms around you and his pale face coveted in your blood 

He's so upset that you tempted him into this (it’s still Vincent c’mon), and let him give into the vampiric urges 

Would bring you to some medical person in his estate and leave (even though it's his house)

You wake up dazed and confused (unsure if it was a dream but two bite marks on your neck prove it was real) and you KNOW that you NEED to get out of there 

You’re able to escape, but he’s not going to let you go that easily. 

Okay one more NSFW idea

As prev noted vampires don’t show up in mirrors 

And you can feel his, see his hands on you. He's sitting behind you, hands snaking down your body, but you can't see him in the mirror. 

You’re literally holding onto his arm but when you glance down you can see his hand but in the mirror, you holding onto nothing 

You end up having a lot of sex in mirrors, and he never stops enjoying how surprised it makes you

#actually v nervous posting this one #if U do not jive w the concept pls just ignore #marquis de gramont x reader #the marquis de gramont x reader #marquis vincent de gramont x reader #Marquis de Gramont headcanons #the marquis de gramont headcanons #another fic done and dusted this got away form me #I hope u like it anon!!!!!! thank you for requesting!!!!!!!!!!!! #also thank u alissa-xyz for all the gifs u made they def help

[littlenastieswewhispered]

i’ve seen a lot of takes along the lines of “spuffy only works when buffy is miserable. even in season seven they only connect when she’s at her lowest.”

i’d say this is poor media literacy from people unable to grasp some of the deeper themes of the story, but it’s really a misread of the plot on a very surface level.

it’s true that in season six buffy is in a dark place, and that’s when she goes to spike. there’s way, way more to it, but breaking down season six isn’t really the point when people are saying there’s no change from that in season seven.

in seven, we see buffy and spike together all season, and for much of it she’s scared of the coming apocalypse but she doesn’t go to him out of depression or self hatred. she doesn’t keep him secret; she moves him into her house, in full view of her friends. she tells him to stay when he offers to leave.

empty places is obviously buffy’s lowest point. it’s in this sad space that she and spike connect in a way they haven’t ever before, and it’s beautiful. it gives her strength and pulls her back out, and the next day she wins her weapon.

after she tells spike that it was him who gave her the strength she needed, she easily kills caleb.

they quickly have it out about angel, moving on because it isn’t important, and buffy once again chooses spike, who accepts. she spends another night with him, and it’s this one where she has her “we’re going to win” revelation.

she forms her plan, tells her friends, and they are all ready to go to war with her because she’s right. they are going to win.

her confidence is well deserved, she’s back in the leadership role she earned by being good at it, and she delivers her incredible “are you ready to be strong?” speech to the potentials, who all decide follow her.

she says, “tomorrow morning, i’m opening the seal. i’m going down into the hellmouth and i’m finishing this once and for all.” with such strong conviction on her face, to the entire group captivated by her.

and that night— in her big house full of everyone she loves, strong heart jittery but sure, empowered by her choice, knowing they’re going to win, at her highest moment all year— she quietly makes her way downstairs, and sleeps in spike’s arms one more time.

spike and buffy only work when buffy is in a bad place? what a disrespectful way to look at our confident hero on the eve of her saving the world.

#spuffy #btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #you’re the one buffy #i believe in you spike #btvs meta #btvs analysis

[starryficsfinishwen]

“If I don't finish this paperwork right now, I will yeet myself off of Babylonia.”

“Hell yeah! And I'm going with ya!”

You believed there were only two braincells left in the beefy, red-haired man's head. But right now, they were fighting for third place, alongside your own overworked ones.

“Noctis,” You giggled, placing your pen and crumpled paper on the table, “I wholeheartedly appreciate the support. But I'd rather you stay so you can at least inform Celica about my whereabouts.”

“No,” Noctis hummed, “I can't do that. I can tag along so that you wouldn't be alone drifting in space.”

Sitting across you, meaty arms crossed, Noctis waited patiently. Although, you felt guilty, the man who had been staying with you for several hours. You had him shooed away earlier, yet, as hard as the chest plate he has, he still came back. Noctis' stubbornness was a charm that made you feel for him in the first place. At the same time, it was also his Achilles' heel. But that's another story for today.

“You know,” you cleared your throat, “You don't always have to stay here...”

“Commandant, here you go again,” Sighing with a pout on his scarred face, Noctis groaned, “I said I'm perfectly fine being here. Don't worry!”

“I'm worried that you'd get bored.”

“No problemo,” he shrugged, grinning, “Cerberus is free from any maintenance or missions.”

The idea of Vera and her angry tone that reminded of a mother, looking for the man who was the embodiment of chaos, made you reel back. You leaned to the table, hand supporting your chin, “I suppose that's the case. But what if Vera comes? Won't you be scared?”

“Of who? Vera? Hah! As if,” Noctis started laughing (at this point, your heart skipped a beat, tummy bursting with little butterflies fluttering), “It's fine. Really. She won't be looking for me.”

“Besides,” he quickly added, “What if you do jump out of Babylonia. You'd end up wandering in space alone!”

Sometimes, you wonder if you should tone down your humor. Yet, you still indulged in his fantasies.

“Ah,” you feigned a gasp, “What if I dive into the Earth like a meteor and fall?”

“I'd follow you, then!”

“But we'll be broke there!”

“Like you said, we can always go back to the bar,” Noctis' eyes started shimmering, “or-or, we can be travelling merchants! Exchange all the broken parts of a corrupted so we can get some money!”

Ah, stupid, yet ambitious dreams. It made you question if Noctis' braincells were still intact, or simply, they were busy doing something else.

“I mean,” quickly, Noctis spoke before you could, “They're not bad ideas. But don't you think Babylonia's facilities are better than being in a soaking hot desert?”

And you decided to go with it. “Hmm, true...”

“If the paperworks are your problem, then why don't we yeet that one off of Babylonia instead?”

And face Celica's wrath? Probably not. You contemplated a witty remark, but Noctis went quiet. Looking at him, his maroon eyes were trained to you.

“I may not know a lot of those technicalities,” his voice suddenly goes soft, his eyes a shimmer of an unknown emotion that you've never seen before from him, “but...if there is anything, anything that I can do, let me know.”

Oh? This was new. For a buffy, "violence-is-the-answer" kind of man, this was surprising to you, that your mouth went agape, seemingly unable to let your hand function to pick up the papers on the table. Noticing your reaction, Noctis shook his head, the raucous expression back on his face.

“B-but if it's writing the documents, then, hell no!”

You blinked. And blinked again. And an intrusive thought came to you. You raised your hand, so slightly, beckoning him to approach you. He followed, seemingly like a puppy. Once he was beside you, you turned to him and stood up. Although your height was at a disadvantage (you barely reached his broad shoulders), you stared so deeply into his maroon eyes. The distance, in which you've noticed was closer now— the heat bouncing off of each other, him looking down to meet you.

“Noctis?” you quietly called out.

“Co...commandant?”

“Will you” you breathed, so softly, “...will you let me touch your titties?”

Silence. And then, you busted out laughing. With a puzzled, yet amused look on his face, you couldn't help but break into another fit of laughter.

“Ah-haha!” you wiped a few tears coming out of your eyes, “S-sorry, Noctis, I was just joking-”

“-Go ahead!”

Another silence. Based on his clueless expression, mixed with joy, you thought this man probably misheard you.

“I- what?”

“You wanted to touch my titties, right?” Beaming, he spoke with a hint of excitement, “Go ahead!”

Suddenly, you weren't so such if your choices in life were right. That, or braincells were in the same grade as Noctis'. After a careful debate with yourself, you reached out anyway, hand now on one of his titties pecs. Squeezing it so gently, you realized an epiphany.

“Commandant, I thought you exercised,” Noctis asked, seemingly unsatisfied with your actions, “squeeze them harder!”

So you do. Squeezing them like a stress ball. Noctis, still unsatisfied, took your free hand and placed it in the other titties pecs. Somehow, you started to squeeze both of them. All the stress from earlier started to melt away— the paperwork, the fatigue, your caffeine addiction— as your braincells decided to merge with Noctis', all fighting for the last place.

“See!” You and Noctis laughed, decided to mush your face into his cushioned chest, “I knew I could help!”

“Thank you,” you were, genuine and true, “I didn't know that this was therapeutic.”

Except you've always wanted to do this for a long time. Seeing the genuine joy on your face, you failed to notice Noctis' expression softening. Although mechanical, his heart skipped faster, and you recognized that.

“...but you know,” he muttered, “living on Earth doesn't seem half bad.”

He thought you didn't know, but you caught him whispering, “...as long as it's with you.”

Fuck work. Living on Earth didn't seem to feel bad, indeed. Temporarily stopping, you tugged him by his dogtag, a soft, quick kiss to the side of his jaw and cheek. A mirrored pink blush on both of your faces.

“I'll hold on to it.”

a.n. - there is actually a planned story for all the husbandos of PGR. I wanted to just find out about Noctis and his story. look where this brainrot got me LMAO I now realize I wanna,,,mash my face onto his titties

p.s. - also new theme for me yeeey

#pgr #punishing gray raven #punishing gray raven imagines #pgr commandant #pgr noctis #this came to me so suddenly #I didn't even blink #hence why I am writing this down #pgr noctis x reader

[the-smut-analyst]

A defence of the Good Guy / Bad Boy love triangle

It is no secret that mainstream YA & NA fantasy gravitates towards an angsty love triangle. But is this trope's popularity due to vapid teenage vanity... or something far deeper?

Warning: in this post, I will be referencing: True Blood/The Southern Vampire Mysteries, Legendborn, A Court of Thorns and Roses, The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Hunger Games, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and The Vampire Diaries. Some minor spoilers, mostly relating to the romance side of things, may be involved.

I have stumbled across a bunch of articles lately analysing why love triangles are popular in YA and NA fiction - and all of them, in my opinion, missed the entire point.

Firstly, they focus entirely on the "love interests", while wilfully ignoring the fact that the romance element is often a subset of these stories, rather than the main focus (more on that later).

Secondly, these articles often attribute the appeal of the love triangle to "teenage vanity". They either directly state or imply that young women are drawn to the idea of "provoking" two men into a fight for their affection.

Look, I get it.

Or at least I get how a middle-aged man tap-tap-tapping away on his computer might draw that conclusion. Especially if the crux of his knowledge regarding female-centred fantasy rests on blog posts ripping apart Twilight.

But regardless, the fact remains that labelling YA love triangles as a conceited sexual fantasy is a gross over-simplification. Why? Because romance is rarely the point of the story. Instead, the love triangle is a vehicle through which the author complements and elevates the standard Hero's Journey plot beats.

To demonstrate this argument, I will go through each of the critical plot beats in the Hero's Journey. For each beat, I will demonstrate (with examples) how dual love interests can underscore the character development of the protagonist and highlight her emotional struggles during each stage.

The outline for this analysis will be as follows:

Introduction of the Female Protagonist / Refusal of the Call

Meet the Good Guy / Meeting the Mentor

Meet the Bad Boy / Tests, Allies, and Enemies

Death of Innocence / The Ordeal in the Abyss

Heartbreak / "Death" of the Mentor

Grief for Lost Innocence / Refusal of the Return

Self-Discovery / The Road Back Home

Female Protagonist Accepts Her New Self / Master of Two Worlds

For reference, here is a rough outline of the major plot beats in the Hero's Journey:

Alright. Time to rip apart some assumptions.

Let's go!

Introduction of the Female Protagonist

Refusal of the Call

Mainstream fantasy love triangles almost always centre a female protagonist hence why people love to hate on them. The introduction of this protagonist generally follows your fairly standard Hero's Journey opening.

We meet the protagonist, usually a teenager or young woman, going about their "everyday life" in the ordinary world.

But then the Call to Adventure comes - sometimes referred to as the Inciting incident. For Feyre (ACOTAR), this moment is when she kills a wolf who turns out to be Fae. Or for Katniss (HG), her sister's name is drawn, prompting her to offer herself as a tribute instead.

The Call to Adventure or Inciting Incident marks a point of no return - even though the protagonist might not realise it at the time. It is the moment when life as they know it ends. Afterwards, nothing will ever be the same, including the protagonist.

The following beat is usually the Refusal of the Call, where the protagonist resists any change coming their way. Buffy (BTVS), for example, wants to continue her life as a regular teenage girl instead of being burdened by the duties of being the Slayer. Similarly, Sabrina (TCAOS) is hesitant to participate in the dark baptism, scared of its implications for her ties to the mortal world.

But for the plot to move forward, something or someone needs to prompt the protagonist to leave the "ordinary" world behind - and in turn, take those first few tentative steps into the "special" world (unknown).

Enter...

Meeting the Good Guy

Meeting the Mentor

The Mentor doesn't always have to be an Obi-Wan-style character who teaches the protagonist everything they know about lightsabers. In its simplest form, the Mentor archetype is a guide. Someone who takes the protagonist by the hand, either literally or metaphorically, and leads them from the ordinary world into the special one.

This transition is known as Crossing the Threshold and it is the beat that marks the shift from Act I to Act II.

Now, there is a good reason why the Meeting the Mentor plot beat often serves as a precursor to Crossing the Threshold. And no, it isn't because the protagonist is incapable of doing anything by themselves.

Instead, the Mentor character is often employed to explain how this new world works to both the protagonist and the reader alike.

Through the protagonist interacting with a "guide", the rules and systems of the new world can be revealed through dialogue and action, rather than excessive exposition and info-dumping.

And this is where the "good guy" as a Mentor character stand-in comes into play. His arrival serves the dual purpose of propelling the protagonist into the Crossing the Threshold beat and guiding her once she does.

For example, Sookie's budding romance with Bill is what introduces her (and us) to the Charlene Harris's world of vampires in True Blood. Or, in Tamlin's case, he takes his role in "helping" Feyre to cross the threshold quite literally and abducts her, forcing her to leave the human world behind in place of the world of Fae.

Now, there are quite a few exceptions to this good guy/mentor rule and they generally occur when the good guy is a childhood friend or sweetheart. Examples include Harvey (TCAOS), Gale (HG), and Malyen (SAB).

When this happens, the good guy often provides the protagonist with a much-needed link to her previous life and/or the ordinary world. He takes on more of a "grounding" role, rather than a guiding one.

But regardless, what these good guys have in common is a fairly standard set of traits. They are protective, have a strong moral compass, and are incredibly loyal to the protagonist.

Furthermore, they are almost always the protagonist's "first love". They offer her the emotional support she needs in order to move forward by making her feel less alone in the world.

Regardless of whether the good guy is a childhood friend or a mentor-like character, his relationship with the protagonist usually marks a time of both innocence and self-discovery. He is a source of love and companionship while the protagonist takes those first few tentative steps into the unknown.

Meeting the Bad Boy

Tests, Allies, and Enemies

The Hero's Journey is, at its essence, a Bildungsroman-like story. Or at least it is in the YA/NA genres. It is a coming-of-age tale, with Crossing the Threshold being a symbol for leaving the child behind in order to discover the adult that awaits.

What follows is a collection of plot beats known as Tests, Allies, and Enemies. This stage of the story is often fraught with missteps and small triumphs, good times and bad times - much the same as adolescence.

And this is where the bad boy comes in.

Sometimes the bad boy manifests as an enemy who the protagonist must face in some kind of test like Spike to Buffy. Other times, he presents as a Temptation beat, like the Darkling does to Alina (SAB), trying to lure the protagonist away from their path.

But regardless of how he makes his entrance, the initial purpose of the bad boy is almost always to bring the protagonist face-to-face with the dangers of this new world.

For example, through Eric, Sookie realises that not all vampires are polite and restrained like Bill. Similarly, Feyre's first encounters with Rhysand show her an even darker side to the Fae.

Even bad boys who are not outright evil still tend to behave in a way that the protagonist finds confronting, like Peeta (HG), whose ruthlessly practical survival tactics disturb the very moral Katniss.

In this sense, the bad boy fashions himself into a symbol of the harsh realities of adulthood. Much as a child might find their first encounter with the cruelty of the world shocking, the protagonist is shocked and appalled by the bad boy.

We're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy.

However, it is important to note that the bad boy is usually just one component of the beats involved in the Tests, Allies, and Enemies section. Again, this ties in with my argument that these stories are a Hero's Journey first - with the love triangle simply underscoring that fact.

The friendships that Buffy forms with Willow and Xander are shown to be her two most enduring relationships, while her love interests come and go. In Legendborn, Bree's quest to learn the truth about her mother's death has nothing to do with romance at all. And Sabrina's rivalry-to-friendship arc with Prudence gets significant screen time across multiple episodes and seasons.

During the Tests, Allies, and Enemies stage, the protagonist is usually starting to come into her own. She faces challenges, forms friendships, and encounters enemies. And yes, with love triangles there's usually some lust and romance thrown in there, too.

But the main focus of this stage is that the protagonist is starting to learn who she is. She is becoming more and more powerful with each setback and triumph.

The Death of Innocence

The Ordeal in the Abyss

The Ordeal into the Abyss, also known as The Belly of the Whale, is a plot beat where the protagonist encounters their greatest test thus far.

Rather than this beat being the climax of the story, The Ordeal is generally a challenge that the protagonist must face before the final confrontation or battle - and they must do so alone. It sees them hitting rock bottom and coming face-to-face with their greatest fear, whatever that may be.

This plot beat is a transformative one. It forever changes the protagonist and readies them for the final battle ahead. It is a death of innocence. The moment when the "girl" becomes the "woman", so to speak.

And in this sense, The Ordeal in the Abyss comes with loss and gain in equal measure. Yes, the protagonist is stronger for the experience, but not without cost.

To get to this point, she has been to hell and back. Sometimes literally (cough, cough. Sabrina). The protagonist is now well acquainted with the darkness of this new world but, in order to survive it, she has to absorb some of that darkness into herself.

If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes into you.

The aftermath of The Ordeal usually sees the protagonist having conflicting feelings over what she has discovered about herself.

On the one hand, she might relish her newfound power and strength. But on the other hand, she may also be afraid of who she had to become in order to emerge triumphant.

Heartbreak

"Death" of the Mentor

The Death of the Mentor isn't always a literal death, but rather, it is a plot beat that forces the protagonist to stand on their own two feet.

By losing the mentor, the protagonist's safety net is ripped out from underneath them. It places them in a "sink or swim" situation that is critical to their growth as a character.

This is why the relationship with the good guy must either falter or end at some point, even if only temporarily. Their breakup serves as a stand-in for the Death of the Mentor plot beat.

Because despite romance featuring heavily in these stories, there is still an inherent idea within them that there are certain steps in a woman's coming-of-age that she must take alone.

The cause of this breakup is almost always due to the transformation that the protagonist underwent during The Ordeal. The good guy no longer understands her, even though he may want to.

For example, Feyre's experience Under the Mountain sees her outgrow her coddled life with Tamlin. Similarly, when Katniss returns to 12, Gale can't fully comprehend what she went through, nor the role she is being forced to play as a result.

Grief for Lost Innocence

Refusal of the Return

The combination of The Ordeal and the Death of the Mentor take their emotional toll on the protagonist. She mourns for the girl she once was, the loss of her first love, and the ordinary world that is now a stranger to her.

What follows is a low point called The Refusal of the Return. Sometimes this beat sees the protagonist running away from her problems, as Buffy does when she flees Sunnydale after killing Angel.

Other times, The Refusal of the Return is a period of rebellion. Grief manifests itself into rage and the protagonist leans more heavily into that darker side of themselves that they discovered during The Ordeal. Like when Elena turns off her humanity following the loss of her brother.

It is usually during this stage that the bad boy begins to take on a more prominent role. (Welcome back to the plot, bad boys!)

At some point, either during this beat or perhaps earlier, we see a different side to the bad boy. Most often, this occurs when the bad boy shows the protagonist some kind of vulnerability, leading her to second guess her first impression.

In the Darkling's case, Alina recognises his profound loneliness. Sookie witnesses Eric's grief at the loss of his maker, Godric. And Rhysand confides in Feyre about the horrors he endured at the hands of Amarantha.

However, seeing this "other" side isn't just a plot device to justify the protagonist's developing feelings for the bad boy. But rather, it serves as a mechanism through which the protagonist's assumptions and beliefs are thrown into question. Not just about the bad boy, but about the world in general.

Disrupting the protagonist's foundations is essential to nearly all emotionally-driven storytelling. Through shattering the her beliefs - whether it be in a system or person - the narrative is propelled forward as the protagonist is then forced into come to her own conclusions.

And this - THIS! - is where the "good guy / bad boy dynamic" becomes so much more than just a blatant over-simplification of male archetypes pandering to female sexual fantasy.

The dichotomy of "good" and "bad" expands here to represent larger choices that the protagonist has to make. Comfort or danger? Honour or Power? Altruism or ambition?

Furthermore, the protagonist's conflicting feelings about the two love interests underscores the very real push-and-pull we all feel during adolescence. Where we crave the adventure and independence of adulthood while simultaneously mourning the safety and protection of childhood.

And this is why the good guy / bad boy love triangle can be such a great plot device. It's not only fun to read (when done well) but it makes sense that the protagonist might find herself drawn to someone whose darkness matches her own.

Who the bad boy is - and what he has done - creates a safe space for the protagonist to explore this darker side of herself. To rebel. To fall apart. To be selfish for once, instead of selfless.

At a time when others in the protagonist's life, like the good guy or her friends, my judge or simply not understand her, the bad boy offers a reprieve. But whether this reprieve positively or negatively influences the protagonist tends to vary from story to story.

Sometimes he is the one who encourages her Refusal of the Return, as the Darkling does for Alina. Other times, the bad boy helps the protagonist in returning to her path, rather than luring her away from it, by offering her his understanding.

Peeta gets what Katniss is going through in a way Gale never can because he went through it, too. Similarly, Stefan can't provide Elena with the reassurance she needs after becoming a vampire because he has never come to terms with his own loss of humanity - therefore, enter Damon.

Self-Discovery

The Road Back Home

The Road Back Home sees the protagonist emerging from her Refusal of the Return. It is when she embarks on the journey to fully reconcile the girl she once was with the woman she has become. To do this, she needs to confront her trauma from The Ordeal and forgive herself for whatever darkness it might have awakened.

This is usually a gradual process that takes place over many chapters or episodes. In many ways, it is a mirror to the Crossing the Threshold beat. Except this time around, the protagonist is looking inwards not outward - instead of discovering the new world, she is discovering herself.

During this time, the bad boy's relationship with the protagonist is often explored more deeply. Being loved by the bad boy - darkness and all - is usually a precursor to the protagonist beginning to accept this darker side of herself, too.

But a distinction needs to be made here between "accept" and "embrace". The former does not necessitate the latter, and whether or not the bad boy gets his own redemption arc usually serves as the distinction between the two.

In the Darkling's case, he certainly helps Alina to come into her power, but ultimately, Alina rejects the path that he is trying to lead her down. The Darkling might have helped her to accept her darkness, but she does not fully embrace it the way he does.

Other times, when the bad boy gets his own redemption arc, we see a precursor to self-love through their relationship. Because in pursuing her feelings for the bad boy, the protagonist has to reconcile the fact that people are nuanced, and no one is entirely good nor evil. In forgiving the bad boy for his past wrongdoings, the protagonist sees that it is possible to forgive herself, too. Damon and Elena's arc (in the TV adaptation) is a good example of this.

But regardless of where things may or may not go with the bad boy, the next plot beat has nothing to do with romance at all. Now, the protagonist is ready for the final battle.

The Female Protagonist Accepts Herself

Master of Two Worlds

Everything the protagonist has been through has been leading her to this moment. Her triumphs, her defeats. Her discoveries and lessons. Her friends and mentors and lovers.

She's faced evil, maybe even embraced a little of it, and come out stronger and better for the experience. She has finished mourning the child she once was and accepted the woman she has become.

Now she is ready, as a master of both worlds, to face whatever comes next. And we, as readers, now get to enjoy the final battle!

Basically, the protagonist is a certified badass now - and she's going to win.

Now, where the romance goes during or after this plot beat is very, very varied. Sometimes, the protagonist stays with the bad boy, like Feyre does with Rhysand. Other times, the relationship is temporary, like Eric and Sookie. Or, in the case of Buffy, neither the good guy nor the bad boy remains in the picture. In fact, a very deliberate choice was made with her story to avoid an "end-game" romantic pairing.

And the reason why the romance is pretty damn varied is because, well, it doesn't really matter. The romance is the cherry on top of the story, not the whole damn cake.

Conclusion

I understand that love triangles might not be everyone's cup of tea - and that's okay. But to paint the entire trope under the broad strokes of teenage vanity and wish fulfilment is to do it a disservice.

Because for the most part, it isn't just some vapid romance. A lot of the most popular stories within the genre are actually complex YA fantasies in and of their own right, driven by your standard emotionally-driven, coming of age beats. They just happen to feature a female protagonist who falls in love.

Okay, maybe in this example she falls in love a few times. But so what? Getting your heart broken and mended again is a part of growing up, so why shouldn't it have a place in YA/NA fiction?

If young men are allowed to froth over some guy getting bitten by radioactive a spider and getting superpowers, then we can have two sexy vampires pining over the same girl.

#true blood #sookie stackhouse #southern vampire mysteries #love triangle #literature tropes #tv tropes #fantasy #fantasy romance #fantasy books #the vampire diaries #elena gilbert #buffy summers #buffy the vampire slayer #the hunger games #katniss everdeen #acotar #feyre x rhysand #feyre x tamlin #feyre #legendborn #bree matthews #shadow and bone #alina starkov #hero's journey #heroine's journey #the smut analyst #writing tips #romance plot #character building

[dreamcaught]

There have been so many of these posts, and what looks like an entire website pretty much dedicated to this topic, but nevertheless here I am adding to the mix.

Thoughts on Buffy Season 6, Sex and Seeing Red

This is long and only kind of edited. Content warning below.

CW: Discussions of abuse, addiction, and rape.

Let me just start out by saying: Spike is my favourite character in Buffy. I love him completely. He is contrary and interesting and if there is anything I would do to improve the show it would be to add more scenes with Spike. But, unlike a lot of Spike girlies – and especially many of my favourite fanon creators – I don’t think Spike is out-of-character in Seeing Red. There are some serious problems with it, but I think it’s an important scene.

My reason for saying this comes from the claim that Buffy and Willow are the main villains this season. Well, no, to be fair: in season 6, the main villains of the show are the internal villains within the characters, specifically Buffy and Willow, expressed through their actions of addiction and abuse. The Trio is a red herring Big Bad; they’re pretty much just there to provide laughs and move plot. They’re not like the Master, or Angelus, or Adam, or Glory – there isn’t ever a “gather the troops, we’ve got an apocalypse on our hands” attitude toward defeating them… because they’re just human people, making human mistakes and causing human havoc. (Much like how Buffy and Willow would be if they weren’t already saturated in the supernatural.)

Buffy and Willow’s stories run parallel in this season. They are both dealing with the aftermath of Buffy’s resurrection: Buffy is majorly depressed to the point that she feels essentially soulless, whereas Willow is guilty to such degree that the only way she knows how to cope with herself is through control and the overuse of magic.

Tangent about Sex Because That’s How I Roll:

Before we go further to discuss this, just, briefly, let’s take note that this show does not do justice to sex. In both cases, Buffy and Willow’s “addiction” is to, essentially, use sex like a drug to (sort of) feel, but more accurately numb themselves. Buffy’s use of Spike is blatant, but we must remember that Willow and Tara’s first prominent romantic/sexual connections were initially all linked to their use of magic.

It’s made clear that this idea of magic = sex between the two is continued even in season 6, as exemplified in the Once More with Feeling song Under Your Spell lines: “You make me complete,” which are cut off at the most deliciously appropriate time – and if you haven’t noticed that until I’ve pointed it out here, then well done, you!

Here there is a bit of a problem I have with the show’s messaging because it’s essentially saying that sex is bad. Tara asks Willow to stop using magic (yikes, imagine asking your lover to please stop sexing so much, babe, it’s bad for you) – and at the same time, in the parallel story, Buffy feels the need to hide her sexual tryst with Spike because it’s wrong to want to feel good.

I think it’s important to note that Buffy isn’t really upset about it being Spike, specifically. She makes a big deal of saying that he’s “everything she’s supposed to hate” and “soulless” and “evil,” but Buffy had every opportunity to have this affair with literally anyone else – in fact, she could have very easily gotten her rocks off with a different, random person every night, but chooses to use Spike. And here we can move back to the main points –

Miscommunication

Buffy and Spike’s relationship is abusive, but hardly for the reasons they make it appear on the show. At this point, Spike is a soulless demon. That he doesn’t just kill her as soon as he realizes that he can hurt her is a testament to how much he loves her, despite this. But, because he is a soulless demon, he does try to take advantage of Buffy’s attention to him by trying to convince her that she should be with him. He plays on her fears of being soulless/evil/demonic. Other than trying to persuade her to stay with him, this is the full extent of Spike’s abuse of Buffy.

At no point in their physical relationship does Spike ever abuse Buffy’s consent.

Between Spike and Buffy is a travesty of miscommunication. Need I say again: Spike is a soulless demon. From the moment he realizes his feelings toward Buffy, he is constantly trying to figure out what she needs from him, because he simply does not understand. (“What’s it take?”) He actively tries to learn what Buffy wants and how to respond to her desires. From their passionate kiss in Once More with Feeling: “The day you suss out what you do want, there'll probably be a parade,” to literally his last lines of the show, “No, you don’t,” Buffy and Spike’s communication is the worst!

And this is all Buffy’s fault, by the way! She absolutely, stubbornly, resolutely refuses to talk – to most people! It’s practically a miracle that Spike understands Buffy at all – and to that end, I truly, fully, completely believe that Spike is the best partner for Buffy, simply because he’s the only one who does.

Their first time together, Buffy is verbally telling him it’s never going to happen while at the same time ripping off his clothes. At nearly every encounter between them during their affair, Buffy says it will never happen again, it will be the last time, it was the worst thing ever. These are outright lies, and Spike learns through conditioning to see right through them. When she says “Stop,” he doesn’t have to stop – because that is not what she means. He learns through the complicated, complex, contrary Buffy Talk what she actually wants and then proceeds to give it to her.

Up to Seeing Red, Buffy’s consent has always sounded like: “No.”

Buffy the Villain

Buffy has chosen Spike as her lover because he already loves her. He is emotionally invested in their relationship. He takes care of her. (“I can get money.”) She can be herself with him. (“I can be alone with you here.”) She is safe with him. (“Dawn is safe with Spike, so I can stay as long as you need.”)

During their affair, Buffy takes everything that she’s feeling about herself out on Spike. She calls him soulless, she calls him nothing, she says he’s empty; she beats him up, she kicks him out, she refuses his affection and forces him to hide his own. Spike takes it because he is loyal and in love with her, and this is the extent that Buffy abuses him. She conditions him to think that she can’t love him, she conditions him to think that saying “No” means “Yes,” she conditions him to think that her abuse of him is kinky and will lead to sex.

Buffy’s goal is only to feel something. She wants Spike to take advantage because it makes things a lot easier for her to deal with. If she says “No,” that means that she’s tried to stop him, despite it not being what she really wants or expects of him.

Because of this abuse, in a very real way, Buffy is the one who destroys the safety that Spike represented. Her abuse of him corrodes their trust, but she doesn’t know that. Buffy, despite denying it or acknowledging it, still believes in Spike’s loyalty. And not only that – by this point, Buffy has fallen in love with him. The bathroom scene in Seeing Red happens, in part, because she’s pushed Spike too far – and she’s not ready to admit to anything, because she refuses to acknowledge that she was an abuser.

The events of Seeing Red are the culmination of Buffy’s actions with the complete absence of honest communication. It is because she tells Spike to move on that he sleeps with Anya. It is because she expected his loyalty that Dawn talks to Spike. It’s because she trained Spike to do the opposite of what she says that he tries to connect with her physically to make her happy.

It is because she refuses to acknowledge not only her abuse of him, but also her love for him, that he chooses to show her instead. Because Buffy doesn’t talk – she only acts, and that’s what Spike tries to do, in the way that she taught him – from the start of their affair to the explicit events in Gone, all the way to this scene, Buffy has told Spike that sex is how to get close to her.

The Bathroom Scene

A lot of people have been traumatized by this scene. It is very difficult to watch, since we’ve got these two beautifully complicated people trying so hard to communicate and failing so badly at it. Buffy, finally, is saying what she means, but Spike can’t hear it. Spike is, as he’s been taught to do, servicing her to show her his devotion. These two people are in love with each other but are deeply hurt. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Buffy is hurt by Spike’s actions while he’s hurt by her words, since these are the languages they understand.

If done well, this scene could have been healing. They could have finally come together in grief of their broken relationship and tried to fix it to something healthier. But instead, they were using the scene to push Spike into getting a soul, so he had to go too far, and she had to say too much.

I don’t think that Spike is out of character. I think that both Spike and Buffy act exactly within their character consistencies. Spike would totally seek Buffy out if he thought she was hurting – especially if he had any hope at all that he was the cause of her hurt. Buffy would completely deny, deny, deny any emotional attachment to Spike and take no responsibility for having hurt him. She’s still stuck, here, projecting her own numbness onto Spike with the false idea that he can’t love because he’s soulless.

Because of the constant, completely screwed up ideologies within this show about sex (that sex is bad, that too much sex is bad, that kinky sex is wrong, etc.) and because of the cumulative events that arise from their abusive sex=closeness relationship, the only way they could think of to make it even worse was to escalate to rape.

I know why they did it, because it makes sense within the story of their physical affair. It’s The Worst Thing you can do to someone else. We have to remember that Buffy doesn’t care about being killed, because she sort of wants to die. Also, Spike would never want to kill her. The only other thing he might want to do is turn her, but, to Buffy, that’s the same thing as being killed. Since her belief is that a demon takes over the human host, she might even welcome being turned as much as she would welcome death.

But importantly: there is the significant and completely intentional reverse of their villainousness actions here. In this scene, Buffy can’t be the villain anymore. It doesn’t matter how much she’s abused Spike, it doesn’t matter that their relationship was murky and confusing. Because it is rape, the only villain is the person committing the act of rape.

Spike must be made the villain here because anything else is victim blaming. It was the only action the writers could take to give the title of villain back to Spike away from Buffy. Spike has to end this season being the Big Bad because he must absorb all the hurt, the pain and the soullessness that was entangled with Buffy and incorporate it into himself (“You think I like having you in here? Destroying everything that was me, until all that's left is you, in a dead shell. You say you hate it, but you won't leave.”)

He takes Buffy’s pain and heals them both by – after these events – getting his soul.

The Problem

The writing staff knew their characters (for the most part). They knew that Spike was soulless and needed something drastic to instigate his search of a soul. Hurting Buffy this way did make the most sense in the framework of their affair and in the framework of making sex akin to drugs. But attempted rape was too, too far for the viewers. Talking about sex is already difficult for society, especially at the time this show was made. Talking about and explicitly showing attempted rape caused trauma to viewers and made a lot of people turn away from the otherwise very beautifully complicated relationship between Buffy and Spike.

People against Spuffy use this scene as the ultimate fodder against Spike, but doing so is disrespectful to the story, the lore and the characters. Spike loved Buffy enough soulless, but she was only strong enough to accept that once he went out and got one. In addition to that – Buffy forgives Spike for what he did that day. She admits to her side of the abuse, acknowledges that what they had was real, and doesn’t blame Spike for his actions. This conversation exists in bits-and-pieces in the Buffy comics – it would have been incredible to see it on screen in season 7, but I guess by that point the writers didn’t want to bring it up again and had way too many other things to deal with (which is another topic altogether).

I like the bathroom scene in Seeing Red. I think it’s horrible, and raw, and terribly authentic. The portrayal of hurt and betrayal by both actors is one of the strongest scenes in the show. I do wish, though, that they hadn’t taken it quite so far.

My Problem

Season 6 of Buffy is my favourite season. It is powerful and painful. But, if I could change it, I would have changed the messaging that sex is bad, because it isn’t, and both Spike/Buffy and Willow/Tara deserved something better.

#btvs #btvs meta #long post #spuffy #sex in btvs #seeing red