#Darla x angel(us)

[sinnersweets]

DogDay x Reader part 5

<----- part 4, part 6 ——->

A/N: 2k words this time! Enjoy!!

As I laid in bed, I couldn’t seem to get DogDay out of my thoughts. I knew today would be a hard day for him since Darla was leaving Playcare. To him it probably felt like his kid was being taken away from him. The longer I started to think about it the more I thought about myself in his position. Yes, I’ve only been working there for a week but already I have a close connection with Damian. As I thought of Damian, I turned on my phone to see my lock screen. I changed it to the picture I took of his drawing yesterday. I looked at the time and saw that I had extra time before my alarm went off for work. I decided to head to the store and pick out a card for DogDay. 

--------------- 

Sitting in the cable car I started writing a heartfelt message for DogDay until on the TV a cartoon started to play. Odd. Usually music would play but this time I guess they wanted to change it up. “S-M-I-L-E every day!” I watched as the intro to Smiling Critters played out. I haven’t seen any of the episodes, but Damian did tell me about the show. I smiled when DogDay appeared on screen. He looked just like his cartoon version but tall and life like.  

“DogDay says ‘When you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours!’” The screen went black as the cable car came to a stop. That was a cute cartoon. I tucked the card away and stepped out of the cable car and headed to my office. 

--------------- 

I opened my door and saw DogDay was laying down on his bed looking sad until he saw me and sat up with a smile on his face. “Angel!” I shut the door behind me and set my bag down onto my desk. “Morning DogDay. Did you sleep well?” I went over to him and gave him a hug around his neck. He rested his head on my body and sighed. “Not really Angel. Anytime a kid from my group gets adopted I always get so sad.” I moved one of my hands behind one of his ears and started to scratch him there.  

DogDays tail started to wag, and he started thumping his foot. "No need for sorrow, let joy appear, with your Angel near, all troubles disappear." I sang out to him. DogDay pulled away and looked at me with such awe. “Did my Angel just sing for me?” I laughed a little nervously. “Yes?” I was quickly brought into a hug and could see his tail wagging faster. “I can’t believe I had the pleasure of hearing my Angel sing for me! Hearing you sing has made me feel much better.” I hugged him around his neck and laughed. “I’m glad to hear that.” He brought me back down onto the ground but his face was pretty close to mine. “Could you sing for me again Angel?” “Tell you what, anytime you’re feeling down I’ll sing for you okay?” “Okay!”  

--------------- 

Me and DogDay oversaw decorating the outside of Home Sweet Home for Darla, so we started with streamers. I was on the roof while DogDay wrapped some streamers around the railing. “Be careful Angel.” I heard DogDay call out to me. “Relax, I used to climb onto roofs all the time when I was little to see the sunrise; I’m a pro.” I saw him chuckle and shake his head. We both went back to decorating. 

After a while the house was decked out with streamers and balloons. “Looks great Angel! Now come on down so we can head into the Playhouse for today.” DogDay held the ladder steady waiting for me. I started to slide down to the ladder but then heard a notification from my phone. I went to go check my phone but felt that my phone wasn’t in my pocket anymore. I looked around and saw that it was just a few feet in front of me. “Hang on I need to get my phone.” I scooted back up and reached over to my phone. I picked it up and turned it over to see the notification but instead saw a little spider on the screen. “AH!” I dropped my phone so fast and started to scoot backwards as fast as possible. In doing so I scooted all the way to the edge of the roof and slipped off. “I gotcha Angel!” DogDay pushed the ladder away barely catching me in time. The weight of my fall and him not expecting to catch me made him fall onto the ground while I landed right on top of him. 

DogDay groaned as he sat up and rested his front paws behind him. My face was buried into DogDays chest. Thankfully when he caught me his pendant moved out of the way. “Are you alright Angel? What happened?” I pushed myself off his chest but was still sitting on top of him. “I’m so sosososo sorry! There was a spider on my phone, and I hate spiders- and I freaked out but I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” “I’m fine Angel. Glad that I caught you.”  

“Woah- Am I interrupting something?” Me and DogDay both turned our heads to see KickenChicken grinning down on us. I saw how I was sitting on DogDay and blushed super hard. I quickly got off him and brushed myself off. “Nononono we were just um- putting up decorations for Darla!” DogDay got up after me and stepped in front of me a little. “KC why aren’t you with your group?” DogDay sounded cheerful but also a little annoyed that he was here. “Relax DD. I have extra time to spare and was making my way to the school until a phone out of nowhere smacks me on the head.” In his hand was my phone. “Oh gosh I’m so sorry about that KickenChicken. Thank you for picking it up.” I went to go reach for my phone, but DogDay had taken it from him. 

It was silent for a few seconds before KickenChicken spoke. “Didn’t mean to interrupt your guy’s...uh thing...Welp I’ll go ahead and take my leave.” KickenChicken started to walk away before turning his head back and saying, “See ya later, Angel.” As he walked away, I heard DogDay start to growl. I put my hand on his paw, and he stopped and looked down at me. “Hey what's wrong?” “Hearing him call you Angel...it sounded weird coming from him. I didn’t like that.” Was he jealous? I couldn’t help but smile at him. “Don’t worry, hearing him call me that doesn’t give me the same feeling as when you do it.” I immediately froze up after what just came out of my mouth. 

I saw DogDays ears perk up and he smiled at me. “What did you say Angel?” I know he heard me but I didn’t want to repeat myself. I started feeling my face grow warm. “N-nothing! Come on, let’s go!” DogDay laughed and handed me my phone back. I looked at it and thankfully there wasn’t a crack on the screen. However, when I turned on the screen, I saw that my lockscreen had changed from the drawing to KickenChicken. That motherfu- 

--------------- 

“Alright friends gather around!” DogDay called out to the kids in the Playhouse. “As you all know Darla will be leaving Playcare today and she has requested that we play her favorite game one last time.” I could tell that he was starting to get emotional, so I spoke out for him. “Darla has asked that we play ‘tug of war’ so get into your groups and get ready to play!” The kids all cheered out and went into groups of four.  

The first teams walked up to the rope and got into position. Damian was on one side while Darla was on the other. DogDay lined up the center of the rope and tied a yellow flag to it. “Ready and go!” Both teams started pulling with all their strength. “Come on Darla you got this!” DogDay yelled out. Darla nodded her head and pulled the rope even harder to her side, leading them into victory. Damians team seemed upset but not him. He gave a thumbs up to her and she returned the gesture.  

Everyone soon had a turn, and we were about to clean up until Darla spoke out saying that she wanted one last round; her and DogDay vs me and Damian. DogDay seemed to like this idea and so all four of us headed to the rope and got ourselves situated. DogDay and I were in the back with the rope wrapped around our waists while Darla and Damian were stationed in front. I already knew that me and Damian would lose because DogDay was the strongest one here, but I didn’t want to lose. “Get ready to lose Angel.” DogDay said teasingly. “Ha, like I’d let myself lose to you. Come on Damian, lets win!” 

The children all watched and cheered each of us on as the game had begun. DogDay was just standing there smiling at us. The only time he would pull the rope was when me and Damian got close to winning. The flag was about to cross onto our side when Damian yelled out “Ok now!” Both him and Darla had let go of the rope and jumped away which meant I was about to get yeeted onto DogDays side. DogDay saw this and smirked and pulled the rope hard making me come towards him. I slammed into his stomach. I heard the kids all laugh at this. I looked up at DogDay and he had the biggest grin on his face. “I win Angel.” Click! We both turned and saw that Damian had my phone and took a picture of us.  

--------------- 

I sighed and fell into my chair at my desk. The going away party for Darla had just finished and I was worn out today. I rubbed my eyes for a moment before hearing DogDay outside my door. “Can I come in Angel?” “Yes.” I said while yawning. DogDay entered and shut the door behind him before walking over to his bed and laying down. He had just seen Darla off with her family and I could tell he was sad. I grabbed the card I had gotten for him and made my way over to him. “Mind if I join you?” “Not at all Angel.” I then sat against his side and handed him the card. “Here, for you.” The card read, "To my dear DogDay; As Darla embarks on this new chapter of her life, I understand that her departure leaves a void in your heart. The bond you shared was special and filled with countless cherished moments. But as she finds a loving home and family to call her own, let us take solace in knowing that her journey is one of hope, love, and endless possibilities. While her absence may be felt keenly, remember that the love and friendship you offered her were immeasurable gifts. Your kindness and companionship made her days brighter, and your memories together will forever be etched in her heart. As Darla embraces her new beginnings, may you find comfort in knowing that you played a significant role in her life's journey. And as one door closes, may countless others open, filled with the joy of new friendships and shared adventures yet to come. With love and understanding, Angel.”  

DogDay didn’t say anything, but I knew he was grateful for my card. He then had tears form in the corner of his eyes. “I think I need your singing now Angel.” He said while chuckling. I got up and climbed on top of DogDay and leaned down and started to scratch his ears. DogDay sighed and closed his eyes while his tail slowly wagged. I started to sing a little song for him. After a while I could tell that DogDay had fallen asleep. I stayed on top of him and pulled out my phone. I changed my lockscreen back to Damians drawing and changed my home screen to the picture Damian took of me and DogDay after tug of war. In the picture DogDay had his arms around my waist and had a soft look on his face while smiling at me. I was also smiling back at him with a small blush. I then went to my camera roll and deleted KickenChickens picture.  

A/N: Idk why but it wouldn’t let me color KickenChickens part yellow. Anyways thank you for reading!!

[iwillrememberyoumarathon]

❥❥ iwry marathon: week four ❥❥ thanks to everyone who participated in the marathon this year! enjoy the fanworks from this week (links below) and stay tuned for Another Minute on December 1!! we'll have a full masterlist for iwry 2024 coming soon

fics

Day 23: Sun in the Storm by bonniesfire (@lalosalamcnca) Summary: Buffy through some of the metaphorical (and occasionally literal) seasons of her life. (Rated T. 3,960 words)

Day 24: Blood Group (Группа крови) by B_E_S Summary: Buffy reacted calmly to the story about the Day That Never Happened. But not to the story about Darla and Connor. (Rated T. 5,754 words, in Russian)

Day 25: Do Vampires Dream of Undead Sheep? by @taaroko Summary: When the nightmares of Sunnydale become reality, what horrors will a certain vampire with a soul have to face? (i.e. What was Angel up to during "Nightmares"?) Canon compliant. (Rated G. 2,970 words)

Day 26: Gambit by @aboutafox Summary: He's the ace up her sleeve and a constant gamble. Trapped in a nest of vipers, she's the only one he can trust. But can their relationship survive the games they play? Or in short, what if nothing that happened in season 5 was as it appeared? (Rated E. 7,433 words)

Day 27: The Blood of Eternity by Liana_Medea Summary: There lives a monster in the bogs of the West, cursed by the Red Sorceress. (Rated G. 2,987 words)

Day 28: Do Si Dos and Aliemande Left by a2zmom Summary: The sixth story of the Steps Saga, a rewrite of BtVS season 4 where Angel stayed human after IWRY. Buffy winds up cut off from friends and family. (Rated M. 13,260 words)

Day 29: Just One Day by MeTheMermaid (@casenpoint) Summary: Buffy proposes she and Angel spend Christmas Day together. But only Christmas Day. (Rated M. 2,724 words)

Day 30: In Every Generation by @taaroko Summary: In every generation, there is a chosen one. At least, there used to be, before the power in the Slayer line waned. With the gaps between new Slayers stretching from years to decades and the secrets of creating them long forgotten, the Watchers grew desperate, so they turned to a Romani curse in hopes of forging loyal warriors out of their greatest enemies… (Rated T. 27,391 words)

art

'i will remember you': 25th anniversary — gifset by @liam-summers

bangel x like real people do — edit by @bangelism (also posted on Instagram)

bangel + locations, part five: the mansion — gifset by @ptieuca

bangel + locations, part six: angel's apartments — gifset by @ptieuca

previous weeks:

❥❥ iwry marathon: week one ❥❥

❥❥ iwry marathon: week two ❥❥

❥❥ iwry marathon: week three ❥❥

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, November 20

Tara smiles, turns to put down the gift and hang up her coat. BUFFY: Besides, I'm definitely not ready to, to... TARA: (turns back) Come out. BUFFY: (smiles) Yeah. I'm all ... stay-inny.

~~Older and Far Away~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

BtVS Double Drabble: Living Weapon by badly_knitted (Drusilla, Spike, PG)

Got a Photograph, Picture of by tigerf00d (Spike/reader, unrated)

Stack It by tigerf00d (Spike/reader, unrated)

[Chaptered Fiction]

BUFFY SUMMERS IN PRYTHIAN - Ch. 1-12 by Scandalous_Geek_Love9r Own] (Buffy, A Court of Thorns and Roses xover, M) COMPLETE!

Sunnydale's Incubus - ch. 1 by SaintGreenz (Buffy, Faith, Naruto xover, M)

Carol of a missing lipstick - ch. 1 by rossshin (Buffy/Spike, G)

True Love Won't Desert You - ch. 6 by CheekyKitten (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Metamorphosis of Moonlit Shadows: - ch. 2 by SlayrGrl (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Big Bad...Poodle? - ch. 4 by EnchantedWillow (Buffy/Spike, R)

Mysterious Destinies - ch. 22 by EnchantedWillow (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Masquerade - ch. 4 by Holly (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Office Hellmouth - ch. 4 by Willow25 (Buffy/Spike, R)

Rewind Love - ch. 8 by Blade Redwind (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Why Me? - ch. 15 by JoeB (Buffy, Lilo and Stitch xover, FR7)

Love Can't Fix Us - ch. 6 by calikocat (Xander centered, multi xover, FR18)

Poetry Professor - ch. 6 by Desicat (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Diorama video and photos: Another Buffyverse mini scene, of the front part of the Magic Box ✨by thegothicalice (Willow, Tara, worksafe)

Gifset: Cordelia Chase + Outfits (Season 3) by clarkgriffon (Cordelia, worksafe)

Gifset: Chaotic Fred 😜🤪😝 Requested by Anonymous by sulietsexual (Fred, worksafe)

Gifset: iwryfanficmarathon's 20th anniversary bangel + locations ↳ sunnydale's high school by ptieuca (Buffy/Angel, worksafe)

Gifset: 1.15 The Prodigal | 2.09 The Trial Angel [1999 - 2004] by dailyats (Darla, worksafe)

Icons: willow icons!! like if you save by editshit (Willow, worksafe)

Artwork: sis by loopnoid (Buffy, Dawn, worksafe)

Artwork: they’re the same by galaxyygrub (Buffy, worksafe)

Manip: Hey! I have a weird request: Angel and Damon? by michelle-manips (Angel, worksafe ish)

Collage: Collage #243 by thedecadentraven (Buffy, worksafe)

Moodboard: autistic demirose wesley wyndam pryce by courtillyy (worksafe)

Moodboard: wesley x lilah by courtillyy (worksafe)

Moodboard: bi greyaro aceflux proxvir angel (buffyverse) by courtillyy (worksafe)

Moodboard: angel & connor by courtillyy (worksafe)

Moodboard: autistic it/he bigender wesley wyndam pryce by courtillyy (worksafe)

Moodboard: bi demisexual angel (buffyverse) by courtillyy (worksafe)

Moodboard: bi autigender girlflux fred burkle by courtillyy (worksafe)

[Reviews & Recaps]

VIDEO: Main Characters We Secretly Want To Be [briefly 2:50 to 3:50] by Smosh

PODCAST: Episode 81: This Years Girl & Who Are You? by Gym Was Cancelled: A Buffy Podcast

[Fandom Discussions]

Can we cut the BtVS writers some slack? by violettathepiratequeen

Meme: [ancient god] by paperpuzzles

s3/4 faith wants so badly to scream at buffy and willow YOU'RE JUST LIKE ME! by faithandbuffy

What If: Drusilla didn't go to Sunnydale by nightshade and others

Angels Fetishes updated by November and AlphaFoxtrot

Starting the comics? Help! by OliveBelly

You're All Wrong About "Kick His Ass" by Prometheus321

Faith's arc and her relationship with The Mayor is one of the best arcs I've ever seen on TV by Cailly_Brard7

If you could "fix" [BTVS] Season 4, what changes would you make? by shukii89

It’s really disturbing to think that if the monks had never sent Dawn to Buffy… by mavelits

Appreciation post: Xander dancing with Buffy when she was feeling down by mavelits

How can we make vampires appear even more evil? Oh, I know... [Disharmony ep] by cowboy_mouth

Roger and Trish Burkle appreciation post [Fred's parents] by WhatEvenIsATangelo

If Robin Williams had played a demon/villain on Buffy or Angel... [BTVS thread] by AndrewHeard

Characters that never (or barely) interact that would have been cool or interesting to see? by daleSnitterman_

Which movie did Buffy borrow from the best? by sKullsHavezzz

What two characters from Buffy and any other property would you like to meet? by VisibleCoat995

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

Article: How the TV Show ‘Buffy’ handled SA by Nicole Alexander

Other: [James Marsters is on BlueSky now] (@jamiemarsters.bsky.social) via dontkillspike

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[oncemorewithqueering]

Does anyone want to hear my Buffy and Angel sexuality headcanons?

No?

Well here we go:

*DISCLAIMER: THESE ARE MY OPINIONS, NOT FACT. IF YOU DISAGREE, PLEASE DO NOT HATE AND FEEL FREE TO TELL ME OTHERWISE POLITELY*

Buffy: Have you seen the way Buffy looks at Faith? She’s bi imo with a strong preference for guys. Also, I loved the Slayer coming out scene to Joyce so much ahh

Willow: I have always been super conflicted about Willow bc, like, yes it’s bi erasure but also she says that she’s a ‘lesbian now’

So I think she’s abrosexual but constantly likes girls

Xander: Ik Xander screams hetero energy BUT hear me out

I think Xander’s little freak out about Willow came from a place of Bi curiosity

Giles: I have nothing to say but Ethan Rayne

Faith: Faith, my girlfriend for all time, could be bi or pan. I think she’s pan bc she just seems like gender doesn’t matter

go get that Buffy girl

Angel, Spike, Drusilla and Darla: My little headcanon is that all vampires are bi/pan. I think Dru and Darla show less preference for men, so I thought they might be pan

Cordelia: Cordy is that straight friend who takes you to pride and twenty (20) seconds later she’s chatting up like 15 men and women, but she’s still straight

Anya: Same logic as the vamps. She’s a demon. She used to be immortal. She probably likes everyone.

Wesley: *cough cough* CHARLES GUNN. I see you Wesley.

Fred: Fred, my gf who will never love me. I just don’t get a queer vibe.

Lorne: They did Lorne SO DIRTY! He is totally gay. The musicals. The pseudo-coming out storyline. Wizard of Oz. I don’t mean to feed into stereotyped but…

Andrew: Yes I put him before Gunn. Yes, I did forget him in the Buffy section.

Andrew and his Warren crush are proof enough to me tbh.

Gunn: Gunn my sweet baby boy please go kiss Wesley ok bye

Ethan Rayne: He loves Giles. Need I say more

Oz: Oz gives me bicurious energy. Not fully bi, not fully straight. Just drifting around. Love him

Dawn: Dawn is just a lovely little straight daughter of two gays. I love that for her

Tara: Tara is last, but not least, because this is canon! Go her! Also rip

ok thank you for listening bye bye love you x

[wasted-women]

ROUND 1 BRACKET LISTINGS

Welcome to Round 1 of the Wasted Woman Poll, the tournament to see which fridged woman deserved better!

Thank you everyone for your patience for Round 1 to begin. Now that the semester is over, I finished the list of match-ups for the Round 1 bracket.

There were 89 contestants for this tournament. Anyone familiar with tournaments knows that it doing a 89-contestant, single-elimination tournament would be annoying. Rather than cutting out 25 contestants to make it a 64-contestant tournament, I opted to use the format of a 64-contestant tournament, just with some of the poll in Round 1 (a majority of them, actually) being three-way polls with a single winner rather than solely two-way polls. So out of the 89 contestants going into Round 1, only 32 will go on to Round 2. Many of the listings in Round 1 will be characters from the same series going against each other, so that the future rounds will be more varied.

The tournament will be split into 4 sets of 8 polls each, with every poll running for a whole link. Below the cut will be the list of match-ups for each set and when the polls will premiere.

If there are any mistakes at all (spelling, if a character appears twice, if the media someone is listed under is incorrect, etc.) please let me know! I did double-check it, but I'm only human so errors do happen.

ROUND 1A (Will be queued to be posted on Tuesday, December 26th between 12 PM and 1 PM)

Jiang Yanli (Mo Dao Zu Shi / Chen Qing Ling) vs. Wen Qing (Mo Dao Zu Shi / Chen Qing Ling) vs. Qin Su (Mo Dao Zu Shi / Chen Qing Ling)

Trisha Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist) vs. Misaki Unasaka (Buddy Daddies) vs. Madam Lan (Mo Dao Zu Shi / Chen Qing Ling)

Kaede Akamatsu (Danganronpa v3) vs. Kuina Shimotsuki (One Piece) vs. Akane Hyakuya (Owari no Seraph)

Maiya Hisau (Fate/Zero) vs. Four Masamune (Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam) vs. Safu (No. 6)

Sherry Polnareff (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3: Stardust Crusaders) vs. Nobara Kugisaki (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Maria Robotnik (Sonic) vs. Captain Molly (Sonic X)

Serena, Rin, and Ruri Kurosaki (Yu-Gi-Oh!! Arc V) vs. Cyndia Crawford (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters) vs. Amber (Pokemon)

Rachel Bronev (Professor Layton) vs. Anna Irving (Tales of Symphonia) vs. Grandma Rosiepuff (Trolls)

ROUND 1B (Will be queued to be posted on Thursday, December 28th between 12 PM and 1 PM)

Storm (Warriors: Dawn of the Clans) vs. Bumble (Warriors: Dawn of the Cats) vs. Bright Stream (Warriors: Dawn of the Cats)

Spottedleaf (Warriors: The Prophecies Begins) vs. Brindleface (Warriors: The Prophecies Begins)

Sky Young (Arcane: League of Legends) vs. Pyrrha Nikos (RWBY) vs. Allura (Voltron: Legendary Defender)

Lisa Tepes (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night) vs. Sara Trantoul (Castlevania: Lament of Innocence) vs. Julia Belmont (Castlevania: Nocturne)

Beru Lars (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) vs. Padme Amidala (Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith) vs. Satine Kryze (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)

Jadzia Dax (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) vs. Tasha Yar (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Bill Potts (Doctor Who) vs. Freya (BBC Merlin) vs. Mary Watson (BBC Sherlock)

Jessica Moore (Supernatural) vs. Mary Winchester (Supernatural) vs. Charlie Bradbury (Supernatural)

ROUND 1C (Will be queued to be posted on Saturday, December 30th between 12 PM and 1 PM)

Allison Argent (Teen Wolf) vs. Jenny Calendar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) vs. Amber Volakis (House M.D.)

Lady Marian (Robin Hood 2006) vs. Irene Adler (Sherlock Homes: A Game of Shadows) vs. Belle Gold (Once Upon a Time)

Tara Maclay (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) vs. Mako Mori (Pacific Rim) vs. Daenerys Targareon (Game of Thrones)

Cordelia Chase (Angel) vs. Darla (Angel) vs. Winifried "Fred" Burkle (Angel)

Julia Johnson (Walker) vs. Andrea Cantillo (Breaking Bad) vs. Lyanna Stark (Game of Thrones)

Kathy Stabler (Law and Order) vs. Joss Carter (Person of Interest) vs. Shannon Diaz (9-1-1)

Eo (Red Rising) vs. Evi Kholin (The Stormlight Archive) vs. Teresa Moreno (Sharpe)

Julia McCullough & Sarah Borden (The Prestige) vs. Rachel Dawes (The Dark Knight)

ROUND 1D (Will be queued to be posted on Monday, January 1st between 12 PM and 1 PM)

Laurel Lance (Arrow) vs. Vanessa Carlysle (Deadpool 2) vs. Eudora Patch (The Umbrella Academy)

Gamora (Avengers: Infinity War) vs. Natalia Romanoff / Black Widow (Avengers: Endgame) vs. Jane Foster (Thor: Love and Thunder)

Magda (X-Men: Apocalypse) vs. Frigga (Thor) vs. May Parker (Spider-Man: No Way Home)

Jean Grey (X-Men comics) vs. Jean Grey (X-Men: The Last Stand)

Gwen Stacy (Spider-Man comics) vs. Gwen Stacy (The Amazing Spider-Man 2)

Karen Page (Daredevil comics) vs. Holly Granger / Hawk (Teen Titans comics) vs. Mary-Jo Altman (Young Avengers comics)

Martha Wayne (Batman comics) vs. Sarah Essen Gordon (Batman comics) vs. Stephanie Brown (Batman comics)

Alexandra DeWitt (Green Lantern comics) vs. Sue Dibny (Justice League: Identity Crisis) vs. Lois Lane (Injustice: Gods Among Us)

[blackpilledkremlintsarina5294]

Mary’s first Dangel(us) gifset.

[jupitermelichios]

Lets talk Spike’s love interests

I’ve been prodding at possible sequel ideas for my Spike x John Constantine fic, and it got me thinking about Spike’s romantic and sexual history, and I have Thoughts™ so I guess you’re all getting meta.

Angel/Angelus

I know is isn’t necessarily a popular opinion, but I absolutely think Angelus and Spike were fucking for basically the entire 15 or so years the Whirlwind was together.

I also don’t think it was as fucked up as you’d necessarily expect.

Spike is genuinely pleased to have Angelus back in season 2, at least to begin with, so there must have been something more than just resentment between them, and I think that something was kinky sex. Angelus is a sadistic bastard who’s idea of BDSM probably looks like torture to an outsider, but Vampires heal fast, and while I think Spike’s more a pure submissive than he is a masochist, I also don’t think he minded the rough treatment at all, especially not if Angelus took the time to build a clear distinction between play time and any of the bickering from the rest of their lives, and I think that’s something Angelus would care about, because he also needs that distinction. He can’t walk around just being the person who’s attracted to Spike in his daily life, not without fundamentally altering his own self-image. So they have boundaries, they have pretty compatible kinks, they have accelerated healing to keep Angelus from fucking up too badly.

Aftercare is probably non-existant, but the plus of them all living communally is that Darla and Dru are there to pick up the slack. (Darla and Spike have a singular lack of relationship in canon, and which is mostly a feature of Darla not really being a character in any meaningful sense until pretty late into Angel, but I like the idea that once he stops trying to turn her into a mother figure, they actually get on pretty well. They don’t have sex, and Darla ultimately disproves of him on religious grounds, but she can’t resist fussing over him a little bit in her own way, including cleaning him up and getting him a meal after Angelus has got bored and wondered off to massacre a village or whatever it is he does for fun. Her interactions with Dru suggest she quite enjoys taking that matriarchial role with her family, indulgent and fond and the ultimate unquestionable authority.)

Ensoulled Angel and unsoulled Spike have sex exactly once, in that weird liminal space where Angel has his soul back but hasn’t left the Whirlwind yet and is going slowly insane while trying to pretend everything is still normal. It’s pretty tame by their usual standards, because the idea of doing any of the shit Angelus used to do makes him feel sick (he never really figures out that the kinky sex isn’t the actual bad thing Angelus did to Spike, because ensoulled Angel is messed up about a lot of shit but none more than his family). Despite that, it’s the only time that leaves Spike actually fucked up, Angel blowing hot and cold, moving the boundaries every time Spike thinks he's figured out what game they're playing, letting him go deep and then refusing to actually be his Dom. It's bad enough that Dru actually warns Angel off, which ends up being of the catalysts for him figuring out he needs to leave.

This may also be the source of Spike’s issues with men, but I suspect that that has more to do with his mother and noticable lack of a father than it does Angel. (Although Angel disappearing in China probably reinforces every natural suspicion he was already harbouring). Either way, every person Spike cares deeply about is a woman. It’s one of the reasons I don’t like Spike/Xander as a ship, because that requires Spike to care about another man in a way he just... doesn’t, in canon. Even as I'm writing a version of Spike owning his bisexuality and falling for a man, I don't think that's changed much, he's just mentally ammended his definition of acceptable people to 'women and also John' in his head, and even getting him to do that much took 130,000 words of branching timeline character growth. That's one of the reasons I don't think Spike & Angel would ever work as a couple outside the confines of their family, for all that they probably screw around a few times during/post Angel S4. With Dru and Darla there, Spike can follow their lead, (and he probably hates men at least a bit less at that point, which helps). When it's just the two of them, no Dru to follow and no Darla to lay down the law, his mental pigeonhole for Angel is a lot less about family, and a lot more about masculinity.

Drusilla

Oh Spike and Dru, I love them and their relationship so much, and it’s so fucked up.

Lets start with the fact that Spike wants a domme and that’s a role Dru can play - when the stars of her mental constallations happen to align correctly - but it’s very much playing. Spike is not playing, Spike is deadly fucking serious. I’m honestly not sure if Dru knows that or not, not that it matters particularly when it’s not something she can give him either way.

Then there’s the fact that Dru wants, and frequently needs, a daddy. And not just a daddydom. She needs an authority figure to act as a fixed point she can orbit around and rebel against (Dru has a complicated relationship with authority figures), and Spike does an impressively good job considering, but it doesn’t seem to come naturally.

More seriously, there’s the fact that while Dru does genuiely like Spike as well as loving him, a rarity among the vampire relationships we see, she doesn’t ultimately respect him. I think when Angel and Darla were still around, she thought of Spike as something like her fellow Little, or possibly the beloved family pet to her own precious daughter. He was her playmate. When Darla said ‘no, you can’t go and steal dresses from bond street we’re keeping a low profile’, Angel might have egged her on but it was Spike who actually went with her, and it was Spike who tried to keep Darla from scolding. (Are you noticing a running theme here? My Darla is the only actual adult, surrounded by people who never finished mentally growing up). Once their ‘parents’ have left, it’s just Dru and Spike and someone has to stop Dru doing something that will put her in serious danger (I think the family all underestimate her in this respect specifically, but given her penchent for murdering children, which tends to attract attention, it’s not an unfounded concern) so now he’s not her fun playmate anymore, or not as often as he used to be, he’s the one trying to keep them safe and under the radar, the one trying to manage her actual mental health issues (and despite the goth manic pixie dream girl-ness of her, she does have very real, very serious, mental health issues.)

He thinks she’s a goddess and loves her in probably the closest to genuine healthy romantic love we see from a vampire, which isn’t saying much admittedly, but he’s definitely bottling up some resentment for the ways she isn’t what he needs. He wouldn’t fixate on Buffy the way he does if there wasn’t at least a part of him that’s unhappy. Meanwhile Dru loves him but needs him to be at least two people at any given time, and is disappointed when he can’t manage it.

Could they be fixed with marriage counselling? Yes, I think they actually could, marriage counselling and maybe an open relationship, or at least some friends, would do them the world or good. They can’t provide everything one another needs, but no one person ever can, the issue is that they only have each other. If they had other people to lean on for the things they can’t give one another, and if they learned to actually communicate, I think they could be genuinely happy. Dru's lack of respect for Spike, Spike's lack of trust in Dru, they're solvable problems that will never get solved because every joss wheadon character is terrible at actually communicating.

Harmony

Every Spike and Harmony scene is either hilarious or heartbreaking, often both at once. The really stupid thing is that I legitimately think they could have been friends if they didn’t keep trying to date. Spike can be a catty bitch sometimes, and he doesn’t have anyone he can let that side out of himself out around. Also despite being a pretty horrible person when she was alive, Harmony was absolutely also the drunk girl earnestly telling you to dump your shitty boyfriend in the club bathroom, and Spike could use some of that in his life. And Harmony would adore having a mentor, she’s so hungry for validation. They even probably like a lot of the same movies.

As it is though, Spike’s scenes with her are essentially him trying to LARP being a straight man, or what he thinks a straight man is filtered through victorian morality, demoic possession, and Angelus. There’s definitely a whole lot of nasty internalised shit going on in the fact that he responds to Dru telling him he’s not masculine enough by trying to pretend to be straighter, more dominant, and less kinky, than he presents himself in any other relationship.

(And just as much horrible internalised shit in the fact that Harmony behaves the same with him as every other love interest she gets, and it's not at all the way she behaves when she's actually just being herself.)

There's absolutely no universe in which they could have a healthy romantic relationship, or even healthy casual sex (they're both so very very bad at casual), but there definitely is a universe in which they sit in the lobby of Wolfram and Hart drinking pink wine from corporate branded mugs and talking shit about Angel, and I wish that was the universe that had made it to TV.

Faith

Okay, so this is like two hints in S7 and not an official love interest, but it was going to be. Those hints are in there because there was a Spike & Faith spin-off show in the works that never ended up happening, but I care nothing for the petty concerns of canon so I'm going to talk about it anyway!

Could they have had a healthy non-destructive romantic relationship? God no, in absolutely no universe. Faith's definitely-present-if-never-precisely-canon untreated BPD and Spike's 100%-canon insecurity and lack of emotional skills would collide in the worst way. But on the other hand, would every interaction they have be more erotically charged than the best porn ever made? Absolutely also yes.

If Spike was actually capable of having casual sex without falling in love, they would probably have the best sex of any of these possible relationships. They don't need the same things from sex, or kink, but in a casual setting that would probably work in their favour. Faith would absolutely enjoy playing Spike's domme, but it would only be playing, and in a universe where they managed to keep things casual that wouldn't be the issue it is with Dru. And Faith would freak the fuck out if anyone tried to service!top her for serious, but the fact that that's not Spike's preferred role would keep things casual in a way that might let her actually start learning to accept care and give up some control.

It would all go up in flames eventually either way, because of the afore-mentioned ways their different mental health needs would conflict and the fact that I'm not entirely sure mental-health professionals who aren't horror-movie-trope-assylum-orderlies even exist in the Buffy universe, but while it lasted I think they would actually be good for one another.

And, you know, they could bond over both being really really thirsty for Buffy.

Buffy

Oh Spuffy. I never shipped it and yet I understand completely why so many other people did. They're just so compelling together, the way good tragedy always is.

I know this is going to be contraversial with some people, but I don't think Buffy loves Spike. I don't think she even likes him, although that's sort of moot given that she doesn't really know him, and doesn't show any real interest in getting to know him. She needs something he can provide, and that's really as far as their relationship goes, for her.

Which isn't a criticism, exactly. If they were on the same page about that, there would be nothing wrong with her using him that way. (By the end of season 7, they actually mostly are on the same page, which is why I prefer those interactions to anything that came before, no matter how I feel about the season as a whole). The issue is that Buffy not only has no idea where to start with healthy communication, I don't think she even knows that it's a skill she's lacking, and even if she wasn't, it probably wouldn't occur to her to apply it to Spike.

I should also stress, I do think Buffy is very emotionally immature in a lot of ways, but I don't think that's her fault. Living the life she has, it's no wonder she doesn't know how healthy relationships are supposed to work. Hell, the best role model she's got is Joyce, who despite the bait and switch they pulled in season five is a consistently terrible parent for the first three seasons. One of Buffy's two main role-models of emotional maturity is a woman who kicked her sixteen year old daughter out of the house for being, essentially, born different, and then punishes her for having left once she allows her to come back. (Seriously, like half the emotional beats of season 3 are people being angry that Buffy left town, and it's never once address that her own mother literally threw her own and made her homeless minutes after the most traumatic experience of Buffy's life up to that point. I have a lot of strong feelings about Joyce and absolutely none of them are possitive). Her dad sees his daughters once a year, and eventually even that gets to be too much quality time for him. Giles loves her, but it also takes him five seasons to stop thinking of her as a sacrificial lamb, or maybe a scapegoat, and even once he admits to himself he loves her that's still not enough to make him actually say the damn words. It is in no way Buffy's fault that she's fucked the hell up, but that doesn't negate the fact that she's fucked the hell up.

As she is in canon, I don't think Buffy is capable of having a healthy romantic relationship with anyone. She needs time, and space, and a boat-load of therapy to start unpicking all the bullshit she's been taught, by her mom, by her dad, by Giles, by Angel, and for that to happen the world would need to stop nearly ending every other weekend.

The question of whether Spike loves Buffy is thornier. I'm not sure he likes her all that much more than she likes him, although he definitely knows her better. He respects her more than she respects him, and he understands her more. Whether he actually likes her... hard to say. I don't think he's lying when he says he loves her, but I also think he uses her as something like the methodone to Dru's heroine. She's emotionally safer, just by virtue of being more stable, and the fact of her being the Slayer lets him justify to himself why she deserves the plinth he places her on in his mind, but ultimately she's still up on that pedestal that used to belong to Dru.

This isn't an Edward Cullen situation though, or even Angel, I don't think he'd hate her if he ever actually realised she had feet of clay, but I don't know whether his feelings for her would survive it. Maybe, because Spike is nothing if not loyal to the people he loves, but I don't think so.

I also think, despite the element of hero worship, his attraction to her is fairly grounded in reality, and post-series, will fade naturally into the kind of fondness people have for old flames. It will take more time that it would for most people, both because he's immortal and because she's the reason he got his soul back, but it will happen. There will be a point, a hundred years from now, when someone asks him who Buffy was and he'll respond truthfully 'just a girl I used to know', and that's not a bad thing.

And then there's the biggest question of all: could they have worked? Is there a universe out there somewhere where they actually built something that lasted?

I think my answer to that is... maybe. I think it's possible. I also think it's vanishingly unlikely. There's probably one universe where it happens. There probably aren't five.

They don't have much in common, when you get right down to it. They don't share a taste in music, books, movies, friends... The only hobby they have in common is fighting. They could probably be having better sex than they do in canon if they actually talked about anything, but they still wouldn't have many kinks in common. They're very different people, with different needs. There was a moment when those needs alligned, when Buffy needed unconditional support and Spike needed a cause to pledge his heart and soul to. They anchored close to one another while they weathered the storm, traded for the supplies they needed to survive, and then passed on, each going their own way.

I think it's possible that makes them the healthiest relationship on this list.

[frankierose]

30 Days of Buffy Challenge

28. First Episode You Remember Watching

Um... so... okay, let me explain.

I first watched Buffy when I was VERY young. My mom introduced it to me and my siblings. As a result, I only have very vague memories that are mostly blurry images. I assume the first episode I watched was Welcome to the Hellmouth, but that's boring and I don't want to talk about that episode today so WE'RE DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

Today, we're talking about ten of my Buffy the Vampire Slayer (or Angel: The Series) ships/rarepairs and why you should ship them. I'm going to keep discussions of said ships short and sweet because ten is a lot and I'll start rambling if I don't keep myself in check.

Let's get into it. Starting from the top...

1. Willow and Cordelia Literally my favorite ship of all time in the history of forever. You should ship them because the popular girl x nerd girl trope is better than you think.

2. Buffy and Cordelia There might be a running theme here... you should ship them because you understand that Buffy needed someone who understood her better. Who better to understand her than Cordelia, queen bee?

3. Buffy and Tara Also probably my favorite ship of all time in the history of forever. You should ship them because Buffy needed a better support system than she had. Tara could offer that for her!

4. Willow and Anya I talked about them a lot yesterday - you should ship them so they can bond over how absurd Xander can be at times. Bonus points if they become closer after Xander and Anya's wedding.

5. Oz and Angel Probably one of my rarest pairs. You should ship them so you can watch two stoic men talk about their inner turmoil.

6. Drusilla and Buffy You should ship them if you like the concept of Bangel, but don't like how creepy Angel(us) could be regarding Buffy. Dru probably wouldn't kill Buffy's loved ones if she were in love with her, so that's a start! The stalking might stick around though...

7. Fred and Willow Okay, yeah, Fred's from Angel: The Series, but fuck you I do what I want. You should ship them if you think nerdy girls deserve each other. Also if you love ships between characters that interacted for 5 minutes.

8. Wesley, Gunn and Fred Speaking of AtS... you should ship them if you think love triangles are stupid. All of them should just date each other, damnit!

9. Drusilla and Darla They aren't the rarest pair in the world, but they deserve more appreciation. You should ship them if you think they deserved better than Spike and Angel(us). (Okay, Spike wasn't that bad. Sprusilla's cute.)

10. Willow and Faith Um... uh... UM, I'M RUNNING OUT OF REASONS. You should ship them because I SAID SO. Also, their dynamic would be really interesting in s7.

PHEW. THAT'S THE POST. I'M DONE. GOODNIGHT.

[nileqt87]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

one girl in all the world: prologue

Willow x Angel, BTVS. Also on AO3.

A reimagining of Buffy the Vampire Slayer from the very beginning, in which Angel was sent to Sunnydale to help the wrong girl, and fell in love with the right girl anyway. For @actuallylukedanes in honor of their birthday. 💗 Bonus graphic here.

Later–much later–Angel would think of so many questions he could have asked and didn’t. Why him? Why her? What exactly had Whistler seen, or been told, with his gifts, that made him so certain?

Prophecies were notoriously unreliable. Tricky things, like Faustian bargains or monkey paws. Wesley could have told him that, if he and Angel had known each other in 1997.

Instead, there was Whistler. Offering him a purpose. Pointing him towards a girl.

She was brimming with potential, power she hadn’t begun to realize, according to the demon. She would be his path to redemption, if he let her. The girl would save the world, and she would need help to do it. Angel could make the difference between the defeat of evil and the end of everything.

Later–much later–Angel would think of so many questions he could have asked and didn’t. Why him? Why her? What exactly had Whistler seen, or been told, with his gifts, that made him so certain?

At the time, though, Angel hadn’t asked nearly enough. Though he was skeptical, long past believing his afterlife could be redeemed, he saw the newest Slayer in a Los Angeles graveyard and he knew two things.

The first: Whistler was right. This was where he needed to be.

And the second: he would have to be very, very careful.

Strong, blonde, and always ready with a retort, she was just his type. He could practically hear Darla's voice in his head, mocking him for his immediate interest--the way simply seeing Buffy reminded him of how it used to feel, to have a heartbeat.

She was so alive, unburdened by the weight of her destiny. He could tell that she was different. Not just from other young women he’d known, but from other Slayers. This one was special.

And as much as he needed to make amends for his existence, Angel also liked the idea of being special. Especially after everything he’d done. If he could do more than atone, actually play a larger part in the world’s fate–not just avoid humans, but save them--he would be a fool not to. Right?

So he followed her to Sunnydale. He watched. He waited. When the time came, he helped. And helping Buffy put him in the middle of her friends, her Watcher. More humans who needed saving.

Including Willow.

Mortal, as fragile as the rest of them…but she was special too. Angel sensed it immediately. Tucked that knowledge away, not sure what to do with it.

It wasn’t as though he and Buffy had friendly chats about her life, or the people in it. It wasn’t as though Willow herself seemed aware of her power. And he didn’t have any reason to bring it up. In Angel’s experience, magic was more dangerous than useful, especially directed at him. So he kept a watchful eye on the Slayer’s best friend, the quiet redhead with fierceness at her core.

When she began to approach him, he found it hard to keep her at a distance. It was nothing like Buffy; he felt pulled to the Slayer, an unavoidable attraction. A terrible idea.

But Willow had questions. She was trying to arm herself with knowledge, an impulse he understood. With Buffy considering him an ally, he was safe, in Willow’s mind.

He didn’t want to explain how wrong she was--to lose the trust she placed in him. The innocence there. It had been a very long time since innocence stared him in the face and called him friend.

A vampire working with a Slayer was unheard of, Angel knew that. As rare as a vampire with a soul.

But if anything could be stranger than that, more difficult to believe...it might be a vampire who fell in love with a witch.

[idabbleincrazy]

Buffyverse Masterlist

*indicates smut

Spike x Reader:

Graveyard Surprises 

Part of the Team

A Moment's Respite

Spangel x Reader:

Night Bloom* (multichapter)

Spangel(us):

Peaches and Honeysuckle 

Mendings, Major and Minor* (multichapter)

Spangel A - Z Masterlist* 

Special Requests*

Power Shift 

Eleven Sentence Challenge masterlist *

A Blissful Reprise

Turning Point

A Bit of Cold Comfort *

White Out *

A Much Needed Reminder

When Doves Cry *

Lazy

Misunderstanding

Waiting

Oceans and Deserts

For the Loss of You

It's in His Kiss

When the Mood Takes Him Redux *

Accismus

Worth the Aggravation

Remedial *

What We Hold Onto

Slow Hand *

Duck, Duck, Goose

If it Purrs Like a Kitten *

Ante Up

Neither Holly Nor Jolly

Minty Goodness *

Bloody Christmas Shopping

I'll Be Home for Christmas *

With You in My Head *

Candy's Dandy, Liquor's Quicker

Read the Fine Print

First Time for Everything *

First Turn of the Spiral * (2)

Well That's One Way to Do It

Not What He Expected

Post-Coital

The Flood

Constrained

Commonality *

On a Stake Out

Spangel Holiday Traditions universe:

No Tricks, Just Treats *

All Saints' Day

All Souls' Day

All Souls' Day ~ A Different Perspective

Convincing Angel

Harmonic Interference

You Know What They Say...

Sucktember Masterlist

Never Fade Away (Series):

Go Out with a Bang* (multichapter)

Regroup and Recover * (multichapter)

Secretly Submissive Masterlist *

The Missing Scenes Series *

Spike/Angel/Dru:

We Are More

Spike/Angel/Iggy Pop:

Self-Destruct

Fanged Four/Whirlwind:

Welcome to the Family

Spike x Nyx (Angel’s sister, Vampire!OFC):

Breaking Point *

Headcanons:

How Spike would react to Reader (Angel’s sister) being in love with him

Sleep and Sex headcanons with Spike

Sex and Angry/violent headcanons with Spike 

Spike seeing Fem!Reader naked for the first time 

Romantic Spike headcanons 

Random HC about William/Angelus

Spotify Playlists:

Spike

Angel

Spangel 

Angel’s Lullaby’s  

Spuffel

Spike/Darla:

Recreational Reunion

Stay, Just a Little Bit Longer

Spike/Lindsey:

Surrogate Vampire *

I've Been Thinkin' *

Spike/Faith:

Ventilation

Wesley/Fred:

Not This Girl, Not This Day...Please

Character meme:

Angel

A:ts Character Dynamic Uquiz

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Friday, August 2nd

DRUSILLA: Do you like daisies? Hmm? I plant them, but they always die. Everything I put in the ground withers and dies.

~~School Hard~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Special Guest by badly_knitted (Drusilla, Angel, T)

To Be Loved by zombiesam (Buffy/Giles, E)

There Are More of Us Than You Think by KnightRanger (OC, Jenny Calendar, Moloch, T)

Getting drunk and frisky with the maid of honor by Kittenwritings (Fred/Willow, T)

[Chaptered Fiction]

Methos' Home for Wayward Youths, Chapter 15 by shadeshifter (Faith, multiple crossovers, T)

Infinitely, Chapter 63 by Laragh (Tara/Willow, M)

Horizon [Part 2], Chapter 8 by broken_hearted_bard (Ensemble, T)

Specific Taste, Chapter 5 (complete!) by Chase_fanfics (Spike/OC, M)

Heartless, Chapter 11 by LSquared1501 (Buffy/Angel, T)

Going Home (to a place we’ve never been before), Chapter 18 by curiouswombat (Buffy, Dawn, Tolkien crossover, T)

hit rewind, Chapter 68 by untiljanuary (Buffy/Spike, M)

Star Trek Voyager : 'I Blame The Vulcan', Chapters 1-3 by BlueZeroZeroOne (Buffy, Star Trek Voyager crossover, T)

I Don't Want to Be the One, Chapter 17 by pommedapi (Buffy/Spike, T)

The Stars to Hold Our Destiny, Chapter 25 by Hermione2be (Buffy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds crossover, G)

In the Company of Witches and Slayers: Chapter 118 by VladimirHarkonnen (TheLightdancer) (Willow/Tara, T)

Recompense, Chapter 9 by Moonkid10 (Buffy/Faith, M)

Immortal Verse, Chapter 5 (complete!) by Shisumo (Buffy, Life is Strange crossover, M)

the face of someone (i don't know), Chapter 3 by guin_ramble, zombiesam (Buffy/Giles, E)

Hungry Like the Wolf, Chapter 3 by fleetfootedfox (Buffy/Giles, E)

Altered Images, Chapter 7 by KnightRanger (Willow, Wesley, Angel, T)

Three Deep, Chapter 6 (complete!) by Barb Cummings (Rahirah), dutchbuffy, Stultiloquentia, Sylviavolk2000 (Ensemble, T)

Where Did We Go Wrong? Chapter 2 by isaacthemedium (Willow, Angel, Giles, Wesley, Faith, not rated)

Reflections of Reality, Chapter 3 by KnightRanger (Willow, T)

Reflections of Reality, Chapter 4 by KnightRanger (Scoobies, T)

Doorways, Chapter 2 by Mirrored_Illusions (Buffy, Stargate-SG1 crossover, G)

Thirty Minutes or Less, Chapter 10 by Geliot99 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

Tale as Old as Time, Chapter 11 by honeygirl51885 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Close to Home, Chapter 5 (complete!) by Sigyn (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Birds of a Feather, Chapter 2 by Maxine Eden (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

The Great Escape from Oz, Chapter 1 by Melme1325 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

A weapon of victory, Chapter 13 by fpb (Buffy, Lord of the Rings crossover, FR7)

Buffy’s Spooky Birthday, Chapter 12 (complete!) by VeroNyxK84 (Buffy/Spike, R)

Revelations, Chapter 3 by Niamh (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

I Do! Chapter 34 by Dusty (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork: ChiBangel 18 by MamaBewear (Buffy/Angel, worksafe)

Wallpaper: Single Mother by revello-drive-1630 (Buffy in Bad Eggs, worksafe)

Character collages by gamerrat_13 (Tara, Willow, Xander, Cordelia, Buffy, Giles, Spike, Angel, worksafe)

Artwork: Buffy and Giles by gamerrat_13 (worksafe)

Fanvid: Silver Lining | Buffy the Vampire Slayer + Angel by Madison Austin

Fanvid: Willow & Tara - Till Forever Falls Apart by TheOverLookedOne

Fanvid: Willow & Tara - Till Forever Falls Apart by TheOverLookedOne

Fanvid: Buffy Summers - I Can Do It with a Broken Heart by juliaroxs241

Fanvid: Buffy Summers - Dumb Blonde by juliaroxs241

Fanvid: Buffy Summers - Head Above Water by juliaroxs241

Fanvid: Dark willow edit || BTVS || S6 E21-22 by cupcakexmeow

Fanvid: Buffy and Spike // I Want to Live by MemeEST

Fanvid: Spike X Buffy || Right Here MV || [BTVS] S2 - S7 by cupcakexmeow

Fanvid: Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 8 opening (fanmade) by A Pixie's Whisper

Fanvid: Honey We Blew Up The School! - Buffy Season 3 recap by BigBadLlama

Fanvid: Buffy & Spike - Dangerous game by Dancer1991

Fanvid: Buffyverse | Darla - Dead Girl Walking by T

Fanvid: Buffy and Angel - Eternal Flame v1.0 by Vision Dream Media

Vidlet: Buffy and spike - snowman by sia by Naki-a Littlejohn

Vidlet: "You didn't earn it" || BTVS || @Makky_CC by Makkyyyy

Vidlet: Spike edit || by cupcakexmeow

Video: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Revival Season 10 Episode 16: Relics of My Old Life by Buffy the Vampire Slayer Chosen

Animation: Spuffy flames by flootzavut

[Reviews & Recaps]

Podcast: Sleeper S7 E8 (Buffy and the Art of Story Podcast) by Lisa M. Lilly

Video: Beneath You-Slayer Sunday by Jane Talks Buffy

Podcast: Why I Still Love 'Buffy: The Vampire Slayer' In My 30s by Storytelling for the Soul

Podcast: DWLit Presents: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Seasons 1-5 by Doctor Who Literature

Video: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 3 Review FT. Ian Carlos ‪@Slayerfestx98‬ by George Alexander

Video: "Killed by Death" Buffy the Vampire Slayer S02E18 Spoiler Review by The Re-Watcher's Council

[Fandom Discussions]

love that spike technically does the exact same thing lestat does with his mom by Inkblotdemon

finished season 7 of buffy and I think that was the most disappointing finale of a show ever by slaywhatyouwannaslay69

Things they did for each other by nightshade

Rewatch thoughts and questions continued by multiple posters

Most Out Of Character, Plot Hole-y, or Confusing Season 7 Moments continued by multiple posters

Did you know this show was supposed to crossover with Angel? by southsideserpent18

Was Angel actually a good person? by Amazo8

What if Buffy had become a puppet by samof1994

This show is so funny. Giles just bragged he took her [Chao-Ahn] for icecream! by snakecasablanca

Amy summoning a de-escalating Buffy by Baron_Butterfly

is it confirmed that teen wolf took inspiration from btvs?? by secretlifeofmex

Was Angel a white knight to Buffy or in general? by debujandobirds

I'm about to watch The Body... by twirlinghaze

I watched the show when it came out. Now I’m doing a rewatch with my son who is about to enter high school by Bostonterrierpug

Do you warn newbies? by FixinVixin

I'm just going to say it. Angel had a better final season than Buffy by kaiserdragoon67

How total are the monks memory bending by Ulquiorra1312

I'm just a friend of... xXAnddneerRrsss by Level_Mixture_9533

Question about Chosen by trickswithmarsbars

Could Buffy have forgiven Faith eventually? by SafiraAshai

Obsessed with this show by alwaysleepingg

Angel low key worse than Edward at times by sunnyrainflowers

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

Comics artist Rebekah Isaacs is selling pages from Angel and Faith Season 9

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[co-mixed]

Ship Week: Angelus x Darla

Couple number three came to us from (drumroll) Buffyverse.

It’s natural to assume that I would pick a classic like Buffy and… Parker (kidding, and either one of her vampires), or Willow and Tara (still hurts, huh), or Willow and Oz. But I’m picking the couple that is most exciting and in their own way more fun than any other (if you’re into slaughter and stuff). So it’s gonna be Angelus and Darla.

Now before you start throwing quotes in my face and backing up Angel’s statement that he never loved Darla, I’m going to defend our boy Angelus. Because he most definitely did, and she loved him too. Yes, their love was twisted and dysfunctional, like a pretty vicious game. But it worked for both of them, so it works for me.

You can’t spend a hundred years with someone without forming an attachment, and theirs was pretty strong.

Sure they betrayed each other left and right: Darla left Angelus to deal with Holtz, he payed her back with the same coin, they cheated on each other, spent time apart. But in the end they cared for each other enough to always go back.

But the positive side in all of this, is that to them it was all a game, that excited both Darla and Angelus.

That’s why out of all the couples in The Show (“The Show” being Buffy & Angel), they seem most likely to make it.

All the other relationships crashed and burned, even Dru and Spike, I mean he was too much of a romantic and then got a soul (then died but that never sticks). But had Darla succeeded at taking away Angel’s soul in season 2, they’d get their happy evil eternity. Wouldn’t that be lovely (unless you’re Buffy, or live in LA, or basically any human).

[neveergoodenough]

07272021

making a su1c1d3 note for fun ^^

if you are reading this then, congrats you know how to read! oh and also that im gone

i dont know, im so tired. i feel like theres nothing going right in my life. on the outside i may look like a happy go lucky girl (i am on most days) and privileged one that everyone wouldnt guess that i, want to die.

im turning 23 tomorrow and whats the point really. as i write my anxiety is eating me up. i hate my birthday. i dont understand how anyone can be happy on their birthday. to me its like a reminder that i failed to complete my one goal, to die.

people will cry sure. but i can only count on my hands the people that will actually care, the people that will actually say that my absence left a whole in their life. bcs thats the truth, people will forget you eventually, alive or dead.

i dont think id had a person cry for me. its not an obligation of course but that they care to that extent. i dont really feel like i have friends sometimes. maybe i have 2 or 3 but thats it. the rest will and some already have forgotten me.

i have learned that life really does not have any meaning. we are just organisms bidding our time here on this floating and tainted rock. existing just to suffer. why cant it be my time now?

individual notes:

flo - im sorry. i know we promised each other that we'd go together but i couldnt anymore. i will start building our belle epoque at my destination. dont come so soon yet tho since i will be taking my sweet time planning it out, getting right material, watching the yt vids on how to build, yada yada. so dont catch with me yet. you still have a lot to do there and pls for me, survive and be happy.

ven, ianna, angel - hi besties. thank you for all the support you gave me since day 1. i know na one chat away lg kamo prmi sa bsan ano, so im going need you all to continue to do that with each other. be each other's strength. i wish you all happiness, and im sorry.

la fam x homo - pls continue to pursue something that was once my dream. i have no doubt in my mind that you all will find your own place in this world. thank you for the friendship even tho i slightly distanced myself. im sorry

mama - sorry ma, i have never been the perfect child. often times my selfish and prideful self stood a little higher. this pandemic distanced us even more than before and it might be an excuse but i still feel guilty. take care of your health and make good choices.

papa - honestly most of my traumas growing up was because of you. my anxiety, why i became so reserved as i grew up, and depressed (but u dont believe in that, right? let me be your perfect example then). but despite all of these, i couldnt hate you 100%, you were a good father, a provider. i will always be thankful for that. so dont blame yourself too much. do better pls, atleast for darla. you were wrong all along papa, i am not your strongest child.

lance - it was from you that suffered the biggest betrayal from. but i dont have the energy to be angry at you anymore, i can never get to you. you are like a closed boom that cant be opened but at the same time i dont wanna open anymore. im tired. but despite all of this, i so hope you are happy now, i hope you live your own life making your own decisions and owning up to all of them as well.

darla - all my money goes to you. i dont care kung anhun mo, go abroad or whatever. dont be oa, im not a millionaire but just take my money. withdraw it all before you all register my death certificate. my doh schol when i die will be cancelled but i wont leave you with debt so dont worry about that. wala na ko da so by all means darla, you have the freedom to leave our house na. no point in staying there if youll still be miserable. do it for yourself. save yourself. **pin numbers in my notes app

you can sell my bts stuff, they cost a fortune i promise. i want my funeral to be small, no unneccessary people (u know who, darla)

well this is goodbye then, i cant fully say i lived a good life since there was a lot of suffering. ill just say i lived a good chunk of days that made me want to survive for a little while longer.

[blackpilledkremlintsarina5294]

[mousedetective]

For the TV asks -- BtVS (and Angel the series if you want since they were so intertwined), please.

my all-time ultimate fave character: Lorne

a character I didn’t used to like but now do: Anya

a character I used to like but now don’t: Xander

a character I’m indifferent about: Holtz

a character who deserved better: Tara

a ship I’ve never been able to get into: Xander x Anya

a ship I’ve never been able to get over: Spike x Buffy (believe me, I’ve tried, and Joss & Co tried real hard to kill my love for them)

a cute, low-key ship: Willow x Tara

an unpopular ship but I still enjoyed it: Riley x Buffy

a ship that was totally wrong and never should have happened: Lindsey x Darla

my favourite storyline/moment: Faith’s character development

a storyline that never should have been written: The attempted rape scene between Spike and Buffy

my first thoughts on the show: OMG THIS IS AWESOME!!!

my thoughts now: This is such a problematic show, but it had it’s moments. I made it better in fic, though.

send me a tv series and I’ll tell you