#I guess a slayer is really just a killer after all

[girl4music]

Another thing that Wynonna gets right that Buffy didn’t. I say “right”. What I mean is it’s what I prefer to see. Moral greyness. Without stipulations. Just the simple “I’m a better person than I was before” even when they’re not technically a “person” anymore.

“I do what needs to be done ‘cause I’m a hero. And you know what, yeah, sometimes that makes me a killer.”

“‘Cause I would die to save my sister. Or kill. Anyone. Everyone… I just want to keep my family safe.”

“You can't keep doing this. Killing people and pretending like it doesn't affect you.”

“Right would’ve been shooting that thing and us running for it!”

“He wasn't always a thing, Doc. And if I'm gonna keep killing them and not go crazy, then I need more than revenge!”

“God damn it, Wynonna, they’re bad people!”

“So I’m just supposed to ignore that they’re people at all?”

“You would be dead before you drew.”

“This whole ‘fastest gunslinger in the west,’ that something you proud of? Shooting people who don’t have a chance to fight back?”

“Some people deserve to be shot.”

“Who decides that? ‘Cause the history books say one thing; my family says another. So you tell me, do you deserve a bullet or do I? Maybe, I’ll let fate decide.”

“Whatever side we fight on, the blood we shed to win the war, will damn us all.”

“It’s not a war, Holliday. It’s just a town filled with women who would have us both fight to the death.”

Moral high ground is annoying and preachy. And there’s nothing really to learn from it other than good vs evil. But real people who have experienced both sides know that it’s not that simple or easy. Not at all.

Buffy touches on this a few times. But the problem is they don’t really explore it properly. And they keep to the moral high ground of a hero is always the law. And what that does is it prevents any real moral greyness because the heroes are always the heroes and the villains are always the villains: it’s not how it works.

So in this way - I actually prefer ‘Wynonna Earp’ because they properly explore what should have been explored in ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ but never is. They have the conversations - the conflicts - but they don’t have the “am I really a hero for killing them”? And the reason why they don’t is because the canon lore is “demonic possession” rather than demonic corruption. Yet the arcs themselves show otherwise.

Wynonna leans into what is shown in the arcs.

They don’t reinforce the canon lore when the canon lore no longer makes any sense because of the arcs.

With Wynonna I get good AND evil and the fluctuation and the questioning of which side is which…

With Buffy I get “I am the Law and that’s that” when the other characters are challenging the hero on this. But the hero doesn’t learn anything from that conflict.

Because the hero always has to be the hero in the end.

There’s a mountain of war veterans that will say this isn’t realistic. It’s not the way any of that ever works.

So in this way - yes, Wynonna is better than Buffy. And I would even say Wynonna is a better lead protagonist because her flaws are on display and are addressed as flaws rather than just qualities and skills that she has to have to win a supernatural war that she never really gave any true consent to be the collateral damage for. I don’t think anyone realizes that Buffy isn’t a militant. She’s not a trained professional like Riley and Sam are. And she gets a Watcher to “train” her who isn’t either. She pretty much learns to deal all on her own which is inspiring but isn’t realistic. And is - in reality - illegal.

And I don’t know. Maybe there’s some kind of appeal in watching that very nihilistic point of view. But I would have preferred it if this woman got to retire and let everyone else that could and would fight take over. And I would have preferred it if they addressed that maybe not everyone on the side of “evil” had to die ‘cause if you make that damning call then you’re not really on the side of “good” either. You just play god. And I’m not saying Buffy did that but there was no real exploration of whether that is how she’s ending up even when it was revealed that she was part demon. Made from a demon. Whatever. You know what I mean. Belonging to the dark as much as the light.

And so Wynonna did what Buffy was too afraid to do.

And in the end - for me - it just leaves it all empty.

The Chosen One is a difficult concept to work with. But it’s compelling to watch because it’s difficult.

And I just think ‘Wynonna Earp’ did it better in the end. I think it ended the “right” way that it should.

I think it comes down to the differences in the creators/showrunners. Joss Whedon VS Emily Andras. Whedon took the nihilistic approach because he is nihilistic man. Andras took the realistic approach.

So the point I’m making is nihilism is not realistic. And it’s not realistic because there is meaning in the world. It’s just that you have to be brave enough to make that meaning. To determine that reality for yourself without being the arbiter of everyone else’s fate or destiny. Otherwise you just end up being what did that to you. And in all honesty I just think Joss Whedon gave up. You can say that he was always a monster anyway - and obviously cast confessions have testified to this - but I think it’s more likely that he just turned into one because he stopped believing that heroes are corruptible and villains are redeemable eventually - which is the reality of real people. Real human people. And then you have Emily Andras writing the complete opposite to that. Showing the complete opposite of it. That morally grey is the nature of everything that exists. It is only our choices that define who we are. And we step into the role of either hero or villain depending on which it is we choose to do in the moment. It is never inherently the only way to be. And this same philosophy goes for whether human/mortal or not because conscious beings are still real people.

Good VS evil isn’t a good story to tell if there’s no point to it that is actually relatable to real people. Everybody loves the metaphorical unpinnings of Buffy. There’s been books and thesis after thesis written on the cleverness of the metaphors used to tell the story. The deeper aspects to the teen supernatural concept. And it is clever. Absolutely. I’m not denying that at all. But I just think it fell flat as far as the final season goes because Whedon and Co just seemed to stop caring. And it’s just sad to say that others have done it better precisely because it ended better because they cared.

Maybe Whedon drove himself to nihilism in the end 😔

[kamaluhkhan]

(more info under the cut....)

HER CANINE TEETH IN THE SIDE OF MY NECK (werewolf!vi x vampire slayer!reader)

slightly canon-divergent....basically set during pit fighter!vi arc except in this world we've got vampires!! and werewolves!!!!

so reader is also a pit fighter -- they literally meet for the first time when they're competing underground. the next morning vi wakes up with a wicked hangover in some stranger's apartment and that stranger is you! and your dog! vi doesn't realize this yet but you saved her drunk ass from a vampire anyways, you invite vi to train with you and some other girls and offer to patch her up after fights. she's reluctant but you're persistent ("why're you being nice to me. are you some kind of guardian angel?" "nah. i just have a thing for strays. now hold still unless you want to bleed to death.") so little by little, vi moves away from the whole lone wolf thing; she's still very scared to let people in after what happened with caitlyn, but you're a much needed bit of levity and light in this world of darkness and monsters ("whoever wins the most fights tonight picks up the tab for the bar." "you're on, killer." *later that night* "guess i'll be picking up the tab," you smile, your lip splitting open even more. "i'll still take care of it, angel. lemme take care of you first.") vi maybe has a crush on you that she tries very hard to keep secret bc of who she is.....while you're also head over heels for her and trying to keep the whole vampire slayer thing under wraps....perhaps unsuccessfully, but i don't want to spoil it hehe.

LIKE SOME MISPLACED JOAN OF ARC (spiderverse au)

vi is spider-gwen spider-woman! she's in college, plays drums in a band, has an internship at some lab and spends a lot of her time saving the city but there's the lingering guilt that she couldn't save you (canon event: losing their first love). one day she's fighting some villain and....a portal opens? and she's transported into what seems to be another universe?? she does to her apartment and when she knocks on the door, her heart almost stops -- because you're the one who opens it. turns out in this universe, you're spider-woman, dealing with some demons of your own (two canon events rolled into one: losing their first love and not being able to save the life of a police captain....and your vi was an enforcer). basically you have to work together to get vi back home and fix the multiverse and also keep doing spider-person stuff bc it's new york and the crime never stops (you both admit *to yourselves* that it's nice to have someone to share the responsibility....i have this idea and it's a scene that i wrote in another fic basically vi is taking a shower in your bathroom and you go in to drop off a towel or something but oh no! your roommate needs something and since vi is dead in your universe you can't have anyone see her so you have to hide in the shower with vi and it's....obvi very intimate....like vi needs your help washing her hair or something bc she's got this terrible bruise from being thrown around by doc ock and you're maybe a bit too eager help) anyways you fall for each other through all this chaos even though you both really really don't wanna go through losing the other and it seems like it's inevitable one way or another. but, fuck the universe, right?

[rita-repulsa-ke]

First Meeting

“What’s your name?”

“Rio.”

“You’re gorgeous, you know.”

“I do. I like to hear you say it, though.”

Agatha looked at the bodies around her, then back up at the woman leaning against a tree, toying with a knife and studying her as if she were a tome worth deciphering. She didn’t need to ask if the stranger was a witch or even what her specialty was—one look with the Sight and she could see how strong she was, a column of green and black flame, power such as Agatha had never seen.

So the only real question was whether Agatha would be able take her to bed before she inevitably killed her.

“What’s all this then?” Rio asked, flicking her knife to point at the bodies.

Agatha looked around the clearing, clicked her tongue in dismay, as though she’d only just noticed the desiccated corpses at her feet. “Would you believe I walked up and they were already like this?”

The other woman gave her a toothy smile. “Do you know, I wouldn’t?”

“Then I guess I probably killed them.” Agatha spread her hands, shrugged like ‘what are you going to do’. “Want to get revenge?”

“Hmm. Should I?” Rio strolled out and examined the bodies, poking one with a booted foot.

“Seems like the right call,” Agatha said, arms open, inviting attack. “Sisterhood and all that. Go ahead, give it your best shot.”

Rio burst into high-pitched, grating laughter, annoying to hear but pretty to watch. “Do people actually fall for that? You so clearly want me to blast you!”

“Honestly? All the time,” Agatha said, only a little disappointed. “But then, most people tend to overreact to this sort of thing. You’re taking it very well.”

“I’m used to bodies.”

“Ooooh. Very mysterious.” Agatha sauntered forward, keeping one eye on the knife and the other on Rio, the latter simply because she was great to look at. “I like a little bit of mystery. Keeps me on my toes.”

“I’d prefer to sweep you off your feet.”

Agatha was more and more pleased Rio hadn’t chosen to blast her straight away. This was going to be fun. “Normally, I do the sweeping. For you, I might make an exception.” She wouldn’t, but she knew a challenge when she saw one and she did love a challenge.

Even if the challenge in question had an extraordinarily grating laugh, a shrill shriek of delight. “Oh, Agatha Harkness, you’re going to be fun.”

Agatha went still. “How do you know my name?”

“I know more than that about you. The Salemite coven killer. Matricide. Witch-slayer.”

Agatha didn't react outwardly, except to cross her arms across her chest. "You're very well-informed."

"Well, you've killed a lot of people. That kind of thing gets my attention. And look at you, so much power for a single witch, and all of it stolen."

Agatha couldn't tell if she was being complimented or insulted. "Have a problem with that?"

Rio shook her head. "Not at all. I want you to keep going. I want more bodies. I'm greedy that way."

So the gorgeous green witch was also crazy. That was fine with her, sexy and crazy could be an exciting combination, at least for a while, and after that, well, there was all that glorious power, hers for the taking. "Come with me then," Agatha purred, her voice husky with promise. "I'll get you all the bodies you want."

For a moment, Rio fixed her with a look that speared her in place, a butterfly on corkboard. Her breath caught in her throat in a very literal sense, her lungs frozen in her chest, unable to expand. Something vast and unknowable examined her as she might have examined a particularly interesting bug, right before she crushed it underfoot.

And then Rio looked away and she found herself gasping for air. "Keep talking like that and you really might sweep me off my feet," the other woman said, her hands behind her head, the smile on her lips a bloody gash, a wound in the world.

For a brief moment, Agatha had the sense to be terrified.

Then she simply refused to be. So the other woman had some tricks, that only made her more interesting.

And Agatha had some tricks of her own, especially in this particular game.

She stepped forward, cupped the back of Rio’s neck and pulled her closer, then kissed her, a rapacious, demanding kiss. She knew she was good at it and from the way Rio clutched at her, the other woman agreed, melting as Agatha worked a different kind of magic with teeth and tongue. When Agatha pulled back, she gave Rio the self-assured smile of a witch who had never doubted that she could have anything she wanted, including the woman in front of her. “Watch me,” she said.

Rio swallowed, struck briefly mute, and Agatha was already strolling past. "Come along then, darling," she called without a glance back.

Behind her, Death, the final hour, the last breath, touched her lips, murmured a very quiet 'wow' and trotted after Agatha.

Want to read the sequel? Try the Reveal

Want to read some of Rio’s thoughts on Agatha? Try the thief

Want to read a post-breakup fic where Agatha tries to pierce the veil between the living and the dead and maybe even succeeds? Try the veil

[tastytoastz]

Ork names are so intressting but also leave me so confused.

In Ghazghkull's book and in the enemy of my enemy there are examples of orks naming themselves which would make sense, they do something or find a quality they have and name themselves after that like Finds-Bullets-He-Has-Not-Lost.

This also however raise a question, what are they named before they pick one? In Ghazghkull's book he's refer to 'stripling' a lot which could be used as a place holder name which would work as an ork so young might not bring themselves much attention and there for won't need to be pointed out in a crowed.

But ork names in themseleves are so confusing if you look ever slightly too long at them like:

Klawz: One word name, no last name given or hinted towards. But a clear comment on his apperance and a thing in itself

Taktikus: Probably based on the word 'tactics' but is in itself not a real word (however given some slack as he's a blood axe and like humie things). No last name given.

Gargaz teefgrabba: clear first and last name seemingly, the last name is a description of actions he does. (also his first name might be the combination of "garg-az")

Finds-Bullets-He-Has-Not-Lost: Might be a translation thing but in general a long name. Also like Gargaz has a clear explanation of something he does in their name.

Ufthak Blackhawk: Blackhawk??? Not really in itself a descripiton of what he does or has done, why did he chose this??? Unclear if his first name has meaning.

Grotsnik: Lone word, but is combination of the ork words grot-snik aka Grot-kill or grot-cut (a low gotich translation would most likely be 'grot killer' or 'grot-cutter, or they-who-cut-grots etc).

Grod Irongob: Okay what is even happening here??? Grod, like the same word for favorite enemy and best friend? Okay someone was named klawz so I guess it’s a bit the same. Iron-gob??? A combination of a human word and ork word? Okay, why not ,once again also a blood Axe so they get some slack as they’re part of the human fanboy clan. (also, they i'm pretty sure never is mentioned even wanting or having a grod so...)

It's also a bit confusing with translations given by orks, like, why does Biter feel the need to explain Bullets name but not Grotsnik's? Ufthak also once translates his own name, but only translate the Blackhawk part? Does it mean his first name has no meaning?

Is it that last names are "common" so they need to set a word before it to be able to tell the diffrence, like there are orks that share names like "da slayer" which is the name of two orks (Nogrub da slayer and Urgok da slayer), but with orks liking variety this should be rare. If their first name has no meaning do they just put togheter a bunch of syllables they like?! Does ork have like “common names” or do they make up all their names themselves like is Ufthak a common name like Bob is a name for a lot of people or did he make it up himself?! Do they all have last names but just don't use them/say them? Are there common names and those that have them need to get a last name??? Is it a clan thing??? WTF are the rules??? IS IT JUST VIBES??? (Most likely).

[murfpersonalblog]

My 2 Cents on the WWDITS Finale - 9/10

I LOVE WWDITS, but ngl I didn't care much for Season 6. I barely laughed, and found most of the eps depressing. I was hoping for more overarching plot threads, and felt disappointed & my expectations were too high. I loved S5, but I think the "plot" ended there, and S6 felt all over the place--which I guess was the point. As such, I LOVED the finale, cuz of this right here:

Jerry's introduction and the 1950s footage cemented that these silly vampires are perfectly fine doing the same thing they've always done for all eternity.

On the one hand, they are stuck in their ways, from their outdated clothes to their accents to their hobbies--even Colin Robinson, the most modern one of them all, is trapped in a perpetual 100-yr loop and never remembers anything that happened in his past lives (unless he checks the archives he's hermetically sealed in his basement vault).

However, the bit about them having learned nothing at all was a red herring. Cuz ALL of these vamps actually HAVE grown & learned a great deal.

Laszlin's Monster--a creature with real emotions & a heart/soul, who is WELCOME in their family--is right there watching footage of Laszlo's previous failed attempts to create life from death. Laszlo AND Nadja are visibly cringing at how disastrous Laszlo's experiments used to be. But S4-S6 gave us the beautiful Laszlo-Colin partnership. Laszlin's Monster says "I LOVE BOTH MY FATHERS, NOW KISS."

Laszlo had been doing everything by himself and failed--it was only once he got off his high horse and finally accepted help from Colin (the person he'd once looked down, then had to RAISE as his father in S4) that he finally achieved a scientific miracle. Laszlo & Colin have been my fave characters this entire series, and it paid off BIG TIME.

Nadja's arc was more of her coming full circle as the only sensible vampire in the room, with very simple yet perfectly effective solutions for all the knots they (AND we the viewers) tangle ourselves in:

She does the exact same quick problem-solving in the pilot--which the finale's end credits even show the vamps watching old footage of--when Nandor's blabbing about hygiene, and Nadja's bored out of her skull (cuz she knows they can just label their corpses with Sharpies):

And ofc the "perfect" solution leads to the elephant in the room: Nandermo.

IMO Guillermo was most interesting as a vampire slayer. His character arc bored/irritated me the most whenever he DID get overly ambitious--trying to lead the Vampiric Council through manipulating Nandor in S3; and working at Canon Capital in S6. I was happy to see him & his cousin team up to save the vamps in 6x9, cuz that's literally what Memo's best at, cuz he IS a killer--of vamps. I actually WANTED a whole season with Nandermo cosplaying as Batman & Robin--it's so effing adorable!

Memo THINKS he wants bigger & better things, and maybe he would've thrived as a full time analyst at Canon Capital--but is that what he REALLY wanted? Ofc not! He's gleeful like a little kid at Xmas when Nandor lets him finally sit in his coffin.

Cuz even though Memo's matured & grown enough to realize that BEING a vampire literally sucks, he still loves the ALLURE of vampires. He's THRILLED to finally be allowed to sit with Nandor in his coffin, and is IMPRESSED/AMAZED that there really is an underground lair. He's STILL that kid from the pilot in love with being Antonio Banderas' Armand from Interview with the Vampire!

Nandor has always been the Marius to Guillermo's Armand. The promise of adventure & excitement is still there in the end. The finale's a whole NEW beginning for Nandermo, and Memo's happy as a clam to follow Nandor's lead on a new series of hijinks in the secret lair. Like he tells Nandor: "You'll ALWAYS be 'Master' to me."

IMO, the one who's MOST stuck on his ways & never changing is Memo. Season after season he leaves & comes back; even in the finale he fakes like he'll never see Nandor again just to give the film crew good "closure" footage. So I reckon he's gonna grow old in that house, cuz he can't ever bring himself to leave for long--he needs them as much as they need him, codependency at its finest. Memo'll probably end up just like Benjy, Nandor's elderly S2 Familiar that Nandor made a vamp in his old decrepit age.

(WWDITS thinks they're SO SLICK with the Benjy-Benji reference!)

It won't be cuz Memo wants to be a vamp, but cuz he's old AF and afraid of dying & leaving the vamps behind to go on without him. Nothing from this season/finale gives me confidence that Memo will actually move on, but I don't think that has to be a bad thing, if moving on is NOT what will make Memo AND Nandor happiest--which is obvs from how sad Nandor was at the prospect of them NOT working together as Batman & Robin.

Nandermo love & need each other, the finale confirmed it, and I'm satisfied.

[gawrkin]

King Arthur's Son from Jack the Giant Killer

The folk story of Jack the Giant Killer is one of those rare fairy tale stories that's also an Arthurian story - being that its setting during Arthur's reign. Other stories of this type include Tom Thumb and Child Rowland. These stories are generally post-Malory. (unfortunately)

Apparently, according to some scholars the story of "the giant slaying Jack" arose because of the popularity of Arthur himself as the "Slayer of Giants" was so numerous, people were getting bored with it. Jack himself and his story comes off as hodgepodge of various motifs that you find elsewhere in other stories.

What caught my attention with this story, is that the largest episode of Jack's story involves Jack meeting up with a nameless son of King Arthur and adventuring with him.

So, the story of Jack begins with a simple introduction and description of Jack and his first enemy, Cormoran:

For the first three sections of the story, Jack goes around killing giants and making a name for himself (including a famous moment where he tricks a giant into commiting suicide).

For this post, we're skipping over to the part where King Arthur's son is introduced:

Lol. When I was reading this part, I couldn't help but imagine this Prince is actually Sir Loholt, who is sometimes Arthur's Legit son with Guinevere. It actually makes a lot of sense with Lanzelet's description of him:

So yeah, for me he's Prince Loholt. :) Continuing on:

Yup. He's an Arthurian male character, alright. Too nice, not enough braincells.

Also, its kind of heartwarming to know Arthur and Guinevere would have a son who's so kind and generous, he wouldn't think twice to give up his riches if it meant helping someone.

So next up, Jack suggests that they sleep over at a giant's place. This is the other interesting about Jack the Giant Killer: He personally knows this giant and depending on the version, he claims this giant is actually his uncle. Other stories claim the giant is an idiot and Jack's just smooth talking him, but I think its way more interesting if the Giant IS Jack's relative. In Early Arthurian Lore, a number of giant-slayers, including Arthur, Kay and Gawain, all have giantish attributes (Kay's famous superpowers), have giants for relatives (Guinevere, in Welsh myth, is the daughter of Gogfran the giant) or are giants themselves.

Prince: Oh, so that means you're a giant, too? Jack: I guess? Prince: Cool. My Mother, the Queen, is a giantess as well. We're kinsmen! Jack: ... Prince: Also, my uncle can grow really big.

So Jack goes up to the giant's castle and knocks on the door:

So Jack and the Prince spend the night in the giant's castle while the giant himself is locked away. The next day, the Prince continues his journey while Jack promises to catch up after he deals with the giant. What's interesting here is that this giant isn't slain like the others. He survives, unlike Jack's other foes - which kinda puts more points to my theory that this really is Jack's uncle and Jack is a half-breed giant of sorts.

The giant wants to reward Jack:

These magic items are your classic fairy tale archetypal tools that have their inspiration found in earlier myths: You have your bog-standard cuts-through-anything magic sword (like Excalibur), the slippers are the "Seven-League boots" (Based on Hermes' winged sandals) and you have an item that confers invisibility (It comes in many forms: Hade's helm, Siegfried's cloak and even Arthur himself has an Invisibility cloak too)

Jack getting these items is a way to give your hero superpowers without utilizing... unsavory methods. That he's able to use these items despite belonging to - and presumably used by - a giant is never questioned.

Moving on, we get to meet the "Possessed Lady" Loholt the Prince was after this whole time:

Well that was rude. So naturally, the Prince despairs until Jack does something about it:

Methinks that this lady is actually a murderous sorceress and isn't actually possessed.

This is romcom material.

Lady: Um, what is wrong with him? Jack: *Puts on his Cap* ...Camelot, apparently...

So once again, its up to Jack to save the day.

Are you sure this Lady is possessed? Also, she's scolding Satan - definitely wife material Queen material.

And so, Satan was killed (lol), the Lady was restored to her former good looks (even though she was already described as beautiful), she and the Prince get married and Jack gets to be one of the Knights of the Round Table.

And that's the end of this section of Jack the Giant Killer's story and end of this post. Jack's story goes on for a few more episodes of giant-slaying before ending on your typical "...and they lived happily ever. The End."

I wonder what the usual cast's (Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, Lancelot, Gawain, etc.) reaction to this story would be.

It's notable that (at least in the version I'm reading) this section with "King Arthur's Son " is longer than other stories. Moreover, no giants are actually killed in it. The "uncle" giant was merely hood-winked and Jack uncharacteristically spares him. The story is mostly about helping King Arthur's son woo a demonically possessed Lady.

[buffster]

Buffy vs Dracula (BTVS 5.01)

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

Really leaning into the camp with this one.

It’s clear from the outset that the writers are preparing for Riley to exit. Now that the drama of the Initiative is over, we are stepping right into the idea that Buffy and Riley don’t actually work as a couple. Riley has fallen asleep (presumably satisfied and relaxed after some sexy times) while Buffy lies awake. She sneaks out and does some late-night slaying. She satisfies him, he doesn’t satisfy her. 

When the gang hangs out at the beach for some relaxing, we also see that Buffy consistently holds back from Riley without ever mentioning it. When he says she throws like a girl she puts a little effort in and immediately knocks him over and ruins the ball. This puts forward the idea that Buffy is deliberately holding her Slayer self back from Riley. We’ll get more into this through the season.

The group begins a conversation about making life choices. Xander doesn’t have a steady future, Riley can’t focus his major, and Willow is still deciding what she wants to major in. It surprises me that she wants to take a drama class after all her fears from past seasons. I guess this is a sign she is trying to leave the old Willow behind. Giles has spent the summer archiving texts, labeling amulets, and generally preparing to leave Buffy behind. He tells only Willow that he’s planning to go, and it seems like that’s because he’s prepared her to be mini-Giles. 

Buffy is patrolling alone when she meets Dracula. He immediately causes her to question her power by labeling her a killer. He says her power is rooted in darkness. It appears this season will continue to explore what it means to be a Slayer. Anya, Willow, and Buffy (and Xander?) all find Dracula attractive. They discover he can read and control minds and appear in dreams. 

Riley’s restlessness is clear here. He doesn’t really like or fit in with the Scooby method of dealing with a problem. We see him pacing, distractedly muttering that the Initiative would be able to pull files on Dracula and give them all the information they needed in seconds. He visits Spike for information just to feel like he’s taking some kind of action. 

Riley picks up on Buffy’s attraction to Dracula. It’s made worse when she hides that she’s been bitten, and he finds out. He doesn’t think she’s under Dracula’s spell but is just transferring feelings of Angel onto Dracula. As we watch Buffy begin to get more and more curious about what it means to be a Slayer (and running from it less), we see Riley pick up on that part of her he can’t reach and get more insecure.

Dracula understands part of her Slayer side, and this curiosity draws her in.

A little inconsistency with Joyce this season. She’s lonely and invited Dracula in, which I guess we will blame on his mystical alure rather than her being naive. But there’s a little joke where she says something about wanting to give up on men altogether and Willow and Tara sort of side-eye each other, like she doesn’t know they’re a couple. But then next episode Dawn is writing in her diary and it’s pretty clear Joyce does know they’re a couple. Not really important, just something I noticed.

Giles being seduced by the vampires and Riley rescuing him was a funny scene. Also interesting, though, because Riley is laser focused on Buffy and not at all tempted at this point. But we know he’ll be in that exact same position later in the season...

Buffy is still under Dracula’s spell until she tastes blood. It snaps her out of her trance, because she might not be sure what her power is leading her to, but it’s not that. She’s not a vampire. She beats Dracula. 

Also...how many times did he come back? How did she know he was gone for good?

Xander: Damn it!.. You know what? I'm sick of this crap. I'm sick of being the guy who eats the insects and gets the funny syphilis! As of this moment, it's over. I'm finished being everybody's butt monkey!

Buffy’s decision to re-commit to Slayer training derails Giles’ decision to leave. She wants to know more about what she is. We’re pivoting away from past seasons, where all Buffy wanted to do was run away from her power. 

Annnnd....Dawn.

Character Notes:

Buffy Summers: She says she’s fought fanboys that called themselves Lestat.

Willow Rosenberg: When the gang is exhausted looking at Buffy and Riley’s exertion, she says they’ve put their finger on why they’re the sidekicks. She loves mochas and is starting to get addicted to them. 

Xander Harris: Xander was fired from flipping burgers “in like a day” and is now working construction. Anya mentions he’s been looking at sexy girls in tool belts.

Anya Jenkins: She hung out with Dracula a few times in her evil days. She once cursed someone by making them incredibly fat.

Riley Finn: He’s trying to decide whether to focus on psycholinguistics or cognitive neurobiology for his psychology masters. 

Tara Maclay: Her joke only lands with Willow, which makes her embarrassed.

Joyce Summers: Buffy suggests she get a pet. She says a cat is too pathetic and a rat too creepy. She says she’ll think about a dog.

Spike: He says Dracula owes him 11 pounds.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Thursday, January 9-Friday, January 10, Part 2

Kathy: Ewww! Who left their gum here? Buffy: Gum gnome?

~~Living Conditions~~

[Reviews & Recaps]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer 5x21 & 5x22 REACTION | "The Weight of the World" & "The Gift" by The Horror Bandwagon

Buffy The Vampire Slayer 6x20 Villains Reaction by Jules Reacts

Buffy The Vampire Slayer "WHAT'S MY LINE?: PART 2" S2E10 (REACTION!!!) by JerBear Reacts

*AM I..... TEAM HOLTZ?!* ANGEL 3x08 REACTION l Quickening by domi e.

'Halloween' (2x06) | Buffy The Vampire Slayer | with special guest Girth Brooks! by Up The Buff!

Podcast: ANGEL 1.11 - Somnambulist by Buffy the Vampire Straya

Podcast: ANGEL 1.10 - Parting Gifts by Buffy the Vampire Straya

Publication: “Buffy vs. Dracula” – Revisiting Buffy’s Subversive Dracula Episode 25 Years Later via Bloody Disgusting

[Recs & In Search Of]

A Fanfic question [Looking for works posted on MZP-TV] by eevol76vamp

[Community Announcements]

James Marsters Unable to Attend FAN EXPO New Orleans 2025 by dontkillspike

[Fandom Discussions]

zeroing in on how spike behaves [in Seeing Red] by lesbianmarrow

I’m remembering why season 6 is so hard to watch; I hate watching Buffy be abusive. by rhisardthewizard

Holy shit, did Mr Trick just...verbally confirm that Sunnydale is an all-white town? by thornfield13713

it's kind of funny, and also really sad, that you can always tell when one of these Angel dreams is a dream by thornfield13713

[Buffy and Faith's first meeting] by

[Faith vs Buffy, how slaying feels] by

As much as I love seaon 5 I can't shake the feeling they dropped the ball with Ben's story by abadbadbrujah

[Joyce sympathy] by thornfield13713

[Buffy, Faith, and slayerdom] by

I really like After Life by coraniaid

Soul vs no soul by multiple authors

3x04 does Xander get any blame? by multiple authors

I guess she didn't anticipate this aging poorly by multiple authors

Who are the most righteous Buffyverse characters according to you? by multiple authors

What are some impressive things the Buffyverse writers were able to do that you think are underrated? by multiple authors

Rank the Angel Seasons by multiple authors

Buffy’s Mom by multiple authors

Hank Summers should've been killed off by multiple authors

I'm so glad I watched this show dude by multiple authors

Rewatching after 18 years, can't believe how good it still is by multiple authors

I support Clem's dietary choices. by multiple authors

S7E17 Lies my ParenTs Told Me by multiple authors

I just love Angel so much by multiple authors

Your top ten unpopular opinions by multiple authors

Rewatching as an adult by multiple authors

"The Killer in Me" imo is the only legit bad episode of Buffy by multiple authors

One of Buffy’s more underrated act of compassion in my opinion by multiple authors

How many times a day did David Boreanaz have to shave?! by multiple authors

Angel saving Xander from Faith by multiple authors

buffy vernacular by multiple authors

Would Faith and Buffy had respected Wesley as their Watcher if they had the Wesley from Angel Season 2? by multiple authors

Cordelia should have discovered Angel when he returned from Hell in Season 3 instead of Buffy by multiple authors

I just finished the show for the first time ever and wanted to share some of my opinions ( I loved the show) by multiple authors

How would Doyle have interacted with other characters? by multiple authors

"RED MEAT" Iowa Flag by multiple authors

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

Publication: The Canceled Buffy Spinoff Better Than Angel via Giant Freakin Robot

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Join the editor team :)

[karma-simp]

I hate assassination classroom so I've been redesigning it

(That's my Ao3 which has all of my Karma x reader fics). Also TW! I have photos of my drawings in here and my phone quality is soooooo bad.

Don't get me wrong, I've been obsessing over assassination classroom since September 2020 (4 years). But like... the writing is so bad! Like Yusei Matsui, you had some very good ideas and concepts, but you were so bad at communicating them. It has taken over 3 years of analysis to understand even basic ideas

Like your main character, Shiota Nagisa is kinda badly written. His talent isn't bloodlust, it's deception. He appears weak and fragile but is actually a violent killer. He's observant but unnoticeable, so he fades into the background. His character arc is supposed to be finding himself, his way, and his self confidence.

Oh and there are so many 'jokes' made that aren't funny or things that are overlooked like I don't think there is a single good parent in that show except Karasuma. I mean Miss Bitch kissing the students isn't okay, the feminising Nagisa jokes aren't funny and honestly, I don't even like Korosensei anymore. Also Terasaka told Nagisa to kill himself and we never came back to it (or the actual suicide itself).

I mean sure, Korosensei does a lot for those kids, but he just comes off as more of a 'fun' teacher that plays games in class and is always there to talk to but he just seems unprofessional. I mean he's a goddamn mass murderer for god's sake. His backstory took ages for me to understand. Like wah wah, he has to die, cool story bro. I get a backstory every anime (or episode if your demon slayer) so I have no sympathy. But I guess I am a 'greater good' lover so whatever.

Also don't even think to bring up Karma. I mean my username is Karmas-wife, so I am not just his defender, I'm his lawyer. The civil war arc is so out of character for him and so is him teasing Nagisa about being girly after finding about his mum. Sure he might seem like an asshole, but that's the mask, that's what he wants you to think. But he's kind and protective, he's not egotistical. He defends his classmates and friends time and time again. I want to see so much more of him. His anger, fighting prowess, leadership, vulnerability and healing.

Also, the deuteragonist should be Sugino, not Karma. Sugino is Nagisa's best friend, he's literally attached to Nagisa's side, and if I were to ask Nagisa who his best friend was, he would say Sugino. I kinda don't like him because he wouldn't like Karma but I understand that's a bias.

So all of this has made me want need to rewrite assassination classroom. I mean there's a whole lot of angst in the themes that just doesn't translate. Honestly, the show probably would be more memorable and of better quality if it was 3 seasons.

So here are some of my redesigns of characters

Protagonist: Shiota Nagisa

He starts off seemingly timid, quite and oblivious. To try and make up for his insecurity of being useless, Nagisa takes notes of Korosenei's weaknesses, attempts that work, strengths of his classmates and possible future attempts (in a bigger book). He's surprisingly calm under pressure, like when executing assassination attempts. Scarily so. This initially doesn't seem very scary until it combines with his hidden bloodlust. He enjoys the dominance that killing someone provides. Little bit by bit, the little moments of scariness begin to bleed through. Until Kayano shows Nagisa how to conceal himself better, making himself scarier. He wishes for the confidence that Sugino has. Used to be friends with Karma, but now Nagisa really only asks Karma for help because he's kind afraid of Karma. He originally thinks he should be an assassin because it's 'the only thing he's good at' until he starts teaching. The he realises he likes helping people grow more. Also, his talent is deception/ disguising himself, not bloodlust.

Deuteragonist/ Best Friend: Tomohito Sugino

The common sense/ brain cell holder (the only normal person in 3-E). Dad friend who feels very concerned for Nagisa and (rightfully) weary of Karma. Doesn't really see a lot that goes on but is very honest and down to earth (good contrast for airheaded Nagisa). Although he isn't very muscly, he is strong and courageous, like a classic hero. Can be quite simple. Has a crush on Kazaki, likes basketball/ sports and the ten million yen bounty.

Main love interest/ main girl: Kaede Kayano Akari Yukimura

After losing her sister, she infiltrates the E-Calss under a fake name. She eggerates her love of pudding and pretends to be a bubbly airhead. She befriends Nagisa to hide herself then helps him find himself to do this. Later, she reveals herself and after her unsuccessful assassination attempt, she reintroduces herself. The classmates get to know the real her: more mature, determined, fierce, serious but still social and more aware of people than they though. She gains a crush on Nagisa for his steadiness and his emotional intelligence (and kissing ability).

Classmate/ Ex-Friend: Karma Akabane

Used to be friends with Nagisa but got weary of his dark side. An aggressive/ intimidating fighter with a bad reputation of getting into fights (with people that deserved it) like his fight (with a bully) that put him in the E-Class. Doesn't often interact with his classmates as he scares them. He doesn't see any reason to care about grades, them, or himself). Has issues with authority (after betrayal from teacher and being abandoned by parents). Learns to care and put effort into things after being adopted cared for by Karasuma. This makes him go from a bossy shadow to a decisive leader and gives him awareness of others.

Secondary Love interest: Rio Nakamura

Popular jokester who knows (and tells) all the gossip. Similar to Miss Bitch: confident, snarky, headstrong and attention-seeking. Likes Nagisa because he doesn't stand up to her so is 'easy to control.' She loses interest when he does eventually stand up to her. Smarter than she lets on and doesn't want to tell the class to keep her popularity. When she shows how smart she actually is, she loses friends and forces them to come back.

Classmate /Class Clown: Maehara Hiroto

Childish class clown that lives off the words 'no homo' and laughs at fart jokes. Isogai's best friend. He always has a girlfriend and in the very short time in between them he's super depressed because he's scared of being alone. Laughs to hide the pain. Charismatic, attractive and surprisingly loyal. Notices the little things. Romantic and funny so the girls are all over him but he's just a teeny bit afraid of commitment.

Classmate: Manami Okuda

Chemistry girly. Likes easy observations, formulae, and studies of things/ chemicals/ matter. Words/ people are too complicated and she's very unaware of double/ hidden meanings of things due to being very solitary. After being taken advantage of by friends, she gives up on trying. Then she meets Kayano and Kanzaki who work around it. Then Karma and Korosensei teach her how to understand people and why it's important, making her better at communication. Very blunt and straightforward. Horrible liar/ actress.

Classmate/ Bully: Ryoma Terasaka

Bully that uses his strength as power over others/ gets others to do his dirty work. After it doesn't work and he drops to the E-Class, then is put down by his friends for it and sees the effect on Nagisa and the class, he grows up and starts to take responsibility for his actions. Then, he starts listening to others and following their lead. The class might joke about him being a dumbass (which he is) but he does a lot of growing and learns to genuinely care for others, rather than hurt them. Also has common sense but no other smarts.

So there's part 1 of redesigns. Thank you for reading.

[maybethistimemegz]

IMBD’S TOP 10 Highest Rated Episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer №5: s05e22 The Gift

The spirit guide told me that death is my gift. I guess that means a Slayer really is just a killer after all. I think you're wrong about that.

[explosionshark]

So firstly since it makes sense for to go in order This Year's Girl (which I also love). I will never not love a good Slayer Dream, I almost want to interpret that first one, with them making the bed together, Faith bleeding over it with the knife in her gut, as a shared dream like that one in the hospital and Buffy and Faith have just been sharing dreams off camera and Buffy steadfastly does not sell for any of them but with having the other one with the nice picnic with the Mayor being terminator pursued by Buffy and crawling out of that grave wet and sad with the biggest saddest eyes, that it is probably just Faith dreams. I also really liked the touch of the snake intruding on Faith and the Mayor's wholesome time together.

Oh yeah and I have written down here about how I love how the scene of Faith escaping the hospital blends into the next one with Buffy saying "You know I've never stopped thinking about you," while the camera is still on Faith in the previous scene. Also loved Faith going round all the important landmarks, including the Bad Girls sports shop. And the video tape left for Faith from the Mayor and he recorded it between Graduation Day part 1 and 2 I loved it.

"You tried to gut me blondie" "You'd have done the same to me" "Let's have another go and see who ends up on top" They're so normal, and then Faith initiating her dream scene with Buffy chasing her but her dream Buffy's so cold and the real Buffy is full of so much emotion, I love it.

That scene with Faith and Joyce with her trying to comiserate Buffy leaving them behind (and also something that I can only read as Faith flirting with her honestly, she's got them mother issue for sure) while simultaneously trying to dress up sulty for Buffy. I also the juxtoposition between this and Who Are You with Joyce being defiant when she's in front of Faith but when she thinks she's with Buffy and Faith's gone talking about how she hopes she gets the help she needs. And Faith putting on the same lipstick as Buffy as she did here and then telling Joyce to burn it which I can't decide if I should read it as just Faith trying to keep up the cover of being Buffy and hating anything Faith did or if she did legitimately forget and then said to burn it because she want to get rid of any trace of being Faith with how she oscilates between trying to be Buffy and trying to just use her life.

Okay so Who Are You. First up Sarah Michelle Gellar, so good at playing Faith playing her, that alone makes it a really good episode even setting aside everything else great body language as well, that scene with her in the bathroom practicing being Buffy, superb. Love all the little implied backstory in this episode for Faith, her tensing up being hugged by Joyce, she's perfectly fine pursuing Riley when she thinks its just a sex thing but she freaks out when it's clear that Riley and Buffy have a more genuine relationship than Faith's ever had (which we're sort of reminded of earlier with that jibe she has at Xander, not that Xander's on the level of her other hinted prior partners like her mom's new boyfriend at least once I'm sure its hinted at).

And the repeated use of "Because it's Wrong", Faith saving that girl in the Bronze and being surprised by the gratitude, that sequence leaving just after the night with Riley "I'm not a killer, I'm the Slayer" "You really care what I think" "I don't care" (she says as she cares deeply), her being on the cusp of getting away but she sees the news report and she can't because she does want to be Buffy, she hates who she is, she wants that praise and she gives up that chance to get away to go save the people at the church "Because it's Wrong". And that closing sequence where she's on top of Buffy punching her and insulting herself, they swap bodies back and Buffy's there stunned with Faith's tears on her cheeks (this is a shot of all time). And then for the closing scene "Guess she's had her fun" "Yeah ... fun" The teased face turn that could've been maybe if Faith didn't hate herself so much was so good.

I did write down in my notes more Spike Faith solidarity after that bit in the last episode where Xander and Giles went to Spike to see if he knew where Faith was and he said he'd be cheering her on if he saw her but then Faith went fully into that long umprompted monologue about what it'd be like to have sex with Buffy ("Because it's wrong") and yeah that was a wilder direction than I expected that scene to go. She's SO normal.

Oh and Faith instantly clocking Tara and Willow's relationship at a simple glance I now understand why Faith consistently and instantly clocks whoever has a crush on Willow in those fics. Oh yeah one last note I got down Faith checklist Fight Buffy (Check), Become Buffy (Check), sleep with her via proxy by sleeping with her boyfriend (Check) now all she needs to do is be killed by her, forever changing the course of her life and she can finish up that checklist. How would she feel if Buffy killed her while she was in her body and she had to go through the rest of her life in Faith's body, would she love it that someone else has to be her and it'd be someone she knew would be able to pilot her life turn it around, would she hate it that between the two of them its her body that's the one that's still around. She hates herself so much.

There's just so much in this episode. Adam was also there I guess. Oh and I didn't mention it but I did also like Eliza Dushku playing Buffy playing Faith but she obviously wasn't the main focus of the episode.

Also I was wondering if just every episode that had the word girl in the title was a top tier episode what with Prophecy Girl, Bad Girls and This Year's Girl but alas I had forgotten Inca Mummy Girl which breaks this rule.

Also also this is a tangent but another thing Who Are You really crystalised for me that I've been thinking about for a while but I do gotta feel bad for the state of vampires right now, not in a I think it's necessarily a bad direction just that I feel sorry for them. Like at best they can get a job being a goon but they can't even be a goon for another vampire anymore they're all dead they have to settle for demons or Adam. Master, Kakistos, Trick dead, Spike brain chipped, Angel has a soul. At least Drusilla's still out there living her best life, they should just leave Sunnydale start working for her instead of waiting around to be flipped to the latest demon who needs some cold bodies.

Oh yeah The Prodigal and The Ring on Angel were pretty good but they had no chance couldn't invade my brain like whenever Faith watch does. It's nice to see Darla again and Lilah's first appearance. Lemme tell you back in the day when I'd just seen the end of Angel s3, all of s4 and some of s5 Wesley/Lilah was the OTP, could not get enough of them.

yeah one thing i like about the dreams (and this is purely hc BUT) is that i think for faith it leaves some ambiguity, right? she's like. not in a good headspace. pretty clearly traumatized and spiraling but she HAS had these shared dreams with buffy so there's precedence - does part of her think that being pursued by buffy IS, in some way, still a slayer dream? does she think it represents some fundamental truth about her relationship with buffy - that she's already failed so all there is left to do is be killed by buffy? idk i like to think it contributes to her overall experience of being deeply shaken up and death-driven - at the very least it does paint a pretty stark picture of her own varyingly subconscious fears.

(putting the rest of this behind a cut bc we both went off lmao)

"I love how the scene of Faith escaping the hospital blends into the next one with Buffy saying "You know I've never stopped thinking about you," while the camera is still on Faith in the previous scene. Also loved Faith going round all the important landmarks, including the Bad Girls sports shop." <- this always does make me crazy, i love how much of the faith/buffy scene is presented using typical like breakup cliches. it's so good. i never get tired of it.

and yeah okay GOD there's a lot to unpack re: the faith/joyce scene. personally my read on the lipstick thing is kind of tied into my read on the dream. i think it's faith kind of acting out the worst version of buffy that lives in her head. joyce pointing out that 'buffy' has chosen the same thing faith chose has faith recoiling. it's a reminder, to her, of how she's been rejected by buffy. that the things she once needed to believe they had in common were fantasies she made up, because that's the only explanation for buffy rejecting her so hard. 'burn it' is less about the lipstick than it is about how faith thinks buffy feels about her. in her mind she's playing the part - how else would buffy feel if someone suggested she had something in common with faith?

it's funny (not ha ha) that i think this episode, showing faith in buffy's body, living the life she thought she wanted, demonstrates most powerfully how completely and utterly alone she is. it's such a good bodyswap because it accomplishes the 'what if the shoe was on the other foot' thing in a really interesting way. buffy's life IS better than faith's, it always has been, the lesson here isn't that faith was ever wrong about that. the salient thing is just how utterly unprepared to actually live it faith is.

she plays at it, is whacked in the face with reminders of how genuine buffy is, how much of the parts faith resented of her weren't an act for the sake of claiming superiority (the riley stuff being fundamental here) and faith's reaction is... bail. oh fuck, she isn't cut out for this. she doesn't know how to deal with the loving mom and the loving boyfriend. she wants to run. but like you said, by the time she sees the news broadcast, something has happened that keeps her from being able to leave.

i think it's two-fold. one, there's a part of faith that she hates and pretty much refuses to acknowledge because it's so painful, that desperately, desperately wants to reset the board and do better. she just doesn't know how to pull herself out of that spiral when she's already made such a mess of things (see: five by five/sanctuary in ATS) and i think the other part of the equation is the fact that she cares about buffy still. there's a certain amount of rationalization she can claim for hurting buffy, and badly. but one of her deeply ingrained beliefs at this point in her conflict with buffy is that, since buffy has rejected her and they can't be the same, they must be opposites. she is 'bad' buffy is 'good.' to leave, to stop being buffy, would be a kind of trespass against this fundamental law. there are ways she's okay with betraying buffy (though clearly increasingly troubled by) and there are ways she can't deal with.

anyway faith IMMEDIATELY clocking willow/tara and telling spike in detail how cool she thinks it would be to fuck buffy were all time faith lehane dyke moments. i love her so much, she sucks so bad.

okay finally just want you to know that this is gonna haunt me forever:

Faith checklist Fight Buffy (Check), Become Buffy (Check), sleep with her via proxy by sleeping with her boyfriend (Check) now all she needs to do is be killed by her, forever changing the course of her life and she can finish up that checklist. How would she feel if Buffy killed her while she was in her body and she had to go through the rest of her life in Faith's body, would she love it that someone else has to be her and it'd be someone she knew would be able to pilot her life turn it around, would she hate it that between the two of them its her body that's the one that's still around. She hates herself so much.

haha cool

[floodsrollingback]

just watched ‘the gift’ and waterworks every. single. time.

[formulaorange]

2023 Spring Anime

This season looks whack. There's so many notable series, there's definitely something for everyone this season. Of course starting off with the big ones:

Demon Slayer Season 3 - The Swordsmith Village Arc

Attack on Titan: The Final Season The Final Chapters

Dr Stone Season 3

While those all look amazing and all:

Bocchi is back baby!!!

Season 2 of Ranking of Kings is back this season. Their story telling is top tier and if you didnt' check out the first season, now is the time to do so.

All these amazing new seasons to look forward to, but this season doesn't stop there, the new series set to debut look absolutely killer too:

Hell's Paradise gets it's anime release, produced by MAPPA of course. This is definitely my most anticipated for the season.

Followed by MASHLE. While I had fun with the manga, I ultimately couldn't get past the art style. The anime should complete the picture for me and this will definitely be one of the top comedy series this season.

Lastly for the big name debut series: Oshi no Ko

This series takes a second to get into but it's taken the manga world by storm and has already gotten its english translations with only 11 japanese releases so far. The story is definitely worth sticking around for and will likely be one if not the top show of the season.

Additional continuing series:

Golden Kamuy S4

Edens Zero S2

The Ancient Magus' Bride S2

KonoSuba - Spin Off Series

As for some lesser known series, I've gone through this seasons' release schedule and filtered through the trailers to pick out the ones that might be worth watching... I honestly wasn't expecting for there to be so many. So like I said, there's definitely something for everyone this season.

Heavenly Delusion

I'm such a sucker for adventure series, throw in sci-fi and I'm hooked. While this definitely gives me Made in Abyss and Promised Neverland vibes, I'm not sure it'll be on the same level.

So far episode 1 looks absolutely amazing. Post-apocalyptic world with the contrast of the two stories, one of kids inside a sanctuary with little outside world knowledge and the kids that live and survive outside. Definitely worth watching.

A Galaxy Next Door

I'm surprised this is even being aired already. I swear the english volumes for the manga just released earlier this year. I've heard mixed things about the series but I think this'll be worth checking out.

Skip to Loafer

I've heard so much about this series and it's honestly got the golden trio of tags. It's a Slice of life comedy romance and the style and characters are so cute. I'll definitely be giving this a full watch through.

Insomniacs after School

This kind of looks like an irl version of Call of the Night but after watching the trailers a bit more it still looks like a lot of fun. It's about these two students who're unable to sleep and what they do when they stay up. They end up joining the astronomy club and overall it looks like it'll be a really pretty and relaxing series.

Dead Mount Death Play

Most manga collectors will have heard of this series. It's supposed to be quite a decent thriller/supernatural series. While I haven't had a chance to read through it, I think it's about time we got another good supernatural show. I'll definitely be checking it out.

Magical Destroyers

This straight up looks like utter chaos. Whether that's good or not I guess we'll find out. It's under the mahou shoujo tag?? but it's about a radical group that is trying to eliminate the otaku culture from Japan. This guy "Otaku Hero" stands up and tries to stop them. It sounds wild and kind of looks like a passion project. I'll give it 3 episodes.

My Home Hero

This is straight up a western drama movie. Similar vibes to Taken this guy kills his daughters yakuza boyfriend and gets caught up in the criminal underground. It's definitely a new trope for anime so I'll be giving it 5 episodes.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury S2

While technically this is a continuation of a series, I feel like many people didn't watch the first half unless they were already into gundam. I never grew up with it and truthfully I just lumped it in with transformers so I never checked it out.

Lots of people have been saying that this reboot it really solid and a good way to get into the series. After watching the trailer I totally understand, the characters all look great and the story looks like a solid sci-fi series. I'll definitely be watching to catch up to the new releases.

Yuri Is My Job

I've head of this series all over the place in the manga world and I know it's one of the more popular shoujo ai. Essentially it seems the plot is that these 2 girls end up working together at a themed cafe and start falling for each other. I don't really have any interest in shoujo ai series (frankly i just started getting into romance series in general) so I'll give it 3 episodes and see how it goes.

The Dangers in My Heart

This is one of those - unlikely mc's gets attention from the pretty love interest. After watching the first episode I can say it definitely isn't the same as the others. The girl is super weird and I like his commentary of all the shit he does. Pretty fun and worth a try at least.

Loving Yamada at Lv999

This looks like a fun lighthearted romance. I'll give it 5 episodes.

Otaku Elf

Pretty much as the title says it's about an Otaku Elf. I think this hoenstly looks like a fun series and as long as you're not looking for more plot, it'll be a good time.

Blue Orchestra

While I think a decent number of people will like the series, I know for sure I'll drop it due to the cgi. I just feel that CGI isn't at the stage where it feels natural enough with the rest of the animations and it really takes away from my watching experience.

My god. I had no clue they redid this but I'll 100% be watching this now lol. They rebooted Tokyo Mew Mew.

This was one of the first anime I watched growing up.

The second season is airing this season - Tokyo Mew Mew New S2

in case anyone else grew up watching it and wats to catch up.

And of course, the isekais.

We've now evolved from just the standard isekais to isekais with a twist.

I Got a Cheat Skill in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World, too.

I'll give it 3 episodes but unsurprisingly I don't think i'll stick with it.

The Legendary Hero is Dead!

This looks a little different from the ususal, I'll give it 3 episodes.

Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion

This is a full send fantasy shoujo romance and I thought I had had enough of the royal isekai trope but apparently not. The cheese of the romance has sucked me in again with the pretty animations to top it off. I'll be giving it a good 3 episodes.

The Ecchi series for the season:

KamiKatsu: Working for God in a Godless World

This honestly looks like fun but I've had my fair share of this kind of show. This is a fantasy ecchi isekai comedy. I'll still give it 3 episodes.

Megami no Cafe Terrace

Frankly I have no interest in ecchi harem series like this but the quality looks decent so I've added it here for those who want something to watch along those lines this season.

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Worth the World

Spike x Reader

Words: 2459

Summary: On a particularly bad day, the reader can barely bring herself to get out of bed. Spike does his best to comfort his girlfriend without being overbearing. 

Notes: This is inspired by one of my favorite fics ever by @suckmysupernatural. I got this idea when having a depressive episode myself, so I hope you guys enjoy a little comfort fic with one of my favorite vamps. Plus, I’ve never written for Spike before and since I’m getting back into Buffy, I thought this would be the perfect time. (Also, this is entirely based on my own experience, so it might not be everyone’s experience with this kind of thing {but please be nice, I just used a few of the things I felt so it’s all based on my own emotions and insecurities!}) Enjoy!

Warnings: Depression, self-loathing, anxiety (This imagine was really just a way for me to put down my emotions and write something comforting, but I hope you all like it too)

-

You didn’t want to move. You weren’t really sure if you could. Your limbs just felt… heavy. Forcing your legs to move, you slowly swung them over the side of the bed, using all the strength you could muster to sit up straight. 

It wasn’t that something terrible had happened. In fact, the day before had gone pretty well. You’d spent most of it watching movies with Willow and Buffy and, when the sunset, you went on a long evening walk with your boyfriend. There were no deadly forces plotting world domination, no vengeful vamps after you or your friends. Hell, your favorite restaurant was open and you brought home leftovers for breakfast. 

Now, the idea of eating made your stomach turn. You managed to shuffle your way to the kitchen of your apartment, but just stood in front of the counter, leaning on the marble top for support. Just standing there felt like it took every ounce of energy you had. It was almost painful, tears pricking the corners of your eyes. You did your best to keep them from falling. You had places to be today, meeting up with the gang and  you didn’t want to worry them with your moping. 

With slow steps, you made your way back to your room to get dressed. Of course, most of your clothes were dirty and you didn’t care enough to wash them. So you threw a sweatshirt over your pajama top and put on some shoes, hoping no one would ask about it. You caught your reflection and felt that dark, empty feeling in your chest grow. Pathetic. Your shoulders sagged forward and you blinked away more tears as you watched them well in your eyes. You didn’t have the right to feel like this. How much had Buffy been through and she still greeted every day with a smile. Everything was perfect and yet you were pathetic enough to still want to crawl back into bed. You just hoped that you would feel better by the time you saw everyone. Especially Spike. 

-

You sat with your legs pulled up to your chest. Xander and Willow were debating whether or not using wooden bullets would be a good vamp killer. Buffy was listening in amusement and Giles just looked exasperated, distracting himself by putting books back in their proper place on the shelves. No one said anything about your pajamas. You actually felt kind of invisible, like no one even really knew you were there. It made the empty feeling that much worse. 

“What do you think, Y/N?” 

“Xander, don’t you think that’s a little insensitive?”

“What? It’s not like we’re planning on dusting her boyfriend. Even if he is annoying and evil and-”

“Xander.” Willow said sternly. When you looked up, everyone’s eyes were on you. 

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t really paying attention.” Your voice held little to no emotion. You were almost too exhausted to feel anything. You just felt hollow. 

“If I shot Spike with a wooden bullet do you think he would, you know,” Xander made a motion with his hands that was meant to simulate a vampire dying. “Just theoretically, of course.” 

Everyone was expecting a witty remark. You and Xander were close and teased each other often, especially about your relationship with Spike. Instead, you just shrugged, your eyes fixating on a spot on the table. 

“Maybe.” 

The group collectively exchanged a look of concern, but didn’t press anything. After all, what reason could there be for you to be upset? They knew that if something had happened with Spike, you would tell them and there weren’t any recent deaths to worry about, so they continued on with their playful conversations about breaking curses and some movie that they had watched recently. It felt like you were intruding- like an unwanted bystander that everyone wished would just disappear. While no one had said anything like that, the thoughts filled your head nonetheless. 

This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, but you’d never told them. An episode like this hadn’t happened in months so you had hoped they had stopped. Some days you were as happy as you ever had been, but others you felt like a burden. Worthless and pathetic- pitying yourself for no reason at all. 

Spike didn’t even know, even after almost a year of dating. You never dreamed of telling him. Spike was always saying that you were the strong one. You were the one that helped him through every day of his endless living. He got his soul for you. What would he say if he saw you like this? If he knew the doubts and loathing going through your head. He would know that you’re weak and vulnerable and you didn’t want that to happen. 

So you didn’t tell them. You kept all of your thoughts inside of you as they ate away at your mind. On the outside, you just looked tired. Everyone knew that you stayed awake into the late hours because of Spike, so you hoped that’s what they would think. You were tired, but it wasn’t from lack of sleep. It was like your body just wanted to give up. Maybe if you could just wake yourself up, everything would go back to normal. 

Buffy and Willow went out for coffee, so you went with them, hoping the caffeine would be enough to shake you out of this. Instead, it just made you more jumpy and anxious. The cup shook in your hand, but you kept drinking, still hoping that it would give you enough energy to fake it. This, like your out-of-it demeanor, did not go unnoticed. 

“Hey, are you feeling okay?” Buffy asked, suddenly stopping her conversation with Willow about shoes. At first, you didn’t realize she was talking to you. You were so focused on the thoughts swarming around in your head, you hadn’t noticed they were both looking at you with concern. 

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” 

“Because you’ve been spacing out all morning. What’s going on?” 

“I guess I’m just tired.” You shrugged, grimacing from the effort the small movement took. 

“Are you sure? Did Spike do something stupid, because you know I’ll-”

“Really, Buffy, I’m okay. I think I just need to go home and rest for a while.” You finished the rest of the coffee, feeling your heart beat faster as the anxiety built up in your chest. “I’ll see you guys later, okay?” 

“Okay.” Buffy gave you a skeptical glance and Willow smiled sincerely.

“Feel better, Y/N.” 

“I’ll see you guys later.” You faked the best smile you could before turning away from them. 

“Is she going to be okay?” Willow wondered, watching the way you nervously messed with the hem of your shirt as you walked. Buffy narrowed her eyes and grabbed her bag. 

“I don’t know, but if she won’t talk to us about it, there’s one person she will.” 

“Oh do we have to go there? You know that place gives me the creeps.” Willow whined. Buffy just gave her a look and the two trekked off in search of your sun-hating boyfriend. 

-

You stood in the middle of your living room as the tears slowly started to pour down your cheeks. The coffee must have given you enough energy to cry and now you couldn’t stop. You couldn’t speak, you couldn’t move, you just stood, frozen by the overwhelming emptiness inside you. Pathetic. Useless. Worthless. Everything was swirling around your head, breaking you down further until you had to lean against the window sill to stay standing. 

You could faintly hear something outside your door, but you made no motion to open it. It sounded far away, or maybe you were just blocking it out. All you could hear was your heart pounding, along with the hundreds of doubts rattling in your head. It was until the door burst open that you flinched. 

“First, the slayer comes banging on my crypt, telling me that something’s wrong and then you leave me to break down your door- if I could die, you would have scared me to death. Why didn’t you open the door?” Spike huffed in frustration. You didn’t turn around. Frankly, you hardly noticed he was there. His irritation quickly faded, replaced by worry. “Y/N, love, what is it?” 

You still didn’t respond, keeping your back turned with your hands clinging to the window sill to keep from falling. Spike approached you slowly and you thought you heard his footsteps, but part of you thought you were just imagining him. Why would he come for you? It was the middle of the day and the sun was high in the sky. A rush of guilt washed over you. He came here despite the danger of being burned and you didn’t even have a reason. You’d put him at risk for your own pitiful problems. 

“Darling, why won’t you look at me?” He took another step towards you, but stopped. The sun’s rays created a shield around you, preventing him from pulling you into his arms. “If you could just lower the blinds, that would make this far less awkward.” 

“You d-didn’t need to come here. T-the sun.” You stammered. You wanted to reach for the curtains, but you still couldn’t move your arms without your legs giving out. 

“A little sunlight isn’t going to stop from me from getting to you,” he said sincerely. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him rush to the window, the sound of his skin sizzling in the light made you let go of the ledge. Your legs buckled just as he got the curtains closed. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” You had hurt him. All you had to do was reach up and shut out the sunlight and you couldn’t even do that. He burned himself just to reach you. 

“It’s alright. I’ve got you. It’s alright.” He held you up for a moment before sinking to the floor to hold you in his lap. “I’ve got you love, I’ve got you.” 

“Y-you shouldn’t be here, Spike. I’m not-” You hid your face from his view so he would see the tears. “I’m not worth all of this. There’s something wrong with me. One minute I’m fine and the next I’m like this and I don’t even know why. I don’t have a reason to feel like this. It’s like I’m… broken or something.” 

“You aren’t broken.” Spike said softly, tucking your head under his chin and gently rocking you back and forth. “You’re human.” 

He held you like that for a long while, not saying anything or even moving off of the floor. He didn’t make you look at him until he was sure you had relaxed enough. Putting a finger under your chin, he gently lifted your face to meet his. 

“I’m sorry about all this.” You sniffed, using your sleeve to wipe some of the dampness off your cheeks. 

“I don’t want to hear those worse from you for the rest of the day.” Spike gave you a small smile and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “I would trek across deserts wrapped in a blanket if it meant being here with you. Every second is worth it.” Now, he lowered his lips down to yours for a slow, sweet kiss. When he pulled back, his eyes were shining with the soul of a man in love. “To me, love, you’re worth the world.” 

You stared into his eyes and knew that he meant every single word. While it didn’t chase away your doubts or the empty feeling in your chest, it helped you see that this feeling would end. And for now, that was enough. 

“I love you.” You whispered, pulling him closer. He kissed the top of your head. 

“I love you too, darling.” He hooked his arm under your knees and stood, holding you against his chest. “Now, why don’t I get you something to eat and we can spend the day in bed?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I’ll behave, I promise.”

“Spike.” You laughed lightly. 

“There,” He beamed, “I knew I could get a smile.” 

He carried you into your room and placed you on your usual side of the bed, laying your fluffiest blanket over top of you. Then he vanished into your kitchen, the sound of your cupboards opening and shutting reminding you that he had no idea where anything was. It almost made you smile. He came back in with a bowl of your favorite cereal, a class of milk, and a thin leather bound journal. 

“What’s that?” You wondered as he climbed into the bed beside you. He handed you the cereal and milk and put his arm around you, pulling you close. 

“Eat your cereal.” He ordered teasingly, opening up to the first page. You tried to look over his shoulder, but he pulled the book away, laughing. “Do you want me to read or not?” 

“What is it?” Your curiosity made your tone amused and playful. You were starting to sound like you again. 

“Well, ever since I got this pesky soul back, I’ve had an unbearable amount of feelings running about in my head, so I figured I could at least put them to good use.” 

“Spike, are they…?” You perked up with excitement. He smiled sheepishly. 

“Poems.” He looked down at seemingly endless pages of his writings and back at you. “They’re mostly about you, of course. I thought, maybe, you’d like to hear them. See if they’d make you feel a little better.” You were almost too awestruck to nod. 

“I’d really like that.” 

With your cereal in hand, you curled up beside him, laying your head back against his shoulder. He read softly and slowly, his gentleness with his words almost lulling you to sleep. The poems were beautiful, forcing you to stay awake if only to hear one more word. Spike felt you relaxed against him as he read and paused his reading to kiss your forehead, then your cheek, and lastly your lips. 

You felt the emptiness for a few more days, but each day, he was by your side, making sure you ate and gave yourself time to breathe. By the time you started to feel normal again, he’d read most of his poems and continued to write more and you were able to go for your evening walks without feeling exhausted. Your friends were more than supportive and helped you through it all while still giving you the space you needed. 

It wasn’t the last time an episode like this happened, but now you always knew that, no matter what, you’d never be alone.

-

General Tag: @rae-gar-targaryen; @takemepedropascal; @childhood-imagination;  @mylovegoesto; @yellowbadgergirl; @itmejado; @suckmyapplejacks; @kendahl0216

[chasingfictions]

the way giles says dawn's not her sister and giles very quickly and quietly says "i think you're wrong about that" to buffy's "The spirit guide told me that Death was my gift. I guess that means a Slayer really is just a killer after all." the way her speech says, "tell giles i figured it out" the way giles Knows the whole time and he's subtly trying to push her away from what she has to do. the way giles is at once trying to be the cold hero figure who makes choices others can't and at the same time he's doing just what buffy's doing, he's saying i dont want to have to lose my child, he's saying my daughter gets to live and if someone else has to die so my daughter doesn't, so be it

[charliedawn]

How would they react to the new arrival ?

" Hi everybody. My name is Y/N and I am the head nurse around here. If you have any questions, you can ask them to me. I see here that two of you are transfers from St John's, so you'll be assigned to miss Harrison's department..However, I see here that mister Wendell Crumb has just been released from prison ? Who is mister Wendell Crumb ?"

A close cut man raises his hand with a slight smile.

" That would be me."

You smile back before checking something on your file.

" Fine. You'll be transferred to my department. However, I see here that you've got many names..May I ask who I am talking to ?"

Wendell Crumb suddely straightens up and stares right at you with a very unsettling smile.

" I'm Barry. Nice to meet you.."

You raise an eyebrow suspiciously before looking down at his file. Creepy smile. Judgy stare. Feminine stand..Yeah, definitely not Barry..

" I'm sorry, but in order for us to get along, honesty is the key..Now, could you please tell me who you really are ?"

The man's smile only widens as he congratulates you.

" Clever girl. I'm Patricia. Nice to meet you."

He then claps with both hands and you narrow your eyes, trying to figure the new patient out. He seems harmless enough, even though his file seems to suggest the contrary. A great pretender. After all the effort you had put in getting the patients to trust you, this one would surely bring chaos. You could already tell by just looking at him in the eyes: he wasn't here to get better.

You sigh before closing the file and signaling to the patient to follow you as Harrison enters. Wendell Crumb is almost too eager to follow you. You can feel his stare on you, as if he was sizing you up and down.

" The patients are eating, I suppose it is a good time to get acquainted with them and make some new friends. What do you think ?"

You smile and try to be nice to him, but he doesn't answer. He only huffs before looking away. You open the door to the cafeteria and feel the stare of all the slashers on you and the new arrival. Patricia seems to be doing a quick assessment of each slasher before finally landing on you.

" By what I heard, I thought I would be meeting fearless and bloodthirsty demons..But all I can see is a bunch of old-timers."

Your eyes widen in shock at his words and you can see some of the slashers tense. However, far from being intimidated, Kevin widely grins and seems to slouch slightly, taking another personality you guess.

" Hi guys ! I'm Hedwig ! I'm soooo excited to meet all of you ! Patricia said you were like us ! That's like, totally cool !"

To that, Freddy is the first to answer with a mocking smirk.

" Great. Another kid..Me who thought we would finally be enough to play poker. What a disappointment..Can he at least change his own grown-up diapers ?"

Suddenly, Hedwig's joyful expression shifts to a much serious one that glares daggers at Freddy.

" What did you say, steak face ?"

Oh oh. Freddy's expression darkens and he stands up to face Kevin that only arks an eyebrow at him, a silent challenge. One that Freddy is eager to respond to.

" What did you call me, baldie ?"

But, far from feeling intimidated, Kevin only stares down at him with a little smirk.

" You heard me, midget.."

You can feel the tension rising and put yourself between the two of them promptly.

" Hey ! That's enough ! Be nice ! And you.."

You turn towards Freddy with furrowed eyebrows, clearly displeased.

"..I told you to hold your tongue with them."

Freddy only humphs unhappily before getting out of your grip and glaring at Kevin that only grins defiantly at him.

" What ? That's it ? This is the infamous Freddy Krueger ? The bringer of nightmares and slayer of children ? I must admit that I am deeply disappointed.."

Patricia, she wants to rile him up. You quickly get another nurse to get Freddy to sit back down before he gives in to his violent impulses. You then glare at Kevin before taking him by the arm for him to follow you outside of the room.

" What are you trying to do exactly ?! Get killed ?!"

But, far from feeling guilty, Kevin's grin only widens as he stares directly back at you for several seconds, as if looking deep inside your soul..At the end, he pretends to be apologetic by raising his hands in surrender and finally giving some kind of explanation for his behavior.

" I'm sorry. I'm just feeling overwhelmed, garden variety issue..You understand. We mustn't let the bad seeds take roots, or we may end up with bad weed issues.."

At this, Pennywise that had followed you discreetly gets out of his hiding spot to growl menacingly at Kevin.

" Bad weed ?! Who are you calling bad weed, pal ?! I'll show you bad weed."

But one stern look from you, and Pennywise reconsiders. But, he is still glaring daggers at Kevin that only giggles maniacally while you get him back inside. However, he doesn't miss the way you instinctively hold on to the pendent hanging around your neck..What a strange necklace..? He turns his head towards the slashers that all seem on edge now, like a pack of wolves ready to attack. However, it's even worse when he suddenly takes you by the shoulders to smell you behind your ear, his gaze still fixed on the gang that seems ready to jump into action at any moment..Even Pennywise doesn't notice that he is munching on his spoon instead 9f his actual food. You try to get out of his grip, but he only tightens his grip on you as a response.

" What ? Are you all her lapdogs now ? I see the appeal..But still, to think she managed to have you all around her little finger..The strongest men on Earth, all submitting to that small bite."

As if to prove his point, he starts nibbling on the top of your ear, waiting for a reaction. However, before anyone could do anything, Kevin feels something piercing his skin and turns around to see a smirking Five with a needle in his hand.

" Nighty night."

Kevin collapses and you quickly kneel by his side to take his pulse. Thankfully, he's alive and you ask some nurses to bring him back to his room. You had agreed with the hospital not to use the collars unless it was a case of extreme emergency, looks like this could be one..

" Thank you, Five. But, dont use medical supplies without my permission again, okay ?"

He doesn't lose his smile before replying casually, hands in his pockets.

" Can't promise anything.."

The slashers are still staring at Kevin that is dragged out of the room. It takes you a while to reassure them that you're fine, even longer to convince yourself. However, Five seems even more suspicious than usual, he seems to be eager to return to his bedroom, and he was late for lunch..But, you don't have the time to worry about him. You finally manage to get them all to return to their bedrooms and walk inside your own. There, you let the mask fall and collapse on your bed, burying your face in a nearby pillow in order to muffle your tears and screams. Each time, you try to contain your own fear for the safety of the patients and yourself, but just with one touch, this new individual had made all of your walls crumble. However, you have to get it together, you couldn't let the other patients see you like this..You get up and cough a bit before cleaning yourself up. You then open the door, not expecting all the patients tumbling inside as they were listening in..You sigh and pinch the bridge of your nose.

" What did I say about listening on doors ?"

They all stand up and look at everything but your face or simply try to justify themselves.

" Look, hon..We were only worried..Kinda ?"

Freddy tries to explain, but you take a big inspiration before stepping out. This is just what you needed: serial killers worrying about you.

" It's the hour of your medication. How about Michael and Five come to help me in the kitchen while you wait in the your rooms ?"

You finally decide to ignore Freddy and are surprised when Arthur takes you gently by the arm so you can look up at them.

"Hey, don't shut us down. Freddy is right, we were only worried."

You eyes soften at their genuine concern, but you quickly shake the feeling away. You had faced far worse, but this patient scared you the most..because he had attacked you as if he already knew, as if he knew who you were before you even introduced yourself. You will have to keep a close eye on that one, that's for sure. Fortunately, the patients hadn't reacted too extremely, or it would have turned bad, very very bad..You don't know why the hospital had suddenly decided to add another patient, but one thing is for sure, this new patient wasn't transferred here, he was sent here with a purpose. Now, your goal is to discover whatever purpose that is. You are on your way to his room when you realize something..You hadn't seen Jason all morning. He wasn't there for lunch either. You feel cold sweat running down your back when you suddenly hear some fighting noises. You run in the direction of the sounds and are shocked to see Jason, Five and, surprisingly, Klaus in Kevin's room. You don't have the time to ask what the last one is here that Jason takes Kevin by his shirt and throws him through the window.

You look at Five for an explanation, but he doesn't look at you and looks at the broken window instead.

" Did he just..?"

" Yup. He just did.."

Klaus confirms before turning towards you with a small awkward smile.

" Can someone please explain to me why a civilian is here and why Jason just threw Kevin out of the damn window ?!"

You exclaim and for once, Five is speechless and it's his brother that decides to step up to explain the situation to you.

" Hi. I'm Klaus, Five's older brother and I was about to help him escape until we heard noises of a fight outside. We got out and saw a bold man talking and fighting our dear sweet Jason that threw said man flying through the window. Literally."

Your eyes widen at the news of his planned escape and then look at Five with a confused frown. The idea of escaping wasn't what surprised you the most, but why would he want to leave now ? However, before you could ask, Jason, who is clearly upset, pushes right past you with angry groans and an uneven breathing. You give a stern look at Five, clearly signifying that this discussion isn't over before running after Jason before he could murder Kevin. When you get out, you see that all of the slashers had encircled Kevin that seems angrier than ever.

" I'll kill you all !"

He shouts, but Freddy only cackles while leaning against the wall, with the sunglasses you had given him sitting on his nose, and Pennywise that has a bowl of popcorn in his hands.

" Come on, Jason ! We'll enjoy the massacre..There are no witnesses. Just show that clown who's the boss ! No offense.."

He quickly adds at the end to Pennywise that only smirks before fist-bumping him.

" None taken."

You run to stand between the two huge men that don't seem to even notice you. You look at Michael for help, but he only crosses his arms, clearly implying that he wouldn't interfere. Great..You think before turning towards the devil you know, your hands outstretched towards him.

" Stop, Jason. Please. This is not you. Whatever he told you, it is not worth this. You will be punished, severely. They will maybe not kill you, but they will lock you away, somewhere nobody will ever find you again.."

Jason seems to finally snap out of it and you smile when he takes your hand and yanks you forward with his supernatural strength. You chuckle, relieved while he hugs you. But then, you hear a loud sound behind you and turn around swiftly to see..Brahms ?! Brahms just took Kevin by the throat to crash the back of his head against the concrete and his hands are now around his throat, squeezing painfully tight. You run towards them and try to get Brahms to let go, but he only tightens his grip on him as you yell.

" Let go, Brahms ! What are you doing ?! I said let go !"

But he doesn't listen to you, even worse, he gives you a hard blow to the stomach with his elbow that knocks all air out of your lungs. However, you still find the strength to get up and this is when Brahms finally shouts furiously.

" He took my doll !"

You are surprised how he managed to form a whole sentence without stammering and also horrified by the news. Brahms' doll is Brahms' most precious possession, no wonder he wants to kill Kevin. But then, Kevin laughs and spits blood on Brahms' mask.

" Idiot. You kill me, you won't get the doll and they'll throw you in the darkest deepest hole they can find.."

You know that he is telling the truth and look at Brahms that doesn't seem to be willing to stop. You take a big breath before finally taking out the pendent they had offered you. You hold it tightly in your hand before ordering Brahms to stop.

" Stop, Brahms ! Let him go ! Now !"

Suddenly, as if under some kind of transe, Brahms straightens up and finally releases Kevin. Brahms then slowly turns towards you and walks to you until he is barely a few inches away from you and leans in so close you can hear his hectic breathing. You almost fear for your life and hold on to the pendent even tighter.

However, he only humphs and walks away. You look up and, for once, see the disappointment in the different slashers' eyes. They all saw what happened, what you used to control Brahms.

" I..I didn't want to.."

But it's too late, the damage is done. The Joker, that had stayed silent so far, suddenly bursts our laughing, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes as he tells you bitterly.

" You know why Jason attacked Kevin ? Because he said that you were using us..Looks like he wasn't so wrong after all.."

He walks past you, not even giving you a second glance. You turn towards the rest of the slashers that seem either angry or even fearful of you.

" P..Penny..?"

You try to extend your hand towards Penny that is eyeing you warily and who growls warningly at you when your hand is too close. Suddenly, a hand snatches yours to yank you backwards.

" Back off, lady !"

Pennywise cautions you, his eyes glowing yellow in the dark. However, suddenly, some armed forces enter the yard and get out tazers to restrain the patients. You see one of the guards tackle Pennywise to the ground. To your horror, Penny bites the guard's shoulder that screams loudly in pain. Before you could say anything, another guard shoots some tranquilizers at the Penny that collapses.

" No..No !"

You run towards Penny and cradle his face with tears in your eyes. It wasn't supposed to go this way. What had gone wrong ? You look up at Pennywise that is now restrained and muzzled. He tries to break free to reach Penny, but the guards won't let him.

" Pennywise..I'm..I'm so s.."

But he glares at you and cuts you off harshly.

" Nah. Save your breath, princess.."

Pennywise says while eyeing you up and down with new-found disdain, even Freddy is not smiling anymore. The slashers are brought back inside with shackles and you feel your lower lip quivering. You didn't want to use the pendent, but he was going to kill Kevin and..You look back to see that Kevin is smiling. He even dares giggles when some guards come to take him away.

" Rejoice ! You are of the worthy ! You are broken !"

You don't understand and frown in confusion, but he doesn't add anything. You sigh deeply before getting back inside as well, you had to make it up to them..somehow.

" You really think it's a good idea ? We aren't even sure that Kevin will be able to accomplish his mission."

But the woman, far from being worried, only puffs out a cloud of smoke and replies with a confident smile.

" Believe me, John. It will work..Soon, we'll have the slashers at our mercy. They'll be our little tin soldiers. And nothing will be able to stop us, brother.."