If a vamp is dusted while holding something, say a weapon, is the weapon dusted, too?
When a vamp is staked through the heart with a stake or something, does the stake ever disintegrate, too? Maybe only if it's left in too long?
That said, I'm glad it'll finish out its second-season 13-ep run, so that Joss and crew have time to give us some closure. (Or, yanno, not, considering Ats.)
1. Angst. Angst and woe! Despite the awesomeness, this ep gets harder to watch every time.
2. I don't actually like the "Rest in Peace" sequence all that much. There's something about it that makes me uncomfortable. Partly it bothers me that Marsters' singing voice isn't very much like Spike's speaking voice, in accent or tone. Partly it's that I don't like the musical style - by far my favorite part is the bridge as they walk through the graveyard, which is much softer. I dunno.
3. OTOH, Anthony Stewart Head just about had me shivering with "Standing in the Way." My gosh, that man can sing. I didn't even care that I think the logic as presented in that song is silly and a nonsensical characterization of Giles.
4. I think I love the random background singing/dancing more every time I watch. The mustard! Marty Noxon! Street sweepers!
5. Since my last rewatch of the ep, I read
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nwhepcat's Bitter / Sweet, which for me neatly fanwanks the apparent utter stupidity of Xander first intentionally summoning a demon and then being surprised by its effects. Much as I love Dawn, it makes more sense to me that she summoned the demon, either unintentionally or as yet another S6 cry for attention. Certainly it's easier to read her denial in the ep that way than it is to reconcile Xander's surprise earlier in the ep.6. Spike saving Buffy at the end is of one my, hmm, probably top-5 favorite Spike/Buffy scenes. And my favorite part of it is when he sings, "You have to keep on living / So that one of us is living." I love the humor of the line. I love how his expression softens and opens. And I love that quirk of a smile.
7. I like very little of the fic associated with this episode. For one thing, the concept doesn't translate well to fic, IMO. For another, it's just so stellar in every way that fic seems almost pointless. (That said,
hello_spikey's ficlet Once More, With Lorne is not to be missed.)angearia, who requested Anya and Spike bonding, with optional bonus Dawn. Hope you like, hon, though it ended up with less bonding and more angst than I meant.Toppings
“Vamp in charge here,” argued Spike. “I’ll order.” Because if pizza mattered, then something mattered, even when...
“I have a concussion,” said Anya, “and I’m bruised in many uncomfortable places. I should get to choose.”
“I’m the one taking care of you lot,” said Spike. While the others grieved by killing things. “It's babysitter’s prerogative.”
“You don’t even need to eat.”
“Technicality,” said Spike. “Besides, I’ve got seniority. Barbeque.”
“I’m over eleven hundred years old. Sicilian chicken.”
“I'm as old as the world,” whispered Dawn from the couch. They were the first words she’d spoken since breakfast.
They had pepperoni.
angearia! The winning text was "Big Brother Program for Vampires," which just fits Spike&Dawn to a T, IMO. Yay!So prompt me, Emmie! One drabble/ficlet coming up, hmm, sooner or later. Hopefully sooner? Inspire me!
First, thank you so much for being my Santa! I’m thrilled that someone is writing a fic for me. :) I’ve got ideas here for what I want, but if something I say triggers an idea you’d rather write, feel free! Also feel free to ignore anything and everything below that isn't useful to you.
( About my fic tastes )
( seaQuest DSV )
( Oceans 11 )
( Spirited Away )
( Wallace and Gromit )
Finally: Optional details are optional. I'm just thrilled that you're writing a fic for me, whatever you write. Thank you, Yule Santa!
I. Things My Buffy Needs To Apologize to Spike For
- Punching his nose just because she felt like it in "Buffy vs. Dracula"
- Denying his personhood ('cuz Spike's more personish a person than many a human I've met). Includes treating him like a sex toy instead of a person. Also includes using him as a depression coping mechanism.
- All the S6 verbal abuse
- Beating him to a bloody pulp in "Dead Things"
II. Things My Buffy Doesn't Need to Apologize to Spike for
- Tying him to him a chair. Chaining him in a bathtub.
- Being glad the chip doesn't allow him to kill anymore
- Turning him down flat in FFL and hurting his poor wittle vampire feelings
- Being disgusted by his attempt to kiss her in FFL
- Being unimpressed by his idea of a date (even though we think it's sort of adorkable)
- Being disgusted and appalled by his shrine
- Destroying his shrine
- Not being impressed by his protestations of love ("I'm drowning in you, Summers. Here, let me prove it by killing my ex.")
- Disinviting him
- Being disgusted by the Buffybot
- Pretending to be the Buffybot in order to find out whether he told Glory about Dawn
- Not recognizing the eternal, passionate depths of his love pre-"Intervention" or responding in kind
- Not responding in kind, post-"Intervention" ('Cuz, even when you recognize the depth of feeling, reciprocation not an obligation, ladies)
- Not wanting to be with him in S6 (see above)
- Breaking up with him in S6
ruuger.( Icons and poll behind the cut )
EDIT: forget to mention, but I'll probably close the poll Thursday or Friday sometime.
2. Was rewatching "Goodbye Iowa" because I've been introducing the housemate to BtVS, starting with "The Initiative" (which actually works pretty okay as a starting point, turns out). Except, by the end of "Goodbye Iowa" she announced decided that she was ready to watch the whole show from the beginning. Win! (She complained that everyone keeps worrying about Spike being evil, but she hasn't seen him be evil yet - "just cranky." Hee.)
3. Icon contest poll still not up yet, because I had no Internet the last two days. Tonight or tomorrow, probably.
4. Speaking of which, I'm gone for two days and y'all just pile on the luscious fic goodies! The potentially fascinating meta! Plus Classic Recs Weekend at
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buffyversetop5 and the fruits of shapinglight's Darla ficathon. Where was all this wealth on Saturday, when I was bored and looking for things to read? And how am I supposed to catch up now? *pouts*spuffyduds' fic Bit Players. Must, I say.ruuger has been so fabulous as to make me some new Dawn and Dawn&Spike icons. We all already know what neat Spike&Dawn icons she makes, right? *points to entry icon* But part of what makes them so cool is the text, and I'm nearly hopeless at coming up with text. So, a little help? What words absolutely must go on these icons?
This is where the contest part comes in. Comment with as many text suggestions as you want, anytime between now and Saturday night (ie, before I get up Sunday morning *g*). (Make sure you list the icon number for each one, so I know which icon you're suggesting the text for.) I'll put all the suggestions together in a poll, and the winner of the poll gets a drabble/ficlet from me.
Meanwhile, I'll have lots of text ideas to pick from. :)
All the really fabulously cool images are ( behind the cut )
Topher and Sierra and Adelle and Boyd and Sierra/Victor and very little Echo and no Ballard at all - just what I wanted. And did I mention Topher?
"If you say so."
This is the storytelling this premise and cast can do, given the chance.
"This secret we have - can you keep it?"
"I can keep it. But I don't know if I can live with it."
"I know I can't. But I don't have to."
Oh, wow.
(Actually, I do fine writing fluff in a larger context - Seraph abounds in fluff, after all. I just can't seem to write it by itself.)
This is just like FFF last year, for which I ended up writing the Oz character study when I really think my requestee just wanted something cracktastic. Alas.
Hence, proof of my personhood is ( under the cut )
There. I am now a person.
( BtVS/Merlin crossover, some F/G, a Joyce ficlet, an extravagantly outrageous Mary Sue, and lots of Spuffy )
So...?
Phooey.
This chapter beautified by my fabulous betas,
hello_spikey, phoenixofborg, and penny_lane_42. Thank you, ladies!A/N: Three more chapters to go! I'm maybe a third of the way through drafting the last chapter, and when that's done all three will go to the betas. Hooray!
Also, this would be the poemfic chapter of the mpreg. 'Cuz, you know, no crackfic would be complete without a poemfic chapter...
( There were only so many housebound nights a vamp could take. )
If I wasn't quite thoroughly sold on Enver, I am after this episode.
Boyd: "Topher has ethical problems. Topher." Hee. Some good lines, as usual.
And finally, a (vaguely spoilery) plea to the flist: I missed the last two minutes of the ep due to technical difficulties, and my usual rewatch method is unavailable. So, what happened? I lost it right about ( here... )
Poll #1467551
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 12
Plath's novel "The Bell Jar"?
Plath's poem "The Mirror"?
View Answers
Could pick it out of a police line-up.
1 (8.3%)
Read it once upon a time. I think. 5 (41.7%)
I've heard of it. 3 (25.0%)
What, now? 3 (25.0%)
Plath's poem "Metaphors"?
View Answers
Could pick it out of a police line-up. 2 (16.7%)
Read it once upon a time. I think. 4 (33.3%)
I've heard of it. 4 (33.3%)
What, now? 2 (16.7%)
Plath's poem "Lady Lazarus"?
View Answers
Could pick it out of a police line-up. 3 (25.0%)
Read it once upon a time. I think. 3 (25.0%)
I've heard of it. 4 (33.3%)
What, now? 2 (16.7%)
Sylvia Plath?
View Answers
Tragic genius. 5 (41.7%)
Morbidly self-centered. 6 (50.0%)
Allow me to explicate my opinion in comments. 2 (16.7%)
Ooh, ticky box! 4 (33.3%)
Also, I broke 68k just now.
This was all so exciting that I had to tell you. You have now been told.
*cheers*
brutti_ma_buoni wrote me a Faith/Giles ficlet. Then she wrote another. Now there's a whole 'verse of Faith/Giles, with varying levels of domesticity. She does a lovely job with both characters, capturing voices and idiosyncracies beautifully.In brief: I recommend. More Faith/Giles, yay!
Topher is such an idiotic genius.
Gosh, Miracle Laurie is gorgeous. It was nice to see her again.
The lightning was a bit much. Or a lot much.
And I squee every time I see Sierra's handler, because it's Marco Sanchez. He once upon a time spent two seasons playing Ortiz on seaQuest DSV, which was my very first TV love.
( Much rambling herein )
This chapter beautified by my fabulous betas,
hello_spikey, phoenixofborg, and penny_lane_42. Thank you, ladies!( It seemed everyone but Spike had big plans for the evening. )
Poll #1463132
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 25
The new season of Dollhouse premiered Friday night. I am...
View Answers
...totally stoked for the new season. I can't wait for Joss Whedon to dazzle me with his brilliance. 9 (39.1%)
...mildly excited about the new season, but I'll still watch it. 'Cuz it's, you know, Joss. 8 (34.8%)
...apathetic about the new season. I'll still watch an ep here and there, because it's, you know, Joss. 0 (0.0%)
...not watching the new season because even Joss cannot redeem the premise/characters/acting in this show. 1 (4.3%)
...not watching the new season because I'm still working on watching the first season. Yeesh, don't rush me! 2 (8.7%)
...just not interested, thanks. Too much life, too little time. 3 (13.0%)
If this show gets canceled, it'll be because
View Answers
Joss has forgotten how to write his way out of a paper bag. (cf. comics) 1 (4.3%)
Joss is stuck on telling this story about Echo when he should be telling stories about all the other, more interesting characters. 9 (39.1%)
Dushku hasn't got the acting chops to be Echo. 1 (4.3%)
Amy Acker's role is going to be cut/minimized due to scheduling constraints. Come on, the show couldn't possibly tank if she was on for the full season! 0 (0.0%)
Fox is evil. 5 (21.7%)
All of the above. 3 (13.0%)
Some other reason which I will expound upon in coments. 3 (13.0%)
Woe to you, unbeliever! It's not going to get canceled. It's not, it's not. Because Joss is brilliant. 1 (4.3%)
The single most fabulous thing about this show (and yes, you have to choose one):
View Answers
Amy Acker. Claire. Whiskey. Whiskey/Topher. Whiskey+Boyd (Whiskey/Boyd?). Identity crises and all these layers and why isn't this show about her? 8 (34.8%)
Adelle: elegant snarky clever woman-in-charge with fabulous shoes and that gorgeous accent. Not to mention some serious Victor-lovin' creepiness and the fascinating ship of Adelle/Dollhouse. And she fences! 3 (13.0%)
Topher: psychopath in a sweatervest. With snark. And unexpected new layers (like an onion...) 0 (0.0%)
Victor/Sierra. 'Cuz they're sweet together. And also, Enver rocks my socks off. 2 (8.7%)
Tahmoh Penikett. Hunky and now creepy as all get out. Don't you just love the whole white knight deconstruction? 0 (0.0%)
Boyd. So what's his story, anyway? 1 (4.3%)
Echo. [I can't fake enthusiasm for this one, folks. Anything I can think of to put here would be more condescending than just leaving it blank, because I just can't imagine the appeal. Feel free to tell me in comments what I'm missing.] 0 (0.0%)
It's all about the meta, yo. Big thinky thoughts about consent, objectification, slavery... *shivers with glee* 4 (17.4%)
Acker! Dushku! Tudyk! Denisof! Glau (soon)! It's a big happy Jossverse reunion. Yay. 2 (8.7%)
You totally left off the best thing about this show, for which I will berate you in comments. 1 (4.3%)
I already told you, I'm don't watch this show. 2 (8.7%)
This chapter beautified by my fabulous betas,
hello_spikey, phoenixofborg, and penny_lane_42.A/N: When I started posting this fic I had such ambitions of updating on a nice, regular, predictable schedule. Hah. The move to a foreign country, the crazy new job, and the fatal computer crash all in the same month pretty much killed that idea dead. But here, much later, is the next chapter of Seraph.
( When he woke a half-hour after dark the house was quiet, but not deserted. )
brutti_ma_buoni wrote Long Distance for me, a wistful, understated look at future Faith/Giles. Thank you, thank you!And there's still plenty of time to post a wish list, or just go and find a request you'd like to fill. I seem to have volunteered to write some fluffy Anya/Xander "challenging the patriarchy" hijinks, but there's also a remix I'd like to do if I can find a nice mathy twist on circles and River Tam, and...
Yeah. Go join in the merriment. :)
The whole "Steed and Peel" partnership thing is why I've been so enthusiastic about Faith and Giles in the comics. And, for whatever reason, my subconscious seems to think that in ficdom this equality is more likely to be found in shippy fic than other fic.
So, I'd presumably like gen Faith&Giles fic almost as well as Faith/Giles as long as it maintained that partnership dynamic.
