Slaymesoftly's Fandom Journal

musings...

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 01:58:48 GMT

So, I mentioned a while ago that I was probably going to organize and list all my fics in a post just for me to keep track of what I've done. So, I started it today, and it got long and boring very quickly. LOL
My reason for it, was partly curiosity and partly to be able to find things when someone on an archive is looking for a certain theme. And partly looking for a new idea, or something I haven't already done to death....

What I've learned, when I go looking for ideas (because, all things considered, they've been few and far between lately) in, say the challenges somewhere, or when someone in chat says "What if...." or "I'd really like to see..." and I think "oh, what a great idea...oh wait, I did that already" (possibly numerous times) is that I've pretty much used most of the idea people come up with. There just are certain episodes and certain themes (tropes, if you will) that really lend themselves to story ideas. And, I've been writing a long time, and reading even longer, so chances are, they already occurred to me and I wrote them at some point.

I'm not very good at doing challenges because I don't follow instructions well... lol... but I do sometimes peruse them for basic ideas that I can make my own. When I do that, I'll usually put in the story notes "inspired by a challenge by...." or something like that. But, it's become really difficult to find something interesting that I haven't already done. Even things that I've been known to say I dislike reading about, will often eventually turn up in a story (or two or three...)

All of which is by way of saying, I'd like to be writing more... but I just can't get excited about anything right now. I seem to do better with future stories when I can imagine what that world would be like, or base a story on the comics, or something like that. I think the last two I've written (Forgiveness Doesn't Come Easy" and "There Should Be Groveling" are both future reunion stories. Forgiveness actually was a response to a prompt somewhere, so yay for that! Oh, and "Better Late than Never" I almost forgot that one. That one came from an imaged scene between Buffy and Spike, that I then needed to build a story so I could use the scene I already had worked out in my head. Had to work a bit on that one!

Anyway, I'll keep looking for prompts that, you know, prompt me, and/or looking for ideas wherever I can. Feel free to offer suggestions - just don't get offended if I don't use them.

comments

Ch. Eight (last one) of Better Late....

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 15:48:12 GMT

CHAPTER EIGHT

The dinner at Dawn and Xander’s had gone much better than either woman had expected, although it was delayed when Xander’s trip on Council business had to be extended for another two weeks. Xander, of course, was well aware of who Buffy’s date was and how and when she’d found him, and Spike had already ingratiated himself with the twins, so there was minimal drama.

“Just like a bad penny, huh?” Xander said, extending his hand which Spike automatically took.

“Still aiming above yourself, I see,” Spike replied, winking at Dawn.

“Just keep in mind I’m a grown woman and legally married to him,” Dawn said. “Just in case any of those old ‘big brother’ vibes are making you feel vampish.”

“I promise to limit my blood-thirstier instincts to just reminding him I’ll be keeping a close eye on how he treats you.”

“Wouldn’t have expected any less,” Xander said with a resigned sigh. “I hope Buffy keeps you on a tight leash.”

Realizing they were still clasping hands, they both flinched and let go at the same time, turning away in embarrassment. Buffy and Dawn just laughed at them and gave sighs of relief.

“If you two can promise to behave for a while and keep the kids amused, Buffy can help me get dinner ready and on the table.” Dawn walked toward the kitchen, gesturing for Buffy to follow her.

“Didn’t we just do that?” Xander said, loud enough to be heard.

“Thought we did. I don’t think they were paying attention.”

“You get used to that,” Xander said, much more quietly. “Being ignored, I mean. Buffy will do it too.”

“She already does,” Spike said with a nod. “What’s on the telly?”

( Read more... )

comments

Chapter Seven of Better Late....

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 16:32:49 GMT

CHAPTER SEVEN

“Ah, you’ve returned. So, were you really needed, and were they properly grateful?”

Buffy laughed at Giles and waved him to his seat. “Well, the man we rescued was, for sure. And yes, I guess I was pretty useful when we went into the big nest by ourselves. It might not have been as easy for just one person–no matter how good a fighter he is. But with both of us there, we pretty much shut down the entire operation.”

“And who was this ‘we’? I take it you met with the man who’d requested your presence?”

“I did. And he’ll be here in a day or two.”

“Oh? And why is that? Will this be an official visit?”

Buffy said without changing her expression. “Nope. He resigned yesterday and will be here as soon as he gets packed and on an airplane.” She didn’t explain further, just changed the subject.

“You may get an email from the director of the facility. His name is Eric, and I suggested he contact you about adding a slayer to their unit. I told him we wouldn’t order a girl there, but if one wanted a paying job….” She sighed and shook her head before continuing. “We should probably look into placing a couple of slayers in the city anyway. If these World Protectors, or whatever they call themselves, is the reason we didn’t, we should rethink it. They’re morons.”

“Is the hellmouth there no longer dormant, then?” Giles frowned in concern and reached for a note pad. Buffy shook her head.

“I guess the hellmouth is dormant. I didn’t feel it, but the demons and vamps can, and it definitely affects the part of the city it’s in.”

She paused and shook her head again, at herself this time. “Damn, why didn’t it occur to me to try to find the exact location while we had the time? That was dumb. I’ll make a note that when we send slayers there, they should look for the hellmouth just so they know where it is.”

She made a mental note to ask Spike if he knew where it was exactly when they spoke on the phone that evening.

“Well, it sounds as if it was a worthwhile trip, although I am confused as to why their star demon killer is coming here.”

“It turned out that their demon killer’s name is ‘Bill Pratt’. And that’s all I’m saying for now. When he gets here, I’ll have something in my office so everyone can meet him.”

( Read more... )

comments

Chapter Six of Better Late...

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 19:09:07 GMT

CHAPTER SIX

Spike had Buffy’s suitcase in one hand and was just about to enter the code for his apartment door when his phone began to ring. She took the suitcase from him and waited while he opened the door before checking his phone.

“Eric? What’s up? Are you alright? Do you need us?”

Spike frowned at his phone as he listened. “Of course, we’re fine! Buffy staked the lot of them, well, except for the one I dusted, and the one I was holding that she let Julie have. Why?”

He shook his head at her and rolled his eyes as he responded.

“Of course she was armed. Buffy never goes out without her stakes. And, as you well know, my weapons are always with me. What the fuck did that idiot woman tell you happened?”

He growled and shook his head again. “We’re fine. And we would have been just as fine if we’d been jumped by anything on the way back to the car. Which, by the way, I’d appreciate it if you’d let me hang on to for another day or so while I handle some things before we leave. I’ll try to get to them in the morning, but just in case…”

Spike waited, then nodded. “Right then. We’ll see you in the morning. I’m looking forward to meeting this famous demon hunter.” Spike snickered, then snarled again. “Agent what?”

He waved his hand at Buffy to wait, while he said only, “You might want to share with him beforehand what you know about Bill Pratt. That’s all I’m sayin’.”

He threw the phone onto the couch and began swearing in several languages, some of them Buffy was sure weren’t human. When he finally ran down, and sank onto the couch, remembering at the last instant not to land on his phone, Buffy approached cautiously.

“Was that what I think it was?”

“If you think it was that Julie’s famous demon hunting uncle is probably Riley Finn, then yes. It’s exactly what you think it is.”

Buffy groaned, then remembered how the conversation had begun.

“Why was Eric worried about us?”

“Oh, because that stupid bint told him we weren’t armed, and that there might be more left-over vamps hanging around. He did apologize for doubting us. Said he was pretty sure we’d have been just fine, but he also wanted to let us know that Julie’s uncle was planning to visit tomorrow, and that he wanted to meet the ‘Bill Pratt’ that Julie’s been going on about. Apparently her uncle’s hoping to have someone to swap demon-hunting stories with.”

“Oh wow. And Riley is her uncle?”

“Unless you think there could be another “Agent” Finn with demon-hunting experience?”

“Probably not likely. That is what he was doing in South America, and wherever he went after that.”

“Should be a fun meeting.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Maybe he won’t recognize you?”

“And maybe I’ll grow six inches and develop a dark tan between now and tomorrow….”

“Well, you do look a little different. I mean, your hair is darker and you’re dressing differently….”

He just stared at her until she stopped talking and sighed.

“Yeah, he’s gonna know it’s you. Especially when he sees you with me.”

“Last time he saw us together, you were helping him blow up my bedroom…”

“Ah, good times…” She giggled when he grabbed her and pretended to be biting her neck, growling the whole time. “Did I ever tell you how sexy that is? I’m pretty sure there’s something wrong with me that I like it when you do that.”

“I think there’s something very right with you,” he murmured, his pretend bites having turned to open-mouthed kisses. “Very, very right.”

“You know, when you first got your soul, you never would have grabbed me like that.”

He paused in his oral exploration of her face and throat.

“Do you mind it?” The uncertainty in his expression had her quickly apologizing.

“No, of course not. I was just remembering how unsure of yourself… and me… you were then.”

“Was afraid to even look at you, to be honest. Soul made me so sure I wasn’t worthy to kiss your shoes, never mind anything else. Would never have touched you without permission and an invitation.”

“And now you’re biting my throat,” she said, squirming against him. “Seems like touching me is not a problem anymore….”

“I got over it,” he growled. “Got ten years of touching you to catch up on.”

( Read more... )

comments

Chapter Four of Better Late....

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 17:01:44 GMT

CHAPTER FIVE

“I think it’s time for us to go, Slayer,” Spike said, nodding at John’s muttered, “Sorry”. Clearly he was embarrassed and exasperated at Julie’s behavior, and Spike almost felt sorry for her. But not sorry enough not to want to get Buffy out of the building before her temper got the best of her.

“Fine. You need to clean up, and I need to check out of the hotel by tomorrow, so we have things to do. Together,” she added as she marched toward the door. She heard Spike snort at her parting barb, but he just sped up to open the door for her.

“Feel better now, love?” he asked as they left the building.

“A little bit,” she admitted. “That was petty, wasn’t it?”

“Somewhat. But she had it comin’.”

“Dumb bitch,” Buffy muttered, then sighed. “Okay, I’m done with being jealous of somebody who didn’t know she never had a chance. Are we going to your apartment now?”

“Think so, if that’s alright with you. Could use some more blood, and a shower and change of clothes.”

“Can we walk from here? Or is that too far for you in the sun?”

“We could, but the car will be faster. May as well use it while I’ve got it. Pretty sure they aren’t going to let me take it with me.”

Buffy laughed. “After Eric saw how you drive, I’m surprised he didn’t ask for the keys this morning.”

“Maybe he’ll let me keep it long enough to move your luggage from the hotel to my apartment.”

“We could probably do that today,” Buffy said. “I don’t have to officially check out, but it doesn’t mean I have to stay there.”

“Who’s paying the bill? The Council or Eric?”

“I didn’t ask. Giles’s assistant just told me where it was and that it was covered for three nights, four if I needed it.”

“Well, either way, we’re saving them money.”

“Yay us.”

( Read more... )

comments

Chapter Four of Better Late....

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 01:36:22 GMT

CHAPTER FOUR

They strolled through the building to the heavy door behind which the organization’s true operations took place. Taking a deep, unnecessary breath, Spike took the handle and opened the door, holding it to allow Buffy to enter first. He greeted a few people working at computer terminals, smiling as they also greeted Buffy and winking at a couple of the women, but not stopping to talk. There was no sign that any of them didn’t still know and like their co-worker, Bill Pratt.

They could both see the large table where John and Julie were sitting with a much-improved-looking Eric, as well as a few lower-ranking staff members. Although it was obvious that Eric was sitting in a wheelchair, he seemed quite rested and comfortable.

“They gave you the good stuff, huh?” Spike said, grinning at Eric’s relaxed and happy expression.

“I may have had a bit of chemical help this morning, but I am perfectly fine mentally,” Eric said with a glare that was ruined by the small smile accompanying it.

“Whatever you say, Boss. Assuming you still are my boss, that is?” Spike raised his eyebrows at Eric, waiting to hear if he’d been fired for lying about what he was.

“Your secret’s safe with me, Bill,” Eric said. “At least it is for the time being. Not as sure about being your boss, though. I was expecting you might not be as happy to stay here as you were before Ms. Summers arrived to assist in rescuing me.”

He smiled at Buffy, who laughed happily back at him and nodded her head.

“Good call,” Spike said with his own chuckle. “What did she tell you about us while I was getting the car?”

“Enough for me to have some idea of your history together. And, to give me another demonstration about what a being a slayer really means.”

( Read more... )

comments

Ch. Three of Better Late....

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 23:38:56 GMT

CHAPTER THREE
“Are you willing to wait here while I go get the car? I don’t fancy carrying him back to the building, although I will if I have to.” Spike did a quick survey of Eric’s condition and assured Buffy that his vitals were all good.

She looked around the room full of dust and smiled.

“We’ll be fine here. Any minions that try to come back will end up just as dusty as the rest of them.”

“Alright, love. If you’re sure…” When she glared at him, he laughed. “Wasn’t implying you couldn’t take care of yourself, Slayer. Just didn’t want you to feel like I was abandoning you to babysit.”

“Well, considering the alternative would be for me to go get the car, and I’m not even sure how to get there from here….yeah, I’ll just wait for you and keep Eric company.”

XXX( Read more... )

comments

Better Late Than Never ch. 2

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 19:18:30 GMT

CHAPTER TWO

Dinner at a small Italian restaurant where the proprietor clearly knew Spike well, was awkward for a while.

“So, how long have you been working for those idiots?”

“Too long, probably. Sooner or later, someone’s going to suss me out. It does get a bit old, trying to keep them alive without giving away exactly how enhanced I am… and why.”

“Am I going to be your way out?”

“Could be….”

“Is that why I’m here? So that you can quit your job without letting them know they’ve been working with William the Bloody for almost a year?”

“You’re here because I wanted to see you, and it seemed like a good excuse to do it. And those morons never heard of William the Bloody, or Spike, or why he might be famous in some circles.”

“Seems to me this is a pretty elaborate excuse. You couldn’t just pick up your phone and call?”

“Don’t have a number for you. And didn’t want to go through the Council. Rupert still isn’t one of my favorite people.”

“So you invented a vampire emergency that only I can handle?” Buffy rolled her eyes.

The conversation paused while Spike took care of the bill and got his card back.

“Didn’t invent it. It’s a real threat with a leader that needs to be taken down a peg or two. He’s made himself the master of a decent size group of minions. But that ‘squad’ that John wants to send with me would probably be more trouble than they’re worth. We’d end up having to protect them. John’s not a bad hand with a weapon, but, like your old buddies in the Initiative, he’s not much on facing vamps without firepower. They’ve got crossbows, but swords or stakes just aren’t in their armory.”

“And Julie?”

He sighed. “She’s pretty scrappy, keeps wanting to spar with me, but she’s just a normal human woman with some military training. I'm not sure she’s actually even met any vampires yet. They’re all theoretical to her.”

Buffy poked his arm. “You don’t feel theoretical to me. You feel pretty real.”

“Let’s get out of here before I’m tempted to show you just how real I am,” he growled, standing up and putting his wallet away.

( Read more... )

comments

Better Late Than Never

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 02:23:01 GMT

This story is complete with the exception of the last chapter, so I'm going to begin posting it and hope I don't get caught empty-handed when I get to the end. Beta read by the always helpful and eagle-eyed All4Spike.

Better Late Than Never

CHAPTER ONE

Buffy stared at Giles. It was rare for him to request her for a specific mission, as she usually set her own agenda based on where she thought she was needed.

“You need me to do what, with who?”

“The MPFSBO, a semi-secret US government agency that deals with the supernatural, has asked for a slayer to help out with a situation they have. A former watcher who has worked with them suggested they contact me.” Giles shook his head. “I’m not completely clear on why they asked specifically for you. I did offer them one of the slayers closer by, but the official I spoke with seemed quite determined that he have the slayer, not just a slayer.”

“Have we worked with them before? That mouthful of letters isn’t ringing a bell with me.”

“Briefly, a time or two. I’ve only had limited contact with them, given that they operate in the US and I manage our work from here. They actually seem quite certain that they can handle anything they run into, and I believe they view slayers as a type of vigilante group. I have to say, I was taken aback by his insistence that they required your services specifically. I’m not sure they would even know who you are.” He smiled slightly. “Although I suppose you are somewhat well known in some circles.”

Buffy just snorted and said, “I don’t suppose he said what the situation is or anything useful like that?”

“All he said was that their best man was handling it, and that he had insisted you were the one he needed to assist him.”

“And who is this ‘best man’ who thinks I’m an assistant?”

“He didn’t say. Just that he was their best and most experienced fighter in situations such as this, and that he asked for you by name.”

“Huh. So, somebody who knows me?”

“Or who knows of you. It’s not as if you’re as anonymous as you used to be.”

Buffy shrugged. “Yay me, I’m famous…. Okay, tell Annie to make the travel arrangements and I’ll go pack a bag. I was getting bored sitting around here anyway.”

( Read more... )

comments

musings

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 02:22:14 GMT

All the end of year stuff made me wonder what, if anything, I had to show for 2025. To my surprise, I have nothing to show for it! From writing/posting multiple fics at a time 20-25 years ago, I've come to not having anything to show for the year. I knew there wouldn't be much, but I would have sworn I'd finished at least one or two. Turns out my memory is worse than I think it is. LOL My most recent fics were completed at least one year ago. A couple that feel very new to me, were posted several years ago. *sigh*

I presume it indicates that my interest is waning after all these years. I do still read fic, pretty much only Spuffy at this point, and not very much of it, to be honest. But I'm always looking to see what's out there, I'm just even fussier than I used to be (which was pretty damn fussy, TBH, once I got over my initial "OMG, there are stories about Spike! and Buffy! and Spike and Buffy! Must read. All. The. Stories...") LOL that era lasted a fairly long time, but by the time it had tapered off (or, I'd read everything ever posted anywhere- could be either one.. and I couldn't tell you when it was exactly.) I'd pretty much settled on what themes I did and didn't enjoy, which authors I would read pretty much anything from and which ones I wouldn't waste any time on ever, and everything in between.

I hesitate to say what things I will or won't enjoy, because what I've learned from hard experience is that no sooner do I say I wouldn't touch something with a 10-ft pole, I end up reading a story that makes me flail around in an attempt to say how much I like it. :) Not only that, but half the time, it probably will turn out I've written one like that myself. So, while I definitely do still have very firm ideas about what I do and don't want to read, I'm fully aware that sometimes I'm a flaming hypocrite about it. It is what it is.

I am not terribly forgiving about truly poor mechanics. There's pretty much not much excuse for that anymore, what with so much on line help available. But, I make too many typos/flat out errors/and other mistakes myself to bail out of something enjoyable over a few mechanical errors. I often have to resist the urge to offer to beta for someone who writes well but has a glaring error to two. (Usually a misused or misspelled word - somewhere in my tags is a lengthy list of homonyms) Although I may weaken every now and then and send a pm about something fixable. (You can take the teacher out of the school, but you can't take...etc) Mostly I don't, though. I either ignore it if it's ignorable, or bail on the story if it isn't.

Anyway, bottom line is, I haven't had an original idea worth posting in at least a year. Maybe more... I have two wip right now, neither one is making me terribly excited. At least not excited to the point that I actually have to make myself stop working on them because the words are flowing....

One is a sequel to a fun little fic from ten years ago, that could have been continued, but wasn't at the time. Turned out I'd started the sequel and then abandoned it in my wip/ideas folder. For lack of anything better to do, I pulled it out late last year and began working on it, but it's got nowhere to go that I haven't gone many times before when setting fic in season 4, so my imagination is failing me ATM.

The second one has been like pulling teeth. It began with a mental image of a short future reunion scene that I wrote, then realized it needed context. So I had to give it some backstory, and I've been writing it in bits and pieces as little scenes come to me ever since. I get a new scene, new dialogue, whatever, then I have to go back and reread what I already wrote and add to or delete whatever no longer works based on the latest addition. Lately, it's been a few sentences here, a line of dialogue there, and then nothing until I wander back to add more. The result is a story that is in a constant state of revision even as it progresses. It's been an interesting experience, but really different for me. I won't start posting it until it's completed, been reread and revised a gazillion times (because there's always something I want to change, every time I go back), and then passed muster from All4Spike's eagle eyes. I do think I have the rest of the plot (such as it is), so now to write it down and start revising.

I suppose I will post it eventually.... but I'm not really interested in posting something just for the sake of having posted. So I need to have a completed story that has a bit more of a plot that just Buffy and Spike find each other and deal with some stupid people. Which is why the first story mentioned above isn't completed or posted. It's just too ordinary ATM. Or I'm not in the mood for season 4. Not sure which it is.

Anyway, wondering how much I had written led to all this naval-gazing which I'm sure is of no interest to anyone but me, but it is my journal, so....

comments

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 02:33:31 GMT

https://jlcards.com/Rf15NR

comments

Fun?

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 17:31:49 GMT

Well, my good intentions to peruse my flist before posting my meme questions today got sidetracked by the very first post I saw, from the multi-talented veronyxJ84, and I decided to try it. Mildly disappointed that I didn't succeed.

Rules:
How many letters of the alphabet have you used for [starting] a fic title?
One fic per line, ‘A’ and 'The’ do not count for 'a’ and ’t’.
Post your score out of 26 at the end, along with your total fic count.

All fics listed below are for the BtVS fandom. ( I deleted the "Spuffy" from her post because I don't know what I'll find first....) And, having finished it (with a side trip to AO3 for non-Spuffy fics) it turns out I can't do it successfully! I have nothing with a title beginning with Q, X, or Z. Obviously, I will need to remedy this!

A— All About the Mission
B— Boy Good
C— Cuddling with the Darkness
D— Double Bubble, Toil and...
E— Every Time You Say Good-bye
F— Frail
G— God Bless St. Valentine
H— Hearts Breaking Even
I— I Would Still Have Loved You
J— Just a Little Spell
K— Knowing and Watching
L— Lovers and Lethe
M— Make My Day
N— Normal is Just a Word
O— Once Upon a Wish
P— PS You Suck
Q—
R— Ready to Unwrap
S— So, You Think You Can Dance?
T— Things That Go Bump in the Night
U—Undivided
V— Valentines Day Special
W— What If I Loved You?
X—
Y— You Need What You Need
Z—

There is no particular significance to the fics I chose. In a (very) few cases, it was all I had, and in others it was just the first title I came to that I didn't mind sharing. I made an inconsistent attempt to use an interesting fic once in a while, but not often enough to say these are recs!

comments

Catching up....

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 14:13:08 GMT

So, RL is settling down a little, so time to catch up. And OMG, it's already September!

I think I'll catch up on August questions, then do September later today when I have a chance to copy them from someone. :).

23. Do you own any clothing you only wear for a specific activity?

Um I guess? I mean, I still have a lot of sweats/warmups etc left from when I was more active in coaching and/or exercise classes. But I rarely bother to put them on recently unless I'm going to PT. I do have some riding clothes/boots- but again, haven't been on a horse in quite a while, so they just sit.

24. Are you good at packing when you go away, or do you pack all the things ‘just in case’?

I work on being better at this every time we travel. Still not great at avoiding overpacking and yet missing something I wish I had. LOL

25. If you ended up on a deserted desert island, what luxury would you want to have with you?

Shade! Food! Water!

26. Do you have any tattoos?

I had eyeliner done many years ago. It's pretty much all faded away now.

27. Are you a fan of bananas? Do you like to bake with them, or eat them raw?

I begin most days with a banana shake - banana, blue berries (+other fresh fruit in season and appropriate) cottage cheese, various supplements, and milk. If, for some reason, I'm just having cereal, I'll slice a banana on it. Or make a peanut butter and banana sandwich later in the day.

28. When was the last time you spent a night (or more than one night) away from home?

Last week! The less said about that the better.

29. How many times have you moved home so far in your life? Do you plan to move again in the future?

I'm a military child- moved six times that I can recall. As an adult? Just moved from one apartment to another to a rented home, to another rented house, into this one from which I will be carried out feet first! :)

30. Has the area where you live changed much over the last decade?

Yes -more and more people and houses, and in the other end of the county - data centers!!!

31. Do you have any plans for the next month?

Nothing specific. My volunteer job place has plans for us, lol. And I may have out of town visitors, but no date on that so maybe not till October.

Got to go now - daughter is on her way and we will be going out to my sister's house to see how they're doing now that he is home from the hospital with his PICC line and 5 weeks more of antibiotics....

comments

Meme!

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 18:02:53 GMT

One a day, right? LOL. So far, so good... tomorrow is another day, and possibly a busy one. But here we go!

17. Do you make your bed every day?

I usually do. Mostly because if I don't, sooner or later my husband will and I don't like how he does it. LOL If it was just me, and I wasn't expecting company? Yeah, probably wouldn't bother most days.

Today is miserably hot.. again. I went out to move a few plants around and I'm soaked. May or may not go back out later. I have to pick my daughter up from the airport later this afternoon/evening, so don't want to get so disgusting I have to fit a shower in before then. Could happen though...

comments

meme

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 16:03:31 GMT

Here we go:

July

1. The Delphinium or larkspur is a tall plant with pink, blue, purple or white flowers. Shakespeare called it ‘lark’s-heel’. Butterflies love it, but it’s very toxic if eaten by humans/animals. Do you have any poisonous plants you recognise in your garden or nearby?

I probably do. I don't put tomatoes where the dogs can get at them. Most will leave them alone, but if they don't, they get quite sick. With no small children or puppies to worry about, poisonous plants are a big concern. At this point, plants that deer won't eat are a big plus for me!

2. Do you still use your local library?

Alas, very rarely, if ever. Before wifi became more available and reliable, I used to sit there with my laptop from time to time, but haven't felt the need to do that in years. I'll still support it as needed, though.

comments

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 16:46:25 GMT

OMG. Are they capable of doing anything without making it about Trump and his insistence on "the best people" and the very strong insistence that this is all the fault of the Democratic party when it was in the WH and now, it appears DEI is probably at fault. I'm disgusted. And we have four more years of this garbage. I can't stand it.

comments

Argh!

Sat, 11 Jan 2025 15:44:16 GMT

Just escaping FB for a while because one of my (about to be blocked) "friends" is busy referring to the mob scene at the captital four years ago as a peaceful protest, and the woman who was shot (RIP, a victim of believing a lie) as an unarmed person not trying to harm anyone. I pointed out that she was part of a large group trying to break through a door (from which the glass had already been broken out) with armed guards with drawn guns on the other side of it. Exactly what did they expect might happen as they pushed on the door, literally screaming for blood? Why is anyone surprised that armed people, trying to defend a building and the people in it (and probably somewhat in fear for their own lives) weren't serious about "don't come in here" ? I'm beyond disgusted with him and needed to get away.

comments

Trying to do better

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 00:45:24 GMT

Got nothing done today except to wait for my car to have a normal maintenance visit at the dealershp. They appeared to be slammed, so I was prepare to wait a little while, but... after more than an hour I got a text and phone call from my service person. He'd actually texted me twice with a list of possible work that they were offering and/or recommending. Why he didn't call when I didn't respond to the first text, I have no idea. Nor do I know why my watch didn't alert me to atext message, but whatever, that blew some time. Then I had to open the attachment to see what they wanted to do and decide which ones I'd okay. So, already 2 hours in and they haven't even started on everything. I took a walk, which was okay, and I had my ipad with me, so I could read one of the gazillion books stored on there.... but still. I was starving by the time I finally got my car back and could drive home. Didn't get home until almost 3 p.m.

*sigh*

Knee isn't recovering as well as I'd like. It seemed like it was doing great for a while, but now it isn't- and it buckled a little today. *bigger sigh* And my shoulder has gone into revolt (something I did, I'm sure, just don't recall it hurting at the time)so I'm on steroids for that... Getting older seems to consist of watching one body part after another malfunction. I'm not a fan of it!

20. In 1958 American puppeteers Jim and Jane Henson established Muppets, Inc. (now known as The Jim Henson Company). Have you a favourite Muppet character?

Oh my. I love the Muppets. But no favorite- Kermit?

comments

Ch 40 of Forgiveness

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 17:17:00 GMT

Last chapter of this lengthy sequel to the three shorter fics in the John and Buffy series.

CHAPTER FORTY

When Buffy had her next meeting with Giles,—after she’d spoken with the instructors she wanted, and after a phone call to Penny agreeing that they should make an offer on the facility—she was surprised to find that he was already looking ahead.

“There should be room in the Cleveland slayer house for several more slayers, so all we need to do there is bump up the budget to include feeding however many new slayers you’ll be taking with you. I presume you’ve ascertained how many that will be?”

Buffy gawked at him for a precious few seconds, before recovering enough to say, “I’m leaning toward only two or three right now. We’ll have a lot of planning and setting up of the site to do before we’re ready for students. Plus, Vi and I are working on some sort of final test to make sure nobody is coming there who isn’t ready.”

“A ‘final test’? Are you suggesting we bring back the Cruciamentum?”

“What? No, of course not!” Buffy broke off when she noticed the amusement on his face.

“Very funny, Giles,” she grumbled. “But I do want to know that they can think on their feet, and that they can be creative. It’s not an easy thing to come up with.”

“No,” he admitted. “It is not. It’s too bad we don’t have someone… say with experience fighting slayers… who could test them for us.”

( Read more... )

comments

meme

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 01:56:44 GMT

28. In 1897 Edith Head, the Hollywood costume designer was born. Her designs for The Sting won her an Oscar (she won 8 in her lifetime). What’s your favourite era for beautiful clothing styles? What's the fanciest thing you've ever worn?

I don't know. There are beautiful things from every decade/era. I do think there were some elegant things in the 30s and 40s, but you can find lovely things (and a whole lot of not-so-lovely things) in just about any era. I'm not a big fan of "fancy" and I don't like a lot of bling, so probably the fanciest thing I've ever worn was my tap dancing costume from when I was 5 or 6. Lots of sequins! LOL I dunno, more seriously, I'd guess one of the two while long gowns I've worn. The first one was a very plain sheath of cotton brocade that had a matching full-length coat. I was 18 or 19 and dating a midshipman, so needed a dress for homecoming dance. The second one was an equally plain white gown of softer fabric with a bit of a swirly skirt to it that I wore to a hunt ball when I was first married.

comments

Ch. 39 of Forgiveness

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 18:06:42 GMT

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

Buffy trudged toward the main admin building for her first meeting with Giles since before they left for the islands. While they’d made as much of a reconciliation as they could, given the depth of Buffy’s anger over Giles’s past behaviors toward Spike, this was going to be their first attempt at working together one-on-one, and she wasn’t sure how it was going to go.

She entered the meeting room and plopped her bag full of notebooks and papers on the table as Giles greeted her with a quiet, “Good morning, Buffy. I trust you’re well rested and recovered from your trip?”

His stiff speech and lack of a smile indicated that he was as unsure of their current relationship as she was, and Buffy sighed.

“Good morning, Giles,” she replied as she slid into a chair across from him. “And yes, I’m all rested and perky. Is that coffee?” Ignoring her own words, she got up and walked to the table clearly holding what appeared to be a small urn, mugs, and assorted other coffee-related items. She took one of the mugs and filled it with coffee, sugar, and cream before asking, “Do you want more, since I’m already standing here?”

Giles appeared surprised, but smiled as he shook his head. “Thank you, but no. I’ve only just filled my own cup and it’s still quite hot.”

The ice seeming to have been broken, Buffy sat down again and took a sip of her drink. “Okay, now I’m ready to be perky. Where to you want to start?”

“I’ve taken the liberty, while you were away, of creating a list of items that will be needed for this school, as well as some suggestions for how to begin amassing them. First on the list, of course, is a physical location and appropriate building. It think we—”

Buffy held up her hand. “Let me show what I’ve got on my list first. And how much of it I already have ideas for.” She opened her bag and pulled out a legal pad and several folders. As Giles watched with his mouth open, she laid out the folder with all the information about the small private school building she’d been looking into in Cleveland, as well as the asking price, how close it was to the hellmouth and to the slayer house, and the name of the slayer who was working with the realtor.

“So, obviously I can’t do much with it from here, but Caroline and her mother, who is a realtor, have done a lot of the legwork for me, and they’ve sent pictures and descriptions. Caroline says the board that runs the school just wants to be rid of it as quickly as possible. Her mom, whose name is Penny Campbell, is going to get a better feel for how firm the price it, and learn if it includes all the furnishings¬—the classroom desks, dorm room beds, stuff like that. It could be just what we need.”

She pulled one of the other folders toward her and handed him a sheet of paper from it. “Here’s a list of the instructors I think I want to talk to so far. I doubt I’ll need very many, at least to start. I can probably handle most of it myself.”

She pulled out another sheet and slid it across the table. “These are some of the ideas Willow, Spike, Vi and I came up with while we were up in Scotland, starting with giving girls who aren’t crazy about killing things, other ways to be useful and happy. Like, for instance, it’s turning out most of the male slayers ended up in professions that allowed them to protect and help people, even though they aren’t traditional slayers. There’s no reason we can’t make those same opportunities available to any girls we have who don’t really want to spend their lives killing things. They can still use their slayer powers for good.”

“You’ve given this a lot of thought!” Giles murmured as he glanced over the information she was giving him. “I had no idea….”

“Yeah, well…. Now that we’re not glaring at each other anymore, I can talk to you about my ideas, and you can help me decide how to implement them.

“Willow will talk with you about changes to things here. This is where any slayers not interested in actual slaying will be able to get training in other things. Or, after some basic slayer stuff— because the vamps and demons aren’t going to care that they aren’t working slayers, so they need to know how to protect themselves—we can help them transfer to more normal schools where they can learn to make a living.”

Giles held out his hand. “If I may interrupt for a moment? Our watcher academy is always on the lookout for more students. Might I suggest it as a possible outlet for any slayers who aren’t interested in the actual slaying?”

“Oh, that’s a great idea! Why didn’t we think of it before? Of course that’s a natural career path for any slayers who want to remain involved, but aren’t interested in really killing things themselves.”

She paused, then said, “We’ll need to get on these changes soon. Our first student is waiting to hear from us.”

Giles gaped at her, making no attempt to hide his dismay.

“She’s what? And why?”

Buffy briefly explained about finding Margaret after they’d captured Angus, and how relieved the woman was to learn more about what happened to her and why.

“She wants to remain where she is, where she can continue to contribute to her community as a healer, as she has been all this time. But, she also understands she might need to be more skilled in protecting herself than just being fast and strong, so she wants to come here to learn more about being a slayer, but not so that she can start killing things.”

Giles nodded his head. “Go on.”

“Since we didn’t know about her, we wouldn’t have found her if we hadn’t had to look for Angus. I’m guessing she’s not the only female slayer we missed, so we’re going to have to look harder at all the hellmouths—active and not—now that we know that most of them had potentials living there, and that potentials frequently gave birth to more potentials….”

“Ah yes, I haven’t forgotten that you’ve made that deduction. I believe the Search Department is working on it already. I’ll share with them that you want to offer adult slayers an opportunity to train here before they go back to whatever they were doing before.”

“Oh good! That’s one less thing to worry about. I’m sure Margaret isn’t the only one out there. There probably aren’t many, but there will be some, I’m pretty sure. Just because a hellmouth hasn’t shown any activity in decades, doesn’t mean it didn’t have generations of potentials being born, living and dying there.”

“All this new information we now have as a result of Spike’s unique experience is going to change much of what we thought we knew about hellmouths and slayers. There is going to be so much more to learn, and to put into the Council’s records for future generations….” His eyes unfocused as he clearly began thinking about all the books to be written and archived.

“Yep!” Buffy agreed with a grin. “Your eyes are already glazing over with thoughts of research and writing.”

He flushed and shook himself. “Well, yes, quite so. My apologies. I didn’t mean to allow my attention to wander like that.”

“No biggie. There really isn’t much more for us to talk about right now. You need to look over all this stuff and let me know what things are going to be my responsibility, which ones you think Vi should handle, and which ones can go to some other department.”

Buffy stood up, leaving her folders on the table. “I’m going to call Caroline and Penny and tell them that we need to decide what we should offer for the old school. While I’m still here, I’ll talk to the slayers I’d like to have as instructors, and let them know that some of what they do is going to include setting up the school once we have a facility. Depending upon what happens with that, I might want to head back to Cleveland as soon as Spike gets back.”

“So, you’ll be taking him with you, rather than leaving him here to assist Xander with the remaining male potentials?”

Buffy frowned. “I don’t know. I wasn’t planning to leave him behind, but I guess he’d been more useful here…. Let’s see how this first meeting went, and if they still want to work together. I’m kinda surprised they seem to be getting along so well, to be honest.”

Giles snorted. “Xander has matured a great deal in the past ten years or so. And one must assume that Spike himself, who is actually much older, may have mellowed somewhat in those years. Perhaps they will have behaved like adults and acquitted themselves professionally.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Giles?” Buffy snickered.

“One can hope,” he responded with his own small smile. “One can always hope.”

“I’ll let you know how it went,” she said as she went out the door with a wave.

She walked back to her own office feeling much happier about both the future and her relationship with the man who’d been in her life for so many years.

XXX

“Hi! What took you so long?” Buffy glared at her phone.

“Missed you too, love. And it’s only ten in the evening. Not even dark here yet.”

“You aren’t a vamp anymore. What do you care if it’s dark or not?

“I don’t. I’m just sayin’ that the night is young and there are things to do. Bars to visit, girls to check out….”

“Not funny,” Buffy growled.

“Harris needs a wingman, doesn’t he?”

“He doesn’t need a wingman who’s going to be more appealing to the women than he is! Not to mention, a better flirt.” She took a deep breath. “You’re just trying to rile me up, aren’t you?”

His laughter was a welcome sound. “You know me too well, sweetheart.”

“Well, if you and Xander aren’t in a bar, where are you?”

“We were in a bar. For a bit…. We were asked to leave, along with our new slayer friend.”

“You got him into a bar fight? Do I need to get on a plane?” Buffy was already debating who to pummel first—Spike or Xander.

“Bloody hell, no! We’d just met him and begun talking when some over-fed looking bloke came to the table and challenged him. Seems like our guy has that violent streak that goes with the slayer powers, and he comes into town every few months and takes on anyone who wants to fight him.”

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Wonderful. He’s another you, is that what you’re saying?”

“I’m saying that he blows off steam by letting very stupid people start fights with him. He’s some kind of a park ranger, or the Norwegian version of that, and he spends most of his time in the woods and mountains. He prevents forest fires and rescues lost hikers and such. We just happened to catch him on one of his trips into town for supplies. If we hadn’t, we would have been stumbling around in the forest looking for him.”

“Doesn’t he have a home?”

“I expect he does, but we were told it isn’t exactly easy to find or get to. Really haven’t had time to talk a whole lot, what with being kicked out of the bar and then getting jumped by the fat boy’s friends as we walked down the street….”

“Spike, did you or did you not get into a fight?”

“They punched Harris first. You wouldn’t expect me not to come to his rescue, would you?”

“That’s it. I’m getting on a plane—”

“Easy there, love. The only real fighting was between our new friend and the fat bloke. Harris and I just watched. We only retaliated when his mates decided they should include us in the arse-whipping they were expectin’ to hand out. Xander decked one, and I knocked out the two that jumped me. Only took the three punches and they changed their minds about us. By that time, the slayer had worked his way through the porker and the other idiots that thought they could even the odds. We left them all in the street and walked with him to where he stays when he’s in town.”

“So where are you now?”

“A nice little inn-type place where Sven has a semi-permanent room to use when he needs it. Xander is explaining things to him now and giving him all the computer links and paper stuff for him to look at. I’m guessing, he’s going to be one of the ones who’s quite happy with his life and wants to stay in it. He’s doing good work, keeping tourists and animals safe from each other, and seems happy to live in the woods by himself.”

“It sounds like a pretty lonely life….”

“We’ll see. He seems pleased to know more about himself, and why he’s what he is. Says he stays in the woods because he’s afraid he’ll kill somebody by accident someday. He never starts the fights, but enjoys them too much to be comfortable around people all the time. I’ll talk to him about trainin’ if he wants it, and maybe teach him how to pull a punch when he’s hitting humans.”

“How long do you think you’ll stay there?”

“Dunno. A few more days, at least. Depends on how comfortable we are leaving him on his own now that he knows there are others like him. If he genuinely likes being on his own in the forest, then we’ll leave him to it. He’ll have all the contact info he needs to reach someone who can talk to him if he feels the need. If it isn’t as appealing to him, now that he knows he isn’t some kind of a freak that’s dangerous to be around, and he wants to be around people more, then we may have to help him find a new career. I just don’t know yet.”

“I miss you.”

“Miss you too, love. You have no idea. But we’ve still got some work to do here. He wanted to arm wrestle me before he would believe me that I was the same thing.”

“Did you win?”

There was silence for a full minute, then, “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that stupid question.”

“Sorry,” Buffy said with a giggle. “Is he properly respectful now?”

“Let’s just say he’s not as cocky about how strong he is, and more willing to listen to what a slayer is and does. He’s promised to take us with him when he heads home, and to swing by what we assume is the local hellmouth. Sounds a bit like he’s seen a demon at one time, but never told anyone for fear of being told he was losing his mind from being alone so much.”

“So that hellmouth is active? That’s not what our records show.”

“Probably not so much active as just still open a bit. I’m a mite surprised that there aren’t more vampire tales here than seem to be. What with the long nights in the winter and all. Xander and I are going to look into that tomorrow so we have some idea what to say to Sven. It could be he just doesn’t hear the stories, being out in the woods most of the time. Vamps tend to prefer being where there are people to eat….”

“Well, no more fighting, ‘K?”

“Do my best, love. How are things going with the watcher?”

“It went pretty well. He was kinda shocked and surprised when I showed how much I’d already done. I think I should be offended about that, but I’m trying to keep the truce, so I let it go. I’ll be talking to Caroline’s mom tomorrow about where we stand on the school purchase, and I’ll be interviewing the girls I want to bring back as instructors, as well as setting up some guidelines with Vi for proper training and placement of new slayers.”

“Sounds like you’ve got plenty to keep you busy while I’m gone. You won’t even miss me.”

“Oh, I think I will. Might have to buy a new vibrator, though….”

“You minx! Now I’ll be thinking about that all night!”

“That was the plan,” she giggled.

“I’ll see you in a few days, Slayer. You’d best be ready for me….”

“Okay. Be careful, and check in every day so I don’t worry.”

“I promise. Love you, Buffy.”

“I love you too. Goodnight, Spike.”

“Sleep tight, love.”

comments

Ch. 38 of Foregivenss

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 14:23:12 GMT

Next to last chapter. I had no idea this story was going to go on so long!

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

As Spike and Xander made their way back toward the living quarters from the building where they’d been going over the files on the remaining male slayers, they discussed how they were going to present Buffy with their plan.

“So, we’re going to tell her right off that there are only eight or nine guys left who haven’t been contacted or eliminated? Is she going to buy that?”

“Hey, we’ve got charts, and maps, and… yeah. Maybe?”

“And you’ve decided that you can handle it by yourself so that she can get rolling on her plans for the new school?”

“I’m going to tell her that we decided that the two of us can handle it. And that it was your idea,” Spike added as he spotted Buffy walking toward their building.

“I’ll tell her you’re lying!” Xander shouted as Spike began jogging away. Shaking his head, Xander continued toward his own small apartment in an adjoining building.

Ignoring him, except to wave one finger, Spike caught up to Buffy and threw his arm around her shoulders.

“Here she is!”

“Here I am.” She smiled up at him and leaned into his side briefly. “So, did you and Xander solve all our problems?”

“Prob’ly not all of them,” he admitted. “But I think we figured out a way to free up some time for you.”

She raised a skeptical eyebrow, but just nodded.

“You can tell me all about it after I’ve had dinner and a shower. Possibly not in that order….”

In spite of her words, she veered from her intended path and marched toward the nearest of the three cafeterias serving the complex. They filled their trays and found a small table near the open windows to sit down to eat.

“So, free time? I’m all ears.”

“The deal is, Harris can go back to being the main contact person, and I can go with him as a shining example of a working male slayer. And as a bodyguard, if we run into any other wankers that think having super powers makes them special.”

“Without me?”

“Well, yeah. That’s the idea. You can be here doing whatever you need to do to get your ducks in a row, and by the time we’ve visited everybody we need to visit, you should be almost ready to go back to Cleveland and start setting up your school.” He beamed at her, but visibly lost a little of his confidence when she just nodded.

“I’ll think about it.”

XXX

( Read more... )

comments

Happy birthday?

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 20:51:59 GMT

DW tells me it's Kudagirl's birthday today. Wishing her a happy one!

comments

Ch 37 of Forgiveness

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 19:34:35 GMT

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Dinner was low key and enjoyable, with Ian and Andrew blending into the conversation easily. Andrew divided his attention between Vi, Xander, and Willow, leaving Ian to talk with Buffy and Spike. When there were breaks in the conversation, and everyone seemed relaxed and happy, Andrew cleared his throat and said, “So, Ian tells me it isn’t his place to say what went on earlier, and that he can’t really explain it anyway. I understand it may be none of my business, and possibly beyond my ken, but I’d really like more information. If for no other reason than I have reports to write and I’d like to know how much I’ll be lying.”

He leaned back and waited while Buffy exchanged glances with everyone, and Spike drained his glass. They both turned to Ian, who had learned more about slayers and seen Spike in game face. He shrugged.

“There wasn’t much I could tell him without risking a discharge for mental instability,” he said. “I thought it would be best if it came from the actual participants.”

Buffy sighed. “I suppose you’re right.” She smiled at Andrew. “It’s not that we’re trying to keep anything from you, it’s just that some of this is going to be hard to believe. I mean, I know Ronald filled you in a little bit about Spike and me being stronger than normal, and that our organization exists to protect the world from….evil, I guess is the best description.”

“Evil?” Are you a form of law enforcement, then?”

“Not exactly. We take care of a very specific kind of evil.”

“Which is?”

( Read more... )

comments

Ch. 36 of Forgiveness

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 19:46:26 GMT

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

By the time they were ready to leave the following morning, Angus had received another shot, this one stronger than the first. Indicating he was recovering quickly, it didn’t knock him completely out, but did keep him incapable of standing up or making quick movements. Ian and Spike were in agreement that for the ride back to Stornoway, a bigger dose was probably in order.

Sam, the owner of the metal workshop, was back with repaired restraints, which Buffy insisted be put on Angus, in spite of the drugs.

“He’s not a sheep,” she pointed out. “He’s a slayer, and he should be able to throw that stuff off faster than a normal man his size. Let’s just not take any chances, ‘k?”

“Whatever you say, love.” Spike met Sam’s eyes over her head and nodded. “Thanks so much.”

“My pleasure,” Sam replied as he handed them to Spike and watched him reattach them to Angus. This time, Spike also connected his arms and legs together, adding an extra layer of immobility.

“That doesn’t look very comfortable,” Buffy said with a frown.

“Not tryin’ to make him comfy,” Spike growled. “Makin’ him easy to handle.”

“Won’t kill him, I guess,” she agreed with a shrug. “If Willow’s there waiting for us, he won’t have to stay like that all day.”

“That’s assuming she’s there on time, and that the removal spell works.”

“Don’t be so negative. It’s going to work. You’ll see.”

“Yes, love,” he said with a sigh, then turned to glare at Xander who had arrived in time to hear the conversation and who was snickering. “Not one word,” Spike snarled, causing Xander to burst into open laughter.

( Read more... )

comments