Great update. I love the way everyone bands together in this, and ho we truly believe them. And i like how Connor is using Spike speech :D I hope Riley isn't a lot of trouble. He's not worth it.

Ok, here's my review after going over things from the beginning again.

The good:
The Origins series is definitely one of the best Spuffy stories I've read. You've done well to capture the emotions of each character, and have accomplished the job of bringing in honest complexity. Much of the story does seem plausible--in the Buffyverse context--and, it's hard not to react when things like Connor disappearing in Book 2, and the addition of all these kids take place.

I love the strength you give Spike. I love that, although he may still be a slave to Buffy's heart, he no longer gives up his own will to succumb to hers.

I love that Buffy feels and knows that she can depend on him. Being the slayer is difficult for her--an understatement, I'm sure--and it's realistic that she would come back and not be able to jump back into such a hard role with no objections, like she did on the show.

I adore Tara and Oz's relationship. That is probably one of the best twists in the story because it's probably one of the last things you would expect; however, given their "real" characters on the show, probably possible. But, I'm not sure making her pregnant was necessary, I actually groaned when I realized that's what was happening. I mean there's school, and how much money are they really all making? What with the 5000 people at the house, and all the mouths to feed. Is one more necessary?

There are other things that I could expound upon, but those are the things I most like.


Willow I hate, so that's fine.


The Bad:
I've never really been a fan of Dawn, although I accepted her on the show reluctantly because of her relationship with Spike.

Unfortunately, with the passage of chapters in Book 2, I began to like her less and less--bordering on a serious hate for her. She's 15, and I understand that 15 yr olds have this thing with being selfish, but thrusting her into our faces with the constant complaints just made me want to roll my eyes every time.

Now, of course this is a personal preference, and I'm sure others--probably including yourself--like her, but at the best of times, the most I could conjure up was indifference.

The subtext of slayer/vampire children, and the implication and then confirmation in Book 1 that Dawn was Spike and Buffy's first child is definitely what started my initial (possibly irrational lol) dislike for her character. What sealed the deal for me was her decision to call Joyce "Joyce" instead of mom. I understand she now considers Buffy her mother but 1) it's obvious to me that Buffy--at the time--was still treating/feeling her as sister, despite knowing the truth, and 2) she has a head full of memories with Joyce being her mother. Fact or not, demoting her from the motherly position is an ungrateful thing to do. And once again, I don't care if she's still a kid.

Also, those slight implications of a possible Dawn/Wesley pairing during Book 2's battle also made me feel ick, but I can't say that I've read closely enough to see them since.

I think it would have been more dramatic to kill Dawn and turn Casey. No, I'm not a drama buff. Normally I hate when writers throw in a bunch of bad stuff in succession and call it a story without fully resolving any of it. I'm also not a Tortured!Spike fan (I actually don't really like those stories where he gets raped and attacked and then thrown off a cliff for good measure), but I would have loved to have seen his reaction to her death. learning she was his daughter (still ick to me though) to only lose her soon there after. His reaction to Buffy's non-reaction. Learning to accept that it is providence. No matter how hard they tried, her fate would not be denied.


(Side note, I hope you don't feel that I am criticizing you as an author because my near visceral hate of Dawn--which is rivaling my Willow hate, is a testament to your accomplishments during this story. Despite the dislikes, I still want to know what is happening.)


I think this is getting pretty long, so I'll wrap it up.

I've never liked Faith. I've never been able to like her in fanfictions, and I can't say that I've been able to like her here either. Once again, just a personal preference. No matter what, I just can't believe that any Buffy would accept her--real Season 7 Buffy notwithstanding. Plus, she's just too crazy for me. Then there's that whole 2 slayers when there should only be 1 thing.

Xander: It's funny, by the end of the show, I hated him a lot. When I read fanfiction, I tend to hate him. But I feel sorry for him, and dislike Anya here for some reason.


The Dissappointed:

Aging Connor. When he dissappeared, I knew it was going to happen. And, although I know we're only 6 chapters in, I can't see why it was necessary. I enjoyed their care for him as a baby, and that's another time the story jumped the shark. Even if that is what happened on Angel, this story is an attempt to right the writers wrongs I believe, its taking it's own path, but this one was a mis-turn.


What I think should happen:

I think this book needs to address the money issue more. It was a big part of Buffy Season 6, and I think it was glossed over in Book 2. Sure, Spike's kind of working, and making some money from poker, but there's like 839530 people living in that house, and more on the way. Dawn will be going off to college (if she doesn't die) in a couple years, and now Aged!Connor, well whatever.

Where is Tara working again? Are she and Oz contributing to the household bills (you may have addressed this, and I might have glossed over).

I don't know.



Also, I can't seem to remember if you finished addressing who was spying on them. I know they found the cameras and other devices.

I think I'll sto now because this is taking forever.

Author's Response: Because of the length, i've decided to respond to this review, item by item. The Origins series is definitely one of the best Spuffy stories I've read. You've done well to capture the emotions of each character, and have accomplished the job of bringing in honest complexity. Much of the story does seem plausible--in the Buffyverse context--and, it's hard not to react when things like Connor disappearing in Book 2, and the addition of all these kids take place. Hard not to react how? In what way? There’s a reason why Connor disappeared – however that hasn’t been revealed in this particular volume of the story. That’s addressed in Destinies – available and nearly finished on Elysian Fields. I love the strength you give Spike. I love that, although he may still be a slave to Buffy's heart, he no longer gives up his own will to succumb to hers. Thank you. I love that Buffy feels and knows that she can depend on him. Being the slayer is difficult for her--an understatement, I'm sure--and it's realistic that she would come back and not be able to jump back into such a hard role with no objections, like she did on the show. Again, thank you. I adore Tara and Oz's relationship. That is probably one of the best twists in the story because it's probably one of the last things you would expect; however, given their "real" characters on the show, probably possible. But, I'm not sure making her pregnant was necessary, I actually groaned when I realized that's what was happening. I mean there's school, and how much money are they really all making? What with the 5000 people at the house, and all the mouths to feed. Is one more necessary? Tara is involved in a work/study program at UC Sunnydale, which was briefly addressed in Origins, and touched upon again in Revelations. It will be further addressed in Resolutions. She’s also attending UC Sunnydale on nearly a full scholarship, which is also about to be addressed. Funding for those living at Revello Drive has been addressed in Revelations, when Giles obtained a pay-off on the mortgage and a monthly stipend, administered by him for the upkeep of the Slayer’s domicile. Every character added is necessary. There are other things that I could expound upon, but those are the things I most like. Willow I hate, so that's fine. The Bad: I've never really been a fan of Dawn, although I accepted her on the show reluctantly because of her relationship with Spike. Unfortunately, with the passage of chapters in Book 2, I began to like her less and less--bordering on a serious hate for her. She's 15, and I understand that 15 yr olds have this thing with being selfish, but thrusting her into our faces with the constant complaints just made me want to roll my eyes every time. I’m not sure I’m following you on the constant complaint issue – where and when has Dawn been constantly complaining in these stories? Now, of course this is a personal preference, and I'm sure others--probably including yourself--like her, but at the best of times, the most I could conjure up was indifference. You’ll never know whether or not I like a character unless I state it emphatically one way or another and that will only happen in my author’s notes. The subtext of slayer/vampire children, and the implication and then confirmation in Book 1 that Dawn was Spike and Buffy's first child is definitely what started my initial (possibly irrational lol) dislike for her character. What sealed the deal for me was her decision to call Joyce "Joyce" instead of mom. I understand she now considers Buffy her mother but 1) it's obvious to me that Buffy--at the time--was still treating/feeling her as sister, despite knowing the truth, and 2) she has a head full of memories with Joyce being her mother. Fact or not, demoting her from the motherly position is an ungrateful thing to do. And once again, I don't care if she's still a kid. Dawn uses Joyce/Mom and Buffy/Mom almost impersonally. She’s not choosing one over the other, unless she’s stating it for emphasis purposes. Otherwise, the ties are all jumbled up in her head. She considers at times, Buffy a lousy mother and compares her unfavorably to Joyce. Have I brought this up? No. Is this something I intended to address? Yes. Is this a possible spoiler? Yes. Thank you so much for making me tip my hand on some issues. Also, those slight implications of a possible Dawn/Wesley pairing during Book 2's battle also made me feel ick, but I can't say that I've read closely enough to see them since. I’m sorry the pairing squicks you. However there is also a reason for this, one that I’d rather not divulge at this point in time. I think it would have been more dramatic to kill Dawn and turn Casey. No, I'm not a drama buff. Normally I hate when writers throw in a bunch of bad stuff in succession and call it a story without fully resolving any of it. I'm also not a Tortured!Spike fan (I actually don't really like those stories where he gets raped and attacked and then thrown off a cliff for good measure), but I would have loved to have seen his reaction to her death. learning she was his daughter (still ick to me though) to only lose her soon there after. His reaction to Buffy's non-reaction. Learning to accept that it is providence. No matter how hard they tried, her fate would not be denied. I’m sorry you don’t like the plot twist of Dawn with Spike and Buffy as her parents. As the author, that’s a plot point I decided upon long before the story was even started. Buffy’s non-reaction to what? There is a reason why Dawn did not die at the hands of Angelus. And it was not just the arbitrary whims of the author. (Side note, I hope you don't feel that I am criticizing you as an author because my near visceral hate of Dawn--which is rivaling my Willow hate, is a testament to your accomplishments during this story. Despite the dislikes, I still want to know what is happening.) I’m not sure you completed the thought there, so I’m not sure whether or not I should thank you and move on. And whether or not you mean this as criticism, that is the way it is coming across. I think this is getting pretty long, so I'll wrap it up. I've never liked Faith. I've never been able to like her in fanfictions, and I can't say that I've been able to like her here either. Once again, just a personal preference. No matter what, I just can't believe that any Buffy would accept her--real Season 7 Buffy notwithstanding. Plus, she's just too crazy for me. Then there's that whole 2 slayers when there should only be 1 thing. I’m not going to apologize for using Faith. I happen to like the dynamic between her and Buffy and how that translates to the others around them. I think it was something that was definitely underplayed on the show, and I’d like to have these two interact more. And if Season 7 Buffy can grow up and accept Faith, then we as readers, watchers and authors can do the same. Joss introduced the multiple Slayer aspect, I’m just playing with it. Xander: It's funny, by the end of the show, I hated him a lot. When I read fanfiction, I tend to hate him. But I feel sorry for him, and dislike Anya here for some reason. Can’t help you there. I’ve already stated more than once how I feel about Xander. My opinions about Anya will remain unstated, for personal reasons. The Dissappointed: Aging Connor. When he dissappeared, I knew it was going to happen. And, although I know we're only 6 chapters in, I can't see why it was necessary. I enjoyed their care for him as a baby, and that's another time the story jumped the shark. Even if that is what happened on Angel, this story is an attempt to right the writers wrongs I believe, its taking it's own path, but this one was a mis-turn. Since you haven’t read Destinies, I’ll just leave the “jumping the shark” issue alone for now. However, I do suggest before you pass judgment on my choices as an author for certain plot points, you wait until the entire plot is laid out before you. What I think should happen: Just for the record, this is my story. You want to write one of your own, go ahead. I won’t criticize you for it. But as you continue to read my responses, just remember. This. Is. My. Story. What you want, like, think or believe should happen is immaterial. This isn’t your story. It’s mine. I think this book needs to address the money issue more. It was a big part of Buffy Season 6, and I think it was glossed over in Book 2. Sure, Spike's kind of working, and making some money from poker, but there's like 839530 people living in that house, and more on the way. Dawn will be going off to college (if she doesn't die) in a couple years, and now Aged!Connor, well whatever. I repeat and reiterate: The money issue was addressed first in Origins, when Spike was supporting the house with money from poker winnings, and hand-outs from Giles. It was further addressed in Revelations (which you must have missed, because it was pretty clearly stated) wherein Giles approached the Council and received a pay-off of the mortgage and a stipend for the household expenses (like utilities) and nothing more. At the current moment, there are only five people living in the house. Spike, Buffy, Dawn, Connor and Tara, who is about to move out. Where is Tara working again? Are she and Oz contributing to the household bills (you may have addressed this, and I might have glossed over). Oz is not living at Revello Drive. He’s a frequent visitor and he always contributes when he’s there, but he is not living there. I responded to your earlier question on the same subject of Tara above. Go back and read it again. I don't know. Clearly, I’ve gotten that message. Also, I can't seem to remember if you finished addressing who was spying on them. I know they found the cameras and other devices. Spoiler. I’m not answering this because it will be addressed further in this book. I think I'll sto now because this is taking forever. Always a good idea when you’ve lost the gist of what you were trying to say.

Awe, the first part had me smiling. Tara and Oz were so cute :) Seems as if all will turn out well for them.
Mmm Riley doesn't give up easy, still digging for information Buffy won't give (would be too dangerous anyway the way he is reacting now).
Good when the soldiers didn't notice that they were followed; the more they underestimate the Scoobies (for a lack of the better word for the group) the better :) ~ Loved it.

Can't take the Darla and Angel out of the boy - doesn't matter where he came from, of course, just what he does.

Yeah, Dawn, we wonder that, too, LOL.

Ah, Riley, you know better. Be a grown-up, already.

Can't wait for the great git to leave!!!

Great chapter...So don't like riley

I really like the whole Oz/Tara relationship, even if its only in the family sense, seeing as Tara still likes the girls. Wonder what Willow will do when she finds out that they not only got groiny, but produced offspring? Dark, veiny Willow, maybe? Or has she learned her lesson last time? As far as Riley, I wish Buffy would just shove her relationship with Spike all up in his face with a hardy har har "I finally got a real man" comment. I really hated Riley, even more so than Angel. Sad, really. Great chapter, I will stop rambling now. Can't wait for the next one!

Riley's so aggravating sometimes. Acts like Buffy's an invalid and can't make her own decisions. Can't wait for the next chapter!!!