A Simple Life Drabbles

[garnigal]

Cross-posted to open_on_sunday. A bunch of early series drabbles.

Simply Xander

Another night in a graveyard, ambling along behind Buffy. Part backup, but mostly target, Xander thinks about simpler days. Playing with Jesse and Willow, then getting too old for “playing” and just “hanging”. Hitting on girls and getting shot down. Living life the way normal teens lived life.

Going to a funeral every couple of weeks. Calling to make sure everyone got home safe and sound. Not knowing what was out there, but knowing that something was.

Maybe simpler wasn’t better after all.

A hairy fist comes out of nowhere and Xander hits the dirt.

Then again, maybe it was.

Just Buffy


Buffy yearned for a simpler life. No more struggles with her biology homework. No more struggles with vamps. Exchange broody, slightly over-protective, dead boyfriend for happy, fun, live-in-the-moment, alive boyfriend. Get along with her mom. Get to see her dad. Perfect body and perfect wardrobe, so no worries about what to wear.

The kind of life she had in L.A.

Then she remembered about reality. There was always homework. There was always danger. Live-in-the-moment boyfriends cheated on you. Mom was always working. Dad was always claiming to be working. And no matter what you wore, someone would cut you down.

A Difference of Opinion (Willow and Giles)

Life was hard.

Not school, school was easy. Just the rest of life was difficult. Making friends, coping with meanies, unrequited crushes, all the basic social stuff that being smart in no way prepared you for.

Surely magic could help simplify her life.
*************
Life was hard.

Danger lurked around every bend. If not vampires, demons. If not demons, humans. Manipulative superiors and power-mad old men tried to control his life. And that was just work. Throw love and personal issues in there and things just got worse.

That’s why he stayed away from magic. It only muddled things up.

Comments

[sandraregina.livejournal.com]

I like. Good illustration of the 'life is always greener' principle. I also like how Buffy and Xander both realize their desire for a simple life is a wish for something that doesn't and didn't exist...but Willow doesn't (Giles is the counterpoint instead of her own experience).
Hm.

[garnigal.livejournal.com]

I was watching some S3 on the weekend. Willow was definately innocent back then. The only consequences of her actions she experienced was when Cordy and Oz caught her and Xander, and even then, Oz forgave her.

I think that is one of the failings of the truly smart - they know how the world could and should work, and it surprises them that other people don't behave appropriately.

[whatawookie.livejournal.com]

I prefer to think of it as the "Everyone should have my opinion" phenomenon.

Not that I'm prone to that or anything.

[garnigal.livejournal.com]

Hee. It's also prevalent in university students, especially in first year.

[whatawookie.livejournal.com]

I think this format suits the Buffyverse very well. And, as always, you choose your language to suit the characters.

However... just to be picky... was Giles not at one point a heavy magic user? Would that change the last sentence at all?

[garnigal.livejournal.com]

I like the 100 word length - short enough I can do it at work without feeling too guilty (of course, I did all of your suggested edits to that chapter of Death at work, so guilt isn't really an issue for me).

I was trying to contrast Willow's innocence and lack of experience with Giles's knowledge and wisdom, based on the fact that magic had fubar'ed his life quite well in the past. I'll tweak that so it's more clear.

Thanks!

[whatawookie.livejournal.com]

The contrast is clear, but the way it came out made it sound more like Giles had "never touched the stuff" and in fact, he was something of a heavy abuser at one point, nyet?

[garnigal.livejournal.com]

Da. I'll have to fit in a "avoid magic since the bad old days" somewhere.

And yes, I know 'da' is German for yes, not Russian, but I don't know any Russian except for nyet and dasvedania (which I can't spell).

[spiralleds.livejournal.com]

I like the flip side of the coin with Giles and Willow. Captures their realities and highlights just why they butted heads about it so often and hints at why Giles never actively connected Willow with a mentor for her magic.

[garnigal.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I never really noticed until writing this drabble, but Giles lost a lot because of magic - his innocence and his freedom, his friends, time with Miss Calendar. Giles always saw the consequences of magic.

I don't think Willow got that until it was too late.