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Hooray for Bollywood...and new Living History...
I live right behind a convenience store owned by a nice Hindi couple...a pair of newlyweds who are very clearly mass consumers of Bollywood movies.
They're both unbelievably cute. I can't even count the number of times I've walked into the store and the two of them are behind the counter singing to each other in Hindi. Even better, they both have really good voices.
Sometimes I go in, and one of them is in the back room. While one works the cash register he or she sings, only to get an answering song from wherever the spouse is hiding.
Maaaan, it's enough to make my atrophied sense of romanticism swell. She's got a cute little gold stud in her nose and she's got henna designs on her arms which you can see because she's always wearing short-sleeved shirts.
So while they work around the store in jeans and t-shirts, you hear this music that's utterly foreign to western ears but gets you *right there* just the same. Thing is, I'm pretty sure if I heard these same songs on my TV screen, I'd be switching the channel (visions of Xander-Buffy-Willow puzzling over a Bollywood film). But maybe because it's live...or maybe because their voices are so lovely it just makes you stop and wonder: "How the hell do I find someone like that?"
Today I walk into the store for my cup of coffee (Sign on the door: "We are open for Momiril Day") and they are all smiles. Next month is their eight-month anniversary. The husband shows me this necklace his wife gave him as a gift for his wedding. It looks something like an "Om" symbol, but not quite. It's encrusted with these delicate little diamonds. While the wife looks on a giggles cutely (have I mentioned they're cute?) I ask what it means.
He tries to explain that its a symbol for some goddess or another. (I'm ashamed to admit: I have a pretty good handle on most western pantheons but am woefully ignorant of the Hindu one. I know individual names, but not much beyond that). He even flipped out his wallet to show me pictures of some of the gods.
Somewhere in the middle of this, while I looked at the pictures, it may have occured to him that he might be insulting my religious beliefs. So he quickly says, "Oh, but I know it's all one god."
I give him a big smile, tell him I'm Unitarian, and no sweat. The concept of many gods is not exactly one I run screaming from.
Husband and wife give me huge smiles, and then point out the altar behind the counter festooned with unlit candles and flowers around a picture of the Hindu trinity (it's Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva...I think).
I'm flattered they did.
Have I mentioned they are very cute?
Anyway, it's lovely living right next to my own Bollywood movie set, even if no one is filming it.
And it's giving me a really short bunny (down girl, down!) involving Xander, Buffy, and Willow in a convenience store. Dear god...I've even got a title...
Unh, right...Living History. And for those of you who called death by water? You weren't wrong.
Buffy stumbled backwards, more from exhaustion than any landed blow, and nearly tripped over a water spigot.
How many hours have they been fighting? Truthfully, it felt less like hours and more like days.
A dirt creature charged her and she managed to reach out and use its own momentum against it, sending it spinning away to the periphery of the brawl.
They were losing. The dirt monsters were managing to edge ever closer to the crypt despite everyone’s best efforts.
Once upon a time, Buffy knew she would’ve blamed the loss of ground on the fact that the Slayers knew they were no longer fighting for their lives and would’ve been mentally, if not verbally, accusing them of holding back because of it.
But the muscle ache, painful bruises, and the desperate need to stop just for one second was a truth she couldn’t escape. They were losing ground simply because everyone was stretched to the physical breaking point. Slayers were starting to be kidnapped and thrown over the fence. To give the other girls a lot of credit, they would invariably return, limping back into the fray to continue fighting.
Even Andrea was back in the thick of things, although Buffy suspected it was more of a case of peer pressure than anything else.
Plus, and this was the hard part to admit, she highly doubted the other girls were fighting just because of her sterling example. More likely they kept battling because, like her, they were afraid of what would happen if their friends walked into the middle of this mess with grail in hand.
She wearily ducked as a dirt monster took a wild swing at her head, nearly tripping as she did so. Her hand caught on the handle of the spigot, causing the water to explosively gush out of the tap.
Dirt monster rumbled away and focused on another nearby Slayer.
Buffy would’ve given chase, but her mouth was bone dry and she needed drink. She reached over to splash some of the flowing water to her face when she noticed it.
Mud!
Thirst forgotten, her hand splashed into the rapidly expanding puddle. She grabbed a handful of mud and held it up to her disbelieving eyes before closing her hand into a fist.
Mud! Mud! Mud! Mud! I am sooooo mentally challenged!
She glanced around and noticed that all feints in her general direction had ceased.
“YES!” she shouted. It was a beautiful moment, as if the heavens had opened up, put her in the spotlight, and choirs of angels were singing the Halleluiah chorus.
For the sheer hell of it, she ducked under the gushing water, laughing like she really had lost all her marbles. Hair sopping, she charged into a knot of three dirt creatures, and gave her head a good, hard shake.
Watching them practically trip all over themselves to get away from the droplets looked a hell of a lot like victory.
Ohhhhh, but it’s not enough. It’s not nearly enough, Buffy thought as she scanned the battle. Hope must’ve been helping her eyesight, because she spotted Kennedy fighting back-to-back with Tammi. Perfect!
Buffy whipped off her wet coat, waving it over her head with a very Xena-like battle cry, and charged at Kennedy and Tammi. The two Slayers looked up at the sound and the expression on both Kennedy’s and Tammi’s faces were clear: Buffy’s gone bonkers.
Buffy skidded to a stop, breathlessly laughing as the dirt monsters backed away from her super-secret, extra-special weapon in the form of a wet head and a wet coat. “Water!” she shouted at the other two Slayers.
“Hunh?” Kennedy asked.
“Water! They’re afraid of water!” Buffy shouted, barely able to contain her glee. She cracked it and cracked it but good. These dirt things were going down.
“Ken, she’s right,” Tammi said with wonder as she scanned the immediate area. “Look!”
“Well I’ll be damned,” Kennedy agreed as she noticed that the dirt creatures had backed off, giving the three gathered Slayers breathing room.
“You scouted earlier, right?” Buffy asked. Without waiting for an answer, she ploughed ahead, words tumbling quickly from her mouth. “Did you spot someplace where they’d keep tools and stuff? Like hoses?”
“There’s a groundskeepers shed.” Kennedy’s mouth was beginning to stretch into a grin. “I betchya there’s hoses there. Maybe some power sprayers to boot.”
“Go get ’em,” Buffy ordered. “Feel free to engage in destruction of property.”
“What about you?” Tammi asked.
“I don’t know where it is, so I’ll let you get what we need. Grab anything you think will help. Hoses. Buckets. Anything that can throw water at these things,” Buffy said as she watched the dirt creatures begin edging back into fighting range. “Me? I’m going to spread the word. Let’s herd these yo-yos around the spigots so we’ll have ’em in position when you come back.”
“Calvary go!” Tammi whooped as she charged away from the fight at a dead run.
“Kids today,” Kennedy grumbled good-naturedly as she followed in Tammi’s wake.
Buffy bounced on the balls of her feet; grin splitting her face as she watched them go. Just as one dirt monster got within reach, Buffy turned that evil smile on her opponent.
“Oooooh, you are sooooo toasted,” she cheerfully announced.
Then she thwapped it over its thick, rock-like head with her wet coat.
TBC...here
They're both unbelievably cute. I can't even count the number of times I've walked into the store and the two of them are behind the counter singing to each other in Hindi. Even better, they both have really good voices.
Sometimes I go in, and one of them is in the back room. While one works the cash register he or she sings, only to get an answering song from wherever the spouse is hiding.
Maaaan, it's enough to make my atrophied sense of romanticism swell. She's got a cute little gold stud in her nose and she's got henna designs on her arms which you can see because she's always wearing short-sleeved shirts.
So while they work around the store in jeans and t-shirts, you hear this music that's utterly foreign to western ears but gets you *right there* just the same. Thing is, I'm pretty sure if I heard these same songs on my TV screen, I'd be switching the channel (visions of Xander-Buffy-Willow puzzling over a Bollywood film). But maybe because it's live...or maybe because their voices are so lovely it just makes you stop and wonder: "How the hell do I find someone like that?"
Today I walk into the store for my cup of coffee (Sign on the door: "We are open for Momiril Day") and they are all smiles. Next month is their eight-month anniversary. The husband shows me this necklace his wife gave him as a gift for his wedding. It looks something like an "Om" symbol, but not quite. It's encrusted with these delicate little diamonds. While the wife looks on a giggles cutely (have I mentioned they're cute?) I ask what it means.
He tries to explain that its a symbol for some goddess or another. (I'm ashamed to admit: I have a pretty good handle on most western pantheons but am woefully ignorant of the Hindu one. I know individual names, but not much beyond that). He even flipped out his wallet to show me pictures of some of the gods.
Somewhere in the middle of this, while I looked at the pictures, it may have occured to him that he might be insulting my religious beliefs. So he quickly says, "Oh, but I know it's all one god."
I give him a big smile, tell him I'm Unitarian, and no sweat. The concept of many gods is not exactly one I run screaming from.
Husband and wife give me huge smiles, and then point out the altar behind the counter festooned with unlit candles and flowers around a picture of the Hindu trinity (it's Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva...I think).
I'm flattered they did.
Have I mentioned they are very cute?
Anyway, it's lovely living right next to my own Bollywood movie set, even if no one is filming it.
And it's giving me a really short bunny (down girl, down!) involving Xander, Buffy, and Willow in a convenience store. Dear god...I've even got a title...
Unh, right...Living History. And for those of you who called death by water? You weren't wrong.
Up to part 54 can be found here
Continued from here
Buffy stumbled backwards, more from exhaustion than any landed blow, and nearly tripped over a water spigot.
How many hours have they been fighting? Truthfully, it felt less like hours and more like days.
A dirt creature charged her and she managed to reach out and use its own momentum against it, sending it spinning away to the periphery of the brawl.
They were losing. The dirt monsters were managing to edge ever closer to the crypt despite everyone’s best efforts.
Once upon a time, Buffy knew she would’ve blamed the loss of ground on the fact that the Slayers knew they were no longer fighting for their lives and would’ve been mentally, if not verbally, accusing them of holding back because of it.
But the muscle ache, painful bruises, and the desperate need to stop just for one second was a truth she couldn’t escape. They were losing ground simply because everyone was stretched to the physical breaking point. Slayers were starting to be kidnapped and thrown over the fence. To give the other girls a lot of credit, they would invariably return, limping back into the fray to continue fighting.
Even Andrea was back in the thick of things, although Buffy suspected it was more of a case of peer pressure than anything else.
Plus, and this was the hard part to admit, she highly doubted the other girls were fighting just because of her sterling example. More likely they kept battling because, like her, they were afraid of what would happen if their friends walked into the middle of this mess with grail in hand.
She wearily ducked as a dirt monster took a wild swing at her head, nearly tripping as she did so. Her hand caught on the handle of the spigot, causing the water to explosively gush out of the tap.
Dirt monster rumbled away and focused on another nearby Slayer.
Buffy would’ve given chase, but her mouth was bone dry and she needed drink. She reached over to splash some of the flowing water to her face when she noticed it.
Mud!
Thirst forgotten, her hand splashed into the rapidly expanding puddle. She grabbed a handful of mud and held it up to her disbelieving eyes before closing her hand into a fist.
Mud! Mud! Mud! Mud! I am sooooo mentally challenged!
She glanced around and noticed that all feints in her general direction had ceased.
“YES!” she shouted. It was a beautiful moment, as if the heavens had opened up, put her in the spotlight, and choirs of angels were singing the Halleluiah chorus.
For the sheer hell of it, she ducked under the gushing water, laughing like she really had lost all her marbles. Hair sopping, she charged into a knot of three dirt creatures, and gave her head a good, hard shake.
Watching them practically trip all over themselves to get away from the droplets looked a hell of a lot like victory.
Ohhhhh, but it’s not enough. It’s not nearly enough, Buffy thought as she scanned the battle. Hope must’ve been helping her eyesight, because she spotted Kennedy fighting back-to-back with Tammi. Perfect!
Buffy whipped off her wet coat, waving it over her head with a very Xena-like battle cry, and charged at Kennedy and Tammi. The two Slayers looked up at the sound and the expression on both Kennedy’s and Tammi’s faces were clear: Buffy’s gone bonkers.
Buffy skidded to a stop, breathlessly laughing as the dirt monsters backed away from her super-secret, extra-special weapon in the form of a wet head and a wet coat. “Water!” she shouted at the other two Slayers.
“Hunh?” Kennedy asked.
“Water! They’re afraid of water!” Buffy shouted, barely able to contain her glee. She cracked it and cracked it but good. These dirt things were going down.
“Ken, she’s right,” Tammi said with wonder as she scanned the immediate area. “Look!”
“Well I’ll be damned,” Kennedy agreed as she noticed that the dirt creatures had backed off, giving the three gathered Slayers breathing room.
“You scouted earlier, right?” Buffy asked. Without waiting for an answer, she ploughed ahead, words tumbling quickly from her mouth. “Did you spot someplace where they’d keep tools and stuff? Like hoses?”
“There’s a groundskeepers shed.” Kennedy’s mouth was beginning to stretch into a grin. “I betchya there’s hoses there. Maybe some power sprayers to boot.”
“Go get ’em,” Buffy ordered. “Feel free to engage in destruction of property.”
“What about you?” Tammi asked.
“I don’t know where it is, so I’ll let you get what we need. Grab anything you think will help. Hoses. Buckets. Anything that can throw water at these things,” Buffy said as she watched the dirt creatures begin edging back into fighting range. “Me? I’m going to spread the word. Let’s herd these yo-yos around the spigots so we’ll have ’em in position when you come back.”
“Calvary go!” Tammi whooped as she charged away from the fight at a dead run.
“Kids today,” Kennedy grumbled good-naturedly as she followed in Tammi’s wake.
Buffy bounced on the balls of her feet; grin splitting her face as she watched them go. Just as one dirt monster got within reach, Buffy turned that evil smile on her opponent.
“Oooooh, you are sooooo toasted,” she cheerfully announced.
Then she thwapped it over its thick, rock-like head with her wet coat.
TBC...here
no subject
*does the dance of happiness*
And using her wet coat as a weapon? So Buffy. So, so Buffy.
Incidentally, thanks for the kind words on Passing On.
no subject
no subject
(Anonymous) 2004-05-29 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)And it's giving me a really short bunny (down girl, down!) involving Xander, Buffy, and Willow in a convenience store. Dear god...I've even got a title..."
Go, Bunny, Go!! Let's see whatcha got!
OK so you're saying that water destroys the mystical forces holding the sand together? ..... Neat! Does that mean that the snake has an allergy to walnuts?
no subject
(Anonymous) 2004-05-29 05:28 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
Haven't provided you with very good feedback on Living History, but trust me, I'm loving it.
no subject
Thank you for "shimmering sad" -- how lovely!
(I so need a week at a b&b to catch up on LH!
Making Me A Believer
(Anonymous) 2004-05-29 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)At the end of the season when she proclaimed that her friends could never understand her and the burden she bears, I actually hated her. Although she is right that the Scoobs can never know what it's like to be the (one and only) Slayer, to say so as openly and blatantly as she did suggests to me that she considers all the sacrifices Giles, Willow, Xander, Dawn, Joyce, and everyone else has made on her behalf to be totally inconsequential. That pissed me off.
But I digress.
This post was to let you know how much I enjoy your Buffy in this story. To do that I needed to let you know where I started. Was I disappointed and bitter about Season 7? The answer is HELL YES! And frankly, I don't see how any long-term fan of the show couldn't be at least a little bitter and disappointed with Buffy's swan song. Truth be told, I'm glad Buffy is over if Season 7 was the best finish ME had. Now that they're done it gives wonderful fanfic writers like yourself and many others an opportunity to grow these characters we all love, to make them your own. And your Buffy is truly a wonder to behold.
Thank you for injecting some of the fun, the hope, the life back into that blonde ex-cheerleader who has to protect her friends and save the world. Thank you for continuing to grow the character; for making her realize she may have made some mistakes, learning and growing from them, and trying her best to put things right. Thank you for reminding me that Buffy can feel joy and elation. Thank you for making Buffy care about others and for making me care about Buffy.
In short, the highest praise I can offer is a simple thank you.
Thank you for making me believe in Buffy as a Hero again.
-Justin
no subject