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halfamoonTitle: Slayers: A Shared Destiny
Author:veronyxk84
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Characters: Sineya, Chinese Slayer, Nikki Wood, Buffy Summers, Kendra Young, Faith Lehane
Content: Meta (1,080 words)
Written for:halfamoon
Theme: Day 9: Aging
“The younger, the better.”
These words were uttered by Kennedy in episode 7x11 “Showtime” when she was still a Potential Slayer.
Before her, a long line of young women, the “Chosen Ones,” shared the same mission and the same fate: carrying the weight of the world at the cost of their own young lives.
Age has, in fact, always been a key factor in the mystical power that perpetuated the calling of the Slayer through centuries and millennia. And also in their untimely death.
In fact, there’s one thing that, as far as we can tell, all the Slayers have in common: called young, died young. Aging, as a matter of fact, doesn’t seem to be in the cards for the Chosen Ones. Or at least it wasn’t, until one girl came along and changed the rules…
Through the TV show (S1-7), we only meet a handful of Slayers. Many more Slayers, both past and present/future, are introduced in the comic series (S8-S12) but because my knowledge of the comics is limited, I will dedicate this piece to the Slayers we met on the show, who are also part of the original succession line.
Sineya, the First Slayer.
She was “created” in a prehistoric primordial era by a group of mages, the “Shadowmen,” who imbued her with the essence of a demon—against her will. The first of many to be chosen by having her own choice taken away; now, that’s the topic of a different discussion that doesn’t fit the “aging” theme, but it was worth pointing out.
It is not clear how old (or rather, how young) she was when she was “chosen” or when she died; but with her death, her powers were passed on to another young girl and the original Slayer line was born. This line ended in 2003 with the simultaneous activation of all Potential Slayers.
Chinese Slayer.
It was the year 1900 when a young Chinese Slayer faced the vampire Spike in what would be her last fight. Once again we don’t know how young this girl was, but the flashbacks showed a skilled warrior, probably in her late teens, who lost her life in the line of duty.
Like the many, countless young girls that came before her.
Nikki Wood.
A few decades later (1977) a Slayer based in New York also crossed paths with Spike, facing him on at least two occasions before meeting her end. Nikki was probably one of the “oldest” Slayers and she also had a son, Robin, who was four years old when she died.
We know she was called at the age of fifteen (same as Buffy), that at eighteen she was forced by the Council to pass the Cruciamentum despite her pregnant state, and that she died at twenty-two. So she was probably one of the few Slayers to ever live past twenty. There might have been more before (or after) her, but we have no official info.
Buffy Summers.
Buffy was fifteen and living in L.A. when she was called and became the Slayer. I know that the 1992 movie is considered to be canon-ish, but I watched it only once at least a decade ago so I don’t remember much. In 1997 she moved to Sunnydale with her mother Joyce and she was the resident Slayer and guardian of the Hellmouth until 2003 when Sunnydale was destroyed. In the vast Buffyverse she is considered to be still alive and thus the oldest Slayer to have ever lived (along with Faith, who’s also still alive).
We should not forget, however, that she died temporarily at sixteen (she was revived via CPR) and that her death caused the activation of another Slayer. She then died a second time at the age of twenty, and stayed dead for 147 days before Willow performed a successful resurrection spell. She also flatlined briefly the following year when she was shot by a deranged Warren.
So, technically, even if she’s one of the oldest living Slayers, she faced the same fate as most of her ancestors, dying at a very young age. But unlike them, she was brought back multiple times.
Kendra Young.
She was activated by Buffy’s first death. It’s not clear how young she was, but just like many of the others she was probably around fifteen or sixteen. She was identified as a Potential Slayer when she was a kid and her parents “gave” her to her Watcher so that she could be prepared to face her mission. She spent her whole life training, living a strict and secluded life. She was killed in Sunnydale by the vampire Drusilla, about a year after being called. So she was probably sixteen or seventeen.
Faith Lehane.
She was activated by Kendra’s death and the last Slayer to be called by the original succession line. Once again there’s no official info about her age, but she was presumably as young as the others when she was called. During her stay in Sunnydale, she succumbed to the dark side, siding with Mayor Wilkins. Eventually she faced Buffy and after suffering a major blade wound, she ended up in a coma. Upon waking up, she tried to take revenge on Buffy, but then ran away again and wound up in L.A. and then in jail, where she was doing time for murder two. She broke out of jail when her former Watcher asked for her help, and then wound up in Sunnydale to fight with Buffy against the First Evil in the epic battle that destroyed Sunnydale.
Like Buffy, she is considered to be still alive in the Buffyverse and like her she’s another one of the oldest Slayers to have ever lived.
With the mass activation of all the Potential Slayers in 2003, the rules of succession in the Slayer line have changed drastically, but a young age upon calling seems to be still a key element.
With such a great number of active Slayers (reportedly around 1,800) and the chance to “work” in teams, it’s hard to predict what will happen in their future. Maybe there will be more of them who make it past twenty, or even past thirty. Maybe some of them will even manage to have a family.
Maybe we’re already looking at a future where “called young, died young” is no longer the rule and where most of them will sport wrinkles around their eyes along with battle scars on their bodies.
Author:
veronyxk84 Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Characters: Sineya, Chinese Slayer, Nikki Wood, Buffy Summers, Kendra Young, Faith Lehane
Content: Meta (1,080 words)
Written for:
halfamoon Theme: Day 9: Aging
“The younger, the better.”
These words were uttered by Kennedy in episode 7x11 “Showtime” when she was still a Potential Slayer.
Before her, a long line of young women, the “Chosen Ones,” shared the same mission and the same fate: carrying the weight of the world at the cost of their own young lives.
Age has, in fact, always been a key factor in the mystical power that perpetuated the calling of the Slayer through centuries and millennia. And also in their untimely death.
In fact, there’s one thing that, as far as we can tell, all the Slayers have in common: called young, died young. Aging, as a matter of fact, doesn’t seem to be in the cards for the Chosen Ones. Or at least it wasn’t, until one girl came along and changed the rules…
Through the TV show (S1-7), we only meet a handful of Slayers. Many more Slayers, both past and present/future, are introduced in the comic series (S8-S12) but because my knowledge of the comics is limited, I will dedicate this piece to the Slayers we met on the show, who are also part of the original succession line.
Sineya, the First Slayer.
She was “created” in a prehistoric primordial era by a group of mages, the “Shadowmen,” who imbued her with the essence of a demon—against her will. The first of many to be chosen by having her own choice taken away; now, that’s the topic of a different discussion that doesn’t fit the “aging” theme, but it was worth pointing out.
It is not clear how old (or rather, how young) she was when she was “chosen” or when she died; but with her death, her powers were passed on to another young girl and the original Slayer line was born. This line ended in 2003 with the simultaneous activation of all Potential Slayers.
Chinese Slayer.
It was the year 1900 when a young Chinese Slayer faced the vampire Spike in what would be her last fight. Once again we don’t know how young this girl was, but the flashbacks showed a skilled warrior, probably in her late teens, who lost her life in the line of duty.
Like the many, countless young girls that came before her.
Nikki Wood.
A few decades later (1977) a Slayer based in New York also crossed paths with Spike, facing him on at least two occasions before meeting her end. Nikki was probably one of the “oldest” Slayers and she also had a son, Robin, who was four years old when she died.
We know she was called at the age of fifteen (same as Buffy), that at eighteen she was forced by the Council to pass the Cruciamentum despite her pregnant state, and that she died at twenty-two. So she was probably one of the few Slayers to ever live past twenty. There might have been more before (or after) her, but we have no official info.
Buffy Summers.
Buffy was fifteen and living in L.A. when she was called and became the Slayer. I know that the 1992 movie is considered to be canon-ish, but I watched it only once at least a decade ago so I don’t remember much. In 1997 she moved to Sunnydale with her mother Joyce and she was the resident Slayer and guardian of the Hellmouth until 2003 when Sunnydale was destroyed. In the vast Buffyverse she is considered to be still alive and thus the oldest Slayer to have ever lived (along with Faith, who’s also still alive).
We should not forget, however, that she died temporarily at sixteen (she was revived via CPR) and that her death caused the activation of another Slayer. She then died a second time at the age of twenty, and stayed dead for 147 days before Willow performed a successful resurrection spell. She also flatlined briefly the following year when she was shot by a deranged Warren.
So, technically, even if she’s one of the oldest living Slayers, she faced the same fate as most of her ancestors, dying at a very young age. But unlike them, she was brought back multiple times.
Kendra Young.
She was activated by Buffy’s first death. It’s not clear how young she was, but just like many of the others she was probably around fifteen or sixteen. She was identified as a Potential Slayer when she was a kid and her parents “gave” her to her Watcher so that she could be prepared to face her mission. She spent her whole life training, living a strict and secluded life. She was killed in Sunnydale by the vampire Drusilla, about a year after being called. So she was probably sixteen or seventeen.
Faith Lehane.
She was activated by Kendra’s death and the last Slayer to be called by the original succession line. Once again there’s no official info about her age, but she was presumably as young as the others when she was called. During her stay in Sunnydale, she succumbed to the dark side, siding with Mayor Wilkins. Eventually she faced Buffy and after suffering a major blade wound, she ended up in a coma. Upon waking up, she tried to take revenge on Buffy, but then ran away again and wound up in L.A. and then in jail, where she was doing time for murder two. She broke out of jail when her former Watcher asked for her help, and then wound up in Sunnydale to fight with Buffy against the First Evil in the epic battle that destroyed Sunnydale.
Like Buffy, she is considered to be still alive in the Buffyverse and like her she’s another one of the oldest Slayers to have ever lived.
With the mass activation of all the Potential Slayers in 2003, the rules of succession in the Slayer line have changed drastically, but a young age upon calling seems to be still a key element.
With such a great number of active Slayers (reportedly around 1,800) and the chance to “work” in teams, it’s hard to predict what will happen in their future. Maybe there will be more of them who make it past twenty, or even past thirty. Maybe some of them will even manage to have a family.
Maybe we’re already looking at a future where “called young, died young” is no longer the rule and where most of them will sport wrinkles around their eyes along with battle scars on their bodies.
no subject
Date: 2024-02-13 12:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-02-14 08:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-02-13 05:32 pm (UTC)Thank you for sharing this with us!
no subject
Date: 2024-02-14 08:21 pm (UTC)My pleasure, I wish I had prepared something before hand but days flew by and I completely forgot until it was already February.
Maybe next year I'll set a memo! 😝
no subject
Date: 2024-02-15 12:23 am (UTC)One thing I WOULD like to mention, very lightly, is that Faith breaking out of jail here had A LOT more to do with it being Angel who needed her help, than it being Wesley who asked for it. She felt like Angel took a chance on her when nobody else, including B, would. J/s. :) I love my Spike, but when it comes to Slayers, Faith's my girl!
no subject
Date: 2024-02-17 05:28 pm (UTC)Haha, thank you for the clarification. I watched AtS in its entirety only once (twice just for S5) so my memories tend to be quite foggy.
Actually, I rewatched the few episodes of S4 with Faith about a year ago because I needed to refresh them for reference for a fic, but when I wrote this I honestly didn't remember what Faith and Wes talked about, at least not in detail. 😅 I'll probably cross post this somewhere else at some point, so I'll make sure to get that part right. I already edited my Drive file. 😊
no subject
Date: 2024-07-24 01:58 am (UTC)Honestly, the Angel series started leaving me cold very shortly after they introduced Fred. She never quite set well with me, and the more they moved away from Cordy -- and away from the Angel/Cordelia romance -- the less reasons I could find to really invest in the show. I loved Lorne, though, and he kept me turning in for a long time... up until they ended Cordelia's character arc.
no subject
Date: 2024-07-24 06:39 am (UTC)My only reason to watch AtS that one time was that it was in the same universe as BtVS. My deep-rooted dislike for Angel never made me want to rewatch, so my knowledge of the show is what it is, and I'm aware. 😄
no subject
Date: 2024-07-25 02:00 am (UTC)