[Buffy: a Few Good Slayers Tagline: I learned more from my students than I have from my teachers. Note: This screenplay was written by Shlomi Fish, and is original artwork.] [Abstract: after Faith turns out to have been a benevolent slayer after all, and prevented the Mayor’s ascension in the last minute, She joins forces with Buffy and the Scooby Gang, as an equal co-slayer. In September 2014 when the story begins, there are male and female slayers, witches, and watchers, and Sunnydale was transformed into the Mecca of the demon-fighting world with the Scooby Gang now teaching many classes of demon fighters. They are also almost all happily married and have young children. The future looks bright for the demon fighting world as Rebecca “Becky” Shepherd, a slayer wannabe in the 10th grade, as well as Chankey Rajeesh (an Englishman of Indian descent, with photographic memory, who wishes to become a watcher) and Cliff Farrel (an all-American, extremely athletic, warlock/witch-wannabe) become a team, and start studying. ] [This text is Copyright by Shlomi Fish, 2014 and is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial Share-Alike 3.0 Unported Licence (CC-by-nc-sa) (or at your option - any later version).] [Text on the screen: Sunnydale High School Orientation Day ; Sunnydale ; California First few chords of Miley Cyrus’ “Party In The U.S.A”. Rebecca “Becky” Shepherd is shown walking in the high school lobby listening to the song playing from her smartphone that is tucked on her belt. She is wearing a My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic shirt, and has a name tag that reads "Rebecca Shepherd (Slayer)". ] Cliff: Yo, Brony girl, stop! Becky: Hey, sorry for not paying attention [she pauses the music]. What’s up? Cliff: Chankey here [points at Chankey] and I are looking for a slayer to complete our team. You don’t seem exactly like slayer-material, but since all the other slayers we talked with were taken, I guess we should settle on you. [Becky smiles.] Becky: Sure, I’d love to be team with you. Let’s register. [She uses her smartphone to register.] Becky: OK, done. Chankey: [in an English accent] Smashing! Becky: Chankey, is it? Are you British? Chankey: Yes, Ms. Shepherd. Becky: “Becky” please. Chankey: Yes, well, I am of Indian descent and carry an Indian name. I have photographic memory, and did extremely well in my studies. I was supposed to start studying in Harrow School (the notorious public school, or what you Americans will call a “private school”) because I had many friends there, but then became aware of some demonic activity in Greater London, and was indoctrinated as a watcher-wannabe here. +++: I don’t have any friends here. Becky: [Grabbing his hand.] I’m sure you’ll make some. Chankey: Yes. Most of my friends who have been kept out of the demonic underworld loop thought I was crazy for going to "Sunnydale High School" rather than to Harrow, which is the second most prestigious school in Britain. Cliff: Heh, well, my friends accept the fact that I'm getting weirder, but more amusing in the process. I wish I could completely stop speaking in riddles, but I cannot copy my mind into the outside world, and there are stupid trolls on online forums and subforums. Chankey: Heh, my thoughts exactly. +++: Anyway, Becky, what about you? What’s your story? Becky: Well, I grew up and lived in Charlotte, North Carolina (great town!). My mother’s Jewish and I’m kind of a spoiled Jewish American Princess. Cliff: Heh, like Princess Vespa in Spaceballs? Becky: Oh, I love this film, and I love the way she undergoes a Catharsis. +++: Anyway, school was pretty easy for me, and I already finished high school Math and expected to start studying Mathematics in a local university next year, when a friend of mine and I ran into a vampire while walking in downtown Charlotte. He was downright scary, but I tried to be as calm as possible and ran with my friend into a large diner, where I explained everything. Luckily for us there were a male slayer and his female watcher there - a couple. +++: They took care of the vampire, and after that when we got talking, they told me that they thought I had a great potential to become a slayer, and I ended up here. Chankey: Smashing! Cliff: OK, OK, God works in mysterious ways - making a brony girl / Miley Cyrus aficionado into a slayer [cut to Becky, she is smiling and saying “heh”] and making me, who has practised Martial Arts for years, and is incredibly athletic (“Buff-y-ed”, heh!) into a freaking warlock. +++: Anyway, my name is Cliff Farrel, I’m from coastal Florida, and I got introduced to casting spells by a few local sorcerers and witches. I was good at it, and they told me I should enrol here and I did. So now I’m getting to be bossed around by Miss “I’m a J.A.P. and I’m proud of it” Brony Girl here. Becky: Listen, for your information, I did some martial arts over in Israel, when I visited it this summer, and I was told I was pretty good at it, but more importantly - there’s more to being a good slayer than senselessly kicking vampires’ ass. [Giles is testing the microphone.] Giles: Mary had a little lamb, little lamb… OK, nice. +++: All 10th grade students pay attention here. This is Prof. Rupert Giles and I’m the principal of Sunnydale High School, which as you know specialises in training slayers, watchers and warlocks-slash-witches to help battle the world infestation of demons. +++: Let’s start with a brief history of this school: +++: Buffy Anne Summers and her mother moved to Sunnydale at 1997 and she quickly found herself fighting Demons again when being in the 10th grade. Buffy gathered a small group of friends, who helped her fighting demons called the Scooby Gang. +++: During the Scooby Gang’s senior year, a young (about the Scooby Gang’s members' ages) and insurgent slayer called Faith Lehane comes to Sunnydale, having been an orphan most of her life, and growing on the streets. At first, it seems that she has gone to “the dark side of the force” to quote Buffy, but she ends up preventing the mayor’s ascension in the last minute and saving the day. +++: Faith felt sorry for having had sex with Mr. Alexander “Xander” Harris as part of her "double agent" facade for saving Sunnydale, so she offers him to spend some days hanging out together as friends. Not only do they fall in love, but Xander is able to defeat her in martial arts fights. +++: With the encouragement of Buffy and Faith, he becomes more confident, and eventually makes history by becoming the world’s first known male slayer, paving the road to future male slayers. +++: The extended Scooby gang start studying in the local university in hope of becoming qualified teachers. +++: Meanwhile, Buffy and her long term friend and loved one, Angel are able to convince the Gypsies who restored his soul to use an even more powerful spell to convert him back into a human. Angel becomes a slayer as well, and he and Buffy get married and have children. +++: In a similar fashion, Willow Rosenberg, now Dr. Willow Rosenberg, Ph.D, is able to cure her boyfriend, Daniel “Oz” Osbourne, out of his werewolfness, he becomes a fellow warlock as well, and the two marry and have some children. Dr. Rosenberg and Dr. Osbourne are both among the most powerful known wizards in the world today, so you should stay on their good side. +++: Not that they abuse their magic. At least not often. +++: I myself have married Buffy’s mother, who isn’t a qualified demon fighter, but nevertheless extremely helpful and instrumental to the Scooby Gang. +++: In the meanwhile, Principal Snyder retired, passed the baton to me, and decided to run for mayor of Sunnydale. He ended up losing the election at first with a large margin, but didn’t give up and instead offered the newly elected mayor to help him as much as he could. Snyder proved to be extremely helpful and insightful, and in the second term, the previous Mayor didn’t run again, and instead supported Mr. Snyder as a candidate, who won it by a large margin. He is still Sunnydale’s mayor, and a good friend and supporter of the Scooby gang’s new role as educators and protectors of Sunnydale, and the world at large. +++: What all this shows, is like this fine lady [showing Princess Celestia on the screen and some laughter and enthusiastic claps from the audience] would say: the real magic is in friendship. +++: Fast forward to the present, Sunnydale High School has become the Mecca for training slayers, warlocks and witches, and watchers. We now have a lot of competition (and some very good one I might add), and it’s hard to stay on top, but we know better than to ever rest on our laurels. We accept students from all over the world, and it’s a big melting pot of cultures, ideas, and knowledge. +++: The so-called “Web 2.0” revolution did not skip the world of slaying, and there are now many blogs, wikis, microblogs, forums, chatrooms, and other online Internet resources about all that. While it’s really exciting, note, however that you should be extremely careful: one small mispronunciation on a spell can kill you or curse you for a long time, which would be much harder, if not damn right impossible, to revert. Always research your sources, and make sure that you are safe. +++: There’s a lot of pseudo-Mystical junk masquerading in today’s world, so don’t expect the worlds of Harry Potter, the Discworld, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, or even My Little Pony to be 100% accurate. As interesting, enlightening, and insightful they are, they must be taken with a huge grain of salt. +++: Thanks to the growing number of demon-fighters, the demon world has been kept largely at bay for years. However, we try to get ready for a big demonic calamity, if and when it will happen. Like the Scouts always say: “Be Prepared”. [Giles drinks some water from his glass.] Giles: You have been split into teams of three, which consist of a slayer, a watcher, and a warlock or witch. You should know what your responsibilities are. +++: You can pick up the necessary classes from three different times in your curriculum. We have midterm and final tests but no homework. [Cheers from the crowd] Once you finish your classes for the day, you are free to do as you please. +++: We are also not a vocational school and teach you the proper scholastic subjects. We are also always open to hear our students’ criticism or question. +++: I should also note that while we hope you learn a lot from us, then to paraphrase on what Rabbi Hanina said in the Talmud, we will learn much more from you. +++: Finally note that although you have a lot of responsibility, slaying is fun and rewarding, so make sure you enjoy it. Your Twelfth-grade mentors will come to guide you shortly. [Claps and cheers from the audience.] [The 12th grade mentors - Roger (Slayer), Abigail (Witch), and Ronnie (Watcher) arrive. ] Roger: what's up, losers? We’ll be your mentors for your first year here in Sunnydale High. I’m Roger and I’m a slayer. Abigail: I’m Abigail and I’m a witch. Ronnie: Ronnie, watcher. Becky: Nice to meet the three of you, I’m Becky, Slayer wannabe. [They all shake hands.] [Becky enters the new library of Sunnydale High School. It’s large. The song “Everytime We Touch” by Cascada is playing in the background and people are making other light noises. Becky approaches the librarian, Ms. Chu, who has Oriental looks.] Becky: Hi, I would have expected a library to be more quiet than that. Ms. Chu: Yes, but we realised that such sterility is not good for creativity or for one’s self-esteem. This song actually was a good catalyst for rethinking our strategy. +++: Anyway, my name is Diane Chu, and I’m the librarian here. I’m also a qualified watcher. Becky: Nice to meet you: I am Becky Shepherd. Ms. Chu: Nice to meet you. [They shake hands] I think your two team mates are over there. Becky: Why, thank you! I’m going to join them. Becky: Hi Chankey, Cliff. Chankey: Hello, Becky. You were right, I have made many friends. [Samantha, who is a good looking white girl, approaches Chankey.] Samantha: Oh, Chankey, there you are! I had a great time tonight. [She kisses him on the cheek.] We’ll schedule another date using instant messaging, K? See you! [She leaves.] Becky: Ooh... watch it, Mr. Watcher! [Cliff hits him with his fist.] Chankey: Heh, tell me about it. What is it about women and Indian men? Cliff: What is it about women and all exotic men? Or non-exotic ones! Girls here hit on me like crazy, and I’ve had lots of dates. Becky: Men do that too, by the way. Like… in Israel, lots of men asked my female friends and I — where some of them were kinda big, not athletic looking and not very beautiful — on dates, or hit on us in the typical Israeli “smooth” way. +++: That’s not all, but I talked with some female Jewish divorcees, and they told me that many religious married Jewish asked them if they are interested to have an affair with them. Cliff: What? Such an affair? How is this… Becky: Kosher? It is for married men based on the Jewish Law. Not for women though. Cliff: Heh, double standards. Becky: Well, that’s Judaism for you. +++: Anyway, Orthodox religious Jews are attracted to ethnic Jewesses (like me) like flies are attracted to a piece of meat, because we don’t have to observe for them to have Jewish children. I had many awesome dates with Yeshivah pupils. Cliff: That’s great, Brony girl. Chankey: Cliff, her name is “Becky”. Becky: That’s quite alright. I like being called “Brony girl”. It makes me feel special. +++: So, Cliff [she flicks her hair], what did you do this summer? Cliff: Oh, I spent this time in southern California, doing martial arts, witchcraft and hanging around with friends and celebrities. Becky: Celebrities? Really?!! Which ones? Cliff: You name it - I met Chuck Norris for example and fought against him. Becky: You met Chuck Norris? That’s so great! How’s he like? And who won? Cliff: Oh, he’s great! Keeps saying various aphorisms that I can never tell if they are from the Bible or not, but, ye know, he’s just being himself. +++: And he takes losing (like with me - I won two rounds out of three) amazingly well. Says that he can learn more from a lost fight than from a fight he’s won. Becky: Awesome! +++: Anyway, you probably know that Summer Glau pawns Chuck. She doesn’t have to hurt you if she doesn’t want to, while Norris kills everyone in sight. It also takes her a minute to write a rebuttal for a bad blog comment like in xkcd: “Venting”, and she would sign it as him. [ Chankey bursts out laughing. Cliff and Becky join him. ] Cliff: Well, I actually met her a few times, including in a fight tournament where she lost one of the first few rounds. She’s a good fighter, but not that good. Then she saw me fighting, and asked me if we can fight. Becky: Summer Glau asked you to fight her? Get out! I’m not worthy… I’m not worthy… I’m not worthy… [ Reference: Wayne's World ] +++: Cliff, you’re a freaking wizard! Cliff: I’m a freaking witch! Anyway, I won all three rounds and she told me it was a good fight. Becky: Of course, everyone knows that Buffy is better than Chuck [Buffy Facts]. He’s been secretly fighting against her, and so far has lost all of those battles. Cliff: Yeah, and her gaze can turn Medusa into stone! Chankey: Buffy Summers is not afraid of demons. Demons are afraid of her, and for a very good reason. Buffy’s voice: Buffy Summers is always there when people are spreading untrue hyperboles about her. Cliff: Oh, hello Ms. Summers. [Buffy approaches them from a different aisle in the library.] Buffy: Hello, kids. Cliff: By the way, what is your post-marriage name? Buffy: It’s “Summers”. Angel and I are both called that. He didn’t find his original family name usable in this day and age, so he adopted mine. His original name was very aristocratic, and he is actually a direct male descendent of Charlemagne. Becky: Ooh… so you are now Milady de Summers? Awesome! Buffy: Heh, well, it is Faith that has an unnatural obsession with Milady de Winter — not me. +++: In any case, for your information, I fought against Chuck Norris several times and lost all the battles. In fact, that was part of the catalyst that made us realise that slayers were only humans and that men can be equally as capable slayers as women. You will hopefully get a chance to meet and even fight against Mr. Norris sometime throughout the school year. Becky: I see. So, Ms. Summers, what are you doing here in the library? Buffy: I’m looking for a book I misplaced. Becky: About slaying? Buffy: No, about cooking. A cookbook from the late 60s with a nice spinach, Broccoli and cheese casserole. Becky: [Types a few things on the keyboard.] Ms. Summers, I was able to find a recipe for a casserole like that from that era. Buffy: Let me see. [Looks] Wow! Looks great. Becky, you've got a lot of potential as a slayer. Becky: Why, thank you! Cliff: Bleh! [He puts his head in his hands.] [Buffy, Faith, and Willow, are sitting at a restaurant outside, eating and chatting.] Willow: So, do you think I should get a dog? Buffy: Oh, my friend, Rachel, that software developer chick who moved here, told me that ever since she bought a dog, she made so many friends and lots of guys showed interest in her, and she’s been telling me about her exploits with them endlessly. Willow: So she has become a slut? So cool! Faith: Hey! “Slut” is such a 90s term. The new name for that is “polyamorous”! Buffy: Which just rolls off the tongue. +++: Heh, to be frank, I don’t think she, ahem… Faith: Reaches fourth base? Buffy: Exactly! With most of them. Willow: Maybe she still haven’t found the right man. You know, someone they’ll both be almost worthy of each other. Buffy: maybe! Willow: Oh, I know. One of my students in the university… he’s a brilliant software developer, and is really knowledgeable. I can tell him to contact this friend of yours. +++: Oh, oh! My cousin’s son: Noam. He just finished his Israeli military service, and wants to come to work here in Sunnydale. Buffy: So, like… Israeli… Jewish… Willow: Dark complexion… short black hair… and really good looking and intelligent. Faith: Yeah, Mama! OK, Buffy, I won’t forgive you if you don’t fix them on a date. Buffy: You won’t have to forgive me, because I’ll do it. +++: I’m so glad we’re not one of those married-plus couples that don’t know any single people. Faith: yeah! [A young man (Daniel) approaches the girls, and asks,] Daniel: Hello ladies, may I join you? Buffy: Well, we’re having a girls’ talk, but… sure! Let me introduce myself: I’m Buffy Summers - I’m a teacher at Sunnydale High School. Daniel: Wow! The vampire slayer? That’s so great! You’re in large part the reason I am here. I’m a big fan of yours. Of all of you. Faith: And who might you be? [She bursts out laughing.] Daniel: Oh sorry - I am Daniel, I’m new in town. Buffy: Daniel… what do you say about me fixing you with a date with a very nice young and single lady I know. Her name is Rachel. Daniel: Sure, that would be nice. [Cut to a large restaurant elsewhere in Sunnydale. A girl rushes and enters the restaurant. ] Girl: Help! Vampires! Four identical ones! We need a slayer. [Martha is a black slayer in her 20s and her friend Jake, who is white, and is a warlock.] Martha: We’ll handle it. [Rises up.] +++: Can you show us where they are? [ They walk.] Martha: Jake, make sure to bind them using magical ropes and then I’ll deal with them. [They approach the vampires and Jake casts the spell.] Martha: What the fuck? Daniel: You know, there’s this piece of information that I wish I could be made to forget, but cannot. Willow: Really, which one? Daniel: I saw a web news item the other day about Emma Watson having dropped her smartphone into her soup, and I don’t understand what the big deal is, but I cannot forget it. +++: And I really love her. Faith: Well, the thing is people think that since she could handle a wand in the Harry Potter films with 100% accuracy, then there’s no way she could be clumsy. But even us slayers can be clumsy sometimes. We’re only human. Willow: And… real-life witches like me never use a wand. Daniel: Heh, I understand now. [Sarcastically] Poor Emma, your smartphone got the soup treatment. Did it survive? How can you possibly sleep at night?!! [Buffy, Faith and Willow burst out laughing. The slayers’ phones plays the same song. They are alarmed. ] Faith: OK, sorry, Daniel, but we were called for an emergency. Daniel: Hey, can I also come? Buffy: I guess, but be careful, and stay close to us. +++: OK, let’s walk through this portal that Willow here created. [They walk.] [ Buffy, Faith, Willow, and Daniel arrive at the place. Martha, Jake, Becky, Cliff, Chankey, Xander, Oz, Giles, etc. are already there. ] Buffy: Hi all, so what seems to be the problem? +++: Becky, What are your team and you doing here? Becky: I’ve been monitoring the emergency feed using my smartphone, and I let my team know about it. Buffy: Good job. You have a lot of potential. Becky: Anyway, to business. [They observe 4 identical pseudo-vampire duplicates tied by magical chains.] Martha: 4 identical vampire thingies… this shit’s completely dope. Willow: I cannot sense a psyche in any of them. Faith: And they cannot be twins. Xander: Maybe they were clones… or Star-Trek like duplicates! Vampire Duplicate No. 1: We’re not duplicates… we are duplicates… we’re not. Other Vampire Duplicates: Yes, no. [Buffy sighs.] Buffy: OK, Xandoosh, can you perform a search to find where such a duplicator is present? Xander: Sure! Hey, Wil, can you use a spell for that? Willow: Ah…yes. [She casts a spell and controls her smartphone to show a location in the digital maps’ service.] +++: OK, it’s here in Sunnydale. [Oz casts a spell to open a portal to it.] Oz: Coast’s clear. Xander: OK, let’s go. [The Scooby Gang and company are in a dark room with a large silverish-coloured door-frame-like device in it with the letter "Q" at the top using space-styled-font. ] Buffy: Is this a duplicator? Xander: Let's see [he goes to the back] - there are instructions here: +++: “Medium-sized duplicator. Product of the Q Continuum. Place item to duplicate, press the green ‘Duplicate button’ and specify the quantity. Press and hold the red ‘Duplicate organisms’ button to also duplicate organisms. Share and enjoy!” Buffy: I see. Does anyone here have anything precious that we can try here? Willow: Yeah, I have my wedding ring. It’s a golden diamond ring that is a family heritage. I don’t usually wear it, but I keep it in my pouch. Here [she places the ring at the side of the duplicator.] [Buffy presses the green button and the duplicator says:] Duplicator: How many copies? Buffy: one hundred. [Nothing happens.] Xander: Buff, you forgot the magic word. Buffy: [sighs] Please! [100 rings identical to those of Willow appear in the other side.] Willow: wow! Faith: I’m sure Mr. T will be happy from this. Xander: Wow! That’s amazing. This thing is the best thing ever. We can use it to duplicate gold, or platinum or Iridium… or food! Buffy: Or vampires, or other demons, or nuclear weapons! Xander: All right, all right. We should hide it somewhere until we figure it out. I think I’ll give it to the people I know at the National Treasury, they can handle demons and other bad elements of society well enough. Becky: How are we going to carry it there. Xander: No problem here [he presses a button at the side while holding a side handle and the duplicator shrinks and Xander carries it]. Buffy: Excellent! Oz, please teleport Xander and yourself to the National Treasury and make sure this Q Continuum duplicator is going to be safe there. Get back here as soon as you two can. +++: In the meanwhile, we need to do some research and damage assessment. [The Scooby Gang (minus Xander and Oz), Becky, Cliff, Chankey, Martha, Daniel, are sitting at the library of Sunnydale High School.] Martha: So what you’re saying is that a vampire used this duplicator from the Q Continuum (like this Star Trek fiction shit) to create copies of himself, and because of his fucking vampire nature, they didn’t duplicate his freaking Psyche, and we got… them pseudo-Vampires? Buffy: Yes, Martha, that’s what we think happened. Martha: But this Star Trek’s shit ain’t real, right? Buffy: Not as far as we know, but most people probably think vampires and demons aren’t real either. [Xander and Oz enter through a portal.] Xander: Hey dudes and dudettes. We’re back - let's hope the duplicator is safe there. Buffy, Faith, Willow: Hi, Xand! Hi Oz! Becky: Listen, all of this reminds me of that guy from Freenode - Shlomi Fish… Other people: who? Becky: [more slowly] Shlomi Fish - he is an Israeli writer and software developer. He goes by the name of “Rindolf” on Freenode, because it’s easier for many non-Hebrew speakers to fathom. +++: Anyway, he really likes both Sarah the Vampire Slayer and “Star Trek: The Next Generation/Deep Space Nine” and created a world, which he calls the Selinaverse which crosses them both and where Star Trek is real to a large extent. He wrote some stories featuring them. Buffy: Very interesting, maybe we should investigate this. Xander — you handle it. Xander: Sure, Becky, we’ll interrogate this Shlomi-slash-Rindolf person in the cutting edge way of talking with him on IRC. Martha: Yes, this is some motherfuckin’ crazy-ass shit. +++: OK, sorry, please brief me about any developments - this is some scary shit, but I’ve got a morning shift’s tomorrow in my day job. Daniel: Which is? Martha: Oh! I’m a part-time secretary and receptionist for an architects’ office. Daniel: Do you also use such profane language there? Martha: Oh no, when I’m there I’m always [in a different tone] “Hello there, sir! Please let me know if you need anything. You’ll find entertainment there, and we can always chat a little while you are waiting.” and all this shit, but when I deal with vampires and these shitty pseudo-Vampires, I’m much more at my hood’s elements. Daniel: I see - are you single by any chance? Martha: Yes, Jake and I are just friends and a team, and I’ve only moved here a few weeks ago. Daniel: Ah, I see. How about a date then? Martha: Sure, ah… Daniel: Daniel! Buffy, Faith, and Willow here also fixed me on a date with a friend of Buffy’s called Rachel. I’ll have to see which one of you I like more. Martha: Oooh… I’ve got competition, baby. Daniel, do you want to split a cab? Daniel: Yes, I’d like that. [Becky, Xander, Cliff, and Chankey are all sitting next to their own computers talking on Freenode with “rindolf” (= Shlomi Fish) in a channel called “#sunnydale-slayers”] Becky: [on IRC] rindolf: thanks for agreeing to meet us here, I’m a big fan of a lot of the stuff on your homepage and elsewhere, but it seems we have a crisis on our hand, and we need to consult you. +++: First of all, your stories are fictional, right? Rindolf: Indeed, but many elements or trends I describe in my stories have a tendency to materialise after a while in one form or another. +++: This is despite the fact that they may have appeared unrealistic to some people who read them at the time. Becky: OK, there’s something we need to admit: The show Sarah the Vampire Slayer, actually has a huge grain of truth to it: there are actually real vampires and demons, and real witches and warlocks with powerful magic, and I am a slayer trainee. Rindolf: Heh, sounds farfetched, but like Selina in Selina Mandrake, I guess I have no choice but to play along. Becky: Yes, I guess. Anyway, thing is - we ran into a certain artefact from the Selinaverse world which you describe, namely a duplicator that is the property of the Q Continuum. Rindolf: How strange! Becky: Yes, and it was used to duplicate a real vampire into a large number of pseudo-vampires. Rindolf: Wow! This sounds like a huge crisis. Buffy: It sure is. Rindolf: Well, what do you suggest that we do? Is it my fault? Buffy: No, it likely isn´t. Just stick in there. Rindolf: It’s interesting that you say that Sarah the Vampire Slayer was partly ingrained in truth. I recall being so in love with Natalie Portman who was the Alpha Female during the haydays of Web 1.0, and a bit after that, despite her being underage. +++: On the other hand, her doing StVS on T.V. in 2002 sort-of terminated her reign as that, while giving way to Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Paris Hilton, Miley Cyrus, and Jennifer Lawrence (♥!) in roughly that order. Xander: Oh, don’t get me started on Paris and Miley… Rindolf: Anyway, these are my two favourite parts from the show: [ Sarah the Vampire Slayer featuring Natalie Portman as Sarah Anne Eisenman, an Ethnic, Reform, Jewish slayer. Sarah is sitting in a restaurant on a date with Yaakov, a Yeshivah Pupil from a local Chabad Yeshivah. ( Builds upon this scene from Summerschool at the NSA. ) ] Sarah: So how's life in the Yeshivah? Yaakov: Oh, you know, studies, studies and studies. Sarah: Yes, I know. I need to study as a slayer. And as a high school student as well. +++: By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask: what’s the deal with the Messianic nature of Chabad? Yaakov: Oh that. First of all, it’s a kinda small minority of us, and secondly it’s kinda rooted in the belief that at any time, every Jew must consider themselves the Messiah and behave accordingly, which will eventually bring the Jewish people and the world at large to salvation and prosperity. Sarah: [Thinks for a moment] Hmmm… I can relate to it. +++: Tell you what, though? I need to go to the bathroom now. You know: girl things. Yaakov: Sure, I'll be here waiting for the food. [Sarah goes to the bathroom and notices a vampires’ couple getting ready for action. She rushes back to Yaakov.] Sarah: Hey, Yaakov. Listen, we have a crisis here right now, and I need you to act like the Messiah. Can you take your book of Tehilim and read from it when I tell you? Yaakov: I guess! [He rises up and follows her.] [They go to meet the vampires.] Sarah: Now, Yaakov! [Yaakov starts reciting the Psalms. The vampires are terrified. Sarah slays them using a stake.] Sarah: Eat dust, bastards! Yaakov: Wow! What was that? Sarah: Vampires! I cannot believe I’ve had to put you through that on our first date. Yaakov: That's OK… that’s OK… [scared] I can handle it. Sarah: It’s over. It’s over. Come let’s return to our table. [She turns to face him. They look at each other for some seconds and then start to kiss one another and make out. They do it for a while until a girl enters from the restaurant, and looks at them.] Restaurant Girl: Get a room! [Sarah and Yaakov smile and go on.] [ Sarah the Vampire Slayer featuring Natalie Portman as Sarah Anne Eisenman, an Ethnic, Reform, Jewish slayer. ( Builds upon the BtVS’ “Anne” episode. ) ] Ken: [to Lily] Who are you? Lily: I’m a nobody. Ken: [to Sarah] And who are you? Sarah: I’m Sarah Eisenman. A Jewish vampire slayer. And who are you? Ken: …Bitch! [Sarah quickly pokes Ken’s eyes with two of her fingers, and kicks him in the crotch. He falls to the floor, while agonising in pain.] Sarah: Yeah, I’m a bitch alright. OK, let’s blow this joint. [She goes, and Lily and the others follow.] Ken: Hold on, hold on. Well played, Ma’am and frankly, I am miserable here. I wish there was a way you could help me. Sarah: Tell you what, Ken? Why not come to the diner, and I’ll pay for your food and drinks. I’ve been earning quite a lot of cash from tips. You can tell us stories from this dimension of evil of yours. [Cut to the diner, Ken is sitting there surrounded by many people who are listening to his stories.] Ken: So I told them: “Actually, I have always expected the Spanish Inquisition, and, on the other hand, they have never expected me.” [Many members of the audience laugh. Applause.] Sarah: Ken, would you like some more juice? Ken: No, Sarah, that's OK, I’m stuffed. Anyway, I think I’ll return to my dimension of evil now - they will be clueless without me. Thanks for everything. Sarah: You’re welcome! [She goes to the counter with Lily.] Lily: Wow, I earned so much money from tips today. I could totally see myself working here. Sarah: Then why don’t you? I earned enough money working here anyway, and now I’d like to return home. Lily: Wow, that’s great! Say, can I be Anne now? Sarah: Lily Anne O’Connor? I guess. +++: Hold it! The Hebrew equivalent of “Lily” is “Susan” or “Suzanne”, so you could be Lily Suzanne O’Connor. Lily: Wow! Awesome. [Sarah and Lily hug.] Rindolf: Yes, one thing I liked is that the characters in StVS were both competent and able, and yet not socially or sexually inept, which I felt was a long-term false dichotomy. I feel it’s a shame that Joss Whedon and Nat Portman did not get an Emmy for that show, even though they were both nominated for it. +++: So how come it's based on your life? Buffy: Well, I originally told Beni, an Israeli fellow who was one of the show’s creators (and who was a really good initial student of us) about my life as a slayer, and that I have a feeling that I have an alter ego / kindred spirit called Sarah who is a liberated Jewish girl who was a major much coveted “Alpha Female” (as you put it) at the time. Crazy, right? Rindolf: Heh, maybe. For what it’s worth, I don’t consider myself a sane person either. +++: Anyway, now the question is - if Sarah the Vampire Slayer was to be remade - who would play her? ;-) Buffy: What about Natalie again? Rindolf: Well, the way I see it, she already won the Oscar and is married-plus, so she’s kinda old school. But what about Jennifer Lawrence? Cliff: I know! Megan Fox…♥! Rindolf: Sounds good. Or maybe Summer Glau… Cliff: Yes, I met all of them this summer. They are all great people. Becky: And he fought Glau! And won! Rindolf: Heh, sounds great. Xander: Well, let’s get back to business - apparently, we found a duplicator that is the property of the Q Continuum, and it was able to create a hundred copies of a precious diamond gold ring. Furthermore, apparently, it was used to duplicate a vampire into a large number of psyche-less pseudo-vampires - we captured about four of them but there may be many more. +++: What can you tell us about the Q Continuum in the Selinaverse? Rindolf: Oh! Well, the Q Continuum of the Selinaverse is a benevolent guild of organisms which provides them with some technologically advanced services, including this duplication that you describe. Xander: I see. Well, do you know how we can contact this Q Continuum? Rindolf: Not the slightest - I’m not very good at contacting celebrities or the men of the administration. I tend to be ignored. Cliff: Yes, well, I’m pretty good at stuff like that. Rindolf: Very well, Cliff, please work your magic. Cliff: Heh, you don’t want to see the real magic that I’m capable of. Willow: Or mine or Oz’s. [ Willow is sitting next to the computer reading. She is rather worried. ] Deborah: [= Willow’s daughter, voice from the other room.] Mummy, can you come and read me a bed-time story? [Music: Darin: “B what U wanna B” (lyrics). Willow enters the room. It is not too large, there are some dolls of My Little Pony, Sesame Street, Disney films, etc. but not too many. There's a computer in one corner, where Deborah is sitting. She is 6 years old.] Willow: Hi, sweetie. Deborah: Hi, mummy. I’m watching Classical Sesame Street and Bert taught his pigeon to play checkers. Willow: That's great, Deb. OK, are you ready to go to sleep? Deborah: Yes, mum. Willow: OK. [She gets her ready there.] Say, sweetie, do you know what my work is all about? Deborah: Yes, you’re a professor of Computer Science at Sunnydale University, and also a teacher at the high school. Willow: Well, yes, but do you know more than that? Deborah: Actually, I do: you’re a witch! You help fight demons. And daddy’s a warlock! Willow: Yes, Deborah, you are right. We tried to hide it from you, but I guess we should not have. We should have been more honest. Deborah: That’s quite alright, mummy. See, my friend told me his father who is a Philosophy professor told him that honesty is an active process, and that honest people were always more dishonest in the past. I forgive you. +++: Mum, will I be a witch too? Willow: Not if you don’t want to be. Deborah: Great, because I want to be a [emulating a Scottish accent] postwoman when I grow up. Willow: Really? That's great. Deborah: Yeah, I've been helping Mr. Gillan who is our mailman a little, and he told me that I can help the mailmen after I turn 13. He’s a Scotsman from Inverness. Willow: That’s really cool, princess. Deborah: Yes, well, I think I’ll go to sleep without a story today. Willow: OK, which doll do you want to sleep with tonight? Deborah: I think I’ll have Fluttershy today. Willow: [Brings the doll] Here you go. Deborah: Thanks, mummy. Willow: You're welcome, munchkin. Listen, as you know, I have powerful and real magic and I’ll do my best to make sure that no harm will ever come to you or to any of our friends or any other person in the world. Deborah: Yes, mummy, I know. Willow: Good night. [She turns off the light and kisses her on the forehead.] Deborah: Night. [Faith is teaching Becky and the rest of the class how to throw knives.] Faith: Becky, it’s nice that you hit the mark three times in succession, but you’re not always holding the knife correctly. Becky: OK, Ms. Harris. Can you show me how to do that again? [She prepares her phone.] Faith: OK, here goes. [Cut to the bullseye - three knives hit it quickly.] Faith: How´s that? Becky: That’s very nice, but as my mobile‘s video demonstrates, you didn’t hold the knife “correctly” (in quotes) once. Faith: Let me see. [She watches the video.] Oh crap. +++: Becky, Becky… you have a lot of potential. You’re more than just a pretty face. Becky: Heh, I knew that I have potential, but do you really think I have a pretty face? Faith: If my opinion as a straight, married, woman, matters, I think you do. Becky: Thanks, Ms. Harris. Faith: OK, class dismissed. Please try to practise at your free time, we’re going to have a test soon. [The students rise up and leave.] [Becky is approaching Chankey and Cliff who are sitting at a bench outside.] Becky: Oh my god! Oh my god! Demonology… martial arts… knife throwing… history of slaying… Latin… and — American History, English, and Drama. I need juice. [She flails and sits down.] Cliff: All in a day’s work, eh, Brony Girl? Becky: Yeah! I’m busted. Cliff: Well, at least all this fighting should make you horny. Becky: I know, I know but no arousal here, Cliff! All I want is to drink some juice, have a nice warm bath and spend time at the computer. And then maybe go for a walk. Chankey: Before you do all that… can you please help me with Physics? I’m having problems. Becky: Sure. [Takes a look.] OK, Chankey this is pretty bad. You’re far too sloppy. Chankey: Yes, I find dealing with mathematics a big problem. Memorising things on the other hand - that comes easy due to my photographic memory. Becky: What have you memorised for example? Chankey: Well, when I studied for history/etc. tests, I memorised a lot of material, which I promptly forgot, because I didn’t care enough to remember it. However, I memorised quite a few texts which are useful for being a watcher and keep them in my resident memory. These include the grammar rules and dictionaries of various ancient and contemporary languages, and the holy texts and mystical materials of various religions Becky: Wow! I recall hearing that for a long time, every Jewish scholar was supposed to memorise the whole Torah, the Hebrew Bible, the Mishnah, the Talmud, etc. by heart. This contributed to the influence of Judaism, because it enabled their collective heritage to survive the many destructions in the Old World. Chankey: Yes, and I have them all memorised and much more. Cliff: [Sarcastically] One day Chankey here will have the whole English Wikipedia memorised! Heh. Chankey: Heh, I'm working on it, Cliff. [Becky and Chankey are sitting in the library, studying together, and listening to Cimorelli - “When I’m gone” . Faith approaches them.] Faith: Hmm… hi kids! That doesn’t sound exactly like Anna Kendrick. +++: Whoa, who are all those girls? Becky: Oh, they are Cimorelli - six sisters who sing together. They are a big hit on YouTube. Faith: Six sisters! Chankey: And they also have some brothers. Faith: Heh, God bless their mother. After my third pregnancy (to twins) I said: “That’s it. No way, José!”. +++: I would think their being a big family is part of their charm. Chankey: Yes, and the way I see it: all the power to them. See: I read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea as a child, and I ended up memorising the English translation and now the French original, because I liked it so much. +++: Anyway, Captain Nemo there, thinks he’s a nobody, which is what “Nemo” means in Latin, but he's not. Thing is: lots of people expressed interest in him due to his various distinctive qualities, and he kept thinking: “They are interested in tangential stuff, not in the real me. They don't know the real me.” +++: And here's the thing: all these qualities are what make you who you are, and you should exploit them and be yourself. Faith: Indeed! +++: Wish I had any sisters. Or brothers for that matter. But I was my mother's only child, and my poor excuse for a father was a U.S. Navy sailor who got drunk along with my mother, they had sex, and the bastard bought her breakfast the day later, gave her his contact details and left. +++: They told me it was the only time she ever had sex. [Faith starts crying.] +++: When I was 5, my mother was killed by some criminals who spared my life, and we agreed to pretend that I was also killed. So I grew up on the streets. +++: Then one day when I was 9, I took the bus to one of my city’s good neighbourhoods where I saw a young boy about my age about 90% of the way out of a book. [Cut to the scene with the young Faith and the young boy (= David).] Faith: Hey homeboy, so this book’s interesting? David: Hi! Yes, it is. Faith: [looks at the book] “The Three Musketeers” - think I’ve heard of it. So it’s good? David: Yes, it’s great. Faith: [snatches the book] That book’s mine, bitch! David: Hey that’s OK - you can have it - I’ll just buy a new one. Bye! Faith: [from the distance] See ya, homeboy. Faith’s internal dialogue: It took me a day to finish reading the book. I could not put it down. The next day, I decided to return it to the boy. Faith: Hey, bitch, here’s your book back. David: Thank you…ahem… Faith: Faith! My name’s "Faith". David: Nice to meet you - I’m David. I didn’t buy a new book yet. Faith: That’s good, I suppose. Oh, and they end up killing Milady de Winter there. David: Really? I positively love her, she’s amazing. Faith: Agreed. Well, I’m off to my original hood. [She runs.] David: Faith… wait! Faith: Farewell, loser. [Cut to Faith in the Library.] Faith: So I Grew up in the streets, learned to slay vampires and other demons, and — had sex! Lots and lots of sex. I lost track of the number of guys I seduced, but I still remember each one. +++: Then I came to Sunnydale, pretended to be evil and ended up saving the day. I then entered a relationship with Xander, and we got married, and raised children… not to mention that Peter, the mafio who killed my mother and who hasn't killed anyone since, ended up supporting me, and he also comes to visit me here (and he is close to being a father to me). +++: But… it’s not the same. +++: There’s a big hole inside of me… of not having a proper, happy childhood… +++: I want my daddy! [Bursts out crying harder.] [Becky walks to her and hugs her. After a while Faith calms down a little.] Faith: Oh, look at me: Faith, the fierce vampire slayer, crying like a baby! I’m so pathetic! Xander: [From the background of the frame.] Crying does not make you weak. On the contrary - it’s one way of fighting. Faith: Hey, honey! You remember Becky and Chankey. Xander: That I do, Faithy [he hugs her]. [Faith puts her head in Xander’s chest affectionately.] Becky: Faith, do you know what happened to that boy… David? Faith: Yes, I do: he found me on the Internet, a few years back, and we touched base. He’s happily married plus children and is an expert of Internet marketing and e-Commerce. He came to visit me in Sunnydale, and brought his children with him, and mine got along very nicely with his. +++: He brought the copy of The Three Musketeers that I stole and returned, and asked me if I wanted it. I had my own book that I bought after I came to Sunnydale, but was excited to see the copy in question. +++: And finally, he also told me that at the time, his father had been in touch with some couples who were looking to adopt children my age, and they would have been able to find a couple that could have adopted me. Becky: Oh! [She has tears in her eyes.] Faith: Yes, well, that's all over now I guess. +++: Bye, kids. Xander: Bye Becky, Chankey. Becky and Chankey: Bye Mr. and Ms. Harris! [They leave.] [Becky, Cliff, and Chankey are sitting in the library, studying together, and Faith is approaching.] Becky: Hey, Faith! Are there any news with respect to handling the Pseudo-vampires crisis? Faith: Hi Becky! Well we have some plans and The First told us we'll likely be lucky enough. Becky: Isn't The First being Evil? Faith: Not anymore - during one divination we made him convert to the good side. He realised that being alone for milliards of years does not justify being frustrated for the rest. Becky: Heh, he kinda reminds me of Marvin the Paranoid Android . Faith: Oh, The First is totally psyched about Marvin. He sees him as his soul mate and as someone who shares a similar past. In fact, during many divinations, he recites poems he had written about Marvin and himself. Very emo ones, but they make people laugh, and The First does not seem to mind that. Becky: Hey, I also told my older brother, who is a U.S. Army soldier about the crisis and he surprisingly didn't think I was delusional, and said he may be able to help us. Faith: Good job, Beck! You have a lot of potential. Cliff: Oh, for goodness sake! How much potential can one brony-chick sport? Becky: by the way, how did you survive on the streets as a girl? Faith: well, "living on the streets" is kind-of a stretch. See: I took Peter the mafio's advice and collected money from people in exchange for stand-up comedy/philosophy sessions and earned my keeps this way. Just for the record, being original is a Big Mistake; I crossoverred stuff all over the place. +++: And after I became a slayer: big money! People will give you half their life savings for saving their lives. I settled on a quarter at most, heh. +++: Then after I hit puberty, I used to seduce guys all over the place. And I was below the age of consent so it was fucking illegal! Chankey: Fucking illegal fucking! [They laugh.] Becky: Chankey: you've just said the F-word… I knew you had a lot of potential. Chankey: thanks, Becky! I try. Cliff: God, kill me now! Faith: anyway, many of my lovers came for more helpings, and surprisingly they never coincided. And there was passion alright. Despite the fact that I did that only to compensate for my mother. +++: but there was something strange: I used to have these dreams where I had sex with one or more lover and one or more characters from TV shows, films, or books. And I never had a ménage in my life, and you know how dreams during which you have sex are supposed to be good dreams… these dreams were nightmares! Chankey: strange… Faith: yes! And after the sex, I saw myself standing in front of my own lookalike, who said "You know, but you don't know enough." +++: and… after I came to Sunnydale, I had sex with Xander as part of my master plan for preventing the Ascension, and I felt sorry for him being manipulated like that. So I ended up hanging out with him for a few days. I wouldn't have admitted it back then, but I fell in love with him. +++: Then I had a dream where we were kissing each other passionately and that time, it was a very pleasant one. And then I saw my lookalike, and she said: “Now you know more. Keep it up. By the way, my name's Eliza.” +++: And I never saw her again. Cliff: That's weird! Faith: Yes. Anyway, I taught Xand some martial arts, and surprisingly, he was able to defeat both Buffy and me quite often. We thought it may have to do with our emotional attachment, so we asked Chuck Norris to fight us and he agreed and won too. (He likely thought it was weird that two frail girls asked him that, heh.) +++: So we had to rethink our prejudice against men being slayers… [Becky tries to call her brother on her smartphone.] Becky: oh damn it, why doesn't he answer? Chankey: maybe… maybe the time has got to be right? Becky: maybe… hey Mr. Giles: can you perhaps try to summon a benevolent spirit? Giles: [thinks for a moment] I guess we can try that - our situation is quite desperate as it is. OK, let's try. [Giles, Buffy, Faith, Willow, etc. are standing in a row.] Giles: [Reciting the summoning spell.] FILL IN. [A gateway opens and Sarah Michelle Gellar (“SMG”) wearing a T-shirt with a poster of the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a “#buffy” hash-tag and an @SarahMGellar Twitter ID, as well as shorts, steps through.] Giles, Willow: Buffy? SMG: Nah! I’m Sarah Michelle Gellar. I’m the actress who played her. Buffy: My… kindred… spirit! [She faints into Xander’s arms.] SMG: OK, we have no time to lose. [Presses something on her smartphone.] OK, General, your men can come now. And bring a doctor for Buffy - she fainted. [After a short while, there are many noises in the distance of U.S. Army vehicles, soldiers, and helicopters, with muffled cries of “Hail Buffy!”.] [ General Thompson and his helpers have a command vehicle outside controlling the battle. ] General Thompson: OK, men, prepare for phase 1. There are around one hundred thousand targets around. Deploy the robots, and be careful. [The soldiers deploy the robots who attack and kill the pseudo-vampires.] Pseudo-vampires: Let's go up. +++: Let's not go up. +++: Let's get down. [Gets killed by an arrow.] +++: Let's not get down. [Runs away.] [The pseudo vampires all go to the outside.] General Thompson: OK, now let's get them out of town. Prepare for Phase 2. Voices from the radio: Affirmative sir. [Buffy wakes up.] Buffy: Oh, ow, ow, ow. [Looks at SMG] Sarah! [Sees the command vehicle] What’s going on there? SMG: Fourth division of the U.S. Army - received basic training in slaying, and now they are hopefully going to kick the ass of these pseudo-vampires. Buffy: Really? I wasn’t aware that the U.S. Army trained in slaying. Soldier: Yes, well, we can keep secrets better than you. [The soldiers are scaring the Pseudo-Vampires into the field outside Sunnydale, while still shouting “Hail Buffy”.] General Thompson: Excellent men, things are going according to plan. Now, deploy the helicopters for what is hopefully the last phase. [The Helicopters fly over the PVs and spread oil across.] Pseudo-vampires: om num num… olive oil. +++: Wait! It's a trap. +++: It’s not a trap. [ A different helicopter approaches and a soldier lights a flare using a match and drops it on the Pseudo-Vampires. They cry as they all burst in flame and become dust. ] General Thompson: Well done, men. Mission accomplished. [ The soldiers cheer and cry “Hail Buffy”. The helicopter arrives and the soldier who lit the flare approaches Buffy .] Helicopter soldier: Hail Buffy! Ms. Summers: I think we gave them a fair match. [He drops the match that was used to light the flare on Buffy’s open palm. She picks up the match with her other hand and looks at it. It looks worn out and awful.] Buffy: Who says it’s fair? [Last Action Hero → Hamlet scene reference. Buffy laughs and throws away the match. ] General Thompson: Hail Buffy! We have no casualties and the damage to the property is minimal. Buffy: Sounds good. +++: Wait a second. Something feels wrong. Becky: The original vampire! Oz: Let me find him. [He casts a spell, and uses the smartphone to locate him.] Oz: He's in a nearby city, in a building and alone. [He opens a portal. The gang enters, they spot Mark the vampire.] Mark: No, go away now! Run! Cliff: [In Latin] Bring my friends and me to sanctuary. [They all disappear including Mark the vampire and reappear outside. Shortly afterwards they hear and see the roof of the floor where they found Mark crumbling. ] Becky: Oh my God! [Willow looks around, sees Mark and casts a spell to keep him still.] Cliff: Good timing on my part - now I’ll need to recharge this Mana amulet. Faith: Good call, Cliff! You’ve got a lot of potential too. Cliff: Thank you, Ms. Harris. I won’t let it go to my head. +++: Anyway, my spell was about friends, so how come this vampire is a friend. General Thompson: Oh! Mark Raymond here used to be a contractor for us back when the Q Continuum of the Selinaverse expanded into our own world, which we’ll now call the Beckyverse [cut to Becky - she is blushing] and experimented with a duplicator that they had given us when he became a vampire, stole it, and caused all this trouble. Willow: So we’ll have to restore his soul, and then convert him back into a human? God! That will require some powerful spells and be very time consuming. I’ll have to research it. [Voice from behind of Enyos of the Kalderash] Enyos: It will take us about two hours. [ Willow turns around. ] Willow: Enyos! Nice to see you again! [they hug.] [Enyos also hugs Buffy and shakes the hands of some of the men.] Willow: Two hours? Really? How? Enyos: Well, we got better with it due to practice. See: following the restoration of Angel here, we figured out we can do the same with other vampires and made a big business out of it. Willow: So how much will all this cost? Enyos: Special offer for you today at half the price: zero dollars. Buffy: Zero? Enyos: Yes! Our business model is different. First of all, we ask the transformed vampires to provide us with a subset of their income as benevolent humans - as much or as little as they want - as a token of their appreciation. +++: And furthermore, we also use their stories of their lives as vampires as inspiration and fodder for our own franchise of vampire fiction. Some really sick stuff there, but they sell like hotcakes. Willow: Lovely! That sounds like an exciting and innovative take on slaying. Enyos: Oh, it certainly is. And we’re willing to share our knowledge and experience with you. For the right consulting price. [Meanwhile, they are already back in Sunnydale.] Becky: Awesome! Sounds really cool. Buffy: Alright! Oz, Giles, you escort Mark to Enyos’ clan back in Europe, and learn as much as you can from them about it - we can negotiate a consulting price later on. +++: The rest of us need to start the Sunnydale de-evacuation. Snyder: Hey there, Buffy. I’m glad it all worked out in the end. We’re thinking of doing one of our famous “open commerce days” where shops and food and drinks outlets sell goods for as little or as much as the buyer is willing to pay. General, your men are welcome to join the party here as well. General Thompson: Thank you, Mayor! We’d love that. Becky: OK, yeah! We saved Sunnydale and the world at large, we nearly got ourselves killed several times, now I think I’ll just go to my apartment, have a nice warm bath, and brag about that… hmmm… [she closes her eyes]. [Roger rushes there and stops.] Roger: Hey Beck, you were great today! Becky: [Opens her eyes wide] On second thought. [Becky turns to face Roger, runs to him and French kisses him for many seconds. There are many claps and whistles from the people around, and the Scooby Gangers either hug affectionately or shed tears.] Becky: [Lets go.] Ahmm… Ms. Summers, do you think that we could hold the prom after all… I really feel like I could use some dancing. Buffy: Well… we only have a week, so it’s going to be a tight schedule, but since the calamity has gone, then… sure! Why not? Becky: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! [She hugs Buffy.] Buffy: You… you… Becky… I knew you had a lot of potential. [ Faith sees a middle-aged man (Richard) who is moderately fat, and balding, and resembles her. ] Richard: Hello, Faith. Faith: Hi, who are you? General Thompson: Faith, this is your biological father, former U.S. Navy Cmdr. Richard Hoffer. We traced him, and DNA tests confirm that he is your father. Richard: Faith!… I worked as an Electrical and Mechanical technician in the Navy - doing maintenance and fixing equipment that broke. I was good at it and took my job seriously, but was never much of a combat fighter. +++: Anyway, during shore leaves I had the unfortunate habit of drinking and ending up waking the next morning with a hangover and a woman by my side, whom I always ended up buying breakfast and leaving my contact details. They were all happy to correspond with me, except one - your mother. Faith: Oh… [She starts crying.] Richard: Anyway, I ended up trying to trace the whereabouts of your mother, and was told she and her daughter were killed by criminals. Faith: My reported death was a cover story… [She Continues to cry.] Richard: Yes. Something died in me inside that moment, and I stopped drinking after that. Faith: I don’t drink either… Richard: Anyway, I heard you saved the world several times. I was told you are a slayer, who helps fight demons. I didn’t witness that first hand, but I heard enough stories so I believe that is the case. +++: But I guess it’s true that the apple sometimes completely supplants the tree. Faith: I’m sure you are a great warrior too. [She moves towards Richard and they hug each other.] [They remain hugging for a while.] Faith: Dad, your belly is so soft. Richard: OK, now that that’s behind us, I should admit that I ended up marrying a very nice lady (her name is Gabrielle) and we have two children — a boy and a girl. They are here and want to meet you. Faith: I’d love that. I think mine are sound asleep now being relieved, but Xander, that’s how we refer to my husband, Alexander Harris, will be happy to tag along and meet your family. I think we can grab some burgers and icecream. Richard: Sure, that’ll be great. Open commerce day… [Cut.] [ A gateway opens and Q (wearing a Star Fleet uniform) and Deborah step through. ] Buffy: Why hello there. Mr. Q, I presume. Q: Hello, Ms. Summers. [Mechanically] You look nice. Buffy: Why thank you, Mr. Q [she flicks her hair.] Q: OK, let's get straight to business. The Q continuum of the Selinaverse has been expanding its coverage and influence, into the Beckyverse. Using our advanced technology which is still working here, we've discovered similar benevolent continuums to us here, only mixing and matching technology with magic (which won't continue to work in the Selinaverse), and many good spirits and demons. +++: Anyway, we are seeking a volunteer to act as the ambassador of the Beckyverse's Milky Way's Galaxy's Earth planet in the Q Continuum. Buffy: Awesome! Angel, dear, how about you? You're one of the oldest living Beckyverse Terrans. Angel: I guess. Sure, I’m game. Q: Done then. Angel, you can now open a gateway to everywhere in the Beckyverse or the Selinaverse. Try not to abuse this power: great power requires great responsibility. Angel: Sure, Mr. Q. [ They shake hands. ] Deborah: Hi, Angel! My name is Deborah and I am the ambassador of the Earth of the Selinaverse in the Q Continuum, of well, the Selinaverse as well. You and I should work together. +++: The first order of business is probably to return the Duplicator back to our possession. If you need anything duplicated by us, you can use our duplication-as-a-service, but I suppose your world is not ready for your own duplicator. Angel: Sure, let’s head over to the National Treasury and return it. Deborah: OK, then we can sit over a drink and update one another with “intel” — Q here will join us. Angel: Nice to meet you, Mr. Q. You look dashing as always with your Star Fleet uniform. Q: Thank you, Mr. Summers. Deborah: OK, Let’s go. [SMG and Buffy are sitting in a restaurant chatting.] Buffy: So, how’s life in the Selinaverse? SMG: Oh, it’s great! We have milliard years old talking and sentient cats who converted to Judaism; I have Moses, King David, Aristotle, Socrates, Q, and Kai Winn on my Pidgin’s contact list; I can travel to Bajor, the Klingon home world, or the planet Vulcan, and the Q Continuum has some positively awesome scholars. +++: But like the sword of Damocles story goes, we live under constant threat from the advanced technology that we, our friends and our enemies possess. It’s a risk we have to take as characters inside a fictional world. Buffy: Interesting. By the way, how is Selina there doing? SMG: She is doing fine, given the fact that she is the most famous college student on the planet now, and the origin of our entire fictional universe’s name. Actually, Katie Jacobson kinda pretends to resent her for our world not being called the “Katieverse”. Selina ended up co-authoring a screenplay along with our Shlomi Fish which she swears is based on what really happened to her. Then she got Emma Watson to play her, co-starring with Wil Wheaton as “The Guide”. Buffy: Wow! You have an Emma Watson too? Does she also charge an arm and a leg for her films there? SMG: Yes! And they found a studio which was able to afford her. The film has been highly acclaimed and received many nominations. Buffy: I see. Here, Shlomi Fish’s screenplays are still quite obscure. SMG: Ah, that’s a shame. Buffy: Yes, he told us he’s working a lot on publicity and human networking so that may change soon. [Buffy’s phone rings.] Buffy: [To the phone.] Hi! Sweetie? You could not sleep? That’s quite alright, come here - you have my location on the phone. +++: [To SMG] So you were the Alpha female of the Web 1.0 era? SMG: Yes! Having starred in the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer starting from 1997. But - Sic Transit Gloria Mundi. Not sure if anyone remembers me now, and Jennifer (Lawrence!) and I joke that one day she’ll write her autobiography with the subtitle of “You used to be Sarah Michelle Who??”. [ Reference ] Buffy: [Bursts out laughing.] Yes, seems like the Web 2.0 and Open Content Revolution is drawing to a mostly successful conclusion and now it’s time for a new revolution. SMG: And I’m asking myself “So, who the Hell is Qoheleth?” — or in plain English, who are the current and future Hacker Monarchs? I personally intend to be one of those. [Buffy’s daughter, Miranda, arrives, looks at SMG and Buffy and runs towards Buffy and hugs her.] Miranda: I Love You, Mummy. Say, who is this lady who kinda looks like you? Buffy: Ah, that’s your Aunt Sarah. It’s a long story, if you’ll ever be interested to hear it. Miranda: Oh, Mummy - I would. +++: [To SMG] Hi Aunt Sarah! Nice to meet you. SMG: Nice to meet you too, eh… Miranda: Miranda Michelle Summers! SMG: Miranda Michelle! Nice to meet you.