Dream-Buffy Reboot as More Slice-of-Life Paranormal

[madimpossibledreamer]

So, I had an entirely different dream about a Buffy reboot, and while less problematic it also might be less interesting, plot-wise.  I like the character setup and all the little themes and identity stuff, but don’t have much of an idea of where the story’s going.  Also, not that I'm complaining, brain, but also, why?  Just curious.

It came up with a role for Xander that is almost canon and I’m actually kind of mad I didn’t consciously think of it first.  So, he’s a spirit medium.  That would explain the ease with which he gets possessed in canon, as well as how he retains stuff from the possessions after, why it generally doesn’t seem to have that much of an impact after the fact, the ‘one who sees’ thing, and why demons and other supernatural creatures are drawn to him, because that’s what spirit mediums do.  He probably got it from his mom’s side, and she loved her work but Tony Harris forbade her to continue when they got married because she “had to be the perfect little housewife” so she gave it up and just kind of gave up on everything through the abuse and depression.  (Honestly, she might’ve suffered from post-partum depression and just never got any help for it.)  Maybe something in the big leagues comes into town looking for him because of the legacy and his grandma comes in and deals with it. 

I’m definitely getting the feeling in this universe he’s the one with the pagan connections (well…sorta, that could get complicated) while Willow goes deep into the Kabbalah stuff (because, again, we need more Jewish representation here and it’s fascinating).  She probably fights for custody and wins.  (It’d make sense if way down the line there was some non-human blood in there and maybe a curse, but if anything it’s probably fae and doesn’t change all that much other than his awareness of the world).

He still comes to visit Willow often, and they figure out a system that is basically the Paranet from the Dresden Files—a network for the ‘non-heavy hitters’ i.e. not a Slayer or one of the more well-established, strong in magic types.  They’re also the ones that set up the magic-coded website that may or may not be called Demons Demons Demons.

I mentioned it could get complicated, because I was half-hoping he’d be ‘recast’ as half Hispanic in the “reboot” and definitely wasn’t.  It’d make sense based on population percentages and it’d be nice to see a not all white cast.  If he’s feeling particularly trolly he will purposefully use Mulder-level mispronounced Spanish just to invoke that fingernails on chalkboard feeling.  (I also feel like it’d make sense and be interesting for him to be transmasculine but I wasn’t hoping it would happen because I was pretty sure if Whedon was involved in any way in the project that wouldn’t happen.  It would also complicate things because he still might be the one that Willow had a crush on first, so she was so sure for ages she was a lesbian and then things got complicated.)  I did a search on whether Hispanic wiccanism was a thing and found a) that most Hispanic people aren’t fond of Latinx because, among other things, it’s really hard to pronounce in Spanish so some have taken to using Latine instead, which makes sense given my high school Spanish classes, and he’d probably use the term Latine because the internet is definitely a presence in modern day and also he’d be more comfortable with something less gender affiliated, and b) it might be more likely to be Espiritismo version of being a spirit medium running in the family on his mother’s side, which has both pagan and Christian elements. 

He’s definitely still a youtuber, because that’s one of the only elements of the reboot comics I’d heard that I’m like yes, good.  (Otherwise, there are interesting ideas but from what I’ve heard the execution leaves things to be desired.)  Willow’s his editor and occasionally shows up for multiplayer games.  She’s not much of a gamer but she likes playing horror or coop with him.  They like to critique the accuracy of the horror game lore.  He also does vlog type stuff about being a spirit medium, cultural stuff, and maybe the transmasc stuff depending on how comfortable he’s feeling about it (if he does do anything, it doesn’t happen much).  Willow spends way too much time working on the website, researching and typing up results, answering questions sent to the attached email, writing daily blog posts about the differences between different traditions…Xander jokes more than once about her needing to get a little sun.

(Though honestly, part of the reason she might be spending a while on it is that she’s recently started getting some mostly thank you for existing, I thought I was broken with a little oh and by the way you’re cute emails from Tara.)

Buffy stumbled on the website while doing research because they couldn’t find something in one of Giles’ books, he started having a breakdown but scoffed at the idea she might be able to find the answers online (and may or may not have gone on a ‘Google is useless for giving you the results you need give me a librarian who knows what they’re doing every time’ rant) and she became determined to find the answers just to prove him wrong.  She sent a cagey email about what they were looking for, and they found the answer.  The next time they needed help and couldn’t find it in the books, she sent another, less cagey email, and they found an answer.  The third time, it was a little tricky, so Xander had to do his spirit medium thing to find the answer, and Buffy got a little worried about it (“I didn’t tell you you should put yourself in harm’s way to figure it out” “Relax, I’ve done this a lot, I know what I’m doing” “That doesn’t make me feel better”).  Basically, they become internet pen pals.  They’ll help research and use magic if necessary.  Sent little protective trinkets along and everything else they could think of.  Buffy started contacting them sometimes in cases where it wasn’t even to do with being a Slayer.  She’d never played before but picks up especially FPS really quickly and Xander pretend pouts about being useless when she shows up but he really loves playing multiplayer with her, even if it’s Among Us and he cannot win against her.  Mostly, after the initial period of awkwardness she’s one of few, like Willow, who just accept him and it’s a feeling he craves.  (He tends to avoid most FPS based on community, but plays a few without mic.  Mostly they PvP.)  Joyce was a little worried that Buffy’s closest friends are ones she’s never even met in person.

He and Willow go to the same college, possibly across the country.  Not sure where Tara’s attending college.  Buffy meets Willow a couple of times in person but the timing didn’t work out for her to meet Xander (work, etc).  The scene I got from the dream was Buffy had set up another visit, got in really late, and did a double take on seeing the guy on the couch, at which he wakes up.  “Oh, uh, hey.  Awkward in-person meeting, huh?”  “I thought you were going to be working on a massive project for class and didn’t even have time to upload, let alone meet friends?”  “Sexiled.  I begged Willow for the use of her couch.”  It was kind of awkward but a nice feeling too?  Like, not sure how to act around really good friends because you have not actually met them in person but they're pretty much the same as online.  And then probably some sort of demon started happening because of course it did and they actually get to work together in person for the first time.  Willow and Xander definitely on a lesser 'tier' than a Slayer--definitely not GDA material here, but together they're pretty good at at least keeping themselves and any other people in danger alive.