Question Slay-o-meter

[Karrde]

Hi guys and gals, I'm new and eager, so if you care, I'd like you to stay with me for a moment as I explain.
This concerns the 8th Season largely but delves into the Faith/Gigi storyline specifically because of what Giles comes to Faith with - he found a rogue Slayer and she needs to be put down.
Now, my point of interest is HOW he found out about Gigi in the first place? How do they find new slayers generally? Is there a radar of some sorts inherited from the watchers which told them how and where the next Slayer arrives, that they now use for the 1800 something slayers?
I'm sorry if this has already been discussed or it's common knowledge Whedon divulged somewhere along the line, in my defense, I've seen first two seasons three times (re-runs and re-runs on a local TV station that bought only these two) and the rest only once. 🙂
If anyone's wondering, I need this info for a two episode storyline involving Giles and Faith during season 8 I'm currently writing, which I wish to send Joss if ever I find a way to contact him. 😀

 

[nerd4hire]

Have you made it to Season 7 yet? In there we learn Willow's old coven is finding slayers, we assume through magic.

In season 8 there's a mention of the great bearded wizard of Northhampton, but that's an in-joke reference to comic writer Alan Moore. Nevertheless, best guess at how they locate slayers - magic.

 

[Karrde]

Have you made it to Season 7 yet? In there we learn Willow's old coven is finding slayers, we assume through magic.

Forgot about that, thanks, like I said, seen it only once. Though further details would be great since a magic scene would be an excellent opening for the second episode...

In season 8 there's a mention of the great bearded wizard of Northhampton, but that's an in-joke reference to comic writer Alan Moore. Nevertheless, best guess at how they locate slayers - magic.

Don't remember that either, and I love Moore. Guess more reading is in order as well...

 

[white avenger]

If Giles isn't getting his information from the Coven, it might be coming from some sort of parallel dimension, like he did in Season 7 from Beautox's Eye.

 

[Karrde]

Yeah, but now I would really like to know what a ritual like that would include. To spread the power of the Slayer to the potentials, they needed an object of great power (Scythe) and a magic spell, would a spell be enough to find all the slayers in all the world?

 

[nerd4hire]

I don't think there's ever any mention as to the paticular magic the Coven uses, just that Giles uses them to find potentials. Here's the coven stuff from Season 7. Maybe you can piece together some hints.

From Showtime

KENNEDY
Right. How many girls arriving this time?

WILLOW
Just one. But since Giles has the coven searching for other slayers-in-waiting to send 'em our way, I bet we'll be seeing a lot more soon enough.

also...

*

XANDER
So, The First knows potential slayers are making their way here?

GILES
(leans forward on the back of a chair) I must warn the coven to be cautious.

*

The telephone rings, and Willow picks up the cordless handset an answers it.

WILLOW
Hello? No, Giles isn't here right— Yeah, this is Willow. Althenea, hi! How's the coven? Oh, I miss you guys. Still working out that Pleiadian spirit conjuring? What? Oh, OK, when?

*

WILLOW
(comes in from the kitchen) Buffy—word from the underground. Another potential arrived in town the day before yesterday. She's at the Sun Spot Motel, near the highway.

XANDER
The day before yesterday? Why are we just finding out about it now?

WILLOW
Bringers killed her watcher before he could tell anyone he sent her. If it wasn't for a particularly powerful seer in the coven, we wouldn't even know about it now.

From Lies My Parents Told me

GILES
(leans forward on Robin's desk) Uh, no, the seers at the coven are certain the First is continuing to gather its forces. I'm afraid war is inevitable. (stands) So, we should go before the school board.

From Chosen

WILLOW
This goes beyond anything I've ever done. It's a total loss of control, and not in a nice, wholesome, my girlfriend has a pierced tongue kind of way.

Dawn looks at Willow. Giles looks away.

BUFFY
I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you could do it.

WILLOW
Iࢀ”I'm not sure that I'm stable enough.

GILES
You can do this, Willow. We'll get the coven on the line, and we'll find out how they can help.

Willow's coven is based in Westbury. There's also that larger section in Lessons that goes into how they operate - Gaia, energy, root systems and such.

As far as who, or what else kind find potentials - The First evil, Scythe Power, and possibly "heart of the demon" (Get it done). The watchers can too of course, but one assumes they use the same method more or less that Giles does. Although really, who knows.

 

[Karrde]

Is it that no one really thought of asking Joss this question, or that he doesn't know either and kept it in the "no go" zone until he figures out himself? 🙂
Thanks a bunch, man, this really helps. I guess seers would be the best choice in the 7. Season, especially when they needed to know not so much where the potentials are, rather where they will be. I guess it's even easier to magic them out as slayers because the power levels are going through the roof, especially when they're all bunched up together. Sort of like that rather simple demon finding spell Willow was trying with Tara when Tara still thought she had demon inside her and disrupted the procedure. 🙂

(See, I do know my stuff, though I may not remember lines from every episode yet. 😀)

 

[nerd4hire]

Come to think of it, what about the spell Willow used to find the Sunnydale potential slayer in Potential?

 

[Five]

Exactly nerf4hire, I was gonna say the same things.
Plus, let's not forget the final scene when Willow claims she can feel every new Slayer and Buffy confirms they'll find them...

 

[Karrde]

Well, Willow was going to be out of this story I'm writing (I like her the best, but it's not that kind of story), plus she can now basically feel every living thing on the planet if she wants to. I'm aiming for something a low level magic practitioner like Giles could do without any help from covens and other warlocks or witches.
While we're on the subject, can Giles be considered a warlock or some ind of other magic practitioner?

 

[NightBird]

While we're on the subject, can Giles be considered a warlock or some ind of other magic practitioner?

Good question.

I've often wondered about Giles magic skills, We know he used to at least dabble in the mystic arts (Eyghon).

I always thought that Giles was far more capable in the magic department then he lets on.

I'd say that Giles IS a warlock, I assume that he is on about the same level as Ethan Rayne and that guy can work the mojo, as they were in a coven together (Is coven the correct term if warlocks are involved?) and Giles has a great deal of knowledge about magic.

 

[Karrde]

(Is coven the correct term if warlocks are involved?)

Actually, I don't know about the Buffyverse, but Warlock is a derogatory expression for Male Witches, meaning "oath breaker", whereas it would only be used for baddies and meanies in the olden times during the witch hunts. In this sense, I don't think a coven is a right word - they come together when there is a specific magic to do and don't care what the others do the rest of time.

On the side note, I think you have to be a warlock 100%, all the time, every time, so whenever Giles didn't use magic do defend himself, I guess he was denouncing the warlockness inside. 😀

 

[Superstar]

I always thought that Giles was far more capable in the magic department then he lets on.

With a name like "Ripper", I always thought he was more than he was, but not magic-wise.
I think there's more than enough evidence in the series to disprove anything more than a dabbler.

First thing that comes to mind is serial killer - obvious reference to a Jack the Ripper motive.
Next is brutal warrior - rip out hearts or throats.
Last is flatulation expert.

We get something less than spectacular in the end, but with the killing of Ben there is something of a hint there of more.

I think if the BBC Ripper project ever comes about something more dark would be nice to see.
Something that he must keep under control by being "so very British".

 

[nerd4hire]

There was this comment from Ethan Rayne in A New Man.

I know we're not particularly fond of each other, Rupert but we are a couple of old mystics.

The only mention of a warlock I can remember, who actually was a warlock, was Roden from the No Future For You arc in Buffy season 8.

 

[CharmedSlayer85]

Actually, I don't know about the Buffyverse, but Warlock is a derogatory expression for Male Witches, meaning "oath breaker", whereas it would only be used for baddies and meanies in the olden times during the witch hunts. In this sense, I don't think a coven is a right word - they come together when there is a specific magic to do and don't care what the others do the rest of time.

On the side note, I think you have to be a warlock 100%, all the time, every time, so whenever Giles didn't use magic do defend himself, I guess he was denouncing the warlockness inside. 😀

The term Warlock might mean "oath breaker," in the real religion of Wicca, however in the Buffy/Angelverse the term warlock means male witch. Actually I think in the other mythology where warlock means a bad thing would be Charmed. In Charmed warlocks were evil and witches were good whether male or female, but then sometimes they'd call a woman an evil witch and not a warlock, so it was inconsistant even in that (among the hundreds of other plotholes in Charmed)

 

[Karrde]

Yeah, I've seen Charmed, and no, I didn't pick up the warlock mythology from over there. 🙂
But, as nerd4hire mentioned, Buffyverse doesn't have warlocks to speak of until Brian K. Waughn wrote a comic book, and the fact that they don't use the name might mean that it's a bad one to use for one self and for other people too. Manliness of the word (and presumably, the fact that women are infallible and may not be called manly words even if they are evil) is probably the reason why you wouldn't use "warlock" for a female witch (damn, men need a new word for witch) in any circumstance. 😉