*Please note that the following interview took place prior to the events of the Hunger Games. [this is best viewed when not on mobile; coding can be wonky on mobile,]
“
I'm still itchy from tweed day.
”
BUFFY
SUMMERS
atlantis interviews by karen page - issue iii
If I'm being honest here, this next interview was a bit surreal to me but in a different way than, say, the chat I was able to have with Clint Barton. Being from the same world and seeing him in action on television was definitely a big moment. Today, though? Today, I sat down with someone who has been a part of my life in a very real way for a very long time but only became real when I sat down next to her on one of the benches in Atlantis Park.
The kicker was that, and many of you are likely in the same boat here, I somehow remember more of her own story than she did, so I was especially careful to try not to give away any spoilers to what life would be like for her back in Sunnydale and beyond.
KAREN PAGE: I have to admit something a little embarrassing to you before we get started: I'm having a little bit of a fangirl moment here, so if I blush or ask you any ridiculous and embarrassing questions, we'll go ahead and say that those are off the record, okay? Okay, let's get started.
What's your full name?
BUFFY SUMMERS: Buffy Anne Summers
KP: Do you have a name preference or something you prefer to be called?
BS: Buffy. Just Buffy is fine. Buffy itself is enough, right?
KP: I think it suits you. How long have you been in Atlantis?
BS: Almost six months now.
KP: A little personal, but: how old are you?
BS: Seventeen.
KP: Still at good 'ole Sunnydale High with the gang then.
Where exactly did you come from? As in, what world were you from before arriving in Atlantis?
BS: Sunnydale, California. Um, America? Earth, I guess? All of the above!
KP: What sort of job did you have before coming here?
BS: I didn't exactly have a JOB job... I was a slayer, a chosen one, chosen to defeat all the evil I could handle, yadda yadda. There's a spiel about it.
KP: I'd call that one of the biggest jobs there is out there. How different is that from what you've been doing here in Atlantis?
BS: When I first got here, I had just decided to quit slaying because I found out I was going to die. So I didn't want anything to do with it, didn't want to be on any official teams or anything. Here I sell clothes and am in the reserves because...it felt a little wrong not to be. To not help out with the skills I have even though back home, I was done. Retired, officially. Though, I guess that's not even all that true since I was getting ready to face my fate when I ended up here. Can't escape destiny.*
[Editor's note: Since the time of this interview, Buffy has joined Alpha Team 1 as a full-time field agent.]
KP: In Atlantis, are you in a relationship with anyone? If so, about how long how you been together... and how serious are you?
BS: No, no, and no!
KP: I'm with you on that one. Do you have any furry friends here?
BS: Just my stuffed pig, Mr. Gordo.
KP: I remember him! The show definitely needed more Mr. Gordo.
What's the strangest moment that's happened to you in Atlantis so far?
BS: I mean, what isn't strange? People turning into animals is a little out there. I'm still itchy from tweed day.
KP: You aren't wrong about that. Even in the few months I've been here, there has been a whole lot of strange. Not sorry I missed the tweed, though.
What's been your best moment in Atlantis so far?
BS: Finding someone that sort of knew me but definitely knew some of my friends to talk to about things with. I'm pretty lucky to have her as my guardian and my friend. Making new friends in general and fighting the good fight and all that.
KP: I agree. Having people here that know you, even if it's a slightly different you, helps make home not seem quite so far away.
What about your worst moment here?
BS: When my friend Xander had to go back home.
KP: It's never easy saying goodbye to the people we care about under any circumstances.
Aside from the unexpected departures, what's something about Atlantis that you wish were different?
BS: I wish I could tell my mom that I'm okay. My friends, too. That I'm doing something really good and important where people need me. And that when we win, I'll be back to fight whatever the Hellmouth has to offer me back home. This place really made me want to be what I'm supposed to be, to follow my whole...chosen path thing. So when the time comes, I'll be ready to go back and face any big bad they throw at me. I just don't want them to be worried about me.
KP: They say the people from home don't even realize we've been gone, and once we go home, we return to the exact moment we left. Short of leaving and finding some way to come back, I'm not exactly sure how to test that theory myself.
If you could change jobs in Atlantis, regardless of qualifications or skills, what would it be?
BS: I don't know that I'd want to change jobs! I think I'm pretty good at what I do now and plus, I get an employee discount. Maybe I'd actually join a team or something like that but I don't mind being in the reserves, either.
KP: I think you'd made an excellent agent. I mean, I might be biased, but it's still true!
KP: What's the piece of home you miss the most?
BS: My mom and my friends.
KP: That's been a fairly common answer to that question so far.
Now here are a few just for fun: In Atlantis or at home, who would be the first person you'd call if you needed to bury a body?
BS: Xander. He would do it without question but with a lot of sarcasm. I think Willow would be too worried about getting caught.
KP: Switch it around: who would be the first person that would call you if they needed to bury a body?
BS: Probably the same, to be honest. But I definitely wouldn't do it without a lot of questions! I'm the one that's supposed to be dropping bodies, not them.
KP:That'd be me. Yes, I'll do it, but I still need to know what happened! What's your spirit animal?
BS: A cat, maybe? I've never really thought about it before. I'm pretty agile but mess with me or anyone I care about and you get the hissing and claws. Plus I really like sushi.
KP: By chance, has Atlantis actually turned you INTO that animal? If not, would you want to be?
BS: Not yet but sure, why not? For a day it couldn't be so bad, right?
KP: I'm still not decided if I want to find that out or not.
What might a scene in the gag reel of your life look like?
BS: A whole lot of nearly getting killed by supernatural beings. It doesn't quite go according to plan sometimes.
KP: I'm not sure if plans ever go as we want them to go. If you could go back to your home world and live someone else's life instead of yours, who's might it be? Why?
BS: I hate to say it but probably Cordelia Chase. Just so I figure out what makes her...well, Cordelia.
KP: What reality show most resembles your life?
BS: Is there a reality show where teenagers save the world from evil? If so... wow, someone should tell somebody. That's kind of important.
KP: What advice would you give to your younger self?
BS: You're not crazy. You never were, there's nothing wrong with you. You're just... special. Really special and one day you'll find out why.
KP: It had to be so hard and confusing when you found out who you were and exactly what that meant.
What would the theme song for your life be?
BS: Something Alanis Morissette-y.
KP: Next, let's go for a little bit of 'this or that.' Go with your gut.
Dogs or cats?
BS: Cats.
KP: New York or Los Angeles?
BS: Los Angeles.
KP: Beach or mountains?
BS: Beach.
KP: Pancakes or waffles?
BS: Waffles.
KP: Early bird or night owl?
BS: Night owl.
KP: Read the book or watch the movie?
BS: Watch the movie.
KP: Salty or sweet?
BS: Sweet.
KP: Chocolate or vanilla?
BS: Chocolate.
KP: Comedy or horror?
BS: Comedy because my life is already a horror movie.
KP: Party or couch?
BS: Party.
KP: We're nearly finished! Just a few more to wrap things up. What's something about you that people in Atlantis probably don't know?
BS: There are probably a lot of things. My parents are divorced, I used to live in Los Angeles. I was terrible at slaying when I first started and scared to death. Well... still scared sometimes. I'm not just your average seventeen year old girl. I'm more than that and you know what? I would be even if I wasn't a slayer.
KP: If the war ended today, would you choose to stay or leave?
BS: I would leave, go back home because I know that's another place that I'm needed and I miss everyone. I want to kick the Master's ass.
KP: You know what, I think you might really kick his ass. You're pretty damn good at that.
If you were to unexpectedly leave Atlantis, how do you want to be remembered?
BS: I'd just be happy being remembered at all. Maybe for my fashion sense? Or my cheering at Quidditch matches. My bantering skills?
KP: Is there anything else you'd like to tell the rest of Atlantis?
BS: Hang in there. We can do this.
And we most definitely can. If I learned anything from my time sitting and chatting with Buffy the vampire slayer, it was that we all have our roles to play and are where we are in those roles for a very specific reason. We may not know what those are yet, but that, just like our lives, can change on a dime.
Now I need to go work on my Snoopy Dance. Stay tuned for more Atlantis Interviews coming your way soon. ♠️
[Editor's note: Please note that Ms. Summers was interviewed before the events that occurred in the Hunger Games this month.]
[ooc: If you haven't volunteered any of yours yet and would like to, please hop right over HERE and leave a comment with their names. Also, if you have any question suggestions for future interviews, you can drop those off HERE, and I'd love you forever. Really - unless you want to keep reading the same questions, more would be great. :) Remember, the interviewees also have a piece of activity counted for the month. <3]