The Challenge Factory discussion

Buffy needs help slaying all those vampires, demons, and other forces of darkness.
She needs 'Scoobies'. A Scoobie is a loyal friend who uses various methods to assist in Buffy's fight against evil creatures.

You can become a Scoobie.

Challenge Begins: August 1, 2025


HOW TO PLAY:
1. Look at the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode list.
2. Choose an episode and post it on your thread.
3. The moderator will then post the related episode information and tasks.
4. Once you complete one of the tasks, post in your thread and in the Reporting thread the following:

Book:
Author:
Date Read:
Task:
How it Fits:
Next Episode Choice:

Rules:
Books must be 140+ pages.
Audio books must be 3+ hours long.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episode List
Season 1
1. Welcome to the Hellmouth
2. The Harvest
3. Witch
4. Teacher's Pet
5. Never Kill a Boy on the First Date
6. The Pack
7. Angel
8. I, Robot... You, Jane
9. The Puppet Show
10. Nightmares
11. Out of Mind, Out of Sight
12. Prophecy Girl

Season 2
1. When She Was Bad
2. Some Assembly Required
3. School Hard
4. Inca Mummy Girl
5. Reptile Boy
6. Halloween
7. Lie to Me
8. The Dark Age
9. What's My Line?: Part 1
10. What's My Line?: Part 2
11. Ted
12. Bad Eggs
13. Surprise
14. Innocence
15. Phases
16. Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered
17. Passion
18. Killed by Death
19. I Only Have Eyes for You
20. Go Fish
21. Becoming: Part 1
22. Becoming: Part 2

Welcome to the challenge, Richard.

Which episode would you like to start with?

1, please. I'd like to go in order.

You got it!

1. Welcome to the Hellmouth
When teen vampire slayer Buffy tries to start a new life at Sunnydale High, she discovers that the school sits atop a demonic dimensional portal.

To help Buffy slay vampires, read a book:
1. with a teenage MC
2. where the MC begins a new life
3. written by an author you have just discovered
4. with two words in the title that begin with the same letter
5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page

1. Book: Words Can Change Your Brain: 12 Conversation Strategies to Build Trust, Resolve Conflict, and Increase Intimacy
Author: Andrew B. Newberg
Date Read: Aug 10th
Task: Title - alliteration
How it Fits: Can Change

Next Episode Choice: 2

Well done!

2. The Harvest
Buffy and her friends encounter a powerful vampire bent on opening a portal to a dimension inhabited by demons.

To help Buffy slay vampires, read a book:
1. about friendship
2. with a powerful MC (your definition)
3. with an author's initial found in PORTAL
4. with a habitation on the cover
5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page

2. Book: Artisan Entrepreneurship
Author: Vanessa Ratten
Date Read: Aug 11th
Task: Author - initial in PORTAL
How it Fits: ALN initial is R

Next Episode Choice: 3

Well done!

3. Witch
Buffy suspects she has a witch on her hands when the cheerleading squad falls victim to sudden blindness and spontaneous combustion.

To help Buffy slay vampires, read a book:
1. tagged "Witch" or "Witchcraft"
2. that you can hold in your hands (not an audio book)
3. where a significant character that has a disability
4. with "fire" in the text of the book
5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page

3. Book: Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to Be an Ally
Author: Emily Ladau
Date Read: Aug 11th
Task: MC - disabled
How it Fits: MC uses a wheelchair

Next Episode Choice: 4

Well done!

4. Teacher's Pet
Buffy's biology teacher is killed by a giant praying mantis that assumes the form of a beautiful substitute teacher.

To help Buffy slay vampires, read a book:
1. with biology on the cover (a living organism)
2. where someone dies
3. with 400+ pages
4. where the MC is described as beautiful or handsome
5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page

4. Book: Smelling to Survive: The Amazing World of Our Sense of Smell
Author: Bill S. Hansson
Date Read: Aug 13th
Task: Cover - biology
How it Fits:

Next Episode Choice: 5

Well done!

5. Never Kill a Boy on the First Date
With Buffy preoccupied by her date with Owen, Giles is trapped by a group of vampires seeking to raise a powerful leader.

To help Buffy slay vampires, read a book:
1. that is the first in a trilogy or series
2. with 2, 0, or 5 in the publication date
3. where someone is trapped (your definition)
4. with a group of something on the cover
5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page

5. Book: How to Build a Robot Army: Tips on Defending Planet Earth Against Alien Invaders, Ninjas, and Zombies
Author: Daniel H. Wilson
Date Read: Aug 14th
Task: Cover - group of something
How it Fits: - Robots

Next Episode Choice: 6

Well done!

6. The Pack
Xander and several other students are possessed by the spirit of a demonic breed of hyenas that wreak havoc at the high school.

To help Buffy slay vampires, read a book:
1. where the MC is a student
2. that you possess (a book that you have purchased)
3. with double vowels in a word in the title
4. set in Africa
5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page

6. Book: The Entrepreneur's Book of Actions: Essential Daily Exercises and Habits for Becoming Wealthier, Smarter, and More Successful
Author: Rhett Power
Date Read: Aug 15th
Task: Title - double vowels
How it Fits: bOOk

Next Episode Choice: 7

Well done!

7. Angel
Buffy discovers Angel's dark secret and hesitates to do anything about it, which could spell danger for someone she loves.

To help Buffy slay vampires, read a book:
1. where someone is described as angelic
2. with a dark cover (your definition)
3. that you have hesitated to read (has been on your TBR list for a while)
4. where the MC is in danger
5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page

7. Book: Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream: A Forensic Psychiatrist Illuminates the Darker Side of Human Behavior
Author: Robert I. Simon
Date Read: Aug 18th
Task: Cover - dark
How it Fits:

Next Episode Choice: 8

Well done!

8. I, Robot... You, Jane
Willow's new Internet chat buddy turns out to be a powerful demon electronically unleashed from a centuries-old, newly digitized book.

To help Buffy slay vampires, read a book:
1. that is new to you
2. where the MC gets a new friend
3. that you got electronically
4. that is at least a century old (written before 1925)
5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page

8. Book: No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach
Author: Anthony Bourdain
Date Read: Aug 18th
Task: New to you
How it Fits: It was

Next Episode Choice: 9

Well done!

9. The Puppet Show
Buffy suspects that a ventriloquist's dummy may be harvesting organs from classmates performing in a talent show.

To help Buffy slay vampires, read a book:
1. listen to an audio book
2. where the MC is considered no dummy (is quite smart)
3. where an organ is mentioned in the book (heart, lungs, livers, brains)
4. with a talented MC (your definition)
5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page

9. Book: Machines That Think: The Future of Artificial Intelligence
Author: Toby Walsh
Date Read: Aug 19th
Task: Text - an organ
How it Fits: "an intellect that is much smarter than the best human brains" p.89

Next Episode Choice: 10

Well done!

10. Nightmares
A series of strange occurrences lead Buffy and her friends to discover that their worst nightmares have literally become reality.

To help Buffy slay vampires, read a book:
1. from a series of 10+ books
2. with a title that begins with a letter found in STRANGE
3. that someone else rated 1 star
4. tagged "Realistic Fiction"
5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page

10. Book: The Men's Health Big Book: Getting Abs: Get a Flat, Ripped Stomach and Your Strongest Body Ever--in Four Weeks
Author: Adam Bornstein
Date Read: Aug 21st
Task: Title - starts with letter in STRANGE
How it Fits: T

Next Episode Choice: 11

Well done!

11. Out of Mind, Out of Sight
When an invisible menace starts attacking students and faculty at Sunnydale High, the Scooby Gang traces the problem back to Cordelia.

To help Buffy slay vampires, read a book:
1. with an invisible person on the cover (in other words, no humans)
2. where the MC gets attacked
3. set in a location name that begins with a letter in SUNNYDALE
4. with "trace" or "traces" in the text of the book
5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page

Richard, you've blown through these episodes so fast! Would you be interested in working on Season 2? There are 22 episodes in Season 2.

Great, yes please!

Richard wrote: "Great, yes please!"

Awesome! I've added the episode list for Season 2 in Message 2.

11. Book: Queer Magic: LGBT+ Spirituality and Culture from Around the World
Author: Tomás Prower
Date Read: Aug 22nd
Task: Text - 'traces'
How it Fits: "the third monotheistic religion that traces its roots" p.51

Next Episode Choice: 12

Well done!

12. Prophecy Girl
Giles discovers an ancient book foretelling Buffy's death at the hands of the Master.

To help Buffy slay vampires, read a book:
1. written by an author with an initial found in GILES
2. that is historical
3. that is set in the future
4. written by a master author (s/he was written over 12 books)
5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page

12. Book: The Courage Habit: How to Accept Your Fears, Release the Past, and Live Your Courageous Life
Author: Kate Swoboda
Date Read: Aug 22nd
Task: Author - an initial in GILES
How it Fits: S

Next Episode Choice: 2.1

Well done!

1. When She Was Bad
Buffy returns from summer vacation sporting an attitude and suffers from recurring nightmares involving the Master. Meanwhile, the Anointed One and his followers plot their revenge.

To help Buffy slay vampires, read a book:
1. set during the summertime
2. where the MC plays a sport (even once)
3. with a one (1) in the publication date
4. with all the letters of REVENGE in the title (just 1 E is okay)
5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page

2.1

Book: It's Always Sunny and Philosophy: The Gang Gets Analyzed
Author: Roger Hunt
Date Read: Aug 23rd
Task: Published - 1
How it Fits: 2015

Book: The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter
Author: David Sax
Date Read: Aug 23rd
Task: Title - all the letters of REVENGE
How it Fits: 'Revenge' in title

Next Episode Choice: 2.2

Well done!

2. Some Assembly Required
Two science club nerds use body parts to create the "perfect girlfriend" for a teenager who has been brought back from the dead.

To help Buffy slay vampires, read a book:
1. that is second in a trilogy or series
2. that is tagged "science" (can be combined with another word, like "fiction")
3. that someone else thought was perfect (rated 5 stars)
4. with the phrase "from the dead" in the text
5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page

2.2

Book: Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy
Author: Damien Lewis
Date Read: Aug 24th
Task: Rated - someone rated 5 stars
How it Fits: 637 people have

Book: The Sky Is Not the Limit: Adventures of an Urban Astrophysicist
Author: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Date Read: Aug 25th
Task: Tagged - science
How it Fits: 1st MPG

Next Episode Choice: 2.3

Well done!