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, Gabby.

Which episode would you like to start with?

Looking forward to the challenge! Can I start with episode one please Lanelle so I can start planning for the 1st :D

Gabby wrote: "Can I start with episode one please Lanelle so I can start planning for the 1st :D"

Sure. Good luck!

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

Book: Mosaics and Magic
Author: Nancy Warren
Date Read: 1/8
Task: 4. with two words in the title that begin with the same letter
How it Fits: M in Mosaics and magic
Next Episode Choice: Episode 2 please

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

Book: Every Heart a Doorway
Author: Seanan McGuire
Date Read: 5/8
Task: 1. about friendship
How it Fits: Friends working together to keep school safe and find the killer.
Next Episode Choice: Episode 3 please

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

Book: Podkin One-Ear
Author: Kieran Larwood
Date Read: 9/8
Task: 4. with "fire" in the text of the book
How it Fits: Fire spead through the bonehollow
Next Episode Choice: Episode 4 please

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

Book: The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash (Light Novel) Vol. 2
Author: Honobonoru500
Date Read: 11/8
Task: 3. with 400+ pages
How it Fits: 401 pages
Next Episode Choice: Episode 5 please

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

Sorry for being so fast with these ones!

Book: The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash (Light Novel) Vol. 3
Author: Honobonoru500
Date Read: 11/8
Task: 2. with 2, 0, or 5 in the publication date
3. where someone is trapped (your definition)
How it Fits: Published 2023
Trapped by the events of his past preventing them from moving forward with their lives and trapped in regrets and blame.
Next Episode Choice: Episode 6 please

Well done!

Gabby, you read as fast as you'd like. No worries.

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

Book: Across the Green Grass Fields
Author: Seanan McGuire
Date Read: 12/8
Task: 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
How it Fits: MC is a student at school for the first part of the book, purchased the book and Green in title
Next Episode Choice: Episode 7 please

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

Book: The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash (Light Novel) Vol. 5
Author: Honobonoru500
Date Read: 12/5
Task: 4. where the MC is in danger
How it Fits: Out in a forest that is coming into winter. sudden change in weather almost killed them
Next Episode Choice: Episode 8 please

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

Book: The Weakest Tamer Began a Journey to Pick Up Trash (Light Novel) Vol. 6
Author: Honobonoru500
Date Read: 15/8
Task: 2. where the MC gets a new friend
How it Fits: Sol becomes a new friend in the party
Next Episode Choice: Episode 9 please

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

Book: Lost in the Moment and Found
Author: Seanan McGuire
Date Read: 15/8
Task: 3. where an organ is mentioned in the book (heart, lungs, livers, brains)
How it Fits: Heart mentioned
Next Episode Choice: Episode 10 please

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

Book: Mislaid in Parts Half-Known
Author: Seanan McGuire
Date Read: 15/8
Task: 1. from a series of 10+ books
How it Fits: Book 9 of 11 main books and 3 short stories.
Next Episode Choice: Episode 11 please

Gabby, you're speeding right through these episodes! Would you be interested in working on Season 2? There are 22 episodes in Season 2.

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

Book: Adrift in Currents Clean and Clear
Author: Seanan McGuire
Date Read: 16/8
Task: 1. with an invisible person on the cover (in other words, no humans)
2. where the MC gets attacked
How it Fits:
gets attacked by a giant frog that eats anything that it is able to get into its mouth.

Next Episode Choice: Episode 12 please

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

Gabby, did you see Message 35?

Sorry I didn't see it! Yes please bring on season 2 :D
This is what comes of updating challenges while listening to books I didn't focus enough.

Book: Spooky Magic
Author: Elena Paige
Date Read: 16/8
Task: 1. written by an author with an initial found in GILES
How it Fits: E in Giles and Elena
Next Episode Choice: S2 E1

Gabby wrote: "This is what comes of updating challenges while listening to books I didn't focus enough."

Sounds exactly like something I would do :)

Season 2 is posted in Message 2.

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

Book: 7th Time Loop: The Villainess Enjoys a Carefree Life Married to Her Worst Enemy! (Light Novel) Vol. 2
Author: Touko Amekawa
Date Read: 19/8
Task: 3. with a one (1) in the publication date
How it Fits: Published 2021
Next Episode Choice: S2 E2 Please

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

Book: Gargantis
Author: Thomas Taylor
Date Read: 23/8
Task: 1. that is second in a trilogy or series
How it Fits: 2nd book in Eerie on Sea series
Next Episode Choice: S2 E3 please

Well done!