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, Caraina.

Which episode would you like to start with?

Lanelle wrote: "Welcome to the challenge, Caraina.

Which episode would you like to start with?"

I will go in order and start with episode 1. Thanks!!

You got it. 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: Carpe Corpus
Author: Rachel Caine
Date Read: 8/1/25
Task: 5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page
How it Fits: The book has an MPG of Paranormal.
Next Episode Choice: 2. The Harvest

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: Incubus
Author: Ann Arensberg
Date Read: 8/3/25
Task: 5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page
How it Fits: The book has an MPG of Paranormal.
Next Episode Choice: 3. Witch

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: Let Me Free You
Author: Alexandria House
Date Read: 8/4/25
Task:2. that you can hold in your hands (not an audio book)
How it Fits: I read a physical book.
Next Episode Choice: 4. Teacher's Pet

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: Tricky Twenty-Two
Author: Janet Evanovich
Date Read: 8/5/25
Task: 2. where someone dies
How it Fits: Several characters die during the book.
Next Episode Choice: 5. Never Kill a Boy on the First Date

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

Book: The Ghost Writer
Author: Philip Roth
Date Read: 8/6/25
Task: 2. with 2, 0, or 5 in the publication date
How it Fits: There is a "5" in the publication date for the edition I read (Published on August 1, 1995)
Next Episode Choice: 6. The Pack

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

Book: The Orchard Keeper
Author: Cormac McCarthy
Date Read: 8/6/25
Task: 3. with double vowels in a word in the title
How it Fits: There are double vowels in the title word "Keeper"
Next Episode Choice: 7. Angel

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 Familiar
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Date Read: 8/7/25
Task: 2. with a dark cover (your definition)
How it Fits: The book has a dark cover.
Next Episode Choice: 8. I, Robot... You, Jane

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: Dragon Teeth
Author: Michael Crichton
Date Read: 8/8/25
Task: 1. that is new to you
How it Fits: The book is new to me
Next Episode Choice: 9. The Puppet Show

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: Knit Two
Author: Kate Jacobs
Date Read: 8/8/25
Task: 3. where an organ is mentioned in the book (heart, lungs, livers, brains)
How it Fits: A heart is mentioned in the book (pg. 32 - Each miscarriage had taken a little bit more of her heart...)
Next Episode Choice: 10. Nightmares

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: Fade Out
Author: Rachel Caine
Date Read: 8/9/25
Task: 5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page
How it Fits: The book has an MPG of Paranormal
Next Episode Choice: 11. Out of Mind, Out of Sight

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

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

Lanelle wrote: "Caraina, you're speeding right through these episodes! Would you be interested in working on Season 2? There are 22 episodes in Season 2."

Yes, that would be great. Thanks!

Caraina wrote: "Yes, that would be great. Thanks!"

Awesome. I've added the titles of the Season 2 episodes to Message 2.

Lanelle wrote: "Caraina wrote: "Yes, that would be great. Thanks!"

Awesome. I've added the titles of the Season 2 episodes to Message 2."

Great!!

Book: Riven
Author: Roan Parrish
Date Read: 8/9/25
Task: 3. set in a location name that begins with a letter in SUNNYDALE
How it Fits: The book is set in New York.
Next Episode Choice: 12. Prophecy Girl

Well done!

Don't forget to post on the Reporting thread :)

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

Book: Temptation Ridge
Author: Robyn Carr
Date Read: 8/10/25
Task: 4. written by a master author (s/he was written over 12 books)
How it Fits: The author has written well over 12 books
Next Episode Choice: 1. When She Was Bad

Well done!

Congratulations on finishing Season 1!

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 letter on REVENGE in the title (just 1 E is okay)
5. with some sort of paranormal tag on the book's main page

Lanelle wrote: "

Well done!

Congratulations on finishing Season 1!"

Thank you :-)

Book: Eileen
Author: Ottessa Moshfegh
Date Read: 8/11/25
Task: 3. with a one (1) in the publication date
How it Fits: The book edition I read has a "1" in the publication date (published on August 18, 2015)
Next Episode Choice: 2. Some Assembly Required

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: Brown Roses
Author: Tope Omotosho
Date Read: 8/12/25
Task: 3. that someone else thought was perfect (rated 5 stars)
How it Fits: The book was rated 5 stars by 42 people
Next Episode Choice: 3. School Hard