Heroes and Villains
is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfic by Dreamsmith that retells Buffy's arrival and subsequent early adventures in Sunnydale, but it does so by conflating the Buffyverse with that of the X-Men. When Buffy, who is herself a mutant whose powers have recently manifested, is kicked out of her old high school, her mother enrolls her in a brand new school that caters to students who are "gifted". In this version of Sunnydale High, EVERYONE is a mutant. Buffy tries to adapt to this new situation, even as various evil forces are preparing to descend upon the unsuspecting town.
One aspect of the story that stands out is the portrayal of Buffy as an unapologetically selfish, snarky, bitchy and self-absorbed character, to the point where she's very nearly a Villain Protagonist. Some readers hate that aspect of the story, others love it.
The story can be read on the author's page at Twisting the Hellmouth.
Heroes and Villains provides examples of:
- Alpha Bitch: A major focus of the story is the depiction of Buffy as she would have been had she not experienced a large personality shift after becoming a Vampire Slayer. As was seen in flashback on the show itself, pre-Sunnydale, Buffy was quite conceited, self-centered, and interested mainly in being the most popular and powerful girl at her school. In this fic, the original petty, selfish, and slightly ruthless version of Buffy remains firmly in place as she starts at her new school, and much of the story is dedicated to exploring how that colors her interactions with Willow, Xander, and Faith.
- Butt-Monkey: Thanks to Faith's tireless efforts, Xander's High School experience promises to be rather... painful.
- Creepy Twins: There are at least one set of them at the school — a pair of pint-sized powerhouses who often speak in unison and seem able to hold conversations by staring into each other's eyes.
- Dark Action Girl: Faith.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Faith, by Buffy, and Buffy, by Faith (though she initially tries to hide it).
- Expy: Faith has powers (and hair!) that are very similar to Psylocke, Buffy manages to be an expy of herself, with mutant powers that correspond her magical abilities in the canon universe. Other female students have shown powers similar to Madrox the Multiple Man and Vertigo. A male student named 'Tank' can transform himself into an oversized metal man, echoing Colossus.
- Functional Magic: Willow's power set, though actually an oddly flexible mutant ability, is effectively this.
- Girly Bruiser: Buffy dedicates a lot of time and effort to looking her best, while still reserving the option of delivering a brutal beating to anyone who seems to deserve one. (Though to be fair, Season One Buffy was much girlier and concerned with appearances than she was in later seasons). Faith gently mocks Buffy for having whole items of luggage just to carry makeup items, and Nineteen different haircare products (she counted). On the "Bruiser" side of things, Buffy defeats a student with powerful Energy Projection abilities, and barely breaks a sweat.
- Hell-Bent for Leather: Faith, as usual.
- Immortality Hurts: Xander's power is to recover from any injury, and he starts the story feeling pretty darn cocky about it. Faith takes great pleasure in demonstrating to him that just because you can't die, that doesn't mean you can't be beaten, frequently, or hurt, badly.
- Jerkass: Buffy and Faith. They know it, too.
- Proud Beauty: Buffy — So very, very much. She loves being powerful, never doubt it, but she absolutely delights in being beautiful, and the effect that beauty has on those around her (especially Faith)
- Really Gets Around: Faith, apparently, even after she is deeply smitten with Buffy.
- Royal Brat: Buffy again, as she personifies this magnificently. She's been spoiled all her life (to the limit of her family's finances), is arrogantly certain of her beauty and the power it gives her, is in love with her physical abilities, and has a vast sense of entitlement, where she feels that her every need and whim be satisfied.
- The Fighting Narcissist: Buffy's absolute love of herself, and her condescension towards everyone else (which ranges from minor to profound, but it is always there) qualifies her for this trope. She knows, utterly and without question, that she is superior to everyone around her in every way that matters. True, some of the mutants at her new school have more raw power, but none of those are as clever and beautiful as herself, and those who are cleverer are still less beautiful and powerful. Basically, she knows she can either outwit, outfight, or beguile anyone she likes, and usually two of the three.
- Shaping Your Attacks: Faith loves knives, and her mutant powers include the ability to manifest glowing copies of her favorite knife that can cut through anything.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Faith and Buffy, respectively.
- Twincest: Twin mutants Miranda and Marinda are obviously fans of this. Although after Buffy does them a huge favor, they seem to be considering trying something new, by upping the number of participants from two to three....
- Vanity Is Feminine: Buffy is quite vain, knows it, and sees no shame in it—after all, she is beautiful, so why pretend otherwise? And while Willow grows to dislike many things about Buffy, including her self-obsessed nature, the girl's admirers (especially Faith) find her self-love to be equal parts amusing, endearing, and justified.
