Name: Faith Patricia Pryce
AGE: 17
DOB: 12 September 1981
Origin:
Faith was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in the latter half of 1981. Shortly after her birth, her father abandoned both the newborn girl and her mother, leaving Faith with absolutely no knowledge of her father.
As she grew up, her mother, who was intoxicated more often than not, neglected Faith. It's unknown whether her alcoholism was triggered by the abandonment of Faiths' father, or if the condition was preexisting, since even Faith's earliest memories of her mother have a bottle in the picture.
Her mother's alcoholism took its toll, not only on her mother but also on Faith herself. The girl was left to her own devices quite often, forcing her to fend for herself while taking on the task of becoming her mother's keeper. When Faith was twelve, the inevitable happened; her mother died of alcohol poisoning.
The preteen was shipped off to foster care, where she faced the challenge of being an older child in a system where prospective adoptive parents wanted younger kids. Faith spent the next four years in a succession of foster homes, most of which lasted less than three or four months due to Faith's penchant for running away when it became clear that the foster parents cared less about her than the money they received from Social Services for her care. But, the system refused to give up on Faith, placing her in yet another foster home in March of 1998. The difference was that the social workers placed another teenaged girl with her in the hope that having another child with her might cancel out some of Faith's wilder tendencies.
By early June, the latest home had become a living nightmare; their foster father, unbeknownst to his wife, was starting to look at Faith in ways that weren't fatherly in the least (Faith's Story). The only thing keeping Faith from running away yet again was the other girl; the social workers' plan had worked, but not for the reasons they'd hoped.
Another problem for Faith was that she began having nightmares. The dreams all revolved around a single theme; in them, Faith was another woman, from a different period of time, fighting vampires (Calling Out The Clan). The young woman was uncertain as to why she continued to have these dreams, but the real world was demanding her attention.
In the second week of July, things came to a head. Faith's foster father tried to force himself on her. To his surprise (not to mention Faith's as well), the sixteen-year-old woman fought back. In a matter of seconds, Faith left the man with two broken wrists, a fractured forearm, and a mild concussion. Stunned (and not a little bit frightened) at her surprising actions, Faith fled, afraid that the man would call the police.
Faith fled to Irishtown and took up residence in an abandoned tenement. She hadn't been there two weeks when a woman found her and asked if Faith would join her. Figuring that the woman was a rich snob looking for a young piece of ass, Faith agreed, if only to get some hot food into her stomach. The two talked for some time. Linda Pryce, the older woman, told Faith that she had been Chosen for a special purpose. Faith was rightfully skeptical until Linda described Faith's dreams in minute detail, placing names with the faces and time periods. Eventually, Linda managed to convince Faith of the truth; she was the Slayer, the latest in a long line of girls Chosen to fight vampires and demons. Faith moved in with Linda, who began teaching the novice Slayer what was expected of her (Libyan Assault/War of the Sections, Faith's Story). Two other Watchers, as Linda called herself, stayed in the Boston area, keeping track of Faith's progress. They were Wesley (whom Faith named "the Weasel) and Trent (who apparently treated Faith well and didn't judge her by her less-than-pleasant upbringing; Faith called him "decent").
On more than one occasion, Faith proved that she had a unique way of doing things. One hot, humid August night, while Linda was meeting Trent and Wesley, a group of vampires attacked a bus carrying what Faith said added up to "half the Baptists in South Boston." Reacting with a swiftness that would have made Linda proud, the Slayer lived up to her name, killing eight vampires in less than three minutes. In a fit of gratitude, the sole pastor on the bus embraced Faith in thanks for her heroism as the local police showed up.
That was when Faith realized that she'd neglected to put on a single stitch of clothing before engaging the vampires.
In another episode, Faith and Linda traveled to Louisiana, where they fought a vampire and his minions. In the final fight, Faith apparently had to fight a type of minion that most Slayers would never have to contend with; the master's pet alligators. She has made reference to rolling around in the water with one, but since she survived, it can be assumed she was victorious (these two episodes are mentioned in the Buffy episode, Faith, Hope, and Trick).
A few weeks after those adventures, Faith suffered unspecified injuries in yet another battle. While the nature of these injuries is unknown, Linda knew they were serious enough that Wesley might demand that she kill Faith to activate the next Slayer. The Field Watcher performed hasty first aid on her charge and left Boston, not wanting to lose the girl she now loved like a daughter. The pair stayed with an aunt of Linda's, letting Faith recuperate. When they returned to Boston, Linda lied to Wesley, stating that she and Faith had been active in New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware (Slaying that was in fact performed by Fox Mulder and Dana Scully (Faith's Story)).
Fully recovered, Faith settled back into the routine of Slaying. Over the fall, her bond with Linda grew as they continued to live and work together. In early January, word came from the Council that a vampire named Kakistos was in Atlanta, planning something major.
Faith and Linda flew to Atlanta, where they promptly began their investigation. The pair put a significant dent in the local vampire population, but to no avail; the vampires refused to divulge their plan. They did have one stroke of luck; the location of a lair of a vampire with ties to Kakistos.
Faith and Linda began a recon, but the alarm was raised when vampires detected their presence. Faith and Linda were soon captured, but not before Faith took out nine vampires on her own. When confronted by the master vampire, Faith defiantly promised to kill him. The master vampire killed Linda before Faith's very eyes, but before he could kill the Slayer, two others joined the party. The two people, carrying swords, guns and bows, wiped out the master's entire nest in a matter of minutes. Once they'd killed the master, the people calling themselves Stalker and Ali left Faith in the warehouse alone, placing an anonymous tip to the police so that the victims of the vampires' appetites could be sent for proper care.
Faith quickly found herself in custody, but she hardly cared since she had just lost the one person she cared about more than any other. When a profiler with the Violent Crimes Task Force, Samantha Waters, came to interview Faith, she found out how dangerous Faith could be when pushed; six female inmates had tried to rape Faith, who fought back and put all six of the women in the prison infirmary. Dr. Waters found out from Faith that a guard had been behind the attack, which prompted her to ask that Faith, who Waters now knew was not one of the 'cultists,' to be moved to the VCTF.
After initial interviews, Faith was removed from custody as a suspect and placed under protection by the VCTF. When the talks led Waters and her superior, Bailey Malone, to think that she had been brainwashed by Linda, they called in a pair of specialists from Washington, D. C. Immediately upon meeting Faith, the Agents in charge of the FBI's X-Files Division confronted Faith about Slayers and the Council. Stunned to find out that people knew about the Council, as well as the fact that these Feds had magic inside of them, Faith was still inclined to trust them. In private, they compared notes, trying to figure out what the vampires were planning for the Atlanta area. Before they could make much headway, the vampires attacked the VCTF, intent on taking Faith as a sacrifice to raise something big and nasty.
Mulder and Scully called in backup, in the form of five women calling themselves the Thunder Bunnies. The seven heavily armed Federal Agents massacred the attacking vampires, leaving Faith, Sam and Bailey stunned. It was then that Faith learned how she'd become the Slayer; a spirit, specifically the spirit of the first Slayer, inhabited her body and increased her physical abilities. The fighters received another surprise when a centaur appeared in the interrogation room, telling Mulder and Scully that they had indeed ascertained the vampires' plans.
When operatives of Section Seven arrived, they took the fight to the vampires. Faith met the other living Slayers, Buffy Summers and Kendra McPherson, as well as many other fighters, among them Immortals, Amazons, witches, military Special Forces, and many others who fought a battle that she had believed she had been fighting alone. During the conflict, she talked with Buffy and Kendra, as well as with Mulder and Scully, over what she'd do after the fight was over. In the end, Faith decided to move to the West Coast to be with people her own age, instead of following her original inclination to stay in the East, this time with the FBI Agents.
Upon moving to the Hellmouth, Faith found herself in a strange situation; having a normal life on top of Slaying. She moved into Joyce Summers' home, where she found herself living with her two fellow Slayers (leading her to joke that Joyce was trying to start her own sorority, Slayer House). She enrolled at Sunnydale High School as a junior after legally changing her last name to Pryce (in Linda's honor), starting with a light course load to in order to allow her to gradually slide into the routine of getting a formal education. Within weeks, Faith has discovered what her new teammates have known all along; that living in Sunnydale is weirder than anything she could have imagined in Boston.
Race: Human
Description: Faith stands five feet, five inches tall and weighs somewhere between one hundred ten and one hundred twenty pounds. With her dark brown hair, hypnotic brown-green eyes and well-proportioned figure, the Boston native has a body that inspires men to stare and women to feel envy as their boyfriends take notice of the sassy Slayer. Faith knows the effect that her body has on the guys, and has no reservations about teasing them by showing off her assets to best effect. She also sees it as a means of paying them back for their attention; she likes the fact that they appreciate her body, so she shows it off to show her gratitude for "good taste."
Faith doesn't have any known physical characteristics, but she does have a hobby of sorts; from time to time, either of Faith's arms has been known to sport a different tattoo. The fact that none of them last more than a week to ten days is a sure sign that Faith is simply pasting temporary tattoos onto her arm, perhaps in an attempt to emphasize her "bad girl" attitude.
It's quite hard NOT to notice Faith, especially when she's donned a new outfit in her never-ending friendly rivalry with Sunnydale High's resident Prom Queen, Cordelia Chase. At the same time, when Faith dresses down (or what she considers dressing down), her brash, assertive personality will draw the attention of bystanders just as quickly as her physical attributes will. The Boston Slayer is just as comfortable in silk midriff top, miniskirt and heels, as she is in t-shirt, leather pants and jacket, and boots. And, unlike many women, Faith manages to look just as sexy in one outfit as she does the other.
Another part of Faith's description that
must be brought to attention is her personality. At times, Faith's assertive attitude has
been known to rub off on her friends (instances being Willow (who shows some of
her more aggressive tendencies when in Faith's company) and Shaw (who allows the
sarcastic side of her sense of humor to more readily manifest itself)), as well
as leaving her poor Watcher (Giles) shaking his head in frustration and wishing
she were more like Kendra.
Abilities (uncommon): As a Slayer, Faith has the abilities common to the Chosen One, including enhanced strength, agility, reflexes, and endurance. Along with her enhanced physical skills, Faith has advanced gymnastics and hand-to-hand fighting skills that make her nearly unbeatable in single combat. Faith's recuperative abilities are also enhanced, but the speed of her recovery from injuries has never truly been catalogued (and she's not too keen on testing it, either). Faith also seems to have the Slayer's natural affinity for weapons, being able to master weapon styles in an amazingly short amount of time. Faith demonstrated that this ability is not limited to medieval weapons; upon picking up a firearm, she demonstrated that she could hit the bull's eye of a target 95 yards away the very first time she picked up the gun (Another Run). Another skill from being the Slayer is an apparent ability to sense when someone possesses magic inside of them, much as she did with Mulder and Scully (Faith's Story). This ability seems to be a rudimentary version of the mage sight possessed witches and fairies, such as Robin Goodfellow.
Abilities (learned): Much of Faith's learned training might not be what most would consider training, but must be considered here. Among these skills is her ability to survive on the streets, something Faith had to learn from bitter experience. Surprisingly, Faith has some benefits from this life; she is quite easily what people could call "streetwise," which enables her to relate to people on the streets in almost any large city (something that some of the Slayerettes, such as those raised in the "quiet" suburb of Sunnydale, let alone others like Kendra or Shaw Hunter, are ill-suited for), as well as making Faith an excellent judge of character, an ability that surfaced in her first meeting with Fox Mulder and Dana Scully (Faith's Story). Another ability is Faith's ability to scrounge for (and come up with) almost anything that you could name, provided you can find it on the street (luxury items aren't called for *that* often). Give her a few hours, and Faith will likely come through. Among Faith's more "traditional" skills is, of course, her training in hand-to-hand combat, as well as her training in the various types of vampires and demons of the world. Faith has had about six months of training in Latin, allowing her to speak, read and write that tongue. It can be assumed that Giles (and perhaps Jenny) are continuing that training.
Current Status: (include here if the person is immortal or not): Active member of the Slayerettes, trainee of Section Seven. Junior at Sunnydale High School currently living with Joyce Summers, her legal guardian. Legal status is that of a citizen of the United States with a criminal record (Faith was arrested by the Boston Police Department for indecent exposure [it was hot and humid, she was sleeping in the buff, and half the Baptists in South Boston were being attacked by vampires. What's a Slayer to do?]), but being a minor, her record should be expunged when she reaches the age of eighteen. Faith is not an Immortal, nor is it likely that she is a pre-Immortal.
Proficient weapons: Being the Slayer, Faith has the advantage of instinctively being able to master the nuances of hand-to-hand combat as well as ancient weapons. With her recent move to Sunnydale, Faith's current training regimen includes Okinawan style karate, tae kwan do, kung fu, Zen sword, Philipine stick fighting, archery, fencing, staves, bows, and modern firearms. Unlike many previous Slayers (such as Buffy and Kendra), who showed a marked preference for the crossbow, Faith's weapon of specialty appears to be the English longbow. Her level of mastery is nearly equal that of Shaw, who has been using a longbow for more than forty years.
Current beliefs:
As of late January 1999, Faith's life has changed drastically from just eight months ago. In June, she was living on the streets in the Irishtown section of Boston, Massachusetts. A month later, she was fighting vampires and demons as the Chosen One. By the end of January, the Watcher she loved had been killed, and the young woman found herself in California, not only living under the same roof as her fellow Slayers, but also going to high school. For many, such a whirlwind pace would prove to be their undoing. Faith, on the other hand, has made the best that she can of it.
At the end of the first month of the new year (post-Faith's Story, Another Run, and Dating Blues 2), Faith has settled into the last routine she ever expected to find herself in; a life. High school, boys, friends, and the occasional saving of the world. She hasn't had an easy time of it, with the death of her Watcher, coupled with learning that the very people who rescued her from the streets would kill her if she suffered a serious injury (Faith's Story). But Faith's come through it surprisingly well, choosing to stay with the gang in Sunnydale over moving in with Mulder and Scully, and she hasn't regretted the decision yet. One additional bonus is that she lives with two other Slayers who she can talk to, as well as Joyce, whom Faith is coming to feel very comfortable with. It also helps that the Scoobies have all embraced Faith as one of their own, not treating her as "the new kid," but rather treating her as if she's been with them from the start.
Despite being part of a team now, Faith still holds onto her individualistic streak; she's been a loner and survivor most of her life, and is only slowly beginning to feel like doing the "team thing." She prefers to handle things her own way, and sometimes that can get her into trouble. An example of this is her known tendency to focus on the fight to the exclusion of everything else, including teammates and enemy reinforcements. Steve and Buffy are working on that weakness, and in time it should dissipate. Another aspect of this is that Faith is not big on rules and regulations. Mulder once stated that she had no sense of morality (Faith's Story), but that's not entirely accurate; Faith does have some morals, she just limits them to certain people. She does have a big mouth at times, and while it can get her into some trouble, she doesn't worry; she's quite capable of getting herself out of the trouble she gets herself into.
Faith's life does seem to work on the same philosophy for both facets of her life (Slaying and living a normal life); her attitude is "live large and fancy free." She prefers to live in the moment and let the future take care of itself. Part of it is from living on the streets; on the streets, anything can happen, at any time. Much of it, however, is being Chosen as the Slayer. For the first time, Faith is somebody. What she does makes a difference. As opposed to Buffy (who kept her life and friends) or Kendra (whose life consisted of being prepared for her role), being the latest in the line of Chosen Ones was what gave Faith the first "life" she's ever had; a mother figure (Linda), a reason to live, and something to look forward to other than becoming a statistic. It doesn't matter that her life is likely to end violently as the Slayer; her attitude is that if she dies, she's going down kicking and screaming, and she'll take as many of the jerks with her as she can. Whereas many people have their own ideas on life and death, Faith's take on the matter can likely be summed up in six words. "You live. You die. It happens."
On the school front, Faith is having an easier time fitting in than could ever have been expected. Most of that is because she already knows many of the students there. Buffy and Willow, in particular, have helped the Boston native adjust to the rough life of school (Faith: Note sarcasm). Buffy, being the Slayer, is showing Faith how to balance the two worlds, while Willow, the person who seems to be "everybody's" best friend, is performing that role for Faith as well. Two other Slayerettes of note are Cordelia and Shaw. Shaw, being someone who lost loved ones and is not a Sunnydale native, has bonded with Faith, since the pair seems to share many traits (one of those being a tendency to speak their minds bluntly rather than tactfully). Cordelia, on the other hand, has "declared war" on Faith in a friendly rivalry over what both consider to be an important issue; outfits. In Cordelia's case, it's maintaining her status quo as Sunnydale's (and the Slayerettes') resident Prom Queen. Faith, by contrast, is operating under a simpler philosophy; if you got it, flaunt it.
Whether it's showing off her outfits, flaunting her body, or kicking vampire ass, it's all the same to Faith, who's finally living the life she's always wanted.
She's sexy. She's sassy. She's fiery. And she knows it.
In short, she's five by five.
In Addition:
Faith arrived in Sunnydale in early 1999, where she began to develop a feature seriously missing in her life: Friends. The first were her sisters in Slaying: Buffy and Kendra. The next after them was Willow Rosenberg. But the closest and most unlikely was Shaw Hunter. Shaw’s cousin Amy Madison introduced Shaw during which Faith made a joke in her usual style: She made the Vulcan salute and greeting, not knowing of Shaw’s extreme dislike of such (Shaw being a half-elf). Shaw instead greeted Faith with a smile, a shake of the hand, and a “Thanks”(Faith’s Story, Daughters of the Moon)
By April 1999, Faith and Shaw had developed a strong friendship that involved much friendly needling. Faith even managed to worm out the fact that Shaw was nobility. (Another Run, For Every Action). During the time when all of Section 7 was scattered throughout Time and Space, Faith went to Shaw’s home world: Toril. Upon her return home in April 1999, they renewed their friendship with a girl’s night out. The night unfortunately went bad when the girls’ drinks were spiked with a “date rape” drug. Shaw was especially susceptible and came near to being molested. Faith’s anger nearly took her to the Dark Side and nearly beat both young men to death. Luckily Shaw was able to neutralize the drugs, and stop Faith from continuing on to actually killing the men. Shaw healed the men and they were held for the local police. One of the police officers noticed a marked resemblance and called them the “Soul Sisters”. They later received another collective nickname: “The Twin Towers of Tactlessness”
Back in July 1998, Faith’s Watcher passed on the lie she had been told to Faith that both Kendra and Buffy had been killed (Calling Out the Clan, Faith’s Story, Slayer Lineage) Things changed in February 1999, when Rupert Giles and Jenny Calendar went to England and repaired damage to the relationship between the Council and the Slayers. This was shortly after Files, Oz, Jarod, Mulder, and Xander had been given equal gifts from Robin Goodfellow as those that had been given to the Amazons. (Council at War, Prodigal Sons Consort). An agreement was reached that the Watchers would learn about handling Slayers from Giles. One the first Watchers sent was Wesley Windham-Pryce. Faith was not happy to see “the Weasel”, but she found he had changed. One great example was in May 1999, when he saved Faith after she had been attacked by Solomon Grundy (Prom Night)
Faith gained another strong friendship with Alison Jarman. Faith and Shaw helped Alison get together with her crush, the pizza deliveryman Ted. (Pizza Crusts, Who Can It Be Now). Alison later joined Section 7 as a researcher.
A major shock to Faith and Shaw came in August 1999. While on a mission to take out a demon that threatened to restart “The Game” of Immortals Shaw nearly died from injuries taken in defeating the demon. During her recuperation Giles did a hypnotic regression on Shaw and Faith to find the origin of their special Soul Bond. They were greatly surprised to find out that they had actually been sisters on Toril. This solidified the bond between the two.
Faith’s biggest shock came in November 1999. Faith had not heard from her father in years, assuming that he had abandoned Faith and her mother. This was proven wrong when David Starling of the Starling Amazons (Slayer Run: The Trial of Frank Scully) received a letter telling him of a DNA match found due to Faith’s arrest (Heir Apparent). David informed the Matriarch of the family who contacted Amazon Queen Gabrielle. Faith agreed to a meeting in Virginia with two of her friends: Shaw, and Cordelia Chase. Faith arrived and was shown her father’s military file (which nearly rivaled Steve St.Wolf’s). She established a bond with her father. (Standing Proud).
Faith’s bond with her father was useful in July 2001. Faith was called to deal with a Slayer in Training who was a member of the Parrish family. During this mission Seth, a former member of Section One (Libyan Assault/War of the Sections), proposed marriage. Faith accepted.
What is the one most important thing you can say about the character?
There are several reasons why Faith is a character that is and will be fun to work with.
First of all, in Faith we have yet another take on being the Chosen One. Buffy never knew or expected to be Chosen. It cost her the life she knew and, even though she has accepted her role as the leader of the Scooby Gang (and second in command of Section Seven), she sometimes wonders what would've happened if she hadn't had her destiny thrust upon her. Kendra had what could be considered the typical Slayer training; prepared from her earliest years to accept her destiny as the defender of humanity. Kendra accepts that she has a role to play, and has no problem with it dominating her life, mostly because she hasn't had a previous life to compare it to. Faith, on the other hand, had a life that most people never have to live with; being on the streets, parents who didn't care for her, and the likelihood of dying in the streets. Being Chosen took her away from that life and gave her what she always needed. Buffy accepts her destiny, but doesn't let it define her. Kendra accepts her destiny, because it's what she was meant to do. But Faith embraces it because it saved her life and gave her direction.
Another reason Faith is fun is because she has an effect on those around her, in a way similar to Buffy. Buffy inspires her friends because they've seen how she plugs on despite her setbacks. They see her as a role model to live up to. That leads to their becoming a family unit. Kendra is no exception (in What's My Line, she tells Buffy that "being the Slayer isn't what you do, it's who you are." And she didn't learn it from the Watchers, she learned it from Buffy (the most unorthodox Slayer ever [until Faith gives her a run for that title]). Faith's influence is that she doesn't hold back; she allows you to see who she is, what she's like, and what's on her mind. If you have a problem with it, too bad. It leads others to think about how much of themselves they hold back, and perhaps to express themselves more openly (Willow in Another Run being a very good example). She has the effect of having others loosen up and have a good time doing it.
To put it in simpler terms, consider the three Slayers (and very large thanks to Jack for this take, which I am paraphrasing <G>). Kendra is their by the book Slayer...the cop who tends to quote chapter and verse of the rule book. Buffy is the intuitive one, and Faith is the wild, emotional one. Think Spock, McCoy and Kirk (Kendra, Faith, and Buffy) and I think you'll have a good guide on how to have them interact. Faith is the emotional one. She feels deeply but tries to hide it with the tough act. She just wants to belong, to be loved unconditionally by someone, but she didn't know how to get it until she joined the Scoobies. She should have gotten it from her parents, but that didn't happen, so now, she has to learn to ask for it and to earn it, which she didn't know how to do in the show. If Giles had been her Watcher from the get go, she would have learned about that and been okay, but Giles was always Buffy's Watcher and Faith never could get in between them.
Another aspect is Faith's wild side. Quite simply, she isn't a team player. She's always been a loner and survivor, and has to learn to tone down on looking out for number one. As she becomes more a part of "our" Scooby Gang, she'll learn that her actions have consequences. As her friendships deepen, she'll learn to look out for others just as much as herself. But that doesn't mean that she can't have fun while doing it <G>.
And that's the last thing; a character who's embraced her destiny, but is going to look good and have fun doing it. She's going to do it her way. As Eliza herself said (as Eliza, NOT Faith), "There's just something about a woman with an attitude and leather pants."
Favorite quote: "When I fight, it's like the whole world goes away, and I just know one thing; that I'm gonna win and they're gonna lose. I like that feeling."
Nicknames: F (after naming Buffy "B," Kendra "K," and Willow "W," this was a natural), Boston, the Boston Slayer (to tell one Slayer from the other), the Dark Slayer, and the Cleavagey Slutbomb (that one from the Popular Crowd, jealous over Faith's ability to constantly outdo their outfits despite not being a rich girl). Faith, however, seems to be much better at handing out the nicknames then taking them. Among those handed out: B (Buffy), K (Kendra), W or Red (Willow), Sabrina (Amy), the Ball Buster (Cordelia), Fangface (Oz), Beefcake (Larry), Redeye (Shaw), Blondie (Gabrielle), Ice Queen (Dana Scully), M (Melissa Scully), Calendar Girl and J (Jenny), and Alfred (Giles).