#anti xander harris

[raisedbythetv89]

Sometimes I just sit and imagine what btvs could have been like if the women characters and their perspectives were TRULY centered and what all could have been.

How much wasn’t explored

How angel gets his own show but is completely reliant on the presence of Cordelia and the most interesting story lines revolve around her, darla, and drusilla. And how they needed Spike, the most female gaze male character, to even have a 5th season

How Riley gets to live and be a hero with a hot badass wife but Tara, Anya, and Kendra all are dead

How much xander’s abusive, toxic monologues passing judgment on everyone but himself often serve as the “facts or true reality” of the narrative rather than the rantings of a jealous, bitter, repressed, weak and pathetic boy

So much of the show is about a woman but still with men and men’s opinions, needs, desires at the center. We can see jane and marti’s efforts to center women’s narratives more especially in season 6 and 7 but much like I mourn what the first 32 years of my life could have been without patriarchy, what could have been for this show with so many incredible women that left so much potential unrealized.

Fan fiction is a reclamation of this lost potential. It’s a powerful and radical thing to do. Correcting the narrative to center who should have been centered all along heals the parts of us society wants us to neglect within ourselves for the sake of men (or straight people or white people or cis people) and their own narratives. It’s a way to decenter men not only in our real life spaces but our fictional ones too

#female gaze #decentering men #btvs #cordelia #tara mclay #kendra young #kendra btvs #drusilla btvs #darla btvs #anti riley finn #anti xander harris #anti angel #buffy summers

[messedupdoilies]

Whoever decided to make Xander the moral arbiter of the scoobies who lectures Buffy for dating former murderous demons while he almost married a former murderous demon should get jail time i think

#anti xander harris #rewatching entopy and #in a very die die die kill kill kill mood rn

[nevergonnabemuchmorethanweather]

Xander in S6: Buffy is going through the most traumatizing experience ever and its all our fault... buy she's back from the dead so that's all that matters, right 😁?

Best friend of the year 🥴

His complete lack of empathy for Buffy really is incredible, isn't it? Especially since he is clearly capable of empathy and just chooses to be completely selfish when he feels like it.

#btvs #anti xander harris

[theredpharaoah]

Willow is such a great friend. She tells Xander to just take Ampata to the dance even though it breaks her heart. Now notice when Willow finally finds someone who loves and appreciates her and Xander decides to do what? Confuse tf out of Willow and start kissing her all of a sudden. Typical man. He only wanted her when he felt like he could no longer have her. He was SOOOOO annoying

#buffy the vampire slayer #anti xander harris

[liliaeth]

One of the most annoying things is when a fandom you get into hyperfocuses on said shows least interesting character.

And you're going into the fandom wondering, what the hell do people even see in said character who to you has nothing even remotely appealing about them.

So you go into fandom trying to figure out what people see in this highly annoying character, and it turns out that they essentially ignore said character's entire canon personality, while giving him the traits, personality and relationships from other characters. (usually those of poc and/or female characters)

And when you point that out they pretend to like the character for his flaws, while at the same time pretending he doesn't have any of said flaws as they write meta or fanfic about said character.

#fandom #teen wolf #anti stiles stilinski #anti xander harris #fandom criticism

[purpleyearning]

“I’m less than a man.” Shut the fuck up, just shut the fuck up, shut the fucking fuck up. You are less than a man, not because you can’t kill a vampire, but because you are dumb as fuck and you’re not even good enough to be Icarus flying to close to the sun. Stop talking, stop breathing, stop existing. Die. I hope you fucking die.

#me?? irrationally angry?? #more likely than u think #rewatching is realizing how insufferable he really is #fd: buffy the vampire slayer #anti Xander Harris

[only-one-brain-cell]

What I love is 99% of the gang talking about new baddie and how serious it is then cut to Xander being a fucking idiot. Then cut back to the gang either doing important preparation/ saying good bye to your vampire ex then back to Xander again being a fucking idoit.

#btvs #btvs 3x13 #xander harris #anti xander harris

[anotherlibrocubicularist]

Always wanted to watch BTVS and I tried but every time I saw Xander's face I wanted to punch through my laptop and I don't have enough money to replace that thing

#Mood #Not really christmassy #Anti xander harris #Is that his full name? #Anyway #Merry christmas or whatever festivity yall arr celebrating #Btvs

[raisedbythetv89]

Me when the manipulative character manipulates irl viewers into ignoring all the bad and only seeing the good and then treating me like I’m the crazy one because I see through the manipulation and see the characters for who they really are instead of how they want to be perceived

#this was inspired by willow rosenberg and logan huntzberger specifically but there are SO MANY 😭 #xander riley and angel all belong on this list as well #also emily gilmore fuck her fr she’s literally the karen of all karens yet has sooo many stans like hello??? #y’all would believe narcissists and blame their victims if you’re falling for this shit like USE YOUR BRAIN OPEN YOUR EYES #joss whedon is manipulative af which is why so many of his characters are too especially ones he doesn’t hate and want punished #ppl are like how can you hate Willow she’s so sweet! like very obviously that’s an act??? she plays innocent like so many white women do #but then enables or directly causes SO MUCH HARM #anti logan huntzberger #anti willow rosenberg #anti scoobies #anti riley finn #anti angel #anti emily gilmore #anti xander harris #anti bangel #anti biley #anti faith lehane #anti fuffy #spuffy #jess x rory #literati #spike and buffy

[nevergonnabemuchmorethanweather]

If only Buffy was as ruthless to Xander about wanting to save Anya as he was to her about wanting Angel back. Would've LOVED to see it

Eh, I don't think I'd ever want to see Buffy behave anything like Xander, no matter how deserved it would be. Her 'I Am The Law' speech was pretty awesome all by itself. What I would have wanted to see is a follow-up to Buffy finally, after five years, dropping the 'Willow says kick his ass' bomb right in front of Willow. I don't think Buffy even heard her when she started to say she'd never said that, and... that's a pretty fucking big deal?? It massively changes the context of the end of season 2 and most of season 3 from both their perspectives.

Buffy spent years thinking that at the hardest, most traumatic time in her life, no one even cared enough about her to tell they were going to try to bring back the man she loved. She thought they all, rather than just Xander, set her up to have to kill Angel through pure carelessness. No wonder she felt like there was no one she could turn to!

Meanwhile, Willow had no idea why Buffy was so distant and no longer confided in her for months after coming back to Sunnydale, or why they never really got that easy closeness back. She also didn't know that during that summer where they were all supposedly worrying about Buffy and wondering what exactly happened, Xander was keeping a massive piece of that puzzle to himself.

I would have loved to see Willow and Buffy talk all that out and start repairing some of the damage while also finally holding Xander to account for something for once in his life.

#btvs #buffy summers #willow rosenberg #anti xander harris

[roseunspindle]

#disliked/hated character? #poll #anti bakugou katsuki #anti tony stark #anti dean winchester #anti john kramer #anti xander harris #anti daenerys targaryen #anti alicent hightower

[tuiyla]

btw, do you already dislike Xander? I'm kinda hoping you're going to start writing rants about how much he sucks lmao, but tbf his worst moments are yet to come. I also hope you'll end up hating another male character that most people love, much to my chagrin.

Alright! No more letting this ask sit. Anon, I hope you're around and doing well because we're finally gonna talk about Xander Harris.

I wanted to answer this at different points during my Buffy journey and now, towards the end of season 5, I have to say that... Xander's fine. I totally get where your hope comes from, my notorious Finn posts and all and though I'll get into aspects of Xander I dislike in a moment, I'm afraid I can't be the manhater you need on this occasion. From what I've seen though he's not that well-loved? In my limited experience anyway. So the Finn Hudson effect doesn't apply in that sense, either.

Where I would be frustrated with Xander in similar ways I am about Finn's ch is that sometimes he is framed in an annoying way. He never gets even just called out for lying to Buffy at the end of season 2 or acting like a major asshole in 3x02. All the Scoobies are coming at Buffy there, sure, but none with such vehemence and in such a self-righteous way. Self-righteous hypocrites really piss me off. Had I answered this at the start of season 3 I probably would have been much harsher on Xander than I'm gonna be now. His Angel hatred was so irrational and not worthy of an "I told you so" upon Angelus' turn and it's irritating how entitled he is to Buffy's decisions. Not to mention, I don't care if him sulking about Buffy's rejection is realistic teen boy behaviour, it's tedious and embarrassing. She made it clear that she was not interested and Xander was such an ass about it. His crush on Buffy was a pain to get through and frankly, I don't think Xander deserved either of the girls he's been with since. Cordelia most definitely not and I think Anya deserves better, too, because she's genuinely devoted whereas it really feels like Xander's with her just because it's convenient for him.

His latest really, really annoying moment was his Riley speech to Buffy but honestly I'm just so glad Riley's gone so I'm gonna swiftly move past that. Whatever, Xander tried helping Buffy and luckily she was too late to act on his advice. What stupid advice, anyway, as if Riley was one in a million. Hon, he was literally the 999,999 in a million.

And I said I wouldn't go hard on the guy, huh? Lmao well that was pretty much the list of my grievances. In general? Xander's... fine. He's not gonna be my favourite Scooby in any scenario, no way, but I think since mid-season 3 he's been a lot more tolerable and even enjoyable on occasion. He does feel sort of useless at times but that's acknowledged and a part of his journey so I appreciate that. I don't fully buy into him being the Heart of the group as that position is something that I hold precious, see Katara in ATLA. And no way Xander can even touch what someone like Katara represents within her group dynamic. But I also see that being the Heart is mostly about courage here, loyalty, and as much as he makes mistakes I gotta give Xander that.

Even in that interpretation I struggle with the guy because a) he does have these icky sexist moments that are just not funny and they're meant to be and b) he's not... that full of heart. I just think pettiness gets in the way too often and, compared to someone like Willow's flaws his are more annoying and in general, more. He's not quite the Nice Guy syndrome because he is general a genuinely good friend to Buffy and the others but I wish he wasn't such a teen boy. Or, if he was, cause ya know they unfortunately do exist, that he was framed just a little more critically. I get that that's too much to ask of Whedon's late 90s feminism but it would make Xander an easier character to vibe with. I mean, I'm guessing there must be a reason I had zero idea about his existence prior to watching the show but had a vague idea of most other Scoobies. I knew so many things about Willow and was aware of chs like Oz, Cordy and Tara, but I was half-expecting Xander to only last a season or two. Because surely, if he was there for the whole show I would have heard people talk about him already.

So, yeah, it might not sound like it because I more so talked about the negatives than positives but I don't hate Xander by any means. He's not frustrating enough to be loathed or ranted about but he's also not nearly engaging enough to be on the level of the other Scoobies. He has his moments, though, and more often than not I find myself enjoying Xander-centric episodes. Soooo... is that anything? I hope I don't disappoint but now that I'm at the end of season 5 maybe you can share more about your Xander thoughts, I'd be happy to listen.

#anon #buffy asks #xander harris #anti xander harris #sort of idk if that's polite to tag #btvs #god i finally got to this ask! sorry anon hope you're well

[mineforvr]

I can not believe Xander broke Cordy heart like that

#buffy the vampire slayer #anti Xander Harris #cordelia chase

[wikiangela]

it's hilarious how they're trying to make me feel bad for Xander just like they were trying so hard to make us love Riley in as you were (or how they were trying to convince us that the break up was Buffy's fault lol)

it just won't happen sns I liked Xander at the beginning, though I always had mixed feelings bc I liked how goofy and funny he could be but then there were stuff that were just... um 🤮 and then I liked him less and less and I guess it got to the point where I really don't give a fuck about him haha

also, he was just an asshole so he deserves to wallow in sadness right now 💁🏻‍♀️😁

(I don't even like Anya and the relationship with her was what really made me annoyed with his character, but I feel so bad for her and he fucking sucks for this lmao)

#Buffy s6 #Buffy season 6 #buffyverse #buffy the vampire slayer #btvs #btvs s6 #xander harris #anti xander harris #watching buffy

[buffysummers]

hi! so i started buffy a while back and found that the character i liked best was xander but it seems like everyone in the fandom literally hates him 😔 so i was just wondering what your thoughts are on him 💖

Oof, my advice is to always stay out of the fandom entirely until you finish the show. The (current) tumblr fandom has a huge tendency to conflate canon with fanon to the point where they don't even know what actually happens in the show anymore lol.

As for Xander, my feelings are a bit complicated because I feel like he has such a genuine character journey and for that I truly admire what the writers do with him. He grows SO much, and it all feels organic and believable. But he can be a tough pill to swallow at times, especially in the earlier seasons. Some of it has to do with the fact that this is a nineties show and that's just how guys were, but some of it is because he is Joss' self-insert and we ALL know Joss is a bad person. Some of his less-than-stellar traits he never entirely grows out of.

There is a level of entitlement to Xander's character that never truly goes away. There are plenty of moments where he will say or do something great but then follow it up with a gross comment where he objectifies women/etc. I think he views Buffy (and Willow, to a certain degree) as His Property, and that makes him entitled to their (romantic) love. With Buffy, it manifests in a lot of different ways. Constant jealousy, objectification of her body and creepy side comments, especially in seasons 1-3 (although it never truly goes away.) With Willow, he becomes frustrated when she starts to have feelings for someone else. It very much gives off the vibe of, "I don't want you but I want you to want me because I want to feel wanted." And while I think that is fairly common for teenagers to feel that way (and people in general, actually), it doesn't make it right.

I think Xander can be short-sighted, condescending and selfish a lot of the time. He does a few things in the show that are absolutely unforgivable to me. I think he is a very interesting character to discuss because I think his character best exemplifies the ways in which Buffy CAN be viewed as a product of its time.

But I also think that some of Xander's worst character traits are a result of repressed trauma. Either the writers didn't have time to explore this, or they simply didn't care enough to. Regardless, all we have to infer from is canon and that does not undo some of his very bad character traits.

I think Xander is generally a pretty funny character that I'm sure a lot of teenagers (especially when it was airing) could relate to. He's basically the only Scooby in the show that doesn't really have any kind of superpower or destiny. There is beauty in being ordinary and unskilled, and yet still having the courage and strength of heart to fight, and we see this in Xander.

I do think that the bad outweighs the good with Xander, but I think he is essential to the show and I can't imagine the show without him. And when Buffy REALLY needs someone, he is almost always the first to volunteer his help. And I think that says a lot about him. He is not perfect, he can be super petty and offensive and a lot of other things, but when you need him to show up, he tends to show up.

Sorry that this is so long and kind of all over the place, but that's a pretty good way to describe how I feel about him. It's a lot. If there are moments or aspects of his personality that you'd love to discuss specifically, I will probably be able to give you a better answer lol.

#anonymous #answered #buffy thoughts #anti xander harris #xander harris