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ravenya003 · 4 months

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Welcome to the Hellmouth, S01E01

My 2024 Buffy the Vampire Slayer rewatch starts NOW!

Before I jump in, here’s some quick housekeeping:

I’ll endeavour to do this on a weekly basis; watching an episode on Saturday night and writing up a post on Sunday.

I’m not going to worry about spoilers. This show was as good as it was because of how interconnected the themes and storylines were, so if something in season one reminds me of something in season seven, I’m going to mention it.

This is the first time I’ve watched this show (probably) since high school, and it’s almost certainly the first time I’ve watched it from start to finish. It’s actually rather dizzying in this age of eight episode shows that get cancelled after two seasons to consider there are one hundred and forty-four episodes of Buffy that span seven years.

Obviously I am not unaware of Joss Whedon’s mistreatment of others on the set of Buffy, and where it seems relevant I’ll bring it up. But I also don’t think it’s fair to the rest of the cast and crew to throw the entire show under the bus because of one person, especially when it had such a huge (positive) impact on so many lives.

For the record, my favourite ships are Willow/Oz, Giles/Jenny and Spike/Drusilla. My purpose in pointing this out is to make clear that I don’t watch this show to see what true love looks like, but to watch a close-knit band of social misfits fight the forces of evil together. To me, the heart of this show is the friendship between Buffy, Xander, Willow and Giles. The show is always at its strongest when it’s focusing on the four of them, and most of the love stories just don’t interest me that much.

Once season three is over, I’ll start alternating between Buffy and Angel episodes.

Okay, let’s get to it.

First of all, I was not prepared for how dated everything looks and sounds. Naturally my most recent memories of Buffy are watching the later seasons, when there’s cellphones and internet access and fashion choices that wouldn’t seem out of place today – but season one looks like a different era entirely.

There are some references that have dated amusingly (Cordelia and Buffy bond over their shared appreciation for James Spader), some that I didn’t get at all (who’s John Tesh? What’s Debarge?) and a few synthesized musical cues that are straight out of the nineties.

I had forgotten that the Cold Open involves Julie Benz as Darla, and that show-defining twist when it turns out that she’s the vampire and not her predatory date. Ah, Red Shirt #1 played by Carmine Giovinazzo – you have the distinction of being this show’s first victim. I salute you.

Also, it’s amusing to think that we had no idea just how important Darla would end up being to the franchise’s lore. She’s just a standard vampire minion at this early stage, though I do like the fact that she was presumably cast to look a bit like Buffy.

And of course, it all starts at good old Sunnydale High.

Our first glimpse of Buffy Summers begins with her in the middle of a nightmare, which... girl, get used to this plot device. This one is a bit more muddled than her later dreams, made up of a bunch of clips that’ll be used in later episodes that culminate in the Master, the season’s Big Bad.

I had to smile at the sight of those yellow school buses pulling up at the front of Sunnydale High. Buffy may not arrive at school in one of these things, but seven years later, she’s sure as hell going to leave in one.

Joyce – and later on, Angel – are both perfect examples of Characterization Marches On regarding the fact the writers’ room hasn’t quite settled on their personalities yet. In Joyce’s case, she comes across as a lot more flaky than in later appearances.

Oh, and here’s Xander, riding in on a skateboard that we’ll never see him use again across the entire run of the series. I get that he’s a very contentious character in the annals of the show, and though I’m certainly not going to let him off the hook for his occasional (frequent?) shitty behaviour, I also think I’m fonder of him than the average fan.

Honestly, I think Joss Whedon doomed him a little when he stated that Xander was the character most based on him in high school. Suddenly all his entitled, chauvinist behaviour was re-evaluated through the lens of knowing that Whedon was a pretty awful person – but I hope we can all agree that even at his worst, Xander is a MUCH better human being than Whedon.

We’ll see how we go.

Interesting that Willow’s history with Xander is established well before she meets Buffy. Not surprising, since they’ve known each other since early childhood, but interesting. Buffy is the protagonist, but Xander/Willow’s relationship with each other takes precedence when it comes to introducing the gang’s dynamics.

And hey, it’s Eric Balfour as Jesse! Oh man, they really dropped the ball on this character, didn’t they. It’s the one aspect of this two-part premiere that really doesn’t work... but I’ll get to that in good time.

Principle Flutie! Something else I’d totally forgotten; I honestly thought this show started with Snyder.

Also, that initial on his desk plaque is B. Does that mean his name is actually Bob (which is what he tells Buffy to call him)? Not Robert? Weird.

Buffy and Xander’s meetcute involves him helping her pick up some of the spilled contents of her bag, and accidentally saying: “can I have you?” instead of “can I help you?” Oof. Yeah, that’s not an auspicious start.

Buffy meets Cordelia before she meets Willow, and Cordelia comes across as surprisingly nice when she shares her textbook with Buffy and invites her into Sunnydale's popular clique. Then of course, the second relatively big twist of the episode occurs: Cordelia reverts into absolute bitchiness when they come across Willow at the drinking fountain.

Willow scarpers and Buffy looks deeply uncomfortable. There’s a nice subtext across this episode that suggests Buffy was once just like Cordelia, only for her calling to make her more sympathetic to social “losers” like Xander and Willow.

Cordelia also describes the Bronze as being in “the bad part of town”. Huh? I’m going to chalk that one down to more Early Instalment Weirdness, since I don’t think it ever comes up again. (Later Sunnydale is described as a “one Starbucks town”, which is also funny since it’s later revealed to contain a zoo, a shopping mall, several lakes and parks, a military base, and a university).

Buffy enters the library for the first time, and the first thing she sees is a newspaper with an article titled “local boys still missing” outlined in red. The plurality of “boys” means that this isn’t referring to Darla’s kill, which probably only happened the night before anyway. Instead, it’s an indication that there are ongoing problems of a supernatural nature in Sunnydale.

And here’s Giles! The most interesting thing about this interaction is that Giles has clearly been waiting for Buffy. As in, he knows that the Slayer is scheduled to appear in Sunnydale, and that she’s going to be enrolled in its local high school. As Willow says later on, he’s also a newcomer, having only recently taken the position of school librarian.

The show never goes into any more detail than this, but I have so many questions. Clearly Buffy was under surveillance from the Watchers Council, who knew she was coming and made sure Giles had a cover story and a position to fill at Sunnydale High so that he could more easily sidle himself into her life, but a part of me wonders they pulled similar strings for Joyce to get her that job at the art gallery in order to bring Buffy to Sunnydale in the first place.

Evidence for this is that Giles already knows it’s a hotbed for supernatural activity in his discussions with her, though I suppose his dialogue suggests it’s more fate (or the Powers That Be?) rather than the Watchers Council that had a hand in Buffy’s arrival at the Hellmouth (“there’s a reason you’re here and a reason why it’s now”). Still, it’s an interesting theory to ponder, and I always felt it was a shame that the show never delved too deeply into Buffy’s life after she became a Slayer but before she moved to Sunnydale.

(Though I suppose that had to do with the spectre of the 1992 Buffy movie, who’s relationship with this show is a bit tenuous. But now I’m getting off-track).

Buffy flees from Giles and strikes up a conversation with Willow instead. Willow’s eagerness and earnestness is very cute, and though she probably has the most profound development of any other character on this show, I’ll always miss this early dorky version of her.

In describing the library, Buffy says it gives her “the wiggins”. HAH! Remember that word? Remember how it didn’t exist anywhere except this show? Remember how it was essentially Whedon’s attempt to make fetch happen? Aw, man. What a delightful throwback.

On hearing that a body has been found stuffed in a locker, Buffy naturally cannot help but investigate – though I suppose we can chalk it down just as much to her wanting confirmation on whether or not vampires are in town than to any personal sense of responsibility.

Our first glimpse of her super strength comes when she busts through the locked door into the changing room, and she gives a weary “oh great” on seeing the bitemarks in the victim’s neck.

But then of course, she follows this up by sharing her discovery with Giles, who is quick to point out that she’s doing something about it. I have a soft spot for heroes who simply cannot walk away from danger and/or a situation that needs their intervention, regardless of how loudly they grumble about it.

Turns out Xander has heard their entire conversation about vampires and Watchers and Slayers from behind the stacks... which is an elegant not-coincidence since it was established earlier in the episode (in his conversation with Willow) that he was going to the library for a trigonometry book.

Giles is still jabbering about how Sunnydale is a centre of mystical energy that attracts all kinds of supernatural beings, and Buffy’s skepticism naturally gives way to a panning shot of an underground cave where a formidable-looking vampire is intoning “the Sleeper will wake” over a pool of blood.

As villains go, the Master is obviously not particularly inspired, especially since he spends most of this season as a quintessential Orcus on His Throne, but it was also way too early in the game to have a complex or personal Big Bad. You can’t come out the gate with a Glory or an Angelus, and I think he serves his purpose just fine as a Nosferatu-esque spectre that a sixteen-year-old girl would understandably be intimidated by.

Ditto Luke as the show’s Starter Villain: a physical threat to Buffy without being all that interesting.

On Buffy’s way to the Bronze we get our first Angel sighting, and much like Joyce, his characterization is a bit off. He’s way too smarmy and negging, but also... kind of upbeat? It’s amusing to reflect that the writers room knew very little about him at this point, including the fact that he was a vampire (making his “I don’t bite” comment deeply ironic) so it’s lucky that they never filmed any of his scenes in daylight before the truth comes out six episodes later.

In any case, his role in this episode is to namedrop things like “the Mouth of Hell” and “the Harvest” (which Giles will start researching as soon as Buffy passes them on to him) and give Buffy the silver crucifix which... becomes important at some stage? I remember the claddagh ring in season three, but have no recollection of this necklace.

Also intriguing is this dialogue between them: Angel – “I’m a friend.” Buffy – “Maybe I don’t want a friend.” Angel – “I didn’t say I was yours.”

I mean, I know it’s just meaningless banter, but Buffy assumes the “friend” he’s talking about is Giles, who soon confirms that he’s never met him before. So was Angel actually referring to The Powers That Be? Whistler, maybe? Again, I know that this was just filler dialogue with no established context, but I’d be interested to see if it fits in with season two’s flashbacks where he’s introduced to Buffy from a distance.

There’s a very sweet interaction between Buffy and Willow at the Bronze, in which the former gives the latter some advice (“seize the day, because tomorrow you might be dead”) and assures her she’s coming back – despite Willow’s expectation that she won’t – when she spots Giles on an overhead balcony.

The staging of the scene between her and Giles is a bit sus – did he really have to stand behind her and lean over her like that? – but at his insistence she spots a vampire in the crowd, though not because of her preternatural senses, but because of his dated fashion sense. And uh-oh, he’s chatting up Willow, who is unfortunately taking Buffy’s “seize the day” advice.

A throwaway line from Cordelia down on the dance floor is telling: apparently her mother never gets out of bed. Our resident Alpha Bitch clearly doesn’t have a great home life.

Poor Jesse gets the brush-off from Cordelia and runs straight into Darla instead. The reveal is wonderfully corny, in which she swivels around in her hanging basket chair with a smile that wouldn’t melt butter.

We’re heading into the third act cliff-hanger now: Willow is being ushered through a graveyard by her vampiric date, Jesse is clearly also in danger, the Master has risen and sent out his minions to bring him fresh blood, and Xander’s skepticism over Buffy’s Slayer status quickly turns to concern when he learns that Willow is in trouble.

They all converge in a graveyard crypt, and – bless her – Buffy is bantering right off the bat. It’s actually a pretty good tactic, as the vampires are caught off-guard by her confidence. Though... shouldn’t Darla clock the fact that she’s a Slayer? We learn later that she’s familiar with the concept, though this is obviously another case of not having figured out the character’s background at this early stage.

A point in Xander’s favour: Buffy tells him to “go” and instead he enters the crypt to help Jesse and Willow. You have to admit, that’s classic Xander.

And we end with Xander/Willow/Jesse being threatened by more vampires outside, as Luke lowers himself onto Buffy after he’s thrown her into an open tomb. To be continued...

Miscellaneous Observations:

Do we ever get an explanation for the force field that’s keeping the Master trapped underground? It’s obviously magic, so who put it in place?

How did Angel know about the Harvest? Who sent him? I know the answers are still to come, but the question is deliberately left dangling in this episode.

Giles mentions incubus and succubus in his litany of monsters that are attracted to Sunnydale, but I think they’re the only two creatures that never actually appear in the show.

I love the little glimpses of non-main characters going about their business in Sunnydale, namely Aphrodesia and Aura gossiping about Buffy before the dead guy falls out of the latter’s locker. I wonder if those girls made it to Graduation Day...

Watching this episode, the most eye-opening character is Cordelia, who has quite the epic journey ahead of her. It’s almost funny to see her in a role that requires her to be little more than Buffy’s antagonist and foil – essentially what Buffy would have been without her calling. I’m taking a moment to think about where all these characters end up, and it’s pretty dizzying.

Giles gives the famous Slayer mantra: “Into every generation a Slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a Chosen One. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer.” This is repeated in the show’s very final episode, and not only forms the crux of Buffy’s entire identity crisis, but also serves as the inspiration for her solution to it. Damn, I love this show.

But who the heck is the guy who speaks these lines in the opening introduction?? It’s later taken over by Anthony Stewart Head, but in season one at least we get a completely unfamiliar narrator.

As excited as I am to embark on this rewatch, I know that after the third season the show loses its centre a bit as the main trio form relationships that are ostensibly more important than the one they have with each other. I love these early seasons because their friendship is clearly the focus of the show – the thing not only protecting them against the forces of evil, but getting them through the hell that is high school.

The show loses its lustre when it loses sight of their bond, but I have three whole seasons to enjoy before that happens. Let’s do this.

Best Line: Cordelia (after Buffy has accidentally slammed her against a wall, thinking she’s a vampire): “Excuse me, I have to call EVERYONE I have EVER met, RIGHT NOW.”

Best Scene: The climatic fight in the crypt, not for the fight itself, but for the shock on Xander and Willow’s faces as the world (and their lives) irrevocably change.

Best Subversion: Obviously when the vulnerable and demure little blonde in the Cold Open reveals herself to be the real danger in the room.

Death Toll: Darla's date in the cold open. Thomas, the vampire that Buffy dusts in the crypt. Also, the newspaper in the library mentioned "local boys still missing" but since we never see them on-screen, the toll stands at TWO.

Grand Total: One civilian, one villain.

#buffy the vampire slayer #rav's watching log #welcome to the hellmouth #rav's buffy rewatch #buffy season one

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oveliagirlhaditright · 11 months

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You know... this gets brought up a lot in Bangel fanfiction--and for good reason--but I feel like the fandom really doesn't appreciate just how amazing and important it is that Buffy can always tell when it's Angel or not (the only times she couldn't was when she was introduced to Angelus for the first time in the show and in this AU novel, where she met Angelus in a different way. And I think that's fair. She didn't even know Angelus was a thing yet in either instance, and had just thought Angel had randomly completely changed out of nowhere. And even there, she's still noticing a change in him there). She also noticed when he was being possessed by Twilight at the end of season eight, and Spike didn't.

Like, this is important even outside of shipping reasons. I don't care if you ship them or not. Buffy should always be brought in if there's ever a doubt about Angel's soul, his temperament (like if you're worried he might go off the deep end and start killing people, soul or no soul) or anything like that. That whole mess in Angel S4, where the entire AI team is convinced he's Angel when he's not and Angelus gets loose, could have been avoided if someone had just picked up a phone and Angel Investigations and the Scoobies would have cooperated for once. Later, Fred eventually enlists the help of Willow to re-ensoul Angel, which is wonderful, but this is after he's already escaped and caused havoc. If they'd called Buffy before this, they could have saved themselves a massive headache.

And no, I don't give a fuck about "exes," or them having their own cities and territories, and for the most part trying not to get in each other's businesses because of that, or them not being in each other's lives anymore, or "sticking to the plan and keeping their distance until a lot of time has passed, given enough time they should be able to forget (their love for each other)." All of that is stupid, and there's a time and a place for it, but against Angelus, Angelus should always come first.

#buffy the vampire slayer #angel the series #and yes: i do know that some of this is probably because of some of the legal issues going on at the time. where buffy and angel ended up o #different networks and because of that neither network wanted either character to appear on each other's show

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allthebestcowboyshavedaddyissues · 9 months

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1, 7, 9, 10, and 12 for the choose violence ask game<3

thank you!!!

what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?

spike in buffy the vampire slayer. which sucks because he's actually one of my favorite characters pre-s5! he is a villain, and i honestly hate when villains are treated as if they "aren't that bad!" just because they're typically used for comedic bits. also in s6 his attempted r*pe of buffy is horrific, while i appreciate them trying to redeem his character after... putting them BACK into a romantic relationship the very next season was gross. especially since their dynamic after that attempt was turned into something "fluffy" and a lot of sp*ffy shippers latched onto it and acted as if that's what it was always like....hard pass! I don't want to see excuses for a character just because i like them. sometimes they do horrific shit and I don't think it should be swept under the rug and treated as a cute romance (at least acknowledge the ick....)

the character everyone gets wrong:

oh i so OBVIOUSLY have to put jack here. hero's hero. he never thought he had what it took but he tried anyway!!! i have a soft spot for martyrs and self -hating characters and obviously he checks off the list. he was temperamental and mentally a mess, he pushed limits he shouldn't have and he was frustratingly brave and caring. i love him. he wasn't perfect, but he tried his best:)

worst part of canon:

I think we all know Fire + Water and Stranger in a Strange Land make up Lost's worst runs. but i don't hate them that much, I don't enjoy them and I don't know if I'd rewatch the episodes more than once. I don't think they're that bad, because i've had some shows with shitty episodes and these don't make top 20. Unfortunately I think they had potential and it's sad that they fumbled the bag so bad...then again they only did it twice so all things considered a pretty great run.

worst part of fanon:

hmm....i hate all fanon shit that excludes a great character because they get in the way of a ship. cannot despise it enough.

the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them:

Angel and Gunn in ATS. So underappreciated for what:( i love them!!

for violent ask game

#asks

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theyarebothgunshot · 1 year

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i was tagged by @trampledundercas to talk about 8 shows to get to know me, thank you for the tag!

i’ll be talking about the shows in the chronological order in which i started to watch them, to make it easier for myself lmao.

1. buffy the vampire slayer: listen. if there is just one show. one piece of media on this earth, that you need to know about in order to understand me, it’s buffy. this show came out when i was a kid, and i watched it even though i hardly grasped what it was about back then. all i knew was that david boreanaz was hella hot and also buffy + angel forevah. obviously, as i grew up, my opinions changed, and they continue to evolve even now. (for example: season 2 was my favorite season for the longest time, but the last couple of years, season 5 sneaked up on me and is now my favorite season). every time i rewatch it, i get something new out of the experience. the way i talk, my humor, my taste in media and ships, my very being has been influenced by this show. i know in my heart that this will always be my favorite show.

2. dawson’s creek: listen. i can’t really explain this one, except for the fact that it definitely solidified my love for the friends to lovers trope, and the enemies to friends to lovers trope. it is just *chefs kiss* and yes i also watched this way too young but ehh i survived.

3. the o.c.: i was old enough to browse the internet when this show came out, thus i finally stumbled upon livejournal, and by extension, fanfiction. this was the first show i ever read fanfic for, and also m/m fanfic that i wasn’t looking for but that definitely rewired my brain for good. so. yeah. ever since, i have been permanently online. so there is that! plus - and this is a big factor too - it literally shaped my music taste to this day. next to the national, my favorite artists/bands are death cab and rachael yamagata, who i was introduced to by the o.c.

4. the office u.s.: next to the o.c., the office u.s. was a show i read a LOT of fanfic for at a formative time in life. jim/pam was my jam (hah. the ones who know, know). again: friends to lovers.... cannot get enough of it. i will say this though: once they get together, unfortunately the show did lose it’s spark for me. but alas. season 1-3 will always have a special place in my heart.

5. how i met your mother: i have a very complicated relationship with this show. a love/hate relationship, if you will. those who are familiar with it, undoubtedly know why. but this WAS a great show imo, at least when it went with the flow. again, the enemies to friends to lovers of it all.... yeah. that plus nonlinear storytelling? hellooo. sign me tf up.

6. the wire: this show was just so good. SO GOOD. it was like watching a novel come to life. it definitely changed the way i look at tv, and made me appreciate long form storytelling.

7. breaking bad: this is purely a case of excellent television. it didn’t change me as a person, perse, but i cannot picture my life withouth this experience. i binged the first 3 seasons when i was sick, in the hiatus before season 4, and watched the last two seasons live. my friends and i had a watch party for the series finale, we baked a cake and made fake blue crystal meth, it was a whole thing lmao. good times indeed.

8. supernatural. need i say more?

this was a lot of fun ngl. i’ll tag @regardingjenmish @clarkenting @blanketforcas @thosewildcharms but, no pressure, feel free to ignore lmao

#tag game

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sunnydaleherald · 4 months

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Sunday, January 7

Oz : Big lunch? Veruca : I like to eat. I hate chicks who are like, "does it have dressing on it?" Oz : (Nods.) Agreed. You guys were tight last night.

~~Wild at Heart~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Jukyō no tōchi? a.k.a. Confucian Reigns by kerk_hiraeth (Good Omens crossover, Faith, Tara, PG)

Last Year's Rain Didn't Fall Quite So Hard by Coraniaid (Buffy/Faith, T)

trying to drown in the fountain of youth by bodytoflame (Buffy/Faith, T)

Furtive by TheCatMendacity (Tara & Oz, not rated - worksafe)

Familial Revelations (ATU 400) by Cynder2013 (Buffy/Tara, T)

Stuck at Home for the Holidays by Kittenwritings (Buffy/Faith, G)

ordinary, special, chosen by InvisiblePinkToast (Dawn & Tara, G)

for a kiss is always a gift by slambat (Buffy/Tara, G)

like family by Melacka (Buffy & Giles/Olivia, G)

these feelings tend to leave me with a hole in my chest by toyhdgehog (Buffy/Faith, T)

father, tell me (do we get what we deserve) by Cynder2013 (Faith/vampire Willow, M)

A Sexy Meal by DeamonQueen (Buffy/Spike, NC-17)

Buffy's Night Off by hulettwyo (Buffy/Spike, PG-13)

[Chaptered Fiction]

The Fox's Cry Chapter 4 by madimpossibledreamer (Persona 4/Angel Crossover AU, Cordelia, T)

The City on the Edge of Forever (That Never Sleeps) - Chapter 1-2 (COMPLETE!) by MCorey1317 (Buffy/Angel, M)

Where the really wild things are, Ch. 36 (Scoobies, FR21)

A Breath is But a Soundless Whisper, Ch. 12 by Blackoberst (Buffy/Spike, 18+)

Clean Slate, Ch. 1 by hulettwyo (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only)

[Images, Audio & Video]

"Anne" gifset by 5bi5 (Buffy, worksafe)

Drawings: The Slayer and her Watcher. by yarboyandy (Giles, Buffy, Sam Zabuto, Kendra, Diana Dormer, Faith, worksafe)

Drawings of characters in outfits by genericaces (Faith, Cordelia, Gunn, Spike, Angel, worksafe)

lovecore/lovegender bisexual spike icons by rottenparasite (worksafe)

angel rentry graphics and icon by rottenparasite (worksafe)

drusilla rentry graphics by rottenparasite (worksafe)

Podfic: vexbatch's story "Gravedirt & Empty Hearts" read by kbirb pods (Batman crossover, T)

[Reviews & Recaps]

Welcome to the Hellmouth, S01E01 by ravenya003

Buffy is one of the few shows that seriously impresses me how well it can handle comedy and seriousness together well! by AxelNoir

[Recs & In Search Of]

Buffy vid recs by sparrow2000

Stargate crossover recs by aadler

Spotlight Saturday: Sprusilla [fic recs and vid recs] by februaryfangfest

Rec request: Best Buffy fanfiction? by KimberlyTheZebraFish

[Community Announcements]

Pinch hits, new deadline, and part-claims at Five Figure Fanwork Exchange (Pinch hit 40 can be BtVS)

The BtVS smash or pass tournament (demon edition) is open for voting

[Fandom Discussions]

Eat a Sandwich [Veruca and Oz] by sarad

Re: Tell meme about a drawerfic [Buffy/Tara/Spike] - by anonymous fail-fandomanon commenter

Reminder that Buffy Summers is now 43 years old by anonymous fail_fandomanon commenters

"That was such a drag" the fate of Kendra by Btvs fan

What is your favorite ship of each season [of AtS]? by Pumpkins217

Buffyverse and Gilmore Girls by Pumpkins217

Why is Riley disliked by the majority of the fans in this sub? by mcrpnk

"lack of soul" as an explanation for what spike does in Seeing Red makes no sense by hglassredacted

Share a Buffy dream you had. by Randy_Giles1880

Fred and Lorne appreciation post by onceamonthfor18years

What were your moments of fridge horror? by SafiraAshai

Favorite Non-Canon Ships by Pumpkins217

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

#btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #angel the series

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bloodcoveredgf · 11 months

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buffy for the tv asks !

favorite character: buffy summers without a doubt in my mind :] shes the best girl in the world to me as everybody probably already knows... & that will never change!! do not even care that she is the main character and of course nearly everyone loves her i love her in a more intimate and profound way /lh shes my forever :)

funniest character: OO TOUGH theres sooo many funny little guys.. but i will say spike. or anya <3 she just gets me (her autistic weird girl swag which gets played for laughs often but i usually laugh With her and when shes being sillay and cute).. spike is just like. he definitely gets the most laughs out of me hes so sillay and pathetic and funny. im always either laughing at him or with him

best-looking character: every woman. no but like actually.... buffy but also drusilla and darla and anya and faith and willow and tara and glory and cordelia and kendra and jenny and harmony and- hfkshfj you get it.. The most wife ever to me though is buffy. or drusilla. OH GOD... both of them

3 favorite ships: umm.... gets nervous.. buffy + faith, willow + tara, spike + buffy. It physically pained me leaving out spike + drusilla, angel + darla And spike + angel... like ultimately spike & drusilla are THE ultimate duo ever in the buffyverse In my opinion but not necessarily top 3 ship... im sorry for my spuffy crimes. im so sorry for this. But also i dont take ships as seriously as everyone else like do not start legitimate ship wars on this post i prommy i dont care

least favorite character: warren. i dont think i even need to say anything else

least favorite ship: probably buffy and riley like there is Absolutely worse and theres like non-canon ships people have that are so yuck but in terms of like ships i actually had to endure... them.. i actually dont mind riley himself i just dont like buffy and riley together they had potential but ultimately... their storyline just went somewhere and they lost me. riley lost me but i find things to appreciate about him And his relationship with buffy especially as i analyze him/his purpose and listen to others analyze him more but when it comes to buffy/riley.. not a fan!

reason why i watch it: uhhh.. well its good :) i could write a whole essay but my brain is not working enough right now for that hopefully thats okay. i will say its just peak television in my opinion like yeah theres bad writing like any other show but thats my beloved babygirl show... she does me wrong sometimes but i love her forever.. Also the characters and themes just enrapture me and the show brings me endless entertainment and insanity and i can analyze and nitpick and obsess over so much. so much happening in that show always!!!! and its very fun and sillay :) Also. theres buffy <3 the MOST character OF ALL TIME the best girl EVER put on any television screen... like genuinely she means soooo so much to me augh.. so does the show... i just love the show very much!

why i started watching it: wellll i heard a lot about it from many many people including my mom and was like i really need to watch this... i tried to one time and got through half of the first episode and was like hmmm.. but then kept seeing it everywhere and what really got me to try again was actually tumblr user william dogmotif and i blasted through the entire show in um 1 month + a few days !! so... yeah!! needless to say it quickly became a hyperfixation and has stuck with me since Woo!

#tysm for the ask!!! rambled a lot oops but yaaay btvs #mailbox #mary #long post

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wolfstrong · 1 year

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ngl id want to hear all your answers to the choose violence ask game about buffy

hehehe why not... i couldnt answer all of these cuz idk I'm not like in in the buffy fandom but here

the character everyone gets wrong everyone already knows what I'm gonna say... say it with me now yall... XANDER!!!!!!!! also I feel like a lot of people don't have the soul connection I have with tara. not that they don't get her I just know they don't get her like id do okay.

a compelling argument for why your fave would never top or bottom sorry I don't care about this kinda stuff

screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr yeah anyway I'm not gonna put the image here cuz it will burn your eyes but the photoshopped picture of spike and angel duo sucking Rileys dick like girl. i don't even know if that's a take but it is to me. the take is that spike and angel would suck riley off. worst take ever and worst image ever

what was the last straw that made you finally block that annoying person? I don't have anyone from the buffy fandom blocked.... smile.

worst discord server and why someone invite me to a bad discord server id love to join and be tortured. is there even any buffy discord servers? please let me know

which ship fans are the most annoying? obviously spuffy. very very obviously. spuffy fans are some of the most annoying ship fans of any ship

what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them? answered

common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about there are a couple episodes that are regarded as some of the worst buffy ever that are actually some of my favs... "I robot you jane" "go fish" "bad eggs" all good and "beer bad" IS NOT THE WORST EPISODE. in fact I actually kind of liked it so there. xander/willow is a good ship you are just not ready for that conversation. Angel isn't THAT bad okay.

worst part of canon what isn't the worst part of canon. actually I'm only on season 5 so I think I have yet to get to the WORST PART. btvs has so many fucking issues

worst part of fanon it bothers me that there is like NO FANART for the show and pretty much 50% of btvs content is about spuffy naked sex bat sex crazy naked tits and ass penis sex

number of fandom-related words you've filtered zero!

the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them answered

worst blorboficiation answered

that one thing you see in fics all the time I don't read enough btvs fic

that one thing you see in fanart all the time CLOTHES CLINGING TIGHTLY TO BUFFYS BOOBS AND ASS AS IF THE FABRIC WAS FUCKING LIQUID!!!!!! STOP DOING THAT TO HER.

you can't understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

there should be more of this type of fic/art on god we need more core scooby appreciation like please please more fanart of just files buffy xander and willow hanging out and smiling and being silly. i never have seen like any fanart of xander ever

it's absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on... RAT AMY

you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like... .... i already kinda said it earlier but erm.. season 3 willow/xander cheating arc when they kept making out. sorry. oh also kinda horrified I like spuffy but like that's normal everyone likes that.

part of canon you found tedious or boring tbh most the time I think the season plot shit is boring. i much prefer monster of the weak stuff. the initiative stuff was SO FUCKING boring most the time and any scene with Riley I literally would fall asleep

part of canon you think is overhyped I mean I haven't FINISHED season 5 yet but I'm getting to the end and I feel like I see lots of hype for this season arc but so far the way its wrapping up is kind of awful. erm

your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores SCOOBIES FRIENDSHIP. SCOOBIES EVERYTHING. CHILLING AMD BEING BEST FRIENDS AND LOVE BETWEEN FRIENDS . AND WATCHING TV AND BRADING EACH OTHERS HAIR

ship you've unwillingly come around to I really didnt wanna like spuffy but I do. i don't want to like spander but I saw yaoi for a second idk maybe something is there. .. maybe.. xander and anya? though its more just like I don't hate anya anymore. i still kinda hate them as a couple.

topic that brings up the most rancid discourse defs spangle vs spuffy and also whether or not Xander is good.

common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing SHUT UP ABOUT JOSS WHEDON BEING PROBLEMATIC IM SORRY TO BE THAT BITCH I DONT CARE. SORRY . BUT I DONT. its like literally all anyone has to say

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bonnielass23 · 10 months

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I was tagged the lovely @astarkey to list 5 unpopular opinions from 5 fandoms! Thank you for the tag! And I’m copying 2 fandoms, but different takes

1. From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series

First, jumping on Astarkey’s take, I love the idea of Kisa and Kate being best friends because they dealt with two sides of the same coin of patriarchal bullshit. Literally all I want is them to tear down the patriarchy with their bare hands together.

Other unpopular opinion. In some ways I’m glad they didn’t do a season 4. The ending of season 3 pretty much made SethKate canon, or at least confirmed their love for each other. I worry that given the age gap of both the characters and the larger age gap between DJ and Madison, that they would have rolled rolled back the development, or even potentially given Seth a different, more age appropriate temporary love interest, out of fear of backlash. I know the majority of the fandom was rooting for SethKate, but it’s one thing to tease it and drop hints to appease the fans, and it’s another to openly display it in the show and open themselves up for backlash beyond the fandom. The potential of people hearing about the age gap relationship and jumping on the “let’s cancel fdtd” bandwagon without watching the show. Community and the actors got so much backlash over Jeff and Annie, calling Jeff a pedo, and other than the goodbye kiss in the last episode they didn’t make that ship canon. That show was airing pretty much at the same time as fdtd. I think SethKate could have been safely portrayed in comics or novels though which I’m sad they didn’t do and wish they would. I am also kinda hoping for them to finally do a season 4 with an actual time skip, like it’s 2023, or later, because I think with Madison/Kate being older and them really defining the age gap (other than the one line on the radio that the Gecko brothers are in their late 20′s) that they could more safely develop the relationship.

2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel

I have a lot of opinions but these are probably my most unpopular. I used to be a hard core spuffy shipper when I was watching in middle and high school. I think that was because I liked Spike more than Angel (his snark speaks to my soul). I’m currently doing a rewatch, almost through season 5, and maybe my view will change in season 6 and 7, but right now I’m not a fan of either spuffy or bangel, or honestly any of Buffy’s romantic relationships. Actually currently questioning my younger self’s judgement.

My actual otps currently are Xander and Anya, and Angel and Cordelia, and I will forever be pissed that they never got Xander and Anya back together and killed her off, and that they killed Cordelia.

Also as a note, I have not read any of the comics or continuing story, so there could have been developments with Buffy’s relationships with Spike and Angel that could sway me, but I’m going entirely off the two television series.

3. Doctor Who

I loved RTD and hated Moffat, which I know isn’t that unpopular, but I actually loved Chibnall’s era. I really appreciated the social commentary and thought he and Jody did an amazing job. Also I’m not sure how unpopular this is anymore, but I loved Rose and Tentoo’s ending. I think given that this is a live action series with actors who want to move on to different projects it was the best ending we could get for The Doctor and Rose. Also Tentoo IS The Doctor.

4. Fairy Tail

Gray and Lucy work better together than Gru//via and Na////Lu. I stand by my statement and will not budge.

I think Gru//via is actually harmful. I don’t think there’s anything necessarily wrong about toxic or abusive relationships being portrayed in media, but I think it needs to be recognized in the series that it is toxic and abusive behavior. That’s not the case with Gru///via. No character is calling out Ju///via’s behavior towards Gray as abusive, it’s played off as comedy or that Gray is the bad guy for not returning her feelings, and as far as I know Mashima hasn’t said anything publicly about it being problematic behavior either. I know someone who has used that as a model for how to get a guy and is in a very messed up situation where he is taking advantage of her.

Also not exactly unpopular as in controversial, but super rare pair ship, Loke and Cana is my OTP for the series. I only actually ship and have strong feelings about GrayLu and and Lokana, all the other ships range from NOTP to I have no issue with it existing.

5. Big Bang Theory

Not a huge fandom of mine but something that just irks me to no end, and I know has been done in other media. I HATE that they had Penny backtrack on being childfree. I get wanting to have this happily ever after for two characters, but it doesn’t have to be children. Having Penny change her mind because Leonard and her dad is so problematic though. It delegitimizes actual women who have this stance (including me). It perpetuates the idea of this is just a phase and we’ll change our minds, which has real world consequences of employers looking at all women as not as serious because as soon as they have that baby that we all KNOW they will, they’ll be taking a step back to be a mom so why give them a promotion. And bodily autonomy. I understand not tying an 18 year old’s tubes, but the fact the so many adult women are denied sterilization procedures because “you’ll change your mind” or “what if your future husband wants kids?” like the wants of a hypothetical partner takes precedence over what the woman wants to do with her own body. It’s just such bullshit when this happens.

The ONLY time I’ve witnessed this happen that I’ve been okay with is Elliot in Scrubs, it was part of a long character arch, and her not wanting kids seemed to be rooted almost entirely of her fear of it affecting her career. It wasn’t just a snap decision of omg after years of not wanting to procreate I suddenly want children.

Definitely did some rambling and got political up in here, but I think these are probably some of my most unpopular opinions. Depending on the fandom my opinions can fall into more popular or mostly controversial

Some of my fdtd mutuals have already been tagged, so not gonna double tag them: @darth-tella @sunniebelle @kelkat9 @yourundead @fortysevenswrites @scrumptiousperfectionwizard @milkshakemicrowave @elialys @gralunaisland (Although I feel yours should be 5 unpopular opinions on gru//via lol) and of course anyone else who’d like to do this!

#about bonnie #fdtd #dw #btvs #ft #I have many opinions

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mandajiu · 1 year

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I am an ADHDer and on hyperfocus mode with 3088 these days. I will make a private group for the CP stuff because IF there is any verisimilitude in their relationship which obviously I believe it has some merit or I would not be armed with Google camera following posts on their posts with such glee, I have learned enough about the pop culture in the past few years and the way both 88 and 30 have been treated to "chew" my CP responsibly. As I live in Doha, I cannot access Weibo or WeChat despite Chinese friends helping me out, so I decided to come to Tumblr to process all my new learnings - language and otherwise.

I want to be clear. I love these two on and off the screen. They seem to be the Metamucil (fiber supplement) of C-Ent. I love their authenticity, frankness, and quirkiness. Watching them together reminds me of the glow I experienced when I met my future husband. There is something so easy about the few public interactions we have been privy to - no big drama, ample affection, and trust. Their coincidence list is so large that one could write a book on it. If nothing else their studios seem to be very close. I follow 3088 dramas regardless of FL/ML because although I am not an invested fan, I am a huge supporter of these two.

Mandarin-speaking Chinese social media accessing Leidi on Bilibili are seriously some of the most romantic, overall kind-hearted shippers I've ever witnessed content creating. Some have left their enclosure and I don't blame them for being upset at a collective perceived idea about some things. I appreciate the fact that most Leidi are very level-headed and know that shipping comes with reality that this is also just a fantasy world. I also write fan-fiction (not real life drama CP FengJiu/DongHua). Niche CPdoms are fun to belong to because finding someone who is grounded and has a like mind is really awesome. We all just want community at the end of the day, but we have to be ethical in our consumption and production of CP content. These are real lives that can be affected. I am coming up with Rules for Ethical CP Chewing at some point just to remind myself when the international color-blind crew of another group makes me want to step outside that we have a responsibility to remain silent regarding fantasy. No matter what CP you "chew", I personally believe we need to stay in our private lane and not bother official actors' social media.

IF one of these artists comes out and says they are with x other person you least thought they would like, we should support them and trust their decision, still watch any of their dramas if the plot interests us, and it is okay to shed quiet tears for a moment at a fantasy lost. The last time I shipped a real couple was Buffy/Angel. I quickly learned DB was married and that ended because I am a rational human being. Yes, even if it is the person we least like in C-Ent for one of them. (I'm totally an aunty fan here). It's their choice and I trust both 30 and 88 know what is best for their journey. I love 3088 because of The Long Ballad; meeting Feng Jiu is how I survived the pandemic and Lu Xiao Bei stole my heart with his grief over his lost loved one. They and the idea I had of their affection will always hold a special place in my soul. I will continue to support them as they are now, as officially two separate entities. If announced, my shipper heart would be so happy and I just might find a way to send them my best wishes...but again it is all fantasy until proven otherwise no matter if you are drowning in sugar. Chew responsibly.

To my one Leidi person I talk to on Twitter, thank you for the idea nangi. I am mostly just here to learn Mandarin through about dramas, films, and variety shows!

#ChewCPResponsibily #3088 #Leidi #LastWordinPublic #PrivateLeidiGroup #ComingSoon

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someonefantastic · 1 year

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Thoughts on bangel? I’m a cangel shipper myself and I don’t hate bangel by any means, I just don’t care for them.

Wanted to see someone else’s opinion on them!

Have a lovely day/evening/night ☺️

Hello! So I tend to have mixed feelings about bangel. The first time I watched the show I was very into their relationship to the point where I would be dm'ing my friend lamenting about how emotional s2 was and how much this sucks for Buffy etc etc. I also fully lost it at the Prom scene but that's partially because Wild Horses is the song that plays for my other favorite show's (Psych) pairing during an emotional scene. I don't think I was ever like fully shipping them in a fandom capacity (I also didn't really get hyperfixated on the buffyverse until I watched Angel) but I enjoyed their relationship at the time and I'm a huge fan of angst and Buffy so it seemed to pair well. (I think I shed a tear during I Will Remember You.)

But as these things happen and honestly very in line with the show, the more I watched ATS (and BTVS) the more I moved away from bangel and into the cangel territory. First as friendship and then as romantic partners. (I honestly I didn't start shipping cangel until Angel realized that he liked Cordy in Offspring and I was like "OH okay then") Now as I have finished the show and am currently halfway through btvs s3 in a rewatch I've come to realize that bangel works as a first love but not a forever love. There's a lot of moments on both sides that are pretty unhealthy and while their angsty scenes make me :((( as a whole, imo the relationship doesn't really work in any other capacity besides being emotional turmoil and that's unfair to both Buffy and Angel to endure forever. Plus seeing the way both Buffy and Angel grow after they split and are on their respective shows, it's really apparent that they are better apart than together.

So in summary, I can appreciate bangel for what it was and I'll always have a soft spot for them on the basis of me having gravitated to their relationship upon my first watch but imo they really don't work together long term, both in general and also compared to the relationships that come later

#btvs #asks #anon #this is kind of a long answer but i tried to keep from going too in depth because i have a lot of thoughts that could get very rambly #also thank you for the ask!!!!

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coraniaid · 27 days

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20 questions for fic writers

Thanks to @isagrimorie for the tag!

1 How many works do you have on Ao3?

2 What's your total Ao3 word count?

452,732

3 What fandoms do you write for?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and technically Angel, I suppose, but not really), Mass Effect (but not recently)

I've also tried writing some Avatar: The Last Airbender and Farscape and Person of Interest works over the years, but nothing that I've finished yet.

4 What are your top five fics by kudos?

Coexist: Season 3 Buffy AU in which it was Giles, and not Jenny, who was murdered by Angelus in Season 2 [27 chapters; 277,084 words; various POVs but mostly alternating Buffy/Faith]

Last Year's Rain Didn't Fall Quite So Hard: Season 4 Buffy AU in which Faith wakes up from her coma having forgotten about killing Allan Finch and everyting that happened afterwards [one shot; 16,904 words; Buffy POV]

Together: Season 3 Buffy AU in which the Homecoming Dance goes a bit differently [one shot; 2,711 words; Faith POV]

Done: post-canon Buffy fic set a few years after the end of Season 7, with Buffy having mostly stepped back from being an active Slayer [one shot; 4,312 words; Buffy POV]

Mixed Signals: post-canon Buffy fic looking at Faith's changing relationship with Buffy since first meeting her [one shot; 4,919 words; Faith POV]

5 Do you respond to comments?

Not often or promptly enough. I try though: I really do appreciate the comments I get a lot.

6 What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Think this is a toss-up between two different canon-compliant Faith POV one-shots: One Girl In All The World and Calling.

7 What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Together is the happiest and fluffiest thing I can imagine ever writing.

8 Do you get hate on fics?

I don't think so? None that I can remember anyway. (I do use the block and mute features on Ao3 though, so maybe I'm just blissfully ignorant.)

9 Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

No. Just don't have the talent for it.

10 Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I don't have any published crossovers but I do have very vague ideas for a Buffy/Farscape crossover that I sometimes play around with in my mind. (Largely inspired by the joke of taking the couple of times Crichton makes references to 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' which his crewmates don't get, and pretending that they're right to assume he's talking about a person he knows rather than a TV show he used to watch.)

11 Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge (and honestly I'm not sure I'd want to know if I had?).

12 Have you ever had a fic translated?

If I have I don't know about it (and I would love to know if I did!).

13 Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No. I think it might be fun, but I'd probably have to change the way I write a lot.

14 What's your all time favorite ship?

Moya!

I mean, look at her!

(Oh, okay, it's Buffy/Faith, if that wasn't obvious.)

15 What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I'd love to finish either of my uncompleted Mass Effect fics (the first and longest, Residuum, is actually fully planned out and has been for years: I just got stuck on writing a particular chapter and never managed to come back to it; I had a fairly detailed plan for Night Winds in Nos Astra when I posted the first chapter but then I decided I hated it and never figured out how to fix it.)

16 What are your writing strengths?

Dream sequences. Internal monologues. Foreshadowing. Planning. Quoting bits of canon back at the reader in hopefully interesting ways. Hopefully getting the characters' voices sounding reasonably accurate.

17 What are your writing weaknesses?

Deadlines. Brevity. Physical descriptions. Titles.

18 Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I haven't really thought about it much before, honestly.

19 First fandom you wrote for?

Mass Effect is the first fandom I submitted anything for anywhere online. I wrote some Avatar: The Last Airbender fic before that though (a long Azula POV AU that I would kind of like to come back to one day, though I'd probably have to rewrite it from scratch).

20 Favorite fic you've written

Realistically, I think popular consensus must be correct that Coexist is the best thing I've ever written (though I sometimes wish I'd spent more than a minute thinking up a title). It's definitely the work I'm proudest of, and I think it contains some of my best writing (and ... well, most of my writing, based on the numbers I just posted). But I have a bit of a soft spot for some of my earlier Mass Effect fics, which aren't incredibly polished but I learned a lot from working on, and for Last Year's Rain Didn't Fall Quite So Hard as well.

Tagging: @juanabaloo @beatriceeverytuesday @explosionshark @bodytoflame-ao3 and anyone else who wants to do this.

#fanfic #tag games

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spikesdru · 2 years

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my rewatch of dead man’s party btvs 3x02:

This is gonna be a hard ep to get through

Buffy and Joyce are really trying but still, u feel this huge gulf between them

I LOVE Cordelia’s outfit. God I want her wardrobe

OH MY GOD THE MUSIC PLAYING FOR BUFFY/GILES’S REUNION IS THE SAME FOR HER AND JOYCE. We love to see the same instrumental theme for the parental figures

Buffy looked so worried about Giles’s reaction AWW

Giles’s face in the kitchen….oh, he looks so relieved but conflicted and sad. I don’t fully fault him for those emotions

“I’m kind of tied up” “you wish” AHHHH U TWOOOO

SNYDER U ARE SUCH A HILARIOUS DICKWAD

OHHHH ANOTHER MAYOR TIDBIT!!!

Lol what do field hockey knees look like?

WILLOW WHERE ARE U

I want this whole Buffy dream outfit

I find Buffy dreaming of Angel so fascinating bc obviously it’s abt her subconscious feeling extreme guilt but he’s also a huge source of comfort for her as we’ve seen. Like it’s all she has left of him except it’s a way of punishing herself and not healing from that situation

Oz is asking the important questions about this welcome home dinner

Personally I’d die on spot if I threw a party and my parents were home but that’s just me ig

I do think this ep has done a decent job of everything simmering underneath before boiling over and all hell breaks loose

Xander and Cordelia giving me old married couple vibes. They’ve been really cute together lately

I do understand why Buffy wants to run but girl….this isn’t going to solve your problems!!!!!

Ohhh, you can see Willow is sad and wants to fix things, until she sees the duffel bag and quickly turns upset

This Buffy/Willow fight is sad (and both actresses play it so wonderfully). Buffy is understandably feeling alienated, she hasn’t healed from killing Angel and she hasn’t fully integrated back into her Sunnydale life. However, Willow is also credible in that she has 0 idea why/what happened w Buffy running away, Buffy isn’t opening up (for valid reasons), and Willow points out she has feelings too, she has a life where she’s trying to deal w the supernatural everyday. She doesn’t have it like Buffy does, but that doesn’t invalidate her point. I’m not taking sides, rather I want to explore both views as this argument is layered

I’m gonna be honest, if I was gonna go with a wlw ship for Buffy, Willow would be up in the top 3

Joyce is being ANNOYING

I thought it was interesting that Buffy says “I had to deal with this on my own” when asked whether she considered opening up. Not bc it isn’t valid, it is, but it also kinda ties in with her flaw of shutting people out/taking on things by herself that is reiterated throughout the series

This ep has kinda been done to death in terms of reviews, esp concerning “are the scoobies good friends” which I’m not interested in analyzing bc like I said, that’s been done to death, I probably won’t say anything new; but I’ll just say I love Buffy and my heart does ache for her during this ep, but I kinda think the scoobies get crapped on a bit too much for their actions in this ep

I think this is a well-crafted ep, it really shows that Buffy may be a slayer but she is not free from real-life consequences. She goes through tough shit but that doesn’t mean she gets off scot-free, she gets flack, arguments, she gets push back from others. You can argue abt the fairness of that but imo, the show (and Buffy herself) would not be as good without these details in mind

But I do feel bad that Buffy is getting ganged up on lol

Cordelia and Oz helping each out other!!! We needed more of them

I do appreciate that the scoobies immediately help each other out, no hesitation or second thoughts

And this is why we keep artefacts WHERE THEY BELONG

SCARY GILES ILY

Awwww Buffy and Willow talking abt Willow’s witchcraft!!!! Those two <3

#hopefully my thoughts make sense. this is not anti anybody i promise i just try my best at looking at all POVs #btvs rewatch #btvs review #btvs #buffy the vampire slayer #s3 #dead man’s party

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oveliagirlhaditright · 2 years

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I feel like anyone who knows me knows what a big Bangel fan I am-- like I make so many posts about them these days, and sometimes I feel like I'm even unintentionally taking up way too much of the tag for them and sort of feel embarrassed about that. And I'm so sorry if that's true. ^_^'

So, yeah... clearly a big Bangel fan here. And obviously, most of that comes from the shows.

But now that I've started reading the tie-in books, there's a part of me that feels like they handled them better.

It's just that they have so many nice moments in them. And, I mean, obviously the shows aren't without their nice Bangel moments: I wouldn't be here if they didn't have them. But I guess I feel like the novels have room to breathe more? And that makes sense, because they're sort of missing moments.

Well, that's not entirely true. And that sort of takes away from them. That makes it sound like they're just slice of life fanfictions or something. They're more like missing episodes. But I guess since a lot of them weren't beholden to the overall season arc, maybe that's why it feels like they had more room to add in some nice romantic moments. Also, more page count to do so.

I also feel like Joss Whedon and team eventually got too caught up in the whole "Buffy and Angel are Romeo and Juliet and can never be happy, or else the audience will lose interest in them" thing: so much so, that they forgot they also needed to give them good moments with each other, in order to make the audience care at all. And I feel like a lot of writers of TV shows in this era had the same problem. It was the whole, "The obvious intended canon pairing can never get together, because the audience will stop watching, so we must throw in all this useless angst and crazy road blocks!" thing. Looking at you, eight seasons of Clana Smallville pain, even though I do ship Clana. (As an aside, I hate this idea and trope so much. It's almost a sign of a lack of creativity and lazy writing to me, because I feel like if you were a good writer, of course you could keep your audience around once the canon couple becomes, well, canon, by giving them other things in your show to be interested in! I feel like if all an audience cares about with your show is a ship, then you have writing problems. But that's a rant for another time.)

And don't get me wrong, these book authors definitely try to stay true to canon and do a wonderful job doing so--and there's definitely angst here--I just feel like they're not dripping in angst, like I feel the show (and especially the S8-12 comics and Angel & Faith!) later were, if you feel me.

And I just think the tie-in novels had the time to show some of the stuff that we knew were going on in the show, and that were definitely hinted at there (and that we saw a few times), but to give it to us a lot more: like Angel being the one person that Buffy opened up to and was her comfort through the storm, so to speak.

Like, when you watch the show, you kind of feel like there was probably a lot of stuff going on with Buffy and Angel that we didn't get to see, that helped to explain why they loved each other (especially in season three, that really seemed to jump around a bit). And the tie-in novels really seems to fill that in for me. IDK.

If someone who wasn't a Bangel fan read the tie-in novels, they might change their mind about them. Or at least see why we like them. That's kind of what I'm getting at here. And that's one of the reasons I think the writing is pretty exceptional.

Edit: You also have to appreciate that the tie-in novels allowed for more crossover moments with Buffy and Angel, after they had their separate shows, that eventually we didn't get with the actual TV shows, because of dumb legal reasons: which I think was the original intention/dream, for them to have more moments like that, even after they'd separated.

#long post #bangel #buffy the vampire slayer #i do still love all their stuff from the shows though. don't get me wrong

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mejomonster · 1 year

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I've been watching The Vampire Diaries lately as a show to kinda relax to without needing full attention and:

Kinda ship Bonnie/Caroline unfortunately I doubt this show has lesbians (but buffy had willow/Tara in the 90s so I wish this 2000s drama does -.-; I'll see I guess)

Kinda enjoy Tyler and Jeremy's scenes post 1x10 which I'm surprised by cause before I'd been rooting for Tyler to die

Damon/Elena are eons more interesting to me as a dynamic in that their scenes together have less predictability and more interesting outcomes (I get why elena/Stefan is a thing, they're both book loving reading nerds who like to talk about that stuff for hours and write diaries and spend quiet nights kissing/sleeping together and chatting about stuff they fan over basically - without the vampire old issue/Katherine ex situation they'd basically be a normal couple with shared interests, but like... as tv entertainment that's just not as fun to watch as ppl who do not get along and slowly need to learn to understand/interact. It's like angel/buffy versus spike/buffy or faith/buffy I suppose. Except I do appreciate stefan/Elena actually fight over "yr a vampire damn! People are dying I need to get AWAY this is fucked" and "I look like your dead ex what rhe fuck is wrong with you/any other secrets??!!!" Because like while it's still teen romance show level "I love you" ridiculously fast and unrealistically with a yikes vampire usual age gap lol, at least Elena's and stefans reactions seem somewhat more like real people would actually do? Whereas like... idk I usually see a much less realistic reaction of "wow people are dying I need to get away from you and reevaluate my view of the world goddamn".)

Bonnie makes me feel like I'm watching Charmed

Watching vampire stuff I'm glad there's a lot of death in this cause what even is a vampire story without people getting their blood drank? Also this show reminds me I've got my own vampire story I eventually want to write ToT but mines more itwv level bloody than teen angst. That said, i appreciate the slightly outside of high school elements of the show which remind me of charmed or buffy and give the impression this show CAN grow beyond a high school setting as the plot ages out of it, like buffy did, which gives it space to possibly do some cool stuff later on (that say a show like teen wolf bound inside teen-life couldn't really move to)

Thank goodness the show has some horror scenes and fights I really Can't focus without my action scenes lol

Like buffy (tho idk How better the writing will get) I can tell that around mid season 1 the writing shifted from Teen Show Pilot usual to having a more solid idea of the angle it wanted to go in. Caroline went from a "could be any teen extra" to a character with a clear personality, Bonnie went from only magic-show-plot element to someone who's friendships and enemies in the show matters, Matt and Jeremy as plain humans get a more defined characterization driven by their internal values more than only what's happening to them externally, Elena once she finds out vampires exists her character acts much more idk Likable to me? She's an everyday girl stand in, but with the knowledge of vampires her personal bg as someone fucked up by tragedies in the family and feeling death is inescapable to her (vampires all around and looking like a dead ex katherine), her desire to not see anyone else die and personally try to help stop vampires who are hurting people in town (despite being very mundanely human) gives her a solid backbone of who she is when put in a hard position. I liked her trying to fight a vampire alone with pencils and a broken broom - she doesn't succeed as she's a completely untrained and regular strength human but it shows she's got future potential and a trajectory, her trying to stop vampires from killing, her willing to go into danger, her willing to confront anyone, etc. She's showing some interesting traits specific to her that not every character Would do. Even Stefan with as little as I'm personally clicking with him, is making lets say Relationship choices that are distinct from Edward type or Angel type or Spike type or Lestat lol, so at least he's feeling like His Own individual character in a vampire story instead of a copy of someone else. He communicates eons better than Edward, saying he'll leave before leaving for someone's safety lol, and just in general open to conversations when conflicts come up more, he's mopey sure but not to the level of emo Angel from buffy is (and not quite as creepy tho he also stalked for a year lmao) and Lexi coming into town showed he's really not Endlessly pessimistic the way Louis or Angel would be. He's got a distinction versus other leading romance vamps, and although his dynamic doesn't have the enemies/rivals to friends to lovers I enjoy in watching a romance (bellamy/Clarke, lexa/Clarke, lucifer/Chloe, spike/buffy, louis/lestat etc) I do like that he feels like his own character to me. So I'm hoping like buffy the depth of characterization gets a bit better as time goes on for everyone. And the plot expands past high school as characters age up.

Damon and Stefan remind me of Dean and Sam. Yeah I know what I said ToT if supernatural went on 150 years and they turned into demons or vampires or whatever, both fell for the same girl, who's to say what coulda happened. All IM saying now is a crossover when they'd both been airing would've been hilarious.

#lb #the vampire diaries #yeah bet u didnt expect legit tvd meta from me #tvd

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