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[rogueslayer452]

Give me a show/movie/fandom and I’ll tell you:

My favorite female character
My favorite male character
My favorite book/season/etc
My favorite episode (if it's a tv show)
My favorite cast member
My favorite ship/OTP
A character I’d die defending
A character I just can’t sympathize with
A character I grew to love
My anti ship

Comments

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

My favorite female character: Faith Lehane
My favorite male character: Rupert Giles, Oz
My favorite book/season/etc: Season three will always remain my favorite. It was the season that introduced me to the show, since it was airing at the time when I discovered it. It's probably the best season of the whole series, imho.
My favorite episode (if it's a tv show): GAH, this is hard. I could literally do a list of my favorite episodes from this show. But, for the sake of this, the first one that comes to mind is "Bad Girls" from season three.
My favorite cast member: Eliza Dushku
My favorite ship/OTP: Buffy/Angel, Faith/Buffy
A character I’d die defending: Dawn Summers. It still amazes me that she got so much hate, and still does to this day. I just don't understand it. Like, Dawn got so much intense hate from the fandom that it really puzzles me. Dawn went through some traumatic shit, she was lost and confused about the things she discovered about herself, and to top all of that off, she was acting just like any teenage younger sister would. I identified with her a lot and seeing people basically hate on her for acting her age really bothered me. And it's not like she never grew and matured, she did. She had some great character development in the later seasons. So yeah, I'll always defend Dawn.
A character I just can’t sympathize with: Riley.
A character I grew to love: Cordelia. I never disliked her, but after many rewatches combined with her development on Angel, I grew to really love and appreciate Cordelia more on her seasons of BTVS, especially when you realize that despite how her character was outwardly portrayed at times she really did care about Buffy and Co. Just, in her own way.
My anti ship: Spike/Buffy. I also don't like Willow/Tara in S6, Tara deserved better tbh.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

It's probably the best season of the whole series, imho.

I think so too. I'd say the back half of S2 and season three are really what people think of when they think of Buffy. The other seasons are good, but S3 was where the show really kicked it into high gear. Part of me even thinks the show should've just ended there, although I'm also glad it didn't.

Faith/Buffy

I mean, of course. Well, not of course, I'm sure a lot of people don't ship them - and hey, that's fine! But when I was watching season three, with absolutely NO fandom exposure or influence whatsoever, I was like "... so they're a thing, right?" I listen to two Buffy podcasts, and all four hosts (two per podcast) agree that at the very least, Faith was into Buffy.

but after many rewatches combined with her development on Angel, I grew to really love and appreciate Cordelia more on her seasons of BTVS,

Same here. You can really see AtS Cordy even on Buffy. Also, I always forget how quickly Cordelia started becoming a Scooby - I always thought it was mid season 2, but by mid season 1 she's like "okay, you guys know what's the what, and I need your help." She's also a fun take on the popular-girl-turned-nice trope, since she never really becomes nice, nor is she ever really on the fence? She just plays by her own rules, and when she realizes she's not playing by her own rules, starts changing course. Cordelia rocks, and I really LOATHE what AtS did to her character in the end.

I never really got behind Spike and Buffy.

I liked Willow/Tara, but I think they needed a LOT more unpacking. However, Joss wanted to kill Tara off. *Sigh* I think if he'd let her live, and given Willow a dark turn for other reasons, seeing Willow try to get back into Tara's good graces could've been interesting in S7. Even if they didn't end up a couple again - just staying friends and let each of them find happiness elsewhere. But I can also see Tara growing as a person in her own right during Willow's turn/absence, and then finding each other again. Just... yeah, Willow was awful to Tara in season six. Which was obviously the point, but it was hard to watch.

Tara was too good for a show with Joss "doomed characters" Whedon as the creator, honestly.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Part of me even thinks the show should've just ended there, although I'm also glad it didn't.

It's probably because it felt like it was a completed arc. The show started on the metaphor that high school was hell, and they were literally on a Hellmouth, so having the third season, which was a very solid season in general, end with them having a big battle on graduation and surviving really just was kind of poetic with that message. But while the show had its ups and downs in the later seasons, I did like that it was becoming more of the coming-of-age story with different stages of growing up. High school, college, and reaching the responsibilities of adulthood.

I listen to two Buffy podcasts, and all four hosts (two per podcast) agree that at the very least, Faith was into Buffy.

Eliza Dushku also believes this, too. I think she even admitted that she played into that while filming as well.

And yes, to everything you mentioned about Cordelia. I liked that she just rolled with everything, even if she wasn't a part of what was going on in a particular episode, she would always be like, "oh, is the world ending again?" and either try to help or just ask about something before going her merry way. She wasn't the stereotypical popular girl trope, she operated by her own rules and did things her own way, and that she wasn't ignorant about things happening around her. She accepted that Sunnydale was on a Hellmouth, and even if there wasn't much of a close friendship between her and the Scoobies she was still this sense that she would be there when she was needed. She might not have wanted to get involved, but that didn't mean she was incapable of helping or taking care of herself. Cordelia grew a lot as a character, even before Angel, and sometimes I feel like that is often overlooked.

I think if he'd let her live, and given Willow a dark turn for other reasons, seeing Willow try to get back into Tara's good graces could've been interesting in S7. Even if they didn't end up a couple again - just staying friends and let each of them find happiness elsewhere.

Agreed. This would've been more understandable than the bullshit that occurred, and it would've certainly been more interesting and to show that sometimes relationships don't work and that it is hard work to redeem yourself in the eyes of someone else. But that it doesn't always have to be bitter, that they could've just ended up remaining friends. Just thinking about the other possibilities instead of the ~doom and gloom~ that S6 was apparently all about makes me so mad that we never got any other alternative. I also hated that Willow never got real repercussions for what she did to Tara, or understood what she did was wrong. I guess I also should've added Willow (and Xander) to characters that I can't really sympathize with because yeah, looking back at this show there were plenty of times that their characters did things that they never really acknowledged how wrong they were for it or suffered consequences for their actions. Ugh.

[noybusiness.livejournal.com]

or understood what she did was wrong.

they never really acknowledged how wrong they were for it

Um... yes, Willow did. More than once. "I messed up everything! Tara!" and "It's why she left" off the top of my head. And as for consequences, Tara leaving her was a pretty big one, and Willow was clearly struggling with knowing who she was without either Tara or magic. You might have wanted a more detailed and specific apology from Willow to Tara because of how much it pissed you off, but saying Willow never acknowledged what she did was wrong is just inaccurate and I can't not point that out. Albeit, it was Buffy she expressed this to and I can see why you'd be disappointed there wasn't a scene between Willow and Tara herself where Willow said it; though we can assume Tara could tell Willow was full of regret.

Now Xander on the other hand never apologized for using Sweet's amulet or being foolish enough to leave Anya at the altar after letting things reach that point without talking through his insecurities. "If it's a mistake, it's forever" is a pretty stupid excuse, 'cause that will never not be true.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

You might have wanted a more detailed and specific apology from Willow to Tara because of how much it pissed you off

Yeah, I did. Very much. I was, and still am, very angry with Willow for what she did to Tara and perhaps I did misspeak about how she never acknowledged it, because I do recall that she did, but even then I wanted more repercussions for her actions because it didn't feel like it was enough.

But, I really despised S6 for numerous reasons and I wanted a lot of what happened there to properly be dealt with. It just wasn't satisfactory to me after everything that occurred. And yeah, everything with Xander pissed me off too. Him leaving Anya at the alter due to his insecurities, and then basically shaming Anya even though they weren't together anymore. That was very despicable, and it's something he never apologized for.

[noybusiness.livejournal.com]

What's weird to me is that the other Scoobies weren't angrier with Willow about the amnesia incident and didn't even ask her questions about why it happened. Since Anya and Xander heard her talking about a spell to make Buffy forget Heaven, I guess they assumed that was all it was about, but then they should be unhappy with her for doing it on her own, and if this is what they've told Buffy, she should be mad too.

Plus Tara leaving right after implies there's a connection between the two events. I can get them not wanting to pry too much into her and Tara's relationship under normal circumstances, but not in the aftermath of making everyone forget their whole lives and nearly getting them all killed! It shouldn't have taken the Dawn crash incident to make them realize something more was up with Willow that would have to actually be talked about (though Anya expressed an inkling).

[itsnotmymind.livejournal.com]

Yes to everything you had to say about Dawn.