BtVS Club

[Dannichu]

Haha, I loved the cracky Buffyfic, too. God, there are so many fics I love <3
I'm actually rereading one of my (fairly short) favourites that you might enjoy, called Willow's Head, which is crazy and brilliant.
Favourite line: "The inner workings of Willow's mind resembled something Jules Verne might have built, had he had the annual budget of the Pentagon."
(It's here, if you're interested. And it's uber, so it's spoiler-free!)

1. It took me a little while to reconcile the wackiness of BtVS with the brilliance of the characters/humour, so I think I realized it was a good show around either Prophecy Girl or the two What's My Line?s, but I didn't realize how good it was until, I think, the S2 finale, when, like PK said, I realized how much I really cared about the characters.

2. I always especially like Willow and Giles, but I can't really pin down a precice moment where I knew I loved them... I remember feeling so, so badly for Willow during Bewitched, Bothered and Bewlidered, though, and I think Band Candy just cemented my absolute love of Giles. And New Moon Rising just sold me on Tara, when she wanted Willow's happiness above her own. At that point, I loved her because she so obviously cared about Willow, and then, probably around Family I loved her as her own character, and by Older and Far Away she was easily my favourite person in the show.

3. The end of The Gift/the end of Tabula Rasa/the end of Seeing Red. Those three because each episode switches between such strong emotions so much and sometimes with just so little warning that it's doubly shocking. I make a very strange series of noises while watching The Gift.

 

[Butterfree]

Ooh, discussion!

Well, I saw a bunch of brilliant episodes with Dannichu before I'd seen anything other than the pilot, so. To make this easier I think I'll first go through and try to figure out exactly which ones they were and approximately in what order (if you remember the order better, by all means say so):

Once More, With Feeling
The Wish
Doppelgangland
Hush
Earshot
Band Candy
A New Man
The Body
Something Blue
Restless
Who Are You?

So.

1. Well, Once More, With Feeling is pretty awesome; admittedly, however, there was a whole lot of stuff I didn't really get at that point, what with having no clue about the context of any of it, and while it was a very fun musical episode I wasn't sure how much I'd like the rest of the show. After that, though, there were all these brilliant and funny episodes that made it pretty clear, especially The Body with the "really good" part. Though I guess the one that really cemented the "oh, God, I will HAVE to watch the entirety of this show" was probably Something Blue, during which I nearly died laughing.

Once I started watching the whole series in order, Prophecy Girl was the first one that gave me the feeling that if I'd seen this on TV, not having seen any of the later episodes, I'd have decided it was good. Specifically, the "I'm only 16" speech; there were other things about it I wasn't too keen on, but that particular bit stuck with me. Later, I got that feeling about Passion, because that episode really gave me the chills and was just perfect in its heartwrenchingness.

2. I think I pretty much loved Giles immediately. And then there came Band Candy.

For Spike, who is probably my other favorite character now, it was Lover's Walk, which made me suddenly adore him because he was all pathetic and adorable.

Willow I pretty much loved from the beginning, too, but I think an important part of it was the "Press 'deliver'" bit from the first episode.

3. All of The Body; it has this atmosphere throughout that just makes it utterly crushing.

 

[Minish]

XD Ahh, that 'someone wasn't worthy' scene is one of my favourites, too. I completely forgot about all these awesome scenes in S2 because I haven't watched it for so long, and I've just been rewatching random episodes in it and realising just how good it actually was.

Ahhh I don't have enough time to quote your post and everything but I pretty much agree with everything you said. X3; And yeah, what was Willow thinking when she gave Dawn that book? I actually liked how Willow was made a little irresponsible in S6, because I always liked that she had realistic flaws and such. I was angry with her in Tabula Rasa, but I still though it was wonderfully IC. But she was really weirdly characterised later on. I think we've fully exercised the 'wtf magic is like drugs' topic though, if I get back into it I'll never get out again. XD

Ooh, questions!

1. Hmm... I actually enjoyed S1 a lot, but I think, looking at the episodes, I realised how good it was around The Dark Age. Although maybe that's only because the characters got really interesting around there... perhaps Innocence or Passion in general, then? Although actually, now I'm thinking School Hard, because Spike and Drusilla were just perfect. The exact moment when Spike turned around and fell out of his vampire face, I think. I suddenly realised 'wow, they have some really good ideas'.

2. Out of My Mind, without a doubt. That's when I became absolutely hooked on S5 and completely fell in love with Spike's character. It was even good enough before the end scene, but that one moment where he just puts down the gun and sits down... ahhh. That's when I realised how complex a character he was, and really respected the show even more. The Initiative comes a close second, and, of course, Fool for Love (and Beneath You). But Out of My Mind remains one of my favourite episodes just because of how brilliant Spike was in it.

3. I think... when Buffy was telling Dawn about Joyce, in The Body. In the hall in her school, when she just broke down. I couldn't believe how they'd managed to do something so terribly real. That The Body was filled with moments like this just prevents me from ever contemplating rewatching it. And whenever Dawn accused Buffy of not caring, like an episode later or something, and Buffy just started crying. I believe Buffy had short hair or something then, or maybe she'd tied it up? But I just saw S1/S2 Buffy in her place, crying, and argh it was so sad. :/

 

[Dannichu]

Wow, Butterfree, I *did* make you watch some damn good episodes XD My normal forumla for trying to get someone hooked on Buffy is to make them watch Hush, Doppelgangland (which admittedly makes more sense if preceeded by The Wish) and then OMWF. I think it's funny that when you watched Something Blue, you nearly died laughing, but when I showed that episode to a friend who'd never seen any Buffy before, he found it mildly entertaining, but thought Willow was annoying. I think it's one of those episodes (like Tabula Rasa or The Gift) that only works if you know the characters.

I loved the "I'm only 16" speech, too. I couldn't pin down excatly why I liked it so much, but then my beloved 100 Moments list happened, and explained it better than I ever could:
"All season, pretty much everything has been treated as a joke. There were threats, but they never felt all that serious. Such is the nature of a program where its tongue resides permanently in its cheek. But suddenly, without warning, we see that there's so much more going on under the surface. It's easy to forget that Buffy is a young girl forced into a role she never wanted. She's whined about not being able to go out on dates because she has to patrol, sure, but even then it was more like an amusing social statement on growing up than something to be concerned with. After all, Buffy makes jokes about it, so there's obviously nothing much to worry about. Until now, when she shows us that it's not all fun and games and she's terrified."

Spoiler: The Body

The Body was, obviously, very emotional, but because (most of the time) it was just one emotion, I could cope better with it. Though there were a few scenes at the beginning that messed around with my emotions, specifically the cut from the Christmas scene - which I love and wish we'd gotten to see in a happier episode - and Buffy's imagined scene about Joyce being alright hurt so much, but other than that it was mostly just pure grief, and I can cope with that. I just don't like feeling something one moment and then something completely different the next.

Spoiler: Selfless

I think I actually screamed the first time I watched Selfless and there was that one cut right from Anya being so happy, singing her missing song, and then it cuts with absolutely no warning to Anya with a sword through her. It was brutal D:

And now all this talk of The Body has made me sad, so I'll add some levity by showing you what happens when you cross Buffy geeks with a whiteboard. This! (I managed to cut Oz off the bottom. He was tiny, held a guitar, and said "I am short")

We also had fun playing a game of "draw a scene from Buffy in X seconds!", and we had mixed results (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18) Good times.

 

[Harlequin]

BEST BUFFY MOMENT IMO:

"I'd like to test that theory."

you know it to be true.

(also Dannichu you can keep your lesbianism IF YOU PROMISE to watch Children of Earth as soon as you're able.)

 

[Dannichu]

Well... yeah. I find it hard to argue with that.

Um! I think I might have found a picture of Tony Head that's even more Wtf?-worthy than the Rocky Horror pictures I posted a little while back! Huzzah!

Awesome, no?

Also, Today in Dannichu has the Geekiest Friends Ever.

(And yes, of course I will. I don't want to be cured and want the boys D:)

 

[Butterfree]

...that looks like Tony and James decided to reenact some crazy Spike/Giles bondage fanfic. Which probably exists and all, but whut.

 

[Harlequin]

(GOOD GIRL) and thanks for agreeing.

that picture has to have some kind of story. srs.

 

[Dannichu]

My favourite thing about that pic is it would be totally erotic if not for the "what the frilly heck?" expression on Tony's face XD
(second favourite bit is the fact that Spike's somehow managing to draw blood from Giles' shoulder despite having obviously short nails XD)

It's also from the same photoshoot as the pic in Cirrus' avatar. Does tea come before or after bondage?

Because I am a perv had nothing better to do, I had a look around some slashy Buffy fanfiction sites for the crazy Giles/Spike bondage fic Butterfree mentioned, but could only find some where Spike's the one being bound (in Giles' bathtub/shower, of course). Maybe I'll have to have a harder look at a later point :p
Plus, if nothing else, that pic must have inspired a whole ton of fanfiction. Look at it! It makes me want to write it! D:

 

[Harlequin]

... you know.

Maybe that photo.

Could like. Be my entrance into Buffy fandom.

with a fic. inspired by it.

It wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've written. (See: Snow Porn [T] for a recent example)

Hm.

 

[PK]

This is rapidly heading down a terrifying path.

And I'm interested to see how it turns out.

 

[Minish]

Those scenes you drew with your friends are awesome, Danni. XD And your Facebook thing, omg. Geekery ftw.

I was searching for random Buffy pictures on Google the other day and saw that exact Giles and Spike picture, and just went WTF. XDD I can't look at it and think of anything but bondage sexy tiemz, please tell me that was the intention or whoever decided to make them pose like that was very dim. Actually, I hope that wasn't the intention, 'cause Spike/Giles scares the hell outta me. But Tony's expression is awesome.

...why did they randomly decide to do a Spike and Giles photo shoot? Get the two British characters together for no apparent reason? Not that I disapprove, of course. >D

I'm apparently supposed to like Spike/Giles since they're my favourite characters, but I can't for that exact reason. Is anyone else like this? I just can't pair two characters together that I absolutely adore on their own. :( ...Buffy/Giles should really not appeal to me more than Spike/Giles, should it.

 

[Harlequin]

Buffy/Giles seems too incestuous in the bad way. I can't really... get into it. It'd be kind of hot but at the same time I don't think I'd like it.

Bad Cirrus. :(

 

[Dannichu]

... you know.

Maybe that photo.

Could like. Be my entrance into Buffy fandom.

with a fic. inspired by it.

It wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've written. (See: Snow Porn [T] for a recent example)

Hm.

THERE ARE NO WORDS for how much I approve of this. Do iiiiiiit.

I want to write Buffy fic. My super top-secret (haha) WIP is just over 8000 words at the moment, and not a lot's happened. It's not very good (kinda expected, given I haven't written fic in like five years), but I'm determined to finish it.
And the other night (while I was panicking about finishing a massive essay) I couldn't get the idea of a Pokemon-themed Buffy uberfic out of my head and now I really want to write it. Help meeeee D:

I just can't pair Giles with any of the other Scoobies. It's just, like Harle said, the bad kind of incest (and I just typed "insect" and it wouldn't be a good kind of that, either). The bit in WTWTA where Willow says she used to have a crush on Giles scares me as much as it does Xander.
Actually, I don't like any of the Scoobies paired together much. I can kind get my head around Willow/Xander, but it, like everything else, just messes up the brilliant relationships they canonally have with each other and the idea of that makes me sad ):

While it definitely hasn't replaced my Buffy OTP, I've been reading a whole bunch of Tara/Buffy stuff and really enjoying it.

 

[Harlequin]

THERE ARE NO WORDS for how much I approve of this. Do iiiiiiit.

I JUST MIGHT DO IT. There's a huge Buffy presence over at AO3, too. :D

I want to write Buffy fic. My super top-secret (haha) WIP is just over 8000 words at the moment, and not a lot's happened. It's not very good (kinda expected, given I haven't written fic in like five years), but I'm determined to finish it.
And the other night (while I was panicking about finishing a massive essay) I couldn't get the idea of a Pokemon-themed Buffy uberfic out of my head and now I really want to write it. Help meeeee D:

The only way to solve this is to write it I'm afraid, Danni. DO IT.

I just can't pair Giles with any of the other Scoobies. It's just, like Harle said, the bad kind of incest (and I just typed "insect" and it wouldn't be a good kind of that, either). The bit in WTWTA where Willow says she used to have a crush on Giles scares me as much as it does Xander.
Actually, I don't like any of the Scoobies paired together much. I can kind get my head around Willow/Xander, but it, like everything else, just messes up the brilliant relationships they canonally have with each other and the idea of that makes me sad ):

I knowwww it's like "D:" It's the worst kind of incest in the woooorld. I'm totally down with like idk other kinds, but Buffy/Giles is a bit icky. Buffy/Willow wouldn't sit that well with me either, but tbf maybe that's because I'm gay.

ALSO TODAY I got the Angel boxset. It's going to take me AGES to get through everything - SGA 5, the entire Angel series, Battlestar Galactica and all sorts of wonderful things including Russell Howard's Dodiedingles tour.

BUT I WILL GET AROUND TO ANGEL. Because it is necessary for like idk life.

 

[Dannichu]

You SHOULD! You've got a bunch of free days off now and it's bloody freezing outside, so you should just sit in bed and write slashy Buffyfic. You know you want to :D
My fic's around 9000 words now (wrote some more the other night when the bloody internet died) and I have a fairly massive plan written out for it - I never usually plan fics, so the fact I have some idea where the story's going helps.
The Buffy/Pokemon fic's still up in the air, though. Hurr.

I really should watch more Angel; I've only seen a few episodes. I think my housemate said she was getting (or at least asking for) the Angel boxset for Christmas, but I haven't spoken with her yet. Haha, I'm such a brilliant friend; "Ruth, did you get Angel? Alex, did you get S3 of Torchwood? Well WHY NOT??"

I got a set of Buffy Top Trumps (which I adore perhaps more than a 20-year-old should) and the Buffy PS2 game for Christmas X3 I haven't played the PS2 game yet - I've heard it's awful, but I don't care - and the first thing I did when I got it was check Tara was in it. She is XD
Also, on an amusing (to me, at least) note, while they got lots of the actual character's actors to do the voicework in the game, they didn't get SMG or Alyson Hannigan, but in place of AH, Kari Whalgren (who, among other roles, voiced Raine, my favourite character in Tales of Symphonia - the white-haired girl who used to be my blinking avvie) voices Willow. This thrilled me beyond all measure :D

Also! Happy holidays, guys :3

 

[Keltena]

fjkal;sjdfkl;jasfie;sanm lk;sajlkdf

...fjsai;cioesneifjeslka;fjsk!!

;__;

"The Body". Oh my god. I pretty much held it together until Anya broke down in front of Willow... I think that's my new favorite scene in the whole series so far. Yes, beating out the one with Willow and Spike in "The Initiative".

brb crying into a pillow and then maybe going off to watch "Intervention" and "Tough Love", which are the next two.

 

[Dannichu]

Whaaaa, that scene is absolutely amazing. So, so sad ):
Enjoy the rest of S5 - I promise it's absolutely amazing and the ending could not be more epic.
(though the ending of Tough Love is heartbreaking, just to warn you)

I got the big boxset of The West Wing for Christmas and am absolutely loving it so far, and revelling in spotting any Buffy actors. The guy who played Jesse (Xander and Willow's friend who died in the first episode) starts hitting on the president's daughter at some point, which I found really funny, and in another scene with a bunch of politicians, there was one guy I knew I recognised, but couldn't think where from. So I paused to screen, stared intently at it for a few minutes, before deafening poor Grabby yelling "Oh my God, that's Tara's dad!" XD I think there were one or two others, too.
And one of the main characters voiced Nala in TLK, which is also really funny.

 

[Minish]

I got a set of Buffy Top Trumps (which I adore perhaps more than a 20-year-old should) and the Buffy PS2 game for Christmas X3 I haven't played the PS2 game yet - I've heard it's awful, but I don't care - and the first thing I did when I got it was check Tara was in it. She is XD
Also, on an amusing (to me, at least) note, while they got lots of the actual character's actors to do the voicework in the game, they didn't get SMG or Alyson Hannigan, but in place of AH, Kari Whalgren (who, among other roles, voiced Raine, my favourite character in Tales of Symphonia - the white-haired girl who used to be my blinking avvie) voices Willow. This thrilled me beyond all measure :D

Also! Happy holidays, guys :3

Apparently my sister was given the Buffy Top Trumps by my cousin ages ago, and I never knew about it. O_O And now she can't find them. I would have felt silly saying I desperately want to find them, but I feel better about it now that you have them too. XD And not only did Kari Wahlgren voice Raine and Willow in the PS2 game, she also played Ashe, my favourite FFXII character. :D

OHGOD the Gentlemen scare me even while wearing Christmas hats, apparently. XDD Wow, that is so awesome. But now I'll never be able to hear someone say 'Santa' without me thinking of the Gentlemen floating down the chimney. ;_;

Has anyone read the Wild Mass Guessing page on TV Tropes for Buffy? (here) It's really interesting, my favourite theories from it are that the Whoverse and the Buffyverse are connected (you have to admit, that would be awesome. And that Jack Harkness is the Immortal mentioned in Angel), that Tara is evil (sorry, Danni XD), that Dawn really DID die in The Gift and everything after is Buffy's psychological creation, Willow had a big crush on Jenny (which would make sense that she was so interested in magic, considering the parallels between Buffy magic and sex), and Cassie's name being written in a Death Note. Okay, that last one's cracky, but the rest I really like. And the Season 5 episodes all matching up very well with the Major Arena from the Tarot is really interesting. I'd quote it here, but it'd be really long, so go check out the page!

I'm also now convinced that Willow is bi, after reading that particular theory. >_> It just annoys me so much that Willow shows no interest in boys and then suddenly becomes exclusively lesbian.

 

[Dannichu]

Kari Whalgren voices absolutely loads of characters in all kinds of games and anime. She was Shelke in Dirge of Cerberus, too, and so many times I've watched a random anime series and recognised her voice playing some woman. The PW fandom is in almost universal agreement that if there's a PW anime, she should voice Mia. And Cam Clarke should be Edgey :)

Tara being evil was a huge fan theory for quite a while; it doesn't surprise me, especially since it took ages to get an explanation for her deliberately messing up the demon locator spell in Goodbye Iowa, and the logical explanation was either a) she was a demon, or b) she was working for the bad guys and didn't want the demon found (though that makes less sense, since they were looking for a polgara demon at the time and it wasn't a polgara but actually Adam, who probably wouldn't have shown up). But yeah.

I've seen Willow/Jenny fics before. One-sided ones, but still. I think it's fairly adorable (less weird than Willow having a crush on Giles, which still disturbs me), and it would've been awesome if it'd been mentioned in canon.
I admit your "It just annoys me so much that Willow shows no interest in boys and then suddenly becomes exclusively lesbian." made me giggle, but I know what you meant. It was fairly annoying that her sexuality did a complete, unexplained (Amber being gorgeous notwithstanding) 180, but it wasn't entirely sudden; as early as A New Man (the first time W&T met up after Hush and did the rose levitation spell), Willow lied about where she was to Buffy, so one assumes she realized there were feeling fairly early, but they aren't really addressed at all until Who Are You?, and not explained until New Moon Rising. Plus, as I think Butterfree mentioned before, in late S4/early S5 there are a couple of instances where Willow does mention attraction to guys (Giles in WTWTA, Dracula in Buffy Vs. Dracula), but by mid-S5 these pretty much stop happening and she identifies as a lesbian. It was a 'figuring out' thing, as explained by canon (and quite adorably by Willow in Hell's Bells; "It's a good thing I figured out I was gay, else... you, me... formal clothes..."), but not explained very well at all at the time.