a vague disclaimer is nobody's friend
So, years ago, back before DVD boxed sets and bitorrents and the ability to eat an entire fandom at one sitting, full swallow, one disc after another, I told myself, someday, I'll watch Buffy. And, you know, that's "like" like, like, I'll watch Buffy in a fannish way, because of course, being in the fannish community for going on almost fifteen years now nothing fannish escapes my radar entirely, and being a TV watcher to some degree all of this time -- and fannish TV, at that -- of course I was always sort of peripherally exposed to Buffy, I knew all the major players, I knew to tune in to "Hush" and "The Body" and the musical, I even had a pal on the writing staff for a while (cf. "Lovers Walk" and "The Zeppo"). I knew Willow before Oz, and then before she was a lesbian, I could throw around names like Drusilla and phrases like "Fire bad, tree pretty" and be able to give some immediate context to said.
But none of this, as we know, is anything like watching a show from a fannish bent, devouring it end to end like a big juicy fannish sausage and watching for mytharc, for 'ship, for slash and squick and whatever else it is we do.
When I caught up on X-Files -- when I went from proximity-viewer to fannish-viewer (the summer of the movie, for those playing the home game), it was nineteen thousand trips to Blockbuster watching two eps at a time till I caught up to what FX was showing, and then there was lots of taping and waiting and I was only about three seasons in when the new season began the following October.
At that time, I knew about Buffy, I'd sort of stashed Buffy away in a little box figuring if I were ever dry for fandoms I would have this major haul to drag out and feast upon, figured I could give it a whole summer and I would save it till I needed it.
I so emphatically don't need another fandom right now, but, guess what, three days later -- three days -- and I'm halfway through season four. Actually, I cheated, and I skipped season one, figuring I'll go back to it when the rest of four, and all of five get burned to cd, and six gets downloaded. HAIL DVD box sets, I say to you, and YAY bitorrents, and YAY, YAY fandom.
So, first pass through Buffy and here's my initial thoughts.
I am all over the Buffy/Giles ship. I had no idea -- and you'd think, given my notoriously public disdain for all things poncy, that Giles would rankle me (like, say, Wes rankles me) -- but yet, I am so all about it.
Additionally, I like Buffy herself a whole lot more than I expected to. She's just my kind of reluctant hero, and Giles is just my kind of reluctant-hero worshipper, and the Slayer/Watcher bond is about the tastiest thing fandom's come up with for us in a good long while.
I'm still walking the line on the rest of the Scoobies, example, I like Xander with Cordelia, or Xander with Anya, but not Xander/Willow or Xander alone. I like Willow with Oz, or with Buffy, or Buffy, Willow, and Xander together. I like Cordelia anywhere, and she even made Wesley tolerable a while. I like Anya too, but I'm sort of working backwards with her because I watched more Buffy in the later years than I did in the early years, so I have yet to assemble her character fully.
Angel's a big dumb broody stiff, and Riley can bite me, but Buffy makes both of them come alive. I'm undecided on Spike, see above Anya problem.
Despite Eliza Dushku's unimpeachable holy hotness, I thought Faith was a big ol' scenery chewer, though I liked her with the Mayor, because the Mayor rocked my socks.
I'm not convinced by the college years yet. I miss Sunnydale High, and so far, season 4's doing nothing for me except being vaguely shiny and glossy and Willow has better hair. But I miss Cordelia and I feel like I liked the early gang better -- then, that could be the Giles fan in me crying out for more of him.
I make no pretense of ownership in this fandom -- many fans have come before me and many will come after and I am but a passerby -- but boy howdy I'm having a good time.
And I fucking love Buffy/Giles. So. Fic recs, please?
But none of this, as we know, is anything like watching a show from a fannish bent, devouring it end to end like a big juicy fannish sausage and watching for mytharc, for 'ship, for slash and squick and whatever else it is we do.
When I caught up on X-Files -- when I went from proximity-viewer to fannish-viewer (the summer of the movie, for those playing the home game), it was nineteen thousand trips to Blockbuster watching two eps at a time till I caught up to what FX was showing, and then there was lots of taping and waiting and I was only about three seasons in when the new season began the following October.
At that time, I knew about Buffy, I'd sort of stashed Buffy away in a little box figuring if I were ever dry for fandoms I would have this major haul to drag out and feast upon, figured I could give it a whole summer and I would save it till I needed it.
I so emphatically don't need another fandom right now, but, guess what, three days later -- three days -- and I'm halfway through season four. Actually, I cheated, and I skipped season one, figuring I'll go back to it when the rest of four, and all of five get burned to cd, and six gets downloaded. HAIL DVD box sets, I say to you, and YAY bitorrents, and YAY, YAY fandom.
So, first pass through Buffy and here's my initial thoughts.
I am all over the Buffy/Giles ship. I had no idea -- and you'd think, given my notoriously public disdain for all things poncy, that Giles would rankle me (like, say, Wes rankles me) -- but yet, I am so all about it.
Additionally, I like Buffy herself a whole lot more than I expected to. She's just my kind of reluctant hero, and Giles is just my kind of reluctant-hero worshipper, and the Slayer/Watcher bond is about the tastiest thing fandom's come up with for us in a good long while.
I'm still walking the line on the rest of the Scoobies, example, I like Xander with Cordelia, or Xander with Anya, but not Xander/Willow or Xander alone. I like Willow with Oz, or with Buffy, or Buffy, Willow, and Xander together. I like Cordelia anywhere, and she even made Wesley tolerable a while. I like Anya too, but I'm sort of working backwards with her because I watched more Buffy in the later years than I did in the early years, so I have yet to assemble her character fully.
Angel's a big dumb broody stiff, and Riley can bite me, but Buffy makes both of them come alive. I'm undecided on Spike, see above Anya problem.
Despite Eliza Dushku's unimpeachable holy hotness, I thought Faith was a big ol' scenery chewer, though I liked her with the Mayor, because the Mayor rocked my socks.
I'm not convinced by the college years yet. I miss Sunnydale High, and so far, season 4's doing nothing for me except being vaguely shiny and glossy and Willow has better hair. But I miss Cordelia and I feel like I liked the early gang better -- then, that could be the Giles fan in me crying out for more of him.
I make no pretense of ownership in this fandom -- many fans have come before me and many will come after and I am but a passerby -- but boy howdy I'm having a good time.
And I fucking love Buffy/Giles. So. Fic recs, please?