My other two favourite moments of Homecoming are probably Cordelia facing down the remaining Gorch brother, and Cordy telling Buffy she loves Xander, in her Cordelian way ("grows on you etc."). This is the first time we hear Cordelia admit it verbally, and of course it would be in the very episode Xander and Willow start to make out with each other.
Very true! Can't believe I forgot to mention this. I *loved* the scene with the Gorch brother and the scene where she admits her feelings for Xander.
Joyce and handcuffs: Very funny. Especially how she's so sneaky about it. And Buffy is so mortified. *g*
I watched episodes 9, 10 and 11 - and there's shirtless and/or tortured Angel every time. Amazing.
Xander is acting like a jerk here, but later on season 3 lets him suffer quite a lot for his actions, so in retrospect, I'm feeling mellow. However, this behaviour is one of the reasons why Xander getting slashed with either Angel or Spike doesn't work for me. He really, really dislikes and hates them (okay, Angel more than Spike), and not in a subtexty way; he wants to see them dead.
Okay, maybe I'll feel more mellow and forgiving when he's suffered a bit. *g* It's just the way he behaves is not how a friend should behave, IMO. At the moment, Xander feels to me like sidekick (it's Buffy who made his life and in parts him interesting) and a jilted lover. Willow has her faults, but at the moment she is a genuine friend to Buffy. Xander, on the other hand, is very demanding; he wants things from Buffy and when he can't get them, he becomes extremely resentful.
I was curious and read some Xander/Spike by Anna S who I knew from the X-Files fandom and is a good writer. I mostly enjoyed the stories, but so far can't judge if Xander/Spike is realistic. I can only say that Angel/Xander would not work for me. They are too different and Xander *hates* Angel; what he feels for him is not some kind of misunderstood passion, it's true loathing. Giles/Angel I would find interesting, especially due to their tragic backstory. If Jenny and the torture hadn't happened I could have seen them becoming close. They are both literate and quiet and have a wildness underneath their calm facade. Of course, the OTP so far is Buffy/Angel.
"Amends" shows us a very depressed Faith already. Am curious for more.
Anna S. is an excellent writer, but unfortunately two of the pairings she writes (Xander/Spike and Jack/Vaughn) happen to be the ones I am not only unable to see but actively loathe. Angel/Xander (which used to be popular back when they were on the same show) otoh is just in the "can't see it, is completely unlikely to me" category; don't know why the visceral dislike for the other combination (though of course I know why I consider it absolutely unlikely; once you've seen the later seasons, I'll tell you).
Come to think of it, Xander doesn't work for me in any slash combination. I love Xander/Cordelia and Xander/Anya, which are both canon, but the canon romance factor isn't an issue with other characters (can see Giles in various slash combinations, can see Angel in various slash combinations, can see Spike in various slash combinations... just not Xander).
I'm looking forward to reading more of your season 3 thoughts.
The stories of Anna S were well-written, but Xander/Spike is not a pairing that holds me attention.
You're right: Xander doesn't feel quite right in a slash pairing. To me, he just seems to be totally heterosexual. Not that this is something that cannot be ignored by slash *g*, but usually the character that is paired has more subtext. I get the feeling that Xander is only taken up in slash pairings, because he's handsome.
Angel/Xander totally doesn't work for me now. What Xander feels for him is not hate that's really unrecognised passion, it's active dislike.
I have a hard time finding fiction for Giles. All the stories I found are Giles/Ethan which is probably off-screen canon, but not something I want to read at the moment. Is there a good Giles fanfiction archive?
Very true! Can't believe I forgot to mention this. I *loved* the scene with the Gorch brother and the scene where she admits her feelings for Xander.
Joyce and handcuffs: Very funny. Especially how she's so sneaky about it. And Buffy is so mortified. *g*
I watched episodes 9, 10 and 11 - and there's shirtless and/or tortured Angel every time. Amazing.
Xander is acting like a jerk here, but later on season 3 lets him suffer quite a lot for his actions, so in retrospect, I'm feeling mellow. However, this behaviour is one of the reasons why Xander getting slashed with either Angel or Spike doesn't work for me. He really, really dislikes and hates them (okay, Angel more than Spike), and not in a subtexty way; he wants to see them dead.
Okay, maybe I'll feel more mellow and forgiving when he's suffered a bit. *g* It's just the way he behaves is not how a friend should behave, IMO. At the moment, Xander feels to me like sidekick (it's Buffy who made his life and in parts him interesting) and a jilted lover. Willow has her faults, but at the moment she is a genuine friend to Buffy. Xander, on the other hand, is very demanding; he wants things from Buffy and when he can't get them, he becomes extremely resentful.
I was curious and read some Xander/Spike by Anna S who I knew from the X-Files fandom and is a good writer. I mostly enjoyed the stories, but so far can't judge if Xander/Spike is realistic. I can only say that Angel/Xander would not work for me. They are too different and Xander *hates* Angel; what he feels for him is not some kind of misunderstood passion, it's true loathing. Giles/Angel I would find interesting, especially due to their tragic backstory. If Jenny and the torture hadn't happened I could have seen them becoming close. They are both literate and quiet and have a wildness underneath their calm facade. Of course, the OTP so far is Buffy/Angel.
"Amends" shows us a very depressed Faith already. Am curious for more.
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Come to think of it, Xander doesn't work for me in any slash combination. I love Xander/Cordelia and Xander/Anya, which are both canon, but the canon romance factor isn't an issue with other characters (can see Giles in various slash combinations, can see Angel in various slash combinations, can see Spike in various slash combinations... just not Xander).
I'm looking forward to reading more of your season 3 thoughts.
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You're right: Xander doesn't feel quite right in a slash pairing. To me, he just seems to be totally heterosexual. Not that this is something that cannot be ignored by slash *g*, but usually the character that is paired has more subtext. I get the feeling that Xander is only taken up in slash pairings, because he's handsome.
Angel/Xander totally doesn't work for me now. What Xander feels for him is not hate that's really unrecognised passion, it's active dislike.
I have a hard time finding fiction for Giles. All the stories I found are Giles/Ethan which is probably off-screen canon, but not something I want to read at the moment. Is there a good Giles fanfiction archive?
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