Fandoms I Have Loved 6: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

[thefourthvine]

Today I realized I was more than halfway through Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (Or, actually, I realized my Best Beloved was, but more on that later.) What better way to celebrate my approaching familiarity - or, rather, acquaintance - with this fine series than by writing a Fandoms I Have Loved for it? Sure, some people might say you should get to

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[thefourthvine]

Well, actually, the odds are good that we won't be watching Angel, 'cause it isn't available at the library, and it's kinda hard to commit to buying the whole series without having seen at least an episode or two. But it's good to know I won't necessarily hate Angel in AtS just 'cause I hate him in Buffy, which means if I ever do get the opportunity, I'll watch an episode or two. And encourage BB to watch the whole series.

[thete1]

Mad Poetess = mpoetess

Authors you should read:

kita0610, moireach, debchan, spike21, obsessedmuch, mimesere... lots of others, really. Those are the ones off the top of my head. :D

Kita, bless her, also has my favoritest archive for the fandom in Campfire Tales.

[thefourthvine]

Many thanks for the Mad Poetess info (updated), and many, many thanks for the recs. Yay!

[thefourthvine]

Glad you liked it. Hope it will bring some light to the PMS-filled darkness, so to speak.

(PMS continues to rage here unabated, but am now in the throes of minor illnessy-type thing as well. Fever. Aches. Inability to stay vertical for more than two hours. Thank god for the almost-entirely-finished FIHL that I have lying around, or I'd have nothing to post at all.)

Anna S. kicks ass. You should probably read all her stuff. Or almost all her stuff. Her abandoned WIP is wonderful and good and then WHAM there's a brutal, horrible rape and Blair is all covered with scars and humiliation and horror. It was way too much for me. Consensual beatings? Fine and good. But rape? No. Just, no.

[thefourthvine]

New fandoms are also my self-destruct method of choice. My plan is to adopt them at a furious pace, so that sooner or later I will run out of fandoms, and then I will have to, you know, do whatever it is that people who don't read FF do. Shampoo my carpets or something.

The double-Ray thing confused me when I started in the fandom, too, and I was seriously thrown by the whole lip-reading-in-five-languages half-wolf thing, but I got over it. Because, as you say, there are many, many good writers in that fandom. And - you'll like this - a lot of BDSM fic. (For reasons unknown, many due South and The Sentinel writers are convinced that immediately after the guys admit their mutual passion they will plunge into a long-term relationship that will involve handcuffing each other to lighting fixtures on a nightly basis. And, in dS's case, moving to Canada.)

[fanofall]

Please check your e-mail. There's a ginormous surprise for you.

[virtualinsomnia]

Getting into the Buffy world, eh? As one who's been there for a while, I'm honestly not sure whether to congratulate you or pity you. Much goodness awaits, but also much really, really bad stuff. Like groan-worthy bad.

Somebody already linked obsessedmuch but I have to second it, seeing as Lar's one of the best BtVS/Angel writers around, IMHO.

I would also have to agree with somebody else who mentioned that Angel the show is actually the better of the two. I think because all the characters are adults and not in school, so it can be much darker without having to worry about the kiddies. The plots are consistently much more complex and involved and the show isn't afraid to cross the line into grey areas where things aren't always outlined in black and white. And Angel himself is actually a likeable character on his own show, thank god.

Plus, you know, some of the slashiest characters ever are on that show. Lindsey McDonald, for instance, is a guy who's just incredibly yummy and snarky and *so* getting it on with Angel offscreen. *g*

[thefourthvine]

I'll take congratulations and pity, thanks. The fannish combo plate!

Because, yes, I've encountered the bad. Not that there isn't badness in every fandom - even in the tiny fandoms I cherish for their overall quality, I sometimes find something so bad it's enough to make me weep openly and curse the darkness and so on. But BtVS manages to contain both works of startling, thank-you-god quality and works so bad that where they pass nothing ever grows again.

I'm hearing a lot of good stuff about Angel. My question: is it good enough to be worth buying on DVD sight-unseen?

[virtualinsomnia]

Well, my advise? If there is absolutely NO WAY of seeing some of the eps first, then just think of BtVS. And then think of it a little darker, a little more grown up and a little more willing to dabble in the grey areas. With lots of David Boreanaz (sp?), which I admit can be a double edged sword at times, and some fabulous Cordy snark. Does this sound good? Then I'd buy season one (you can usually find it for around $40 or so if you try) and try it out. And if you hate it? That's what used DVD stores are for, my friend. *g

[thefourthvine]

Hmmm. Well, as far as I know, there is no way we can see any of the eps first. But BB is considering (though resisting) the idea of buying S1 sight unseen. (I think the urging of all you lot is helping some.)

Lindsey seems to be everyone's favorite character. What is it with this guy? (I'm ashamed to admit that until a few weeks ago I thought Lindsey was female. Shows what I know.)