Question for Spuffy Fans

[gryfndor_godess]

I typically don’t stray outside Spuffy fandom on LJ, but the impression I’ve gotten over the past few months (and it could be wrong) is that S8- and let’s face it, mostly #39-40, ‘cause they were fine with the spacefrak- caused many Bangel fans disavow the comics, change their tune on the comics’ canonicity, or simply lose interest in the ship and series because they were so disgusted. It also seems as though even fans who didn’t like the comics to begin with have been turned off of fandom.

I don’t expect Spuffy to end up happily ever after.  However, I also can't imagine Buffy and Spike ever fading into a lukewarm, 100% platonic relationship.  So that begs the question, what will Joss do to ensure that they cannot be happy together?  Knowing the way Joss’s twisted little mind works, part of me thinks he’ll set up Spuffy on a grand scale only to knock it down in a horrible fashion, a la Twangel, so as to put both ships on even, scorched earth. Frankly, I’m not sure that Joss could ever do anything to destroy Spuffy as thoroughly as Bangel has been destroyed because Spike and Buffy have already dragged each other to hell and back. Barring Spike killing Dawn or actually raping Buffy, I’m not sure what he could do that would betray Buffy as much as Angel betrayed her (although I’ve probably jinxed it now that I’ve said that).

In any case, let’s suppose that Joss does his worst and ruins Spuffy as horribly as Bangel has been ruined- that Spike betrays Buffy as badly as Angel did. My question is, how would you, as a Spuffy fan, react? Would you be able to stay in fandom as usual and love Spuffy- TV Spuffy, S8 Spuffy, your own version of Spuffy, etc.- as whole-heartedly as ever? Would you be able to ignore the comics? Or would you be so disgusted that it would tarnish your love for any kind of Spuffy and make you want to leave fandom?

I’m not certain what effect it would have on me, but I think my Spuffy love would survive the trauma. Barring a miracle movie or show with all the actors, for me, canon will always have ended with NFA; so while I enjoyed the lovely Spuffy bits in S8, I wasn't and still am not heavily invested in the comics. However, I know there are Spuffy fans who take the comics a heck of a lot more seriously.

In conclusion, thoughts please: Whether you’re a fan of the comics or not, would a Spuffy implosion of Twangel proportions in the comics hurt your love? How do you think it would affect our awesome corner of fandom?

Comments

[norwie2010.livejournal.com]

Well, attractiveness is subjective, i suppose. And, really it was mostly the comics which ramped that up to eleventy (with Redshirt #2, Dawn and Buffy falling over themselves to get into Xander's bed). And season 8 depicted Xander as some kind of american dream (yes, i reference Frank Zappa here). So, fanbois writing for fanbois, i presume. Narcissistic (or: the author wanking in his mind. With Jeanty's "art" as stimulus and the pen as condom).

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Of course it is. Like, I don't find Riley attractive at all, but I know a lot of people do and it makes sense to me that Buffy does. But it's too much of a stretch to me that EVERY SINGLE WOMAN would find Xander attractive. EVERY SINGLE ONE.

So, fanbois writing for fanbois, i presume.

You presume correctly, methinks.

the author wanking in his mind. With Jeanty's "art" as stimulus and the pen as condom

I will never not be laughing at this sentence.

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

So, fanbois writing for fanbois, i presume.

The Bander fans I've met are also Chuck fans are also Spiderman fans. The math has been done on this.

[bluemage55.livejournal.com]

So, fanbois writing for fanbois, i presume.

It's not an uncommon trope for comics, to be honest.

The audience surrogate (whether the kid sidekick or the young hero) starts off as a nerdy-yet-witty-and-lovable-loser, and eventually grows up to be a true superhero (despite comparatively limited or no powers) that all the ladies have the hots for (e.g. Dick Grayson, Bucky Barnes, Peter Parker, Kitty Pryde as a gender-flipped version).

I think the idea behind this is that people (or at least the comics fans) like to believe that if a regular guy like them were thrust into extraordinary circumstances, that they would eventually adapt and mature into the role and achieve stereotypical success (in the shape of power/money/fame/sexual attractiveness/etc). Even if most people would never want to endure horrific tragedy and train/fight on a daily basis, the idea that even a typical loser might have the potential to be a badass and a stud is a compelling one. The idea here is not dissimilar to the one behind The Replacement.

Then again, wish fulfillment is to some degree the driving force behind much of fiction, so it's probably not limited to the comics.

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

This is very true. And the fanboys were pandered to in Season 8, in my humble opinion, because Xander was suddenly The Dude every girl wanted - even Buffy (though I'd argue it was the same need for connection that caused her to boink Twangel caused her to think Xander was a viable sexual partner, incestuous as that seems to everyone but Banders).

To me, it all seems pandering. Like I said. Pandering, pandering, pandering.

I like the word pandering.

[bluemage55.livejournal.com]

And the fanboys were pandered to in Season 8, in my humble opinion, because Xander was suddenly The Dude every girl wanted

Part it was probably also that he was the only young, straight dude around (since Robin was conspicuously absent), but then, that might have been intentional to ensure the fanboy pandering.

though I'd argue it was the same need for connection that caused her to boink Twangel caused her to think Xander was a viable sexual partner, incestuous as that seems to everyone but Banders

Definitely. I think the Bander moments and her relationship with Satsu both demonstrate that Buffy was feeling pretty lonely and isolated.

I like the word pandering.

So it would appear. It's a fun word to say three times fast. :D

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

because Xander was suddenly The Dude every girl wanted

They sort of make fun of this in the first arc of the comics, which pretty much confirms that it's pandering. Buffy dislikes porn? Turn her into a porn star. Admitting it's pandering, doesn't make it not pandering. Having "Team Spike" Andrew say it's ruining everything doesn't make it *not* destructive to the ship, it makes it worse.

S8 embraces a bunch of offensive fanboy tropes. It's like a satire...except at the end of the day, whether you've done it to make a trope, they still turned the characters into everything they were meant to be against. Thus destroying them. It's like, if you're an atheist and you want to make fun of religion by turning God into a crazed lunatic, you still confirmed the existence of God. You derail the whole point.

S8 Buffy exhibits just about every negative female stereotype there is. She's opposite of her characterization for 7 years.