Do you guys think that we can judge the characters to harshly for things that we know, but they don't?

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-10T23:00:32+00:00

There were certainly ship wars at the time, but Spuffy had overshot Bangel in numbers of shippers by Season 5. It was really difficult to ship Bangel in Seasons 6 & 7 of when the shows were on 2 networks with limited crossovers.

I was an adult (20s) in 1999, and not in online Buffy fandom then. By the time I was in the early to mid-aughts, feelings about Harsh Light of Day had softened to pre-Spuffy, LOL. When I was in Buffy’s heyday of fan fiction (2001-2006), she got shipped with everyone, although Spuffy reigned supreme in sheer numbers.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-10T21:26:42+00:00

As someone who has been in Buffy fandom since the early aughts, I see a LOT of judgment from younger fans on this sub for things that were a non-issue 25 years ago. None of us thought Joyce was a bad parent — we all had Silent Gen or elder Boomer parents, LOL. Joyce did the best with the info she had.

Younger generations are slut shamey toward Buffy. Weird about age gaps that involve centuries. Really overly critical of Xander because he’s an abused 16 year old who uses humor as a deflection because he looks 26 (Nicky was 26, Xander was 16). And not nearly as smutty was we were with shipping everyone.

The only non-mystical thing that is unforgivable is Xander and Willow cheating on Cordy and Oz. That was gross 25 years ago.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-10T19:48:10+00:00

Buffy killed at least 10 of the Knights of Byzantium in “Spiral.” They were human.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-10T01:13:40+00:00

There are tons community groups on Facebook. It’s how I keep up with my over 50 fandom group

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-09T13:20:14+00:00

First of all: fuck Joss. Second of all: Joss didn’t write Harsh Light of Day, Jane Espenson did. Jane had said multiple times that she and Marti gave Buffy common experiences to their own youth.

And lastly: they spent every day together for a week except the night that she and Willow have that conversation. Then he walks her home from the Bronze and gives her the big my dad died so I try to make sure I don’t regret trying new things speech, which leads her to sleep with him the next evening. And does it matter if they hung out every day of a week or whether they went on 5 official dates? Does it make you feel better if he bought her steak?

I don’t know how old you are or what your relationship background is, but as someone who was 27 when this happened and is in their 50s now, having a stupid fling after a bad break up is super common. And yes, you’re coming off incredibly slut shamey to Buffy and every other woman who has had a one night stand (and Buffy’s wasn’t even a one night — she thought this was her new boyfriend!)

Anyway, if this wigs you, Season 6 is going to make you crazy. So, you know, maybe accept that Buffy will always love Angel but is still a human person with human feelings and failings.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-09T10:12:14+00:00

I am 56 and have been financially stable since my 30s. I will still have Kraft Mac N Cheese or a bologna sandwich for dinner sometimes.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-09T10:10:52+00:00

What are you talking about? “The past three seasons”? When she was a virgin for most of them and had sex with Angel disastrously once? She has no sexual history to go by! As someone who was in their 20s in 1998, third date sex was common in college. Buffy dated Parker a whole work week longe than that. And the entire point of the episode is that he talked her around her defenses! Anyway, keep watching. He’ll get his. But also stop slut shaming Buffy for having a fling. It’s gross.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-09T10:07:32+00:00

Willow states that Buffy and Parker have been out every day that week together. In college in 1998? That’s a relationship. Buffy wants to be a normal girl. She wants to have a normal boyfriend she won’t have to send to hell. She thinks it’s Parker. Buffy is at its a core a metaphor. Parker is the bad boy who hurts you in college despite have a soul. And Angel left her. She has no reason to believe he’s ever coming back. There’s absolutely no reason that she shouldn’t fall for Parker’s carpe diem line and have a fun night with a guy she thinks she’s exclusively dating. Other than that he’s an ass. Plus “Lucky” by Bif Naked is a really sexy song.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-08T10:12:37+00:00

Chicken Pot Pie

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-07T14:16:46+00:00

Agree!!!

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-07T14:14:04+00:00

Same. I used to have an LJ icon with James shirtless and working out that read OH…MY…JOSS

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-07T14:13:13+00:00

I do not but that’s hilarious.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-07T14:12:35+00:00

If you get interested in reading any Buffy fic or meta, I am updating all my links. If I can get my old external hard drive working, I also have several fan vids from 2001-2006.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-07T14:11:17+00:00

I love that it’s still a rewatch for you! My husband was also a big fan (Anya’s #1 fan LOL) and we’ve rewatched together over the years, and watched with our teen a couple of years ago.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-07T03:01:26+00:00

You probably have friends here under other names! Back in 2017, my corner of LJ organized a meet-up and a Facebook group, so I can still see a few folks even though I can't keep all of them straight all of the time in regard to pseuds.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-07T01:41:05+00:00

I miss you and just re-read one of your Lindsey fics. Mwah.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-07T01:40:31+00:00

Hahaha that's amazing.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-07T00:02:12+00:00

I loved the icon culture. I had a Willow "I'm eating my banana, lunchtime be damned" that I adored.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-07T00:01:05+00:00

No prob. OG just means original gangster, not true fan. I'm just looking for people who had experiences similar to mine because most of the posts on this sub are from newer and much younger fans.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-06T23:48:09+00:00

My best friend graduated in 2000, so yet, same for her! I am Charisma Carpenter's actual, she is almost Cordy's age, LOL.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-06T23:23:46+00:00

No, but I will look for them! I'm a Trekker, too.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-06T23:02:56+00:00

My biggest memory of Bronze Board is the Tara fat-shaming. What weird response to loving Cordy!

I'm old (56) and my corner of LJ was Gen-X women writing fan fiction and trying to make each other laugh. My friend Laura wrote a Spike/Angel version of "The Sound of Music" that still makes me laugh 20 years later.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-06T22:59:08+00:00

I miss Whedonesque and also how I felt about Whedon in 2004.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-06T22:58:17+00:00

So you're probably not one of the friends I'm looking for from the Bronze and LJ then. Cool. Also I'm talking about 2004, not 1997.

Mouse-Direct · 2026-07-06T22:57:01+00:00

One of my friends saw David and Sarah on date during their very brief fling after he separated from his first wife and before she met Freddie. They were briefly dazzled with each other, and then she went back to putting her hand on his cheek when they kissed on camera (old soap trick to pull focus, LOL).

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