OT: Tempting fate, Willow

[C A Moore <cab_moore@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Just to show that the sprit of debate lives on, here I
am again. I?m going to try to move my theme away from
vampires, onto evil and Willow (eventually).

So as I can start off on an agreeable note: I?m
*really* not a fan of Spike/Buffy ? soul or not he of
the fried follicles is still a guiltless, sadistic
vampire ? freed of the chip and his feelings (whatever
they may be) for Buffy I don?t doubt he would [try to]
kill them all in a heartbeat.

With the present limitations he finds it more
satisfying (or at least pleasurable) to socialise with
the Scoobs. (On an aside, I also think that Angelus
undoubtedly felt something for Buffy ? he may still
have felt love and resented it, hence the psycho
stalker thing.) I have seen no evidence to contradict
the assumption that what Spike feels is at least a
reasonable facsimile of love. I think that this is a
?agree to disagree? point.

One thing that I would like to expand on is the nature
of the soul: If you see the soul as the seat of self
(and consciousness) then I feel that there is
absolutely no arguments for vampires being soulless ?
they have the memories, thought patterns and body of
the host; the differences are indefinite, subconscious
aspects.

A more atheist (perhaps even pagan/agnostic) view
could see the soul as a grab-all term to describe all
the aspects of a person that are intangible ? outside
of conscious perception and material science. The soul
would then be analogous to ripples in reality (and
possibly outside reality: astral self) ? the history
and potential ? tying them to past, future and the
cycle of life. Humans have consciousness and free
will, so they make more ripples; vampires aren?t part
of life in the whole sense ? they hover between life
and death, frozen in the cycle ? this could be seen as
at least a partial soul loss. Severing these ties
could also alter personality by removing ?inertia?.
Getting to Willow, perhaps even isolation from those
around you could be a form of soul loss (come to that
this includes resurrected Buffy, and also Angel last
season).

On the Willow addict vs. Willow fragmented soul loss
plus addict: I think the most important distinction
comes from one?s moral perspective of addiction: if
you consider that in becoming addicted the addict has
done evil (or wrong), these it becomes very important
to believe that her addiction was not voluntary,
therefore the insistence on the fragmented soul. If
becoming addicted is simply a mistake then there is no
need for involuntary addiction.

For my own view: although I haven?t seen the episodes,
several months to go here :( , but I?ve read the
available transcripts (yes, I?m SO not allergic to
spoilers) I think that there are elements of
addiction, but a lot of the problem might be more of
an identity crisis.

People have suggested this sort of thing before but I
hope I can state it more clearly ? in her magic Willow
has finally found a way in which she can more from a
support position to the front line ? she wants to grow
beyond "research girl" to strike her own blows in the
battle. In magic she has found that she has a great
gift, a tremendous ability to change to world, which
is hers alone.

Rightly or wrongly, her friends fear her expanding use
of these abilities ? through words and actions they
tell her that her abilities are dangerous, even evil.
If this big part of her, the part that allows her to
take a proactive role in the world around her, is evil
then she might find that it is easy to identify
herself as evil also. With Buffy still distant she has
little support from someone who might understand what
it is to be superhuman, and finding her path to inner
peace could be a little messy ? it took Faith a NDE
and multiple homicides.

Now that its gone all dark: one thing that I?ve
noticed about BtVS is: expect the unexpected. I still
live in hope that we will come back to that
tantalising line "You think you know ... what you are
... what's to come. You haven't even begun", and the
power rooted in darkness bit. Joss generally has a
tricky twist in the story, here?s hoping this year?s
is B/W.

CA Moore, hanging in there for the Initial-ative



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