OT: S6 Reply [NON-Spolier Version for Dan]

[Phoen Dusk <Dusk@xxxxxxxxx>]

Warning, this gets kind of long winded, too.

Dan,

What were you thinking going to the official Buffy site? BuffyGuide.com;
they know better, and cater to both beliefs about spoilers.

That said, in regards to the idea of a possible B/W relationship being
"Buffy and Angel: The Lesbian Years," I wouldn't see it happening. Your
statement that Willow is a warm, caring person... um, wasn't she going
to curse Oz in "Wild at Heart" for sleeping with Veruca? Then, there's
her permanent opinion of Faith. Then we have her attack on Glory
in"Tough Love," where she almost managed to kill a God. "Warm and
caring?" "Hellcat in training" might be more accurate.
Willow was a geek growing up, who started to find new value to her
computer skills when she became a Scooby. When she started getting into
magick, she would, at times, get in over her head. Eventually, she
started learning on an exponential curve, and her power went up
accordingly. How would you feel if you went from floating pencils to
tossing Hell Gods around (and were encouraged to do so at the time)? To
willingly give up that kind of power... nah, I can't see why they'd
treat it like an addiction [insert sarcastic tone here].

Onto the Slayer. The comment for "Normal Again" was a tactic used to
make Buffy disbelieve in Sunnydale. For a psychological perspective,
let's examine the characters, as of that episode.
Xander has no powers. Human. Finally has some direction in his life,
though that just got tossed out the window after the wedding.
Anya has vague magical aptitude. Former Vengeance Demon. She could
barely get a minor spell correct (can anyone say, "Tabula Rasa" rabbit
summoning?). She had power, but lost it and still finds herself having
trouble adjusting to a normal life.
Tara is a solid Wiccan witch, though much lower than her ex-girlfriend.
Human. She's a balanced person internally, but can't stand watching
those she cares about being hurt... especially by themselves.
Willow was magickal power personified, currently dealing with the crash.
Human. She could have done anything she wanted, even nearly kill a God.
The longer she did that, though, the more of herself she lost. "Power
corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." It isn't the idea of
turning evil; it's a discarding of self.
Dawn is a shoplifter and teenager. Unknown. She is symbolic of potential
- pure power, but no idea how to, or if she can, use it.

Now, how do these five represent Buffy?
Xander - her human side, the one she kept wanting to ditch the job of
being the Slayer for.
Anya - her human side, but what she fears she'll feel like if she
actually was no longer the Slayer.
Tara - her ideal, in balancing the Slayer and self. Anyone else ever
notice how alike the two of them really are, once Tara got over her
shyness?
Willow - all power, no morals. "Want, take, have." 'Nuf said.
Dawn - the unknown. She is exactly where Buffy was when she first
learned she was someone important. The remaining question is: Now what?
"You think you know... what you are, what's to come... you have no
idea."

The complaint was made that the characters aren't themselves. For those
of you over the age of twenty-four, let me ask a question: How much did
you change after high school? Back then, we had our peers to define us.
As the years went by, though, we drifted a part a little more each time,
altering our lives to accomodate work and any other things that came up
(kids, relationships, deaths in the family). It isn't that the writers
have betrayed any of the BtVS ensemble we've come to love. Instead,
they're growing up. Xander is the best example of this, in how he deals
with his friends being in college while he works for a living. If you
are old enough to remember, think of the people you went through school
with, only to lose contact once someone moved away or in different
circles.

Do I think the writing has sucked these last two seasons? Hmmm... no.
Season Five was, in my opinion, excellent. We started to see where the
lives of the characters started to seperate from each other; the Scoobs
were no longer the tight unit they once were. When you don't see the
same people every day, things change. Of the three people I used to be
closest to (we were the Four Hoursemen, after all), one now lives in
Florida with his wife and two kids; one turned into an egotistical
asshole and dropped off the radar; and one lives less than a mile away
and never returns phone calls. Things change, and the BtVS writers are
showing that. The only episode I really had a problem with was
"Doublemeat Palace," and they even made fun of the demon via Willow and
Tara in "Entropy."

Okay, too much opinion. Need to go write fic, now.

Phoen Dusk