Re: Wiffy Challenge!

["ebailey140" <ebailey140@xxxxxxx>]

--- In buffywantswillow@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Howard Russell" 
<howardrussell2000@y...> wrote:
> Hello Everybody!
>
> I think the main reason that there are so many shippers out there 
is that  
> the ships in Buffy were all inherently wrong.  I believe that this 
was  
> done intentionally for dramatic reasons since shows where the 
main/title  
> character gets into a good relationship all die quickly.  So drama 
was  
> created for our entertainment.  

Pretty much, yeah.  The most interesting relationships were the 
messy ones.  

> So we, the shippers, write our own ships,  
> either by fixing an existing canon ship or by creating a new one, 
because  
> we like the characters and want them to have the fairy-tale happy 
ending.

Some started with "What would happen if Character A was paired with 
Character B?"  Others were built on chemistry.  That's how Spuffy 
started.  
> Not to start ship bashing, but every single canon ship *was* 
flawed.
> Bangel: While many were entranced by the many "Romeo and Juliet" 
qualities  
> of Buffy's first pairing, they all forgot that "Romeo and Juliet" 
was a  
> tragedy.  Shakespeare's version was filled with pain and death, as 
was  
> Joss's.

But, it was still the big epic love story that dominated the first 
three seasons, so it still resonates.  
> Fuffy: Only subtext that many wanted to see as text.  They did 
have  
> serious chemistry but nothing officially happened between them.

The first femmeslash pairing in BtVS to develop a huge following 
(and still the most popular).  
> Buffy/Riley: (Are there enough shippers to actually have a name?)  
They  
> had as much chemistry as any woman with a dildo.  She may get off, 
but it  
> isn't a relationship by any means.

B/R was pretty well doomed from the start.  First, it had to follow 
B/A (and the B/F subtext), tough act to follow.  Pairing Buffy with 
a Boy Scout just didn't work.  Plus, there wasn't a lot of chemistry 
between Sarah and the actor.  Noticably, she had MORE chemistry with 
most of the rest of the cast.  So, not only did Bangle and Fuffy 
maintain their status, but Spuffy, BeeGee, Bander, and, of course, 
Wiffy grew into the Ships they became.  
> Spuffy: She may have made him a better man but he made her a worse 
woman.   
> He dragged her down and that's canon.  As a demon, he had no 
qualms about  
> destroying her in his efforts to get her.  He may have gotten a 
soul in  
> the end but I think that's debatable.  The difference between 
Angel and  
> Angelus were like night and day.  The difference between Spike and 
Spike...

A little more complicated than that.  Buffy was a mess, suicidal, 
and trying to feel something.  Spike loved her, and was trying to 
help her, but, being an evil soulless demon, wasn't able to.  
Missing the soul, he was incapable of being the Knight he was trying 
to be.  A mess, yeah, but it made good drama.  It was actually done 
very well, since it was SUPPOSED to be a mess.  

It's huge popularity, in large part, I think, had to do with the 
other romances on the show.  Willow/Tara got to be TOO sugary, to 
the point it was rotting teeth, with things like the fairy tale 
scene ("Were there dolphins?"), and the astronomy discussion.  If 
you don't remember those from Season 5 well, you've probably blocked 
it from your memory.   

> Willow/Oz: Worked well until Seth wanted to concentrate on his 
movie  
> career.  Then he became a cheating bastard that ran away.  Well, I 
hope  
> Austin Powers was worth it.  Actually, their breakup was planned 
to take  
> place in season four, Seth just rushed it for his movies.
>
> Kitten: For two seasons, their relationship was a perfection of 
sweetness  
> and light.  Then, Joss and co. decided to make Willow the Big Bad 
and  
> destoyed it for them.  It wasn't flawed to start with, but it was 
made  
> flawed for drama and to achieve an ill conceived end.

Wasn't Willow's storyline planned for years?  It's seeds go back to 
Season 2.  She was always going to be consumed by her power, and it 
was initially supposed to happen in Season 5.  

As I mentioned above, the romance was TOO sugary.

Willow Voiceover: Tell me a story.
Tara Voiceover: Okay. Once upon a time, there was, um ... a kitty. 
She was very little, and she was all alone, and nobody wanted her.
Willow Voiceover: This is a very upsetting story.
Tara Voiceover: Oh, oh, but it gets better. 

The kitten runs offscreen. Cut to a shot of her trying to crawl 
under a bed. 

Tara Voiceover: 'Cause one day the kitty was running around in the 
street and a man came, and swooped her up... 

A pair of hands comes into the shot and swoops up the kitten. 

Tara: And took her to the pound. 

We see Tara sitting on the end of Willow's bed lifting the kitten 
into her lap. Willow is in the bed, under the covers. 

Tara: And at the pound there were lots of other kitties, and there 
were puppies, and some ferrets...
Willow: (smiling) Were there dolphins?
Tara: (handing kitten to Willow) Yes. Many dolphins at the pound.
Willow: Or was there a camel?
Tara: (thinks) There was the front of a camel. A half camel. (Smiles)
Willow: (cuddling kitten) Did the kitty get chosen by some nice 
people?
Tara: Well, now you ruined the ending.
Willow: Mmm... (lets go of the kitten and it runs off) I'm sleepy.
Tara: Do you mind if I keep the light on? I was gonna look up some 
spells.
Willow: It's fine. (pouts) I don't need to be snuggled. (smiles)
Tara: (smiles back) Vixen! 

-------------------------------------------------------


Willow: You know, I used to love to look up at them when I was 
little. They're supposed to make you feel all insignificant, but ... 
they made me feel like ... like I was in space ... part of the 
stars. (points) There's ... Canis Minor ... and ... (points) and 
Cassiopeia.
Tara: (smiles, points) And the big pineapple.
Willow frowns.
Willow: Hmm. You know, I'm not sure I remember that one.
Tara: Oh, it's, it's a major one. (points) See those three bright 
stars right over there? 

Willow moves over to put her head on Tara's shoulder and look along 
Tara's pointing arm. Shot of the starry sky with Tara's finger 
pointing.
Willow: Yeah.
Tara: And see those stars along there? (Shot of the stars) That's 
the bottom of the pineapple.
Willow: It's big.
Tara: Hence the name. (pause) The real ones never made sense to me, 
I ... sort of have my own.
Willow: Teach me.
Tara: (points) See those stars over there? "Short Man looking 
uncomfortable."
They both giggle.
Tara: Uh... (points) "Moose getting a sponge bath." Umm... "little 
pile o'crackers." (Willow frowns) Tha-that was a bit of a stretch. 
(They both laugh) You do it. What would you call ... mm, that one? 
(points)
Willow: Hmm, let's see. 

Either one was utterly charmed by the ultra cuteness and perfect 
beauty of the Great Love, or nausiated by these scenes.  You can 
guess which category I fell into.



> Willow/Kennedy: The lesbian version of Buffy/Riley.  Willow, 
coming from  
> the loss of her big love story found a hot, hard-body to get off 
with.   
> Nothing more, nothing less, tongue ring not withstanding.

Except that we were supposed to BUY it.  Joss was bewildered by the 
Kennedy Hate, how even non-Wiffy people saw Kennedy as that stalking 
bitch coming between Buffy and Willow.  
> So we shippers go and try to create happiness for our favorite  
> characters.  We try to pair them with others that weren't 
considered in  
> canon.  From almosts like Fuffy to pure fantasy that we see 
possibilities  
> for like Wiffy.

We build on what COULD have been, and should have been.  But, again, 
even non shippers didn't accept that Willow wasn't attracted.
> Or we rewrite their partners so they are a worthy match, much as 
the  
> Spuffies do.

Well, they DO have to wonder what could have happened if there'd 
been more time.

E





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Willow: "It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
Buffy:  "I kinda love you."
                     'Choices'

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