red_satin_doll | Canon-related questions for Buffyologists

There's a couple of items about Buffy Summers that I've seen in several fanfics and wondered if they were "canon" or "fanon" information. I don't trust my memory, especially when I've probably spent more hours at this point reading fanfiction than actually watching the show. (What that says about me I shudder to imagine.)

By "canon", I am of course referring to BtVS, seasons 1-7 only, not the comics (aka Get behind me, Satan!)

1) Is Buffy's given name "Buffy" or "Elizabeth"? I've read "Elizabeth Anne Summers" used in several fanfics and it feels like it might have been mentioned somewhere in S1-3 on the show, if at all?

Actually, I just wanted an excuse to post this screencap. But while you're here:

2) Does Buffy refer to herself in third person at any other point on the show except for Life Serial: "stupid Buffy" "freak Buffy"? A lot of stories have her refer to herself in this way, usually when she's berating herself, although generally not while drunk. (For someone who can't hold her liquor she seems to drink quite a lot of it in LS. Slayer metabolism, apparently.)

Also, she generally does so whilst kicking herself mentally over something regarding Spike, so do early season/Bangel 'ship writers have her referring to herself in this manner as well?

No, no further questions; I just love SMG in this episode so damn much I can hardly stand it. I mean - come on, Giles, how can you resist that face? Buttons and puppies are weeping in envy. Now do your duty to your Slayer and hand her the check without making her feel like it's an act of charity on your part.

I love Giles, I do. But damn it, he can be an ass sometimes.

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Sorry I didn't reply to this - my inbox now has almost 350 messages/comments in it that need replying to. *sigh*

"read at your own risk" - well I always appreciate fair warning, and there's always a back button! Which I've become very skilled at using, after reading a couple of fics where i thought, no, they're not going THERE, are they? This is all going to make sense in the next chapter, isn't it?

I haven't had a chance to get to your fics but thank you for the recs, they're on my list.

My main thing is fairness to all of the characters, compassion for them, no bashing or whitewashing (especially when it comes to Buffy - she's my girl, y'all). Any sign of "Spike was good enough for Buffy S5-6 and why didn't the bitch love him?" will send me right in the other direction.

One of the wonderful things in the show is that each character does horrible things for the right reasons and good things for the wrong reasons; in other words, complex human beings. So reducing any of them to cardboard cutouts is another turn-off for me. Adherence to canon is of the good because the canon is so damn fascinating to begin with. Even AU can be true to canonical characterizations. I demand really good writing or why waste the time? And I love angst - character death doesn't bother me because that's a huge part of canon (except Tara's *sniffle*); it can be "eat it with a spoon dark and desolate angst" or "delicate watercolor angst":
http://snowpuppies.dreamwidth.org/286069.html
http://lynnenne.livejournal.com/221554.html
http://letsgetitdone.livejournal.com/9914.html

I seem to have particular kinks for AU takes on The Gift:
http://desoto-hia873.livejournal.com/162450.html (this one made me tear up)
http://sb-fag-ends.livejournal.com/161082.html (the inspiration for my own fic)
http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/3321.html (shameless self-pimpage alert!)

Also post-Chosen and/or NFA fics:
http://archiveofourown.org/works/580630
http://ozma914.livejournal.com/119151.html
http://rebcake.livejournal.com/45817.html
http://archiveofourown.org/works/98318

I wrote a post yesterday *more shameless self-pimage!* looking for "Rupert Giles as Big Bad" recs or prompts and have gotten some good recs from that, if you want to take a glance: http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/10511.html

Quinara wrote a post-series epic poem "Spikeid" that reminds me of the Illyad:
http://archiveofourown.org/works/1922/navigate

Rebcake pointed me to Annie Sewell-Jennings work; and "The Ballad of Randy and Joan" is one of my few NC-17 favorites because it's such a fantastically written AU story (I skim over the sex bits):
http://www.allaboutspike.com/fic.html?id=124
http://www.allaboutspike.com/fic.html?id=535

A couple of my favorite humorous ones:
http://spuffy-luvr.livejournal.com/8632.html
http://st-salieri.livejournal.com/319674.html

And that's just BEGINNING to scratch the surface. (But maybe that's more than you were wanting to hear?)

Canon-related questions for Buffyologists

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