Canon-related questions for Buffyologists

[red_satin_doll]

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.

Comments

[kikimay]

LJ is making me nervous! I hope you can read this answer.
So, Buffy's name is Buffy Anne Summers. I think that Elizabeth is something fanon. She's just Buffy, Anne.
And she's the cutest when she's drunk. OMG, I love her so much! But, if you want to know, sometimes she says: "Note to self: do this and that ..." I don't remember her talking in third person about Angel and the Bangel, but it can be my memory.
And "Life Serial" isn't just the best with the cutest Buffy ever? She's beautiful in all the outfits!

[pocochina.livejournal.com]

1) I've always thought it was just Buffy, though I guess my only real support for that is the dialogue in Something Blue, where they're deciding between William and Spike, and he makes a snide comment about "Buffy," and she says "my mother gave me that name!" which always made it sound like a given name to me.

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.

Seriously. He stood up to the Council for his own paycheck and can't give the Slayer herself her rightful cut? GOD.

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure it's just "Buffy". I think fan fic authors just think it's too ridiculous as a given name so it must be a nickname. And then someone sees it in a fic, and thinks "Oh, that makes sense"; obviously it must really be Elizabeth...

FWIW the only Buffy I know in real life is really, truly "Buffy" on her birth certificate. Though people always ask!

And Our Girl really is adorable in Life Serial. That Blech face!

[rahirah]

Elizabeth is fanon. (Fanon which irritates me out of all proportion to its relatively innocuous nature, for reasons I wot not of.) Every time we see Buffy's full name on the show in any sort of official printed capacity, it's Buffy Anne.

Buffy may have referred to herself in the third person in other episodes - I honestly don't remember. I'm pretty sure I would remember if it had happened consistently. Fandom has a habit of taking stuff which happened once and making a Thing out of it. Be glad you missed the vanilla craze. *g*

[velvetwhip.livejournal.com]

The Elizabeth is fanon. I am sure the confusion arose because "Buffy" is a common nickname for girls named Elizabeth (at least if they're preppy - I went to school with an Elizabeth whose nickname was Buffy and I know of several others as well).


Gabrielle

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

The only person ever referred to as "Elizabeth" in canon is... Spike. (In "Chosen", re: his necklace.) Buffy's name on school records, gravestones, work uniforms and in police interviews is Buffy.

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I concur with everybody on Buffy vs. Elizabeth. Elizabeth is not canon.

I'm less certain about the third person thing. Buffy does tend to use cute phrasing for lots of things, including herself. I mean that in the fondest way. But, I can't think of another specific example of what you're talking about. Maybe in "Beer Bad"? I'm pretty sure Xander uses "Buffy" instead of "you" when he talks to her in that ep. I also recall Spike saying "Good job, Spike" sarcastically to himself, so it's not strictly a Buffy thing, regardless. I can "hear" most characters using the third person on occasion.

[teragramm.livejournal.com]

I agree with everyone else that her given name is Buffy. If it wasn't her tombstone would read Elizabeth "Buffy" Anne Summers

Saturday, December 29 - Monday, December 31

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

User rahirah referenced to your post from Saturday, December 29 - Monday, December 31 (http://su-herald.livejournal.com/630864.html) saying: [...] [Fandom Discussion] Canon-related questions for Buffyologists [...]

[pickamix.livejournal.com]

Her given name is Buffy and velvetwhip is right that the confusion comes in because Buffy is also a nickname for stuck up Elizabeths. It goes Elizabeth ... Bethy ... Buffy ... if you want to trace how it happened at all. I still don't get it, but hey I don't make these things up. They are too strange even for me.

As for the third person thing ... she refers to herself in the third person in "The Prom" I believe. When she says "I'm over the whole Buffy gets one perfect high school moment thing." I can't remember if she says it elsewhere, but she doesn't do it to the point of being annoying.

*hugs and love*

Recs and Buffyverse Foodporn :3

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

User kikimay referenced to your post from Recs and Buffyverse Foodporn :3 (http://kikimay.livejournal.com/35105.html) saying: [...] end this discussion started by the lovel : http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/9455.html [...]

[sum1-different.livejournal.com]

Her name is Buffy.

[stormwreath.livejournal.com]

There's an example of Buffy talking about herself in the third person that hasn't been mentioned yet: in 7.04 'Help'. She and Xander have gone to interview Cassie's father, and are getting impatient waiting outside his door:

BUFFY: Buffy the Vampire Slayer would break down this door.
XANDER: And Buffy the counsellor?
BUFFY: Waits.

I mostly remember that as being one of only two occasions in the entire show when its full title was spoken on screen (the other is in 3.01 'Anne': "I'm Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And you are?"), but it is an example of what you're looking for.


Also, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother was nicknamed 'Buffy' back in her teenage days, a hundred years ago, which does make me wonder how many other members of the British royal family were Slayers. :)

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

NOt sure how I missed this post...

Can't add anything pertinent, but for "official" word on it, her name is Buffy in the college computer when Spike tracks her down in S4.

The third-person thing is pretty exaggerated. I think most of the characters do it at some point, even Spike.

The vanilla thing comes from SMG, I'm pretty sure. Something else that's probably blown out of proportion, though to be fair, lots of character stuff from the show is drawn from the actors. Angel liking hockey, Buffy ice-skating, that kind of thing.