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

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

have a suspicion that a lot of Angel's food-indifference is psychological rather than based on a physical inability to taste things as a vampire.

I haven't seen that ep you're referring to, but that's an interesting point to ponder. Angel on btvs at least seems to be very much about self-abnegation; very dramatically so in the 100 years before he first saw Buffy, but even after that, his surroundings are very sparse and spartan, even though the artwork, and so forth imply sophistication, elegance and therefore a certain income level - and the same is true of his wardrobe on the show. Simple but not inexpensive. (HOW he makes his money before AtS is a whole 'nuther conversation.)

Whereas Spike seems to be coded as being lower-class financially compared to Angel (watches tv, smokes, drinks beer, dresses punk etc) but he does enjoy sensual pleasures like food, spices, cigarettes.Not unlike friends of mine (and myself, admittedly) who say, life is short and my budget is limited so why waste money on shitty beer, food etc?

If Angel's indifference is psychological as you say, that would make sense given that (from what I've seen in Becoming, so my knowledge is limited), he was a wastrel, the son of a monied family who frequented gambling dens and whorehouses, and constantly chased sensual pleasures? Whereas William came from an upper-middle class family, as far as I can tell from FFL/LMPTM (certainly a very comfortable middle-class existence) but I didn't get the impression of him as someone then who "indulged" himself, if that makes sense?

I wasn't really clear in the early seasons of Btvs with Angel if vamps couldn't taste food or were completely indifferent to it; I'm assuming that with Spike they made things up as they went along, sometimes just for the humor, sometimes to differentiate him from Angel. I think the comedy aspect played a big part of it at first (S4): "Don't I get a cookie?"

Oddly, I think on that level Buffy becomes more like on some level Angel as the show went on in terms of self-abnegation (denial of pleasure/self-care - somebody make her sit down and eat a sandwich already!), as well as the simplicity of her wardrobe, plain but not inexpensive looking. (Again, a whole 'nuther meta post.) I haven't seen enough of AtS to comment on how Angel evolves in that regard.

Stopping now....

[rahirah]

Oh, the writers definitely made up vampire stuff as they went along, and changed things randomly to suit the plot of whatever episode they were doing at the moment. But it's fun to take all the pieces and try to make sense of them. *g*