(no subject)

[botias]

I often read sympathy for Spike about the way others treat him without any reference as to why the Scoobies or Buffy might reasonably find him disgusting, like the fact that he is a sadist, rapist, liar, stalker, drunkard, thief and murderer.

I often read about how Spike 'fixes' broken people who then abandon him. Spike is seemingly attracted to the broken, yet another less then stellar quality and with predictably poor results, but I've not known him to fix anyone.

I encounter Spuffy fans who are actually just Spike fans. They hate, hate, hate Buffy for abusing Spike, but Spike wants her, therefore he shall have her. I've definitely gone through my own phases where I wanted to feed our heroine to the pretty vampire.

Why am I a Spike fan? Why do I ship Spuffy? Some days I'm not sure. But I have dark suspicions.

Comments

[ex-dovil323.livejournal.com]

I followed this over just to put my hand up and agree, hope you don't mind! I loved canon Spike to bits but I think he's almost the kind of character that if you over analyse too much without yanking out some of his more unattractive characteristics he risks becoming quite repugnant so perhaps people do so as a defense mechanism, as you put it, as a mother would to a child.

I also wonder if people don't Mary Sue him. He was the nerd who was in tears as he was rebuffed in love and now treds the line as the sexy cool rebel but who still has that nerd within so people are trying to fix him up - it's like a fictional dating agency. I think maybe some tend to over emphathise with him because of it and if your seeing yourself in someone you're probably going to exagerate any good and brush off any bad.

He was one of the worst vampires that existed, he could treat people like crap, if Xander or Buffy or anyone reacted because of what he was, what he had done in a less than glowing way I can hardly blame them.

But after saying that he was my favourite character. So there you go. And apologies again for burbling all over your journal, I'll go grab a mop.

[botias.livejournal.com]

he's almost the kind of character that if you over analyse too much without yanking out some of his more unattractive characteristics he risks becoming quite repugnant

Tell me about it, once I start looking objectively at Spike and canon Spuffy, I feel pretty much unclean. I think reading fanfic does help to 'heal the wound' so to speak. There I generally find a Spike that I can feel more comfortable empathising with or wishing on a girl. And I agree with you about the Mary Sue thing. Spike is the ultimate underdog, rejected even by the underdogs. We want to see him make good whether he deserves it or not.

Welcome to my journal! I'm not territorial about it.

[ex-dovil323.livejournal.com]

once I start looking objectively at Spike and canon Spuffy, I feel pretty much unclean.

Yeah, I sympathise. One thing I've noted that in the support of Spike there's always indepth analysis on his good points taking the best light possible, juxtaposed with a very superficial analysis on other characters in the worst light possible as a way of making him out to be the good guy. He wasn't a good guy, he was a vampire, and there seems to be a push to see him as the normal guy with a heart of gold from the wrong side of the tracks who just needs the love of a good woman to see him right. Which looking at the logic of the Buffyverse and what played out pre-soul just doesn't hold water for me.

Still love the character to bits, but he sure as hell was never a fluffy bunny pre or post soul and the poet that stood there in the alley crying over unrequited love ended up doing things that awed even other vampires. And fluffy bunnies don't get that kind of rep. :) Giles, Xander and co were wise to keep him at arms length and unfortunately I think Buffy forgot what he was and let her guard down.

I wonder if I end up being too harsh on the character because people keep giving him the get out of jail card, but then I think, nah. :D

[botias.livejournal.com]

*nods* *nods* Especially this bit.

Giles, Xander and co were wise to keep him at arms length and unfortunately I think Buffy forgot what he was and let her guard down.

Certainly ME had her paying the price. To give credit, Buffy always made a halfway effort to hold him at a distance, but halfway just didn't cut it.