Welcome to the Hellmouth - A Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fandom Wiki

Introduction
Recent and emerging technology has reshaped the standards of what we call literature. Art and literature are no longer restrained to the confines of a page, but now occupy digital media in the form of film, television, mp3s, the internet, and more. These new forms have given authors new ways to tell a story through the use of audio, visuals, and interactivity rather than just text. Now, TV shows and video games can be considered as much a piece of literature as works by Charles Dickens or J.K. Rowling. Digital literature has not been without its opponents, however. Some, such as the “Reading at Risk” report from the National Endowment for the Arts believe digital literature to be the downfall of “traditional” literature. The report claims “electronic media such as television, recordings, and radio make fewer demands on their audiences,” requiring only semi-conscious participation and therefore enabling “shorter attention spans and accelerated gratification.”

Proponents and fans of various pieces of digital literature however would claim otherwise. Many pieces of literature have transcended their form, given new life beyond the original “text” by fans. Fans may gather around a particular work of fiction to discuss any and all aspects of the text for reasons such as theory speculation or compiling vast amounts of information on the text, and the internet has allowed this type of fan response to expand greatly. For example, the website “SurvivorSucks” features a vast community of dedicated fans of the reality TV series Survivor. Here, fans watch and discuss the show in great detail, analyzing the show’s editing and production to make predictions on its outcome. Before the advent of the internet, such discussion was not as easily accessible. And furthermore, these types of communities exist for all types of literature, digital and traditional alike. Clearly, digital literature can be more involved than the Reading at Risk report suggests.

The television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (sometimes abbreviated BtVS, or simply Buffy) is another example of a digital text that has an exceptional fan following, especially on the internet. First aired in 1997 and ending in 2003, the series is an interesting mix of genres including action, horror, comedy, musical, drama and romance. It follows the titular protagonist Buffy Summers, a teenage girl imbued with the strength to fight the forces of darkness, as she deals with vampires, demons, high school, and beyond. Known for its large cast of likable characters combined with poignant writing and clever dialogue, the series was widely popular during its original run, lasting for over 140 episodes and spawning the equally-acclaimed spin-off series Angel. The series’ success has left a legacy that is still talked about today; though Buffy has been off the air for almost a decade, its fan community is still active and engaged.

Personal Histories
Perhaps the most comprehensive way that the Buffy community shares their experiences with the series is through what they call “watchthroughs.” This is when a member of the Buffy community watches through the entire series and details it along the way, providing reviews, plot summaries, as well as personal insights and theories for every episode. These are often very detailed due to the length of the show, and some watchthroughs are even longer because they include the Angel series which was meant to be viewed concurrently. The format of a watchthrough is usually in an online forum post. The format allows other users to follow along with and respond to the watchthrough author and give their own opinions. Each watchthrough is unique in that no two authors may have the same opinion or notice the same details in an episode, and interaction with the other users may vary as well.

A First-Time Viewing
In August 2011, GameFAQs user angleslam99 of the Television: Broadcast TV message board started a watchthrough for what would be his first viewing of the Buffy series. Each entry in the watchthrough begins with a notable quote from the episode, a brief plot summary, followed by his personal musings and interpretations of how the episode fits into the overarching plot. Notable in this watchthrough was his focus on character development in his reviews; the watchthrough sports a rather obsessive admiration for supporting character Faith, and debate amongst other users often derides this or rallies for support for other characters.

Angleslam99’s watchthrough topic coincided with another user, The blue imp, also watching the series for the first time. Discussion in this topic followed much of the same structure; however, the focus of his reflections was given to the series’ distinguishing dialogue. Each of his episode write-ups featured four to five notable quotes whereas angleslam99 featured one.

"Buffy: On the Hellmouth. All day, every day. That's gotta be like being showered with evil. Only from underneath.

Willow: Not really a shower.

''Buffy: A bidet. Like a bidet of evil." - Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', Season 7 Episode 14, "First Date"

Watchthrough topics like these are always interesting and regularly gather much attention from other users. Angleslam99’s watchthrough collected a whopping 3000 posts by the time he finished the series, and The blue imp’s received over 1200. Watchthroughs often incite other users to discussion, giving some an opportunity to revisit the series and others a platform to share their personal histories as they experience it for the first time. As seen in the two GameFAQs watchthroughs, each experience can be quite different. The two users viewed the same series at the same time but found value in different facets of the show, one character development, and the other, witty dialogue. Watchthrough topics also bring together many other forms of fan engagement. For a series as rife with metaphor and foreshadowing as Buffy, discussion in the topics sometimes boils down to interpretive disputes. Detailed recaps of the entire series can act like a knowledge database, but with a personal twist. And unfortunately, topics as large as these can become a beacon for the “haters,” “trolls,” and “spoilers.”

Interpretive Disputes - Chosen to What End?
In his review of the series finale, "Chosen," watchthrough author angleslam99 states “It was a beautiful piece that was perfectly composed and captured the essence of the heightened drama and stakes between the two opposing sides,” in regards to the conclusion of both the show and Buffy’s uneasy relationship with the vampire Spike.

User reviews on the website IMDB however were a little less enamored with the series. In his review of the same episode, user s_k writes, “BtVS has always been about relationships. But there's the rub...every single relationship in the series is a disaster. All of the background static involving lame demon battles could hardly hide the fact that when all is said and done -- the only thing that BtVS really did was plaster one ridiculous relationship after another in an endless parade of glorified nihilism.” Another user on the same site describes the same moment, “Buffy reaches for Spike's hand, their hands embrace and a magic flame bursts out from their hands, in my interpretation; ‘the flame of love.’ This is also where Buffy finally tells Spike: ‘I love you’… only to get a ‘slap’ in the face 2 seconds later, when Spike replies; ‘No, you don't... But thanks for saying it’… I could not believe my ears… Not only was his rejection of Buffy's sincerity in her love for him a painful anti-climax, having been built up for so long and we, the fans of their relationship, had been waiting impatiently for, for so long, but he dies as well!”

These two different fan communities evidently have a notable difference in opinion on the series finale, and this is a common matter of interpretation among fans of the series. On one hand, user angleslam99 (as well as most other GameFAQs users posting in his topic) believes Spike’s rejection and subsequent death to have been spot on. On the other, about half of IMDB users disliked the end of Buffy and Spike’s relationship. Another IMDB user, Joxerlives, gives an explanation to one side of this disparity: “When Buffy and Spike hold hands and their fingers catch fire it's reminiscent of their discussion of love in season 6 when she dumps him, she tells him that their love would burn until there was nothing left.” The series finale repeats this in a literal manner and should thus be a fitting end. Other IMDB users stated the sexual tension between the characters had been built up for the past three seasons and felt misled in the end.

Ultimately, it appears that the side of the dispute the user takes is based on what they value in the show: the show’s plot consistency or its relationships. Relationships are a major part of the series, and it has spawned a subdivision in the fans. The “shippers,” as they are sometimes called, are mainly interested in particular pairings among the characters and the subtext of those sexual or romantic pairings. Fans who disagreed with the series end seemed to fall into this category. Conversely, those who liked the ending stated it was more in line with the character development and plot up to this point – in addition to Buffy flat out saying they would “burn,” she only used Spike as a physical outlet after the psychological trauma of her death and resurrection in seasons 5 and 6, and their sexual encounters were always highlighted by destruction and violence.

Remediation - Excess "Shipping" Material
The “Buffyverse,” composed of the world shared between the Buffy series and spin-off Angel, ran for a combined total of 9 years, 12 seasons, and 254 episodes. As such, it has had a huge impact on popular culture and touched many people during its original run. Some fans still seek out ways to breathe new life into the series by creating their own material. Fan-made material for Buffy comes in many forms, the most prevalent of which is “fan fiction,” or a fan’s own stories that take place within the Buffyverse. Other types of remediation for Buffy include music videos, new opening credits for the show, and various illustrations. These fan materials draw themes and inspiration from the series to create a personal work of art or literature.

“My Downfall”
''“It didn’t matter that it was a dirty alleyway. All that mattered were the two vampires who were kissing and caressing her, making her head spin.”''

When asked where to find fan-made Buffy material, GameFAQs user CrowMagnon replied “Fan-made material tends to congregate strongest around the shippers.” This appeared to be true. On Buffyworld, a website that catalogues Buffy fan-fiction from all over the internet, an alarming percentage of the fan-fictions were romantic (read: erotic) in nature. A fan-fiction titled “My Downfall” written by jerzeyanjel is an incredibly graphic short story about a sexual encounter between Buffy and her two vampire suitors, Angel and Spike. The short story borders on fan-fiction and falls closer into the realm of pornography. It features little context from the show other than the fact that Spike and Angel are vampires. There is no mention of plot or continuity.

The reason why this piece of fan-fiction was written is perhaps because of the show’s young, attractive cast and its focus on relationships, particularly those between Buffy and Angel and later Buffy and Spike (never simultaneous as in this short story). Angel and Spike are often labeled as both adversaries and sexual competitors, so perhaps a story involving all three characters was inevitable. The show however was aired on broadcast television and was not nearly as explicit.

“Buffy vs. Edward: Twilight Remixed”


On a less explicit note, “Buffy vs. Edward” is a Youtube video made up of clips of Buffy and Twilight spliced together. Uploaded by rebelliouspixels, he describes it as a reimagined narrative Edward from the Twilight series meets Buffy, to give a “pro-feminist visual critique of Edward’s character and generally creepy behavior.” In the video, Buffy meets Edward at her school and he immediately begins stalking her, much to her chagrin. The two eventually fight, and it ends with Edward turned to dust as Buffy stakes him.

The video serves several thematic purposes. First, as the video description says, it is a pro-feminist critique. Aside from relationships, another main theme throughout the Buffy series is feminism and female empowerment. Aside from Buffy and the all-female Slayer lineage, many of the series’ female characters have their own strengths and abilities. Willow is a powerful witch, and Anya is a thousand-year-old demon, for example, and as for the male characters, Xander has no supernatural abilities and sometimes serves as the “damsel in distress,” and Giles acts as Buffy’s Watcher, her trainer and teacher in the occult, but otherwise only possesses the skill set of a normal human. The Twilight series is known for its slightly more misogynistic view, with the female protagonist acting as the damsel and needing to be saved by Edward. The Youtube video portrays the feminism prevalent in Buffy through Edward’s defeat at the hands of Buffy.

Another way the video can be interpreted is as one series surpassing the other. Buffy has been called the precursor to Twilight, and the two series are sometimes compared to one another due to a basic similarity—a teenage girl falls in love with a compassionate vampire. Buffy fans tend to show great disdain for this comparison as the similarities end there. Throughout the entire video, Buffy is shown to be disgusted by Edward and it ends with her killing him. This is clearly a jab at Twilight and a declaration of the Buffy series as its superior.

Additional Links
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Wikipedia

Angel - Wikipedia

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - IMDB

GameFAQs - Television: Broadcast TV Message Board