Could Buffy Have Worn the Amulet?

[Crazy Flakes]

This is something that I've been thinking about for a while. Could Buffy have worn the amulet instead of Spike? It was meant to be worn by an ensouled champion who was more than human. Technically, didn't Buffy possess all of these qualities? She obviously has a soul, so there's no question about that. She was definitely a champion, especially considering the fact that Spike was one. And being a Slayer should probably make her more than human.

It seems to me like Buffy could have worn the amulet. Was she just afraid to wear it, or was she too human to use it?

 

[Lyri]

Wasn't there a stipulation about someone more than human? I know that was technically Buffy, too, but I always took that to mean something OTHER than human, but still a champion.

If she'd been awake, maybe Cordelia could have worn it.

 

[Crazy Flakes]

Wasn't there a stipulation about someone more than human? I know that was technically Buffy, too, but I always took that to mean something OTHER than human, but still a champion.

If she'd been awake, maybe Cordelia could have worn it.

Yep, I mentioned that before. I just assumed that being a Slayer made her more than human, since she did have a little demon in her. The same goes for Cordelia; she was part demon, so if she had been awake, she probably would've been able to use it.

Maybe "more than human" did mean other than human. But that brings up another issue; how could a vampire have used it if they're half-breeds? Should it have been for pure demons only?

 

[Lyri]

The First Slayer was created with the essence of a demon, we know that, but it's obvious that Buffy wasn't as feral as the Primative was. So I always thought that the demonic essence that the Slayer held somehow became diluted as the power of the Slayer was handed down to each girl, until we ended up with Buffy, who was perhaps too human to wear the amulet. Maybe Nikki Wood, or Xin-Rong or even the Slayer before Buffy might have been able to wear it, but we'll never know.

Thr fact that a vampire could wear it might have something to do with the fact that it's a pure demon that inhabits their body, rather than a diluted version. Cordelia was turned into a half demon, which is still undiluted demoness.

An interesting question might be if Oz or Illyria could have worn it.

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

I'm not sure about Buffy. Like you already pointed out, she definitely has a soul and is a champion. There is this question, however, just how much human a slayer still is. I would tend to say she couldn't wear it. She might have slayer strenght and everything, BUT she still dies like the average human. Although she can probably do a pretty damn good job defending herself, she can still die through drowning, for instance. And that's what I think was exactly the point of 'more than human'. Remember how Cordy couldn't bear the visions anymore and had to become part demon because they were killing her? Well, I believe this could be similar. You need certain strenghts to be able to really use it, and Buffy, with her human vulnerabilites just wouldn't be able to, just like Cordy with her human body wasn't able to handle the visions after some time.

 

[white avenger]

I believe the requirement to wear the amulet was, "Someone with a soul, but more than human." that would seem to rule out everyone except Buffy, Faith, Spike, and Angel. I don't think, even at that time, that Buffy completely trusted Faith, and for some reason she didn't want Angel in the battle, regardless of how powerful a fighter he was. That only left herself and Spike, and I think that she was realistic enough to realize that she couldn't carry the Scythe AND the amulet, and she just wasn't ready to turn the Scythe over to anyone else.

 

[czarina]

I think she told Angel something to the effect that he needs to be prepared in LA if they can't contain the apocalypse in Sunnydale. So that's why he couldn't use it, plus Spike was already in the middle of it.

I don't think slayers can use the amulet. I thought it was a vampire with a restored soul thing. A slayer is still human, so I never figured they could use it. Its true that slayers were created with the essence of a demon, but as Lyri said that demoness has been diluted. Its been shown on the show that both vampires and slayers have had their inner demon diluted over the ages. A vampire is still demon enough to make it work though as long as they have a soul. So I think only Spike or Angel could use it.

 

[palabravampiress]

I think Buffy probably *could* have worn the amulet. I think she qualifies.

BUT... I don't think she could risk it. They needed to do the scythe spell thing to share the slayer power, so I think the importance of the scythe spell took Buffy and Faith out of the running.

 

[T.I.P]

just wanna say something about a point made above. Do you really think Cordy, is a champion? I dont, no way.

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

just wanna say something about a point made above. Do you really think Cordy, is a champion? I dont, no way.

Why not? With all the visions she beared over the years, how she learned to fight and became a higher being, I think that pretty much qualifies her.
And if Spike, who killed numerous people in his vamp career (among them 2 slayers) and still counts as a champion, so does Cordelia.

 

[orpheusxi]

maybe if cordy had a couple more seasons on angel she would be a champion. But as it stood then i think she was more of a hero.

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

If you all think Cordy didn't qualify as champion, then tell me, what exactly makes a champion? Sorry, but for me it's just hard to believe that Spike could do the trick and Cordy couldn't.
I mean really, what makes Spike a champion? Some might say getting his soul volunteerly, but that was all just for a girl. Well, and after he got his soul, what good did he do? First he spent a few weeks going crazy in the basement, then he started eating people and that's pretty much it. Nothing much happened between then and Chosen.
And just compare Spike with everyone else named to maybe be able to wear the amulet. We have the slayers (though we're not clear yet if they could actually wear it) who have killed numerous vampires and demons (even if Faith had this little...uhm...time out), Angel who got his soul more than a hundred years ago and is now seeking redemption, and Cordelia (imo, though at least Buffyverse Wiki agrees with me ("Cordelia Chase was a Champion for the Powers That Be")) who went from shallow cheerleader to vision girl, fighter and higher being.

Also, just a thought, maybe if Buffy had accepted for those people to make her stronger (I don't remember what they were called or what episode it was in; you know what I mean!...I hope) but less human, that might have made her less human enough to wear the amulet.

 

[T.I.P]

I just think anyone could have done what Cordy done. she was pretty much just the receptionist at AI.
i wouldnt call her a fighter either. I do give her credit for keeping the visions when she didnt have too, but
just getting visions i really dont think makes her a champion. i mean, if Cordy is a champion then so is Wes, Xander Kennedy and Connor.
But none of them are and neither, imo, is Cordy.

But you say all Spike done was get his soul back! Thats a massive deal, he is probably the only vampire ever to get his soul back through his own choice.
And, he WAS a fighter, one of the best too. and also, Spike can not be blamed for what he done throughout his vamp career, he didnt choose it.
Plus, it aint that bad when vamps kill people, i mean, they are vampires, not humans. why would they behave like humans?
Which makes Spike getting his soul back more remarkable.

 

[Kean]

I think Buffy could have worn it. Actually, didn't they say as much in the episode? Angel said it was for someone with a soul but more than human and Buffy replied that means me. Angel didn't say she couldn't wear it because she didn't meet the requirements but because it was too dangerous. Also, I think Spike, chip and all,being able to hit Buffy in S6 proved that she is more than human, more than a just a slayer even. She definitely could have worn it if she hadn't already had the Scythe to deal with.

 

[Kemy]

Theres also a little Legalese going on with the word "Ensouled", that can be interpreted as something that does not already posses a Soul but was, for some reason or another, ensouled later. It depends if it means that, or just anything that posses a Soul (implying it then knows the difference between good and evil and by wearing the Amulet is 'choosing' good).

Angel and Spike had their Souls thrust upon them after becoming more than Human, inhabited by a full Demon spirit within the Human vessel. Anya and Cordy I don't know, they were Humans who had parts of their bodies or Souls altered to become Demonic but were still Human and did not lose their Souls at any point.

Then theres the question of what constitutes a champion in the Amulet or TPTB's eyes. All of them were born Human, all of them became more than Human, all of them caused carnage and death. Angelus and Spike were possessed of the Vampire Demon, Anya was spurned and took out her anger on the Human race, Cordy was possessed by Jasmine.

But all of them turned on their evil ways and fought with Buffy and Angel to avert the end of the world, which was what the Amulet was forged for, for one of them to wear and complete that role.

Slayers are augmented by the Essence but over time they have become more and more Human, anything created to cater to the earliest Slayers now doesn't work with them, the Scythe is the exception since its bound to the entire line through their living essence and not necessarily the Demon part (it was connected to the Potentials even though they only possessed the potential to be a Slayer and not the Demonic part yet).

So it depends, Buffy is strong, stronger than a Vampire and most lower Demons, but is the Demon part of her enough to activate the Amulet anymore. Or did Wolfram and Hart have something to gain by not having the Slayer be the one to wear the Amulet and risk her dying in the Hellmouth?

If they foresaw Twilight, knowing that if he succeeded that even W&H would be forced off of the Earth, needed Buffy to live to defeat him and retain the supernatural on Earth, making sure Angel or Spike wore the Amulet and were taken out of the game come their Apocalypse.

 

[palabravampiress]

Hmm... here's a question: would Willow have counted? Certainly the magicks that she used became a part of her (at least that's what Giles said). Being a witch wasn't just something she did; it was, in the end, something she *was.*

I'm not sure Will would have had the champion cred, though, still being pretty fresh off the I-tried-to-end-the-world thing. Then again, I see Willow and Spike as having pretty similar journeys in season 7: they both made a choice to side with good; they both limited or shied away from their powers because they were afraid they would use them for evil; and they both stepped up in the end and did something unprecedented and essential that no one else could have done, complete with happy glowy lights. I think Will was, like the slayers, tied up with the scythe end of things, but that she probably would have counted, too.

And as for all of this talk of Cordy... yes. Cordy was in a coma at the time, but I definitely think a part-demon higher being would have qualified. The "champion" designation seems to require someone to not only have some sort of super human ability, but to willingly and continually make the choice to use those gifts for good (with some wiggle room for slip-ups, of course).

 

[Crazy Flakes]

Hmm... here's a question: would Willow have counted? Certainly the magicks that she used became a part of her (at least that's what Giles said). Being a witch wasn't just something she did; it was, in the end, something she *was.*

I'm not sure Will would have had the champion cred, though, still being pretty fresh off the I-tried-to-end-the-world thing. Then again, I see Willow and Spike as having pretty similar journeys in season 7: they both made a choice to side with good; they both limited or shied away from their powers because they were afraid they would use them for evil; and they both stepped up in the end and did something unprecedented and essential that no one else could have done, complete with happy glowy lights. I think Will was, like the slayers, tied up with the scythe end of things, but that she probably would have counted, too.

And as for all of this talk of Cordy... yes. Cordy was in a coma at the time, but I definitely think a part-demon higher being would have qualified. The "champion" designation seems to require someone to not only have some sort of super human ability, but to willingly and continually make the choice to use those gifts for good (with some wiggle room for slip-ups, of course).

I've always wondered why no one referred to Willow as a "Champion." I mean, sure, she wasn't a hands-on fighter like Angel, Spike, or Buffy, but she was still much more powerful than they were. And, like you said in your last paragraph, she had superhuman abilities, and, aside from her evil rampage, she did use them for good. Besides, even though Willow almost destroyed the world, she actually only killed one person, whereas Angel and Spike killed hundreds. It'd be ridiculous for her one kill to take her out of the running.

I suppose she could have qualified, but she was too busy with her Slayer spell to use it.

 

[palabravampiress]

^ Yeah, really, I think Spike got the honors because the other champions were busy with the spell.

Also, it was really important to the character's story that he use his soul for good and go out firmly on the side of right and for the effulgent soul rays to indicate that he really had been redeemed. With Willow and Buffy being part of the core 4, it was important to the overall message and tone of the series finale that they persevere. Don't get me wrong; I DO think Spike was a champion and a pretty good one at that. I just think the reason he was chosen in the end had a lot more to do with tying up thematic, plot and characterization arcs than it did with picking any one champion as any more or less worthy of that title than any other. I think Buffy or any of our more-than-human champions *could* have worn the amulet, but that Spike wore it for a mix of practical and thematic reasons.

Really, I think all of our Scoobies -- both in LA and in Sunnydale -- were champions. Whether human or something else, they all ultimately devoted their talents and their lives to doing what they thought was right in service to humanity and against all the scary things that go bump in the night. I think they're heroes, each and every one of them.

 

[bob6666]

no buffy could not ware the amulet becouse one of the rules was a haveing a soul not human.
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Edit:
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i have a few question for you, if a fireman with full gear and training risk his live and saves 3 people (buffy, faith) and a nomal guy with no traing or gear run in and saves one person( xander and guiles) are they not both heros. to risk your live over and over again for the innecent people does that not make you a heros.



to ghostface i am not attcking you. cordy was willing have painfull vison that was slowly killing her to save poeple. maybe the post pain full way to die. and yes she fought she may have not been the best fighter but she risk her life over and over to save people. the power that be (ie the gods) made her a higher beaing ( ie angel) for doing this. and yet you made it seem like it was not big deal.

xander and willow fought for 7 years to help save people risking ther life over and over for now reason then it was the right think to do. they fought long then spike had more to lose but there are not chapions either.

i belive spike going out to get his soul was bad think. here is why a vampire with out a soul can not be good. if a nun was turned in to a vimpire then she would start killing people. that is why when angle lost his soul then got back he was not to be blamed for what he did with not soul. if spike could choice to get a soul. (witch you said he did) did he not choice to kill there people other vampire can not be good not one in the world they cant choice. see why this could be a grey area

 

[Superstar]

Not to nit-pick too much, but is the history of where this amulet came from being forgotten?

It was delivered to Angel with a very specific and highly convenient declaration of who could use it - which it turns out is an incomplete translation by Angel. In fact, Lilah specified that it was too gauche for her, but then she wasn't a slayer. Angel is the one who gives the detailed and convenient declaration of who could use it based on his translation.

Lindsey fully admits to recovering the amulet from Craterdale and sending the mojo-reverso package.
He knew beforehand that it contained a spirit, besides stating it - otherwise there was no real point in retrieving it.
So the question becomes, where did he get the knowledge of what it did or that it even existed?
Eve? Where did her knowledge come from if this is where he learned of it? I think it is the other way around.

Was Lindsey the one who actually found/created the amulet in the first place and had it delivered to W&H (through Eve?) to start the whole process? How did he know how to reverse the effects while no one else did, even in the records of W&H? If it was him who found/created it, then it stands to reason that a very specific identity by choice of language used would be just the thing to snag ol' Angel into the amulet. Lilah seemed to think slayer was appropriate.

The more I think on it, the more that the Lindsey creation scenario is likeliest.