As you probably know by now I have a thing against any Human/Vampire relationship. The whole premise of the show was 'She alone should keep humanity safe from Vampires & icky monsters.' Therefore Vampire bad, stab with pointy stick!
In all the times I have watched the show , or parts of, since, I don't think my views have changed at all really.
Vampires aside, I never really got on with most of the main Male characters. Oz was ok, but chronically underused. Xander's Character got more annoying & Red-Flagie as the series went on. That only really left Captain cardboard & Giles.
So never even considering becoming a Bangelite or Spuffling I had to look elsewhere for a ship to stow away on.
Then came S3, where Faith appeared & made that suggestive action with the stake as she handed it back to Buffy in her first ever scene..... Hellooooo Fuffy!
That said, one early ship stood out.
Spike & Drew - Spike was a much better character in the early seasons where he was hooked up with Drew. She was made as a bag of spanners, but he understood her & really seemed to care for her in his own way. I really felt they spoiled his character when the last two seasons became the 'Spike the Slayer layer show' & Buffy was relegated to 'Love interest' & the rest of the scoobies were warped beyond recognition.
Anyhoo
Apart from my hopeless devotion to the chosen two, most of my ships were of the 'Friendship only' persuasion.
Buffy & Tara - In the later seasons when Buffy's world was collapsing around her, Tara was the only one who seemed to understand what she was going through. The two of them made a connection through a common loss when Buffy lost her Mom. I just wish their friendship could have been explored more.
And no, Spike didn't understand, he recognised a weakness & exploited it for his own gain!
Giles & Joyce - Not so much romantic but more a shared role as Buffy's parents. Giles was more of a Father to her than her real dad. I think the writers could have done a lot more with them as friends with a common goal rather than force a romantic pairing (Because he's old & it's gross apparently?) 😉
Oz & Cordy - Please, hear me out! This is one pairing I've though about often, but never attempted to introduce into a fic. They are complete opposites in the early seasons. His mind is a whirlpool of thought but he rarely speaks & considers his words carefully. Cordy says exactly what is on her mind, no thought, no filter.
I think the two of them would be great for each other. Cordy might get Oz to open up a bit more, & Oz might just get Cordy to sometimes think before opening her mouth?
Actually, probably not, but think of the fun the writers could have had if they found a way of making those two have to work together a lot more?
And finally...
Dawn & Faith - Yes really! This is one friendship I've explored more than once. I believe that Faith's 'Tell it like it is' trait, & her past experiences would cause her to hammer home what Dawn's acting up could result in if she landed in trouble with the law, or if she triggered an investigation into Buffy's ability to act as her guardian.
On the other hand, Dawn could show Faith what it's like to be a kid. Faith probably never had someone to play video games with or just hang out & listen to music.
I could see them becoming good friends......and just think of all the trouble those two could get into together? 😀
Ok, so that was more than I intended writing here, but hey.
Oh & one final pair. Xander & Riley, the two members of the 'Why doesn't Buffy love me?" club. 😉 😀
