Soulmates

[hoponlilmama]

Based on Spike's sense of entitlement, basically.

It's a weird phenomenon that I've witnessed in many a Spuffy in that, what it boils down to, is that many of them ship Buffy and Spike mainly because that is what Spike wants and thinks he deserves, it has very little to do with our titular heroine and what she wants/what is best for her.
It's not a love of equality, at the end of the day, its a love of the supplicant sexy bad boy. "Oh, if only I were in Buffy's place I would say yes!" "Why don't you just love him, he's perfect!" etc. There's a lot of projection going on.

If another character had came along that Spike wanted more than Buffy then they would ship that instead, or as well as. It's all about their boy and what he wants/what he fought for/what he demands/deserves/expects. 😉

Indeed, well said.

It was during the peak of COVID when I learned that a chunk of fans blamed (and still do!) Buffy for things and called HER names, because all poor Spikey wanted to do was love her.

Needless to say, I was stunned at that commentary.

@NotASlayer Angel walked away because it was what was best for Buffy. Spike stayed because it was what was best for Spike.

Bingo!

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

Eh, I am almost certain that there's an entire genre of romance novels where the young woman's attempted rapist turns out to be her soul mate. I mean, that doesn't mean a lot when Amish were-dinosaurs are also a Hugo nominated best seller.

When I say karma, I mean one's situation in this life is determined by one's action in a prior life. Dharmic terms are not the best to describe western ideas of reincarnation, as Dharmic religions would consider attachment to a past life to be a sin, whereas in the west it's all, it's all about soulmates and wanting to be a butterfly. Boomers.

 

[garfan]

@NotASlayer @hoponlilmama a lot of people utterly despise the idea of a loved one making those kind of decisions for a person. If Angel wants to leave for Angel, fine. But for Buffy? That's not his call

And in fact that makes a lot of fans want Buffy to end up with a vampire just to show how stupid Angel was, because the life with the vampire would make Buffy happier than the life Angel thought Buffy should want

 

[NotASlayer]

@NotASlayer @hoponlilmama a lot of people utterly despise the idea of a loved one making those kind of decisions for a person. If Angel wants to leave for Angel, fine. But for Buffy? That's not his call

Which is exactly what Spike did. Stayed for Spike, not for Buffy, and made the decision for her, forcing himself on her again.

And in fact that makes a lot of fans want Buffy to end up with a vampire just to show how stupid Angel was, because the life with the vampire would make Buffy happier than the life Angel thought Buffy should want

And if Angel had stayed, that would have led to Angelus, and more deaths. Hard to see how Angel staying would have helped Buffy be happy.

 

[garfan]

And if Angel had stayed, that would have led to Angelus, and more deaths. Hard to see how Angel staying would have helped Buffy be happy.

not necessarily. He was able to have a son without losing his soul.

But honestly, if he's that concerned about it, then he shouldn't want to be Angelus, then he should be breaking it off for HIM