Would Buffy's life have been better if she wasn't a Slayer?

Chosen Enemy

Chosen Enemy

Losing my soul
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Buffy used to often complain about the burden of being a Slayer, she wants to be a normal girl. Girly, dates, proms, school, friends... On the other hand, in "Helpless", she's scared of the thought of not being a Slayer.

The Slayer life has taken a lot from her. It's hard life, short life.

So do you think that Buffy would have been happier if she wasn't a Slayer? Would that have made her life better, given her the things she wants, the normal life?
 
Do you mean if she had never been chosen and found out about vampires?

In that case, who knows? Maybe she would have stayed shallow, gotten bad grades since she didn't have a brainiac for a best friend, worked at a crappy job, felt her life was meaningless and never made any real friends, just shallow ones like in high school? Or she would have grown up to be a strong confident and caring woman either way, who would have done just fine. In the second scenario, she would probably be happier than she is now.

Sidenote; However, if given the choice today, she would suck it up and still be the One, so she could save people. I also think she wouldn't want to trade her current family and friends away for a distant father, probably-still-dead-mother and which other friends she might have made. If alternative non-slayer Buffy had been given the choice, I wonder if she would have said "I wish I had been made the slayer". The bad sides of her slayer life would probably have seen bigger than the good sides.
 
C
Cast No Shadow
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BuffyElevated
BuffyElevated
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Providing she didn't know about vampires and demons? Yeah, I think she would have had a good life. But despite all the downsides to being a slayer, it also gave her a sense of purpose so I'm not sure she'd have grown quite as much as she did in such a short space of time. I think she'd have been the vapid Cordelia type for a bit longer at least.
 
This is a very good question, and i think there will be quite a few views on it!


I'm not so sure, she often complained that she would never have a normal life, and that at times all she wanted was to do normal "girly" stuff lol. Plus as far as relationships go i think that would have helped her as well if she wasn't a Slayer.

BUT i don't think the bond she had with her friends would be anything the same. When we see Angel's flash back in Becoming, and he see's her outside of school, i think she would have been that sort of character otherwise, i suppose a bit like Cordelia lol. What she lost out on in terms of a "normal" life being a Slayer, i think she gained an awful lot as well, especially as far as her friends go.
 
Better can be discussed. Safer it would cerntainly have been.

Being a slayer has meant a lots of ups and downs but considering what she's been through. Dying twice, being dragged from heaven and see lots of close and not at all close people die etc. Take the last two season and the comics. How happy do she seem? She's had have lot of good/happy moments as well but to me they don't seem to be enough for it to be a better life.

Not that a none slayer life automatically mean a good and happy life. That's too simple. Not everyone's life ends up well. We have no idea how her life would have been. Pregnant at 17, an abusive boyfriend. 4 kids at 25 working with something she rather wouldn't to support the family including an alcoholic and unemployed husband. Seeing no light in the future. No I don't think she'd end up like that but the point is that we don't know.

---------- Post added at 05:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:13 PM ----------

Steven123 said:
BUT i don't think the bond she had with her friends would be anything the same. When we see Angel's flash back in Becoming, and he see's her outside of school, i think she would have been that sort of character otherwise, i suppose a bit like Cordelia lol. What she lost out on in terms of a "normal" life being a Slayer, i think she gained an awful lot as well, especially as far as her friends go.
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That came to my mind right away as well. But is it impossible for the Cordelias of the world to find friendships? And as long as you're on the inside having nothing else to compare with would a lesser tight friendship mean that you're unhappy? Being close to friends is a great feeling but if you "only" have people you like to hang out with while having fun I don't think you'd complain.
 
Washburne said:
That came to my mind right away as well. But is it impossible for the Cordelias of the world to find friendships? And as long as you're on the inside having nothing else to compare with would a lesser tight friendship mean that you're unhappy? Being close to friends is a great feeling but if you "only" have people you like to hang out with while having fun I don't think you'd complain.
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Certainly not impossible for the "Cordelia's" lol (good the way you put that) to find friends, but i think it can define (not always) the type of friends you have. I mean obviously Cordelia grew up a lot, but when you look at her friends in the first few seasons, she's more concerned about looking "cool" and what her image is like around school to be popular with those friends.

And going back to Becoming when we first see Buffy, she has the same type of friends. I suppose a good example is, if Buffy wasn't a Slayer, would you have seen Cordelia etc being friends with Willow?

That's one thing i think being a Slayer brought to a few of them, it gave them all a close friendship with each other, that otherwise they probably wouldn't have had.
 
One thing to consider. If Buffy wasn't a slayer would she have moved to Sunnydale?

Steven123 said:
That's one thing i think being a Slayer brought to a few of them, it gave them all a close friendship with each other, that otherwise they probably wouldn't have had.
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No argument here.
 
Joan the Vampire Slayer
Joan the Vampire Slayer
No, because the reason they moved there in the first place was because she burned down the gym and got expelled. So they had to move to go to another school and "start over.
Washburne said:
One thing to consider. If Buffy wasn't a slayer would she have moved to Sunnydale?
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She wouldn't have needed to as she wouldn't have got kicked out of school in LA, no Slayer burning down the school gym
 
Washburne
Washburne
That's how I see it too but I don't think eveyone think of it.
You mentioned Helpless, so I'll start with the idea that she lost her powers. In that case, I think she'd be pretty miserable. Knowing what she knows, and how she used to have the power to do something about it, would be torture. I wonder though, if it'd be the same for her if her powers were somehow taken away from her in season 6? For example, (and I actually thought this was going to happen when I first watched it), if she'd come back without them. Maybe she would have felt such incredible relief. Yes, she was back and things were terrible in many ways, but it was no longer up to her to make it right. To make the gut-wrenching decisions. But I think that by season 7 or so, she'd feel differently; she'd go right back to missing her powers.

If she'd never had any powers to begin with? As others have said, I think that depends on how much she knew about vampires, demons, etc. Knowing all of that exists but not being able to do anything about it would be pretty downright depressing, I think. But if she were completely oblivious? Who knows? She'd probably have stayed in LA, graduated with mediocre grades and a boyfriend who'd encouraged her to stay local for college, but ended up leaving her for someone else during freshman year. Because Buffy is naturally smart and resourceful, (or are those qualities just the result of the slayer power? I'm going to guess not for argument's sake), she would eventually figure things out and be just fine. I mean, who knows?
Of course, given all of the nasties that Angel and co were busy fighting in LA, she'd be in danger quite often, (as are all residents of LA and Sunnydale, apparently). So there's that thought...
 
T
ticonderouga
I think the smart and resourceful thing is one of the criteria for being chosen in the first place. Both Kendra and Faith show similar qualities at times
I don't think she would have made the friends she did if she wasn't the slayer. She probably wouldn't have come to Sunnydale. She be one of the popular girls at school like she was when Angel viewed when we saw the flashback. I also don't think it'd be as interesting. Sure, she'd probably would have lived a safer life if she wasn't the slayer.

She probably would have not met Willow, Xander or even Angel for that matter. I think the fact that she is the slayer made her a little more unique , different but in a good way. In a sense, it made her fit well in with Willow & Xander.

Not to say, she probably wouldn't have made friends anyway.

I think at first, as a teenager that's all she wanted to be. A normal girl who didn't have to carry this big secret about being a vampire slayer and she didn't want to do that stuff. Because sometimes, it's hard enough just been a regular teenager and worrying about teen stuff like dates and school stuff. But to add on slayer duties?

I think as time progressed, is when she probably started feeling different about it, like as she became a little older.
 
As a whole, I'd say yes her life would have been better, it would have been easier and safer to a degree certainly. Obviously when you consider the friendships she made, that deep sense of purpose she had then sure one can argue, but I would have thought that the answer was obvious. The life of a Slayer is a crap life, it's not supposed to easy and it is a burden. And on the friendships note actually, we can't know for certain that she wouldn't have made any deep connections if she lived a normal life, we make such connections all the time.
 
Her parents would still have gotten divorced. She would eventually become estranged from her dad. Her mom still would have died of a brain aneurysm, and she wouldn't have had Dawn to help shoulder that burden.
 
I think that she would have been happier but the friendship between the scoobie gang wouldn't be so strong without the Slayer-history.
 
S
Skytteflickan88
It probably wouldn't have existed since she didn't move to Sunnydale.
I think she would have been happier being blissfully unaware of the supernatural as a high schooler. Sure she would've probably stayed a vapid cheerleader, but she'd have friends and enjoy normal HS life. Then, like most, she'd go off to university and learn that the world is about more than surface stuff. She'd develop some real, lasting friendships...maybe even join a sorority. She'd lose her mom still, but she'd have her college friends. She'd be able to actually finish school, she'd meet some nice guy who doesn't endanger her life and can have a day-time beach wedding. She'd have a career, babies, and a normal life. I think that she'd think she was happy.

Now poor Willow and Xander's lives without their slayer bff to guide them through life on the hellmouth, that doesn't turn out so well.
 
Buffy Summers
Buffy Summers
[No message]
Short answer? Yes, Buffy would have been much happier if she'd never been Chosen as the Slayer.

Yet, this really depends on the context. Do you mean if she had never been Chosen in the first place, or if she had chosen to quit? Because if it were the latter, I'd change my answer. Being a Slayer is who Buffy is. She couldn't give it up even if she wanted too. Her sense of duty is too strong. After all, she has tried.

Skytteflickan88 said:
Or she would have grown up to be a strong confident and caring woman either way, who would have done just fine. In the second scenario, she would probably be happier than she is now.
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Agreed. Sure, there's no denying that being the Slayer has strengthened Buffy's character - but I also believe in her inherent goodness. Meaning, the traits that we all love her for - her courage, bravery, ability to forgive, her incredible capacity to love - are all her. Being a Slayer didn't make her the person she is. She was already that person. Slaying only strengthened those qualities. That's why she was Chosen. Because she's so special.

I could see Buffy becoming a nurse or a teacher and living a long life with a nice man.

Sidenote; However, if given the choice today, she would suck it up and still be the One, so she could save people. I also think she wouldn't want to trade her current family and friends away for a distant father, probably-still-dead-mother and which other friends she might have made. If alternative non-slayer Buffy had been given the choice, I wonder if she would have said "I wish I had been made the slayer". The bad sides of her slayer life would probably have seen bigger than the good sides.
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*nods*
 
In all likelihood Buffy's life would be longer but not necessarily better. I think her life would be a lot different then if she had become the slayer but whether it would be better or worse is impossible to tell, after all most of the monsters and other things would most likely be replaced by more mundane challenges. However like others have said, if she had somehow lost her powers, and reverted to her natural abilities then she would have been much worse off. She herself said in Helpless that she knew went bump in the night now, and could she really just stand by and let all of those things simply fade away?
 
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