Questions Post #14

[lettered]

LJ
-How come when your paid time runs out, you still get to keep your stuff? Like, I still get to have the component lay out. But if I went to change my layout, and then wanted to change it back to component, I wouldn't be able to because it's not an option for unpaid time. But I get to keep it even though I'm not paying! Weird. Now I'm afraid to change anything on my lj set up because I love component and don't want to revert.
-Those of you who have a personal journal and a fic journal--is your fic journal a comm? Why would you choose a comm over a journal? Why would you choose a journal over a comm? Are there different benefits to each?

Buffyverse and actor things
-Are the blood tears an Anne Rice thing?
-Is there a scene in canon in which Spike looks in a mirror or puddle or whatever, and doesn't see his reflection? I know they showed that with Angel fairly often, but I don't remember ever seeing it with Spike.
-Is vamping out audible? There's usually a sound for the morph into game face, except when there's not. But in "Spin the Bottle", they make it sound like Cordy can actually hear what Angel's doing in there. And it sounds like something his da probably would've told him would make him go blind.
-What's the deal with CC's mole? The one on the right side of her face kind of on her jaw? Every once in a while, they just let it be. Other times, they cover it with gobs of make-up. Is this because she has to wear gobs of make-up anyway, and it's too much trouble to make her mole shine, or are they trying to his it? It's a gorgeous mole. But its treatment bothers me. I AM NOT COMPLETELY OBSESSED WITH THIS SHOW. Oh, wait.
-Can VK sing? Don't you think he should be a choir boy? (TM Entrenous88)

Names
-Have any of you been around since before we learned Spike and Angel's real names (William and Liam)? If you have, did you give them other "real names" in fic?
-Or for those of you who haven't been around as long, have you read any fic written back then? What names did fic authors give Angel and Spike?
-What history did fic authors give Spike before FFL aired? I think I heard somewhere that most people assumed he was like a street theif type kid. I've read a fic or two with that in it.
-Why did they name Spike and Angel the same thing?
-What do Irish people usually call their moms?
-Do you ever feel like Buffy being named "Buffy" hurt BtVS's viewership? I know I scorned the show because I thought the name sounded stupid. I was too judgmental to realize the name might be a joke, but I bet lots of people were in my boat.
-It isn't an issue so much in Buffyverse--everyone always goes by their first names. Unless you're Gunn and then you've got Fred calling you Charles and Spike calling you Chuck or maybe hubcap happy, or Oz but everyone calls him Oz unless they don't know him. Because for Gunn and Oz those are special cases, as a narrator, you call them Gunn and Oz. But take, say, BSG. As the narrator, do you call Kara Kara, Starbuck, or Thrace, and Saul Saul or Tigh, and Adama Adama or Bill, and if you do just whatever feels natural, doesn't the inconsitency of calling some by their first names and some by their surnames and some by their call signs bother you? What about OCs? Does it depend on what capacity the OC plays in relation to people around them? What if some people around 'em would call 'em by first name, and some surname? I ran into this when I was writing Connor's post "Home" family--because they're Connor's *parents*, I never wanted to use their first names, especially when the third person was limited toward Connor. Then do you change what they're called when you limit the third person toward Angel? And is it more awkward for third person limited on Connor to use the surname of Connor's father, or his first name?
-What's your relation to your username? Do people ever call you it in rl? Do people call you it over im and in email? Do people call you it in comments to you, or just when they are talking about you, or do they never use it at all if they know you at all?
-If people know your real name, do you mind if they use it in public post or comments on lj? Does it feel different to you, you personally, if someone decides to use it instead of your username? Does it feel more intimate? Do you ever feel threatened by it? Like, if you were having an argument, and all the sudden they pulled your real name into the conversation. Does it feel like they're trying to make things suddenly personal?
-Someone told me this was weird once and that not all people feel this way. It has nothing to do with lj or usernames so turn that off for the moment. Does it ever feel weird when people use your name in rl? Like, of course people use it to call you or get your attention, but after that, when you're talking one on one face to face, how often does someone really use your name? Is it not often, and when they do does it feel like they're about to tell you something really terrible?
-Do you like the name Angel for the character Angel? Do you like the name Spike for the character Spike? Do you like the name Buffy for the character Buffy? How big a part do you think the name plays in how you feel about a character?
-Have you ever noticed how people in Jossverse have object names? Angel, Spike, Dawn, River, Faith, Shepherd Book (two!), Glory, Willow, Wood? Do you think the fact that most characters have kinda quirky names contribute to the feel of the shows as their own "universes"? Does it make the 'verse feel insular? Too insular? Too campy? Hard to come up with OC names for?

MOST IMPORTANTLY
-does decaf coffee still have caffeine in it?
-is it weird to have and sometimes still wear a shirt I got in fourth grade?

edited to strike Spike (hee! rhyme. ok) because I am stew pid. William the freakin' bloody, duh! Thanks, swmbo.

Comments

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Decaf coffee DOES have trace amounts of caffeine. If it's Swiss Water treated, it will have the least amount (and taste like real coffee.)

I was four foot four in fourth grade. There is no way I could fit into a shirt I had back then. YES, IT'S A LOT OF FOURS.

Hi!

[tkp.livejournal.com]

I drink a lot of decaf because I have a huge problem with caffiene as far as insomnia goes.

The thing is the shirt was long sleeved and long and a loose; now it's 3/4 sleeved, at my navel and tight, but not grossly tight and it looks cute and retro. Imo. I was never good at dressing myself, ha.

hi hi hi!

[my_daroga]

OK this is so rude and I'm gonna reply for reak TKP but I love your icon, stoney. It brings back lotsa memories.

[minim_calibre]

Only the ones I can answer! (Err. Of course?)

But take, say, BSG. As the narrator, do you call Kara Kara, Starbuck, or Thrace, and Saul Saul or Tigh, and Adama Adama or Bill, and if you do just whatever feels natural, doesn't the inconsitency of calling some by their first names and some by their surnames and some by their call signs bother you? What about OCs? Does it depend on what capacity the OC plays in relation to people around them? What if some people around 'em would call 'em by first name, and some surname? I ran into this when I was writing Connor's post "Home" family--because they're Connor's *parents*, I never wanted to use their first names, especially when the third person was limited toward Connor. Then do you change what they're called when you limit the third person toward Angel? And is it more awkward for third person limited on Connor to use the surname of Connor's father, or his first name?

As the narrator, I default to first names most of the time. Except sometimes. It's complicated. I'm going to blame comics. Because Bruce != Batman. But, say Oracle/Babs/TAFKABatgirl would probably think of him as Bruce. Unless she didn't, because at that particular moment, he's being VERY VERY Batman.

Umm.

Let me get back to you when my head has stopped exploding.

But in my head, Connor thinks of his post-Home parents as Mom and Dad. So that's what I'll call them. Drat it.

Need more coffee.


What's your relation to your username? Do people ever call you it in rl? Do people call you it over im and in email? Do people call you it in comments to you, or just when they are talking about you, or do they never use it at all if they know you at all?

Sometimes, I think of myself as Min. I'd probably answer to it. It gets used in comments.

If people know your real name, do you mind if they use it in public post or comments on lj? Does it feel different to you, you personally, if someone decides to use it instead of your username? Does it feel more intimate? Do you ever feel threatened by it? Like, if you were having an argument, and all the sudden they pulled your real name into the conversation. Does it feel like they're trying to make things suddenly personal?

I'll mention my real name in other people's LJs (for the record, it's Pleiades), or locked posts, but I prefer that people not use it in *my* LJ in unlocked posts, because I know ooky people I am trying to avoid from my past have LJs with mutual friends, and I like my fake sense of having an actual secret identity. But using my full name (either my real full name or Minim) feels oddly formal, and using it in an argument would just be dirty pool.

Someone told me this was weird once and that not all people feel this way. It has nothing to do with lj or usernames so turn that off for the moment. Does it ever feel weird when people use your name in rl? Like, of course people use it to call you or get your attention, but after that, when you're talking one on one face to face, how often does someone really use your name? Is it not often, and when they do does it feel like they're about to tell you something really terrible

See aforementioned odd formality. Almost no one uses the full name. If they do, it makes me wary. If they use full and middle, then they are my mother, and I have done something naughty, but as I'm in my 30s, I don't get that one very often.

If in conversation, someone says the short form (Plei), it's usually to call attention to something they've forgotten to mention before. So not always terrible, but it does serve as conversational bold font.

is it weird to have and sometimes still wear a shirt I got in fourth grade?

I still have one in the basement from grade six. Doesn't fit at the moment, though it might in a few months/when the Bean is weaned. And until a couple years ago, when the dryer finally ate them, I had socks I'd had since grade two. So my vote is no.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

Does anyone ever call him Wayne?

But in my head, Connor thinks of his post-Home parents as Mom and Dad. So that's what I'll call them. Drat it.

Well, makes sense, but that would depend on how close your third person is. I mean, it seems weird to me to have a third person that teeters between limited and omniscient, and to be calling characters Mom and Dad.

I prefer that people not use it in *my* LJ in unlocked posts, because I know ooky people I am trying to avoid from my past have LJs with mutual friends, and I like my fake sense of having an actual secret identity.

Yeah, see, I get that, which is why I don't use people's first names. Well, some people toss their first names around all the time, and then I'll use it too, but if I've only seen someone mention it rarely or in very specific places, I'll hold back. Oh, and your real name is very cool!

I had socks I'd had since grade two.

You win.

[swmbo.livejournal.com]

I answer questions RANDOMNLY!

We learn Spike's name as "William the Bloody" in the first ep he's introduced as, so I don't think his real name is an issue. And we learn Angel's really early on his career, too - I'm not sure I've ever seen any fics where either of them are *named* differently. But I've seen a lot Spike has, um, a rougher past.

LOTS of people-from-LJ call me swmbo in rl. It kinda freaks me out if they *do* call me by my real name. It freaks them out usually, too. We try not to go there. I've been known to have to check myself so I don't call myself swmbo instead of real name in rl, including at work. It's dangerous. Also, swmkit sometimes gets called swmkit in rl as well. But he also gets called lots of other names, so he's ok with it.

Decaf coffee has a SMALL amount of caffeine in it! BUT!! The stuff used to draw the majority of caffeine out of it is CHEMICALS and NOT HEALTHY and decaf is OFFICIALLY more evil than Angelus!!

[seraphcelene]

Decaf coffee has a SMALL amount of caffeine in it! BUT!! The stuff used to draw the majority of caffeine out of it is CHEMICALS and NOT HEALTHY and decaf is OFFICIALLY more evil than Angelus!!

Yay HOORAY!! Speak the truth, swmbo! Speak the truth!!

I think my brain broke on this one

[seraphcelene]

-Are the blood tears an Anne Rice thing?
Yes. OMG. And then they did it on Kindred: the Embraced and it was like, whoa. Influence. BUT, OTOH, it makes sense because why on Earth would vamps have water tears anyway, they’re dead, right? So, the only actual fluid they have in their body would be blood, right?

-Is vamping out audible? There's usually a sound for the morph into game face, except when there's not. But in "Spin the Bottle", they make it sound like Cordy can actually hear what Angel's doing in there. And it sounds like something his da probably would've told him would make him go blind.
Ahahaha!! I always imagines it sounds like breaking bones, but your idea sounds like much more fun.

-What's the deal with CC's mole? The one on the right side of her face kind of on her jaw? Every once in a while, they just let it be. Other times, they cover it with gobs of make-up. Is this because she has to wear gobs of make-up anyway, and it's too much trouble to make her mole shine, or are they trying to his it? It's a gorgeous mole. But its treatment bothers me. I AM NOT COMPLETELY OBSESSED WITH THIS SHOW. Oh, wait.
Ahahahaha!! Again. I, too, love that mole. As moles go it’s one of the best ones in the business. Although, I wonder if it’s a mole mole or a beauty mark because it never looks to me like it has much dimension. And actual moles are 3D, right? I have a plethora of beauty marks that I refer to as beauty marks, but maybe I’ve got it screwed and they’re really moles in disguise.

-Can VK sing? Don't you think he should be a choir boy? (TM Entrenous88)
OMG! So, when are you writing that fic? AU Angelverse and Connor’s a choir boy and Angel loses his soul and all sorts of awful, bad wrongness could happen and they you could do that thing with the mirrors and include Drusilla because … yeah!

-Do you ever feel like Buffy being named "Buffy" hurt BtVS's viewership?
Absolutly. But even more so was the fact that the movie was so gawdawful!! Initially, I refused to watch it because I was all, why in the name of all that’s holy would ANYONE make that movie into a TV show. WHY?! I scoffed and scoffed! (monkey pants) and then I caught a repeat of Puppet Show and was intrigued. THEN I caught Innocence, I think, and was hooked. My BFFM gave me a copy of Becoming and that was it. I was in like Flynn. So, Anne was officially the start of my love affair with BtVS. But if I hadn’t randomly caught an ep, because it was on in the background, I never would have turned it on purposefully. I mean, c’mon, it’s called Buffy the Vampire Slayer of all things. Whatever.

Re: I think my brain broke on this one

[tkp.livejournal.com]

So, the only actual fluid they have in their body would be blood, right?


Yeah but thinking on those terms leads to blood come. And honey, not sexy.

I wonder if it’s a mole mole or a beauty mark

I have lots of marks too. They're not raised; I call them moles. "Beauty marks" sounds like when my BFF insists on calling her freckles "angel kisses". To me, I mean.

So, when are you writing that fic? AU Angelverse and Connor’s a choir boy and Angel loses his soul and all sorts of awful, bad wrongness could happen and they you could do that thing with the mirrors and include Drusilla because … yeah!

I couldn't write that. However, I did just write a fic where Angel *tells* Connor he has a pretty voice and shoulda been a choir boy. It sounded better than, "your voice is like an angel's!" Cue phantom of the opera. *headdesk*

I barely knew BtVS was going on when it was on. I think I probably heard about it maybe 4 times (I never watched tv then)--each time I just instinctively dismissed it. I thought it sounded so hideously stupid.

More gray matter on the walls

[seraphcelene]

- Names

As a narrator/author I think it has more to do with the nature of the relationship between characters, the setting for the piece, or the way that you want the reader to relate to the character. So it can vary between fics and within a fic dependent on what character is using the reference or is acting as the source of POV. I called Giles Rupert in Vex Not the Roses because Giles is his aspect as Watcher, in my mind. Those people from his past call him Rupert. People associated with him in other ways besides as Watcher call him Rupert. (I can’t remember if Jenny Calender called him Rupert, anyone?) It’s partially an intimacy of first names. Surnames can be used as a distancing technique, to suggest unfamiliarity or just ‘distance’. The gang calls Giles Giles partially because, IMO, he’s closer than a regular teacher but he is still an authority figure and he can’t BE just Rupert to them. Joyce, for example always addressed him using the honorific Mr and that would indicate his position as an authority and outside of Joyce’s intimate sphere, despite Band Candy. Or maybe it was a way to maintain distance after Band Candy.

Depending on how I want the reader to relate to Giles, Gunn, or Oz would determine how I addressed them. Mad Poetess’s The Waking is an excellent example. She addresses Giles as Rupert throughout and for me it makes for an intimate relationship and signals that this is an event/relationship that occurs outside of his position as Watcher.

Did that make sense? Did I actually provide an answer? Maybe?

-What's your relation to your username
My username is restricted to online life. RL is a different kettle of fish and they don’t usually cross over.

-If people know your real name, do you mind if they use it in public post or comments on lj?
Oh, that sounds like it would be. I have a username for a reason and it’s nowhere near my real name, for a reason. However, I don’t mind that people know my real name. They just don’t need to use it as it relates to LJ or fandom. It’s really unique and doesn’t need to be thrown around because then maybe someone I know who I don’t WANT to know about my fandom thing will know and then …. Okay rambling now. Anyway, I don’t mind if people use the abbreviated name. I sign everything in RL as L and that’s fine to use. Just nothing else.

Hi.

- Does it ever feel weird when people use your name in rl?
OMG!!! I HATE when people use my name often because it feels like they’re trying to SELL me something. Personally, I’m more like to call you a gazillion different pet names/endearments over the course of a conversation then your actual name, so maybe that’s why. But yeah. Hate it. Hate it. Hate it.

- How big a part do you think the name plays in how you feel about a character?
Wow, excellent question. I think you get attached to the name. It’s a part of the character. It’s a representation of the character. Maybe when you first meet the character you hate the name, but later that is who they are so what else are you going to call them. Although, I was always like, why Buffy of all things. But without Buffy the excellent things like Anne and Tabula Rasa (Joan) couldn’t happen. So. Okay. And over time, Buffy stops sounding so silly.

-Have you ever noticed how people in Jossverse have object names? Angel, Spike, Dawn, River, Faith, Shepherd Book (two!), Glory, Willow, Wood? Do you think the fact that most characters have kinda quirky names contribute to the feel of the shows as their own "universes"? Does it make the 'verse feel insular? Too insular? Too campy? Hard to come up with OC names for?
I felt that way for eyes like the summer. I came up with Eden March and as I was writing it and came to the conclusion that he would need a name, it became very critical that it be the right name and not just John or Bob or Jim. For Serenity even more than Buffy, I think that it has to do with the nature of the universe. Serenity is very different and you want to make an OC character fit. My beta loved the name, said if fit right in. That tickled me to no end. For To the Waters and the Wild it was a matter of picking an old Irish name that hinted at what the OC character actually was.

Re: More gray matter on the walls

[tkp.livejournal.com]

Did that make sense? Did I actually provide an answer? Maybe?

All of that makes a lot of sense.

I want to know what happens when you shift POV. Like, I was doing a fic that was third person limited to Connor, then third person limited to Angel. Would you change what you call Connor's parents, then?

It’s really unique and doesn’t need to be thrown around because then maybe someone I know who I don’t WANT to know about my fandom thing will know and then ….

This is how come I try not to use people's first names when I know them, unless it's part of their username or unless they throw it around a lot themselves. Even if it isn't an unusual name, it's a privacy issue.

why Buffy of all things.

Me too. I mean, I get now that it's a joke, but it still bothers me. The first time I sat down to write fanfic, I could barely stand to type the letters. Now I feel no shame--but I still hate the name.

Eden March is a great name for Jossverse.

Thanks for doin' the questions!

[entrenous88.livejournal.com]

Do you think Connor, filling out various paperwork for Stanford, ever mistakenly wrote "The Destroyer" for his name, and then laughed out loud (a sort of half-anxious, half-pleased sound) before changing it?

In terms of "Angel" as a name -- we're supposed to think that it's from his sister Kathy calling him an Angel and inviting him in after he's turned into a vampire, right? Why he adopted that, though, I have no idea. I get why Angel(us) might have thought the name was sort of funny or ironic. And I get why Darla might call him that. But why was he like, "Gee, this is a good name for everyone to call me. Yes, yes, this says me like nothing else!"

The name Dawn still sort of bugs me because of a most likely unforseen but disarming effect the word can have in fanfiction. When people post a story that has nothing to do with Dawn, but begin a sentence/paragraph saying "Dawn came too soon..." I start thinking, when the hell did Dawn show up in this fic?

[ros-fod.livejournal.com]

Do you think Connor, filling out various paperwork for Stanford, ever mistakenly wrote "The Destroyer" for his name, and then laughed out loud (a sort of half-anxious, half-pleased sound) before changing it?

Hahahahahahahahahaha! Do you know what is never not funny? Connor referring to himself in the third person as The Destroyer

"The Destroyer wants an ice cream cone."

"The Destroyer is unhappy with the amount of sex you are having with other people."

Heeeeeeeeeee.

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Let's get ready to R-r-r-rANDOM!

Reflections of Spike: I can't remember any in canon. My recall of BtVS is better than that of AtS, but I don't recall any. Though, as you say, there are several of Angel (my faves being the restaurant mirror shot in "Belonging" and Willow's "Angel, how do you shave?" Heh.) However, I have read fic where Spike was having sex with Buffy or Xander or whomever (well, other than Angel or Dru) where the human counterpart was watching a mirror as they were being penetrated (heh - sorry!) by, well, nothing; an image I found terribly amusing while I'm pretty sure the writer was going for guh/humina/hot.

And now, my kink topic:

Name-O! I never had a problem with the name Buffy. The reasons I wouldn't watch the show initially had to do with a) not caring for the feature film and b) SMG angst. I got the joke, and I never had a problem with her name being Buffy (although, like you once wrote, I never cared for the way David Boreanaz said it.) When I first got into fandom, I was disturbed by the fics that changed her name to Elizabeth. Uh, why? Although "Something Blue" and "The Gift" pretty much establish Buffy as her given name and not a nickname, as early as Season One's "I Robot, You Jane" show her name as Buffy on official school records. Did the fic writers feel Buffy was too silly a name for their fic? Hmm. It's Buffy. "Buf-fee," to intone it like Faith did in "Who Are You." It's okay to call her that. Really.

Of course, I had a problem with Almanzo calling Laura "Beth" on Little House on the Prairie. For one thing, he and his family historically called her Bess to distinguish her from his younger sister Laura, but his sister was never on the show. So if they were going to change it from Bess to Beth, why not just leave it Laura? (Told ya. Random.)

I have had weirdness with the name Spike. Not all the time, and not on the show, but when I'm writing fic it sometimes jerks me out of the scene. Who the hell is named Spike? But I never felt comfortable with William, either, and I always wondered after "As You Were" when Buffy says, "Goodbye...William" if that was something she'd sometimes called him when they were alone together, or if the writers were just driving a point home or...I don't know.

I always loved the name Angel for Angel as early as "The Harvest" - "Angel. Pretty name," to Angel stating that his sister thought he was an Angel and then making a brief thinky face.

I loved that Xander's name was Xander and I have the same "Why Elizabeth?" reaction to fics that suddenly have him wanting to be called Alex. (Although I love Dawn automatically assuming they call him Alex in "Tabula Rasa," and Nick Brendon talking about being chased down Parisian streets to chants of 'Alix! Alix!' during Buffy's European tour.)

I don't know why the writers named them Liam and William, but it's always pleased me in relationship to their multiple parallels (refer to sisabet's "Closer" vid for more examples.) We're told Spike's name first, yes? In "School Hard," and then we don't learn Angel's human name until Season One of Angel. It could just be the whole English/Celtic version of the same name thing, or that one name sounds so traditionally English (despite its German origin) while Liam sounds very Irish (and look on the bright side, he could have been a Patrick.)

I love that both Spike and Angel changed their names, as well as Darla (which I thought was a nice cover for how modern the name Darla was.) I've even seen speculation that Dru changed her name, as well (based on the "Little Anne" line in "What's My Line Part 2," although I'm pretty sure she's referring to her mother.) I think the name changes are a nice nod to their transition from their human lives. Oh, and likeadeuce has a series of fic where Lilah changed her name/identity if you want me to hunt that link up for you. Have I rec'd likeadeuce to you? She has some fantastic AtS fic.


(Continued Below)

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

LJ Names:

I think I've mentioned this to you, but when I chose my LJ name I didn't have intention in participating in fandom. After I started, I didn't give it much consideration because Sue is pretty generic name (not like I'm named Starbanger Cherryball, or something.) And I was always amused by the email feedback that addressed me as "Crazydiamond."

I sometimes refer to the people I've met in person (or talk to in email, IM or phone) by their first names without thinking about it. (In fact, I dedicated my Lawyers in Love vid to your first name - do you want me to change that?) I don't call elcazavampiros Caza to his face, but I have referred to him as Caza to people who know him in person (stoney321 and likedeuce to their amusement.)

I was just telling Caza this morning that I call the people I know best (you, Stoney, Ladycat, EntreNous, etc.) by their first names in my head and occasionally on your LJs and mine, but I *always* think of yin_again as Yin. Even though she was using the LJ name secondverse when I first met her. I know her first name, I've used her first name, but it was amusing me at Writercon to hear Stoney and Entre do it, do, ala, "Hey, Sue, grab Jess and see if Andrea and Yin are ready." Heh.

Does it ever feel weird when people use your name in rl? That's weird that you mention it. Most people I know tend to use my name just as a greeting or attention getting device (or third person as in, "And thought, wow, would Sue like that!") but I had a friend once who'd use my name at least once a sentence. "I'm telling you, Sue, it was weird. God, Sue, can you imagine? You've felt like that, haven't you, Sue?" And my head would jerk toward her every time, as if she was pointing out that I wasn't paying attention, or something.

And I'd have more, but I think I’ve reached maximum density...QUESTION POST LOVE!

[lostakasha.livejournal.com]

-What do Irish people usually call their moms? I can't speak for all Irish everywhere, but in my family, "Ma" was the word for mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Maternally, the Irish part of family is from Letterkenny, Donegal; on the paternal side they're from Balinslough, Galway. :::waves mournfully to DB's poor dead dog from Sligo::: But on both sides, mother was always Ma.

Why did they name Spike and Angel the same thing? Coincidence. I really believe that.

-Do you like the name Angel for the character Angel? Do you like the name Spike for the character Spike? Do you like the name Buffy for the character Buffy? How big a part do you think the name plays in how you feel about a character? Angel, no, I don't. Spike and Buffy yes. Names don't really influence me all that much in terms of liking or disliking characters, but they bug me when I think they're slapped on or are an inside joke from the writers' room. That's what I think happened with Liam/William: someone thought, hrm, Liam's a nice name, and then some other wirter thought, oh yeah, William's cool, and here we are almost ten years later still trying to work out a link between the names. *headdesk*.

It bothers me that Angel never had a last name. And in my heart of hearts, I know that Angel spells Connor's name in the traditional Gaeliege - Conchobhar because he would, having known the traditional spellings from his own era. (I'd love to write a ficlet where Cordelia loooks at his birth certificate and pronounces his name phonetically and gives Angel shit about it, and later that night he explains the legend of Conchobhar to Connor as his bedtime story. Hmm.)

[i-palimpsest.livejournal.com]

>And in my heart of hearts, I know that Angel spells Connor's name in the traditional Gaeliege - Conchobhar >because he would, having known the traditional spellings from his own era.

I'd have thought Angel was recent enough that the English would have had something to say about that? Or would it all have been going on behind closed doors?

[i-palimpsest.livejournal.com]

-Why did they name Spike and Angel the same thing?

I've often wondered that.

And why is Angel's surname such a big secret. I've tried that hard to get a look at his headstone and it's just not happening.

And what's Joss's issue with fathers? Their all either absent, or abusive or just plain crap. He's worse than Jane Austen!

(I include crap because we aren't given any evidence that Angel's Da was actually abusive and really seemed pretty darn normal for a father of that era. Specially with all the drinking and wenching that was going on.)

[ladycat777.livejournal.com]

I include crap because we aren't given any evidence that Angel's Da was actually abusive

Angel seems to imply he is in... the episode I can't remember the name of, where he talks about what he did right after being turned. Now, Angel is also an extremely unreliable source. But the implication was that Liam would've cheerful killed his father for being an utter bastard, long before Angelus made it possible.

[ladycat777.livejournal.com]

Oooo, I like these. Okay, what can I actually answer:

Those of you who have a personal journal and a fic journal--is your fic journal a comm? Why would you choose a comm over a journal? Why would you choose a journal over a comm? Are there different benefits to each?


My journal's a community, mostly because I use it to cowrite with people. This way, they can post, too.

Can VK sing? Don't you think he should be a choir boy?

OH GOD TELL ME THIS IS TRUE!!

ave any of you been around since before we learned Spike and Angel's real names (William and Liam)? If you have, did you give them other "real names" in fic?
-Or for those of you who haven't been around as long, have you read any fic written back then? What names did fic authors give Angel and Spike?

I'm jumbling those together. My personal take on the Liam/William thing is they really just didn't realize it until someone pointed it out later. They'd picked Angel's name, I think, back in Angel and since he's mostly thought of as Angel or Angelus, and Liam is a nickname beside, it probably didn't occur to them at all until much later. I mean, I always forget that Billy is a nickname for William -- I think of the names as two distinct things. Also, the writers will have cycled a lot there.

The backstory thing... man. Before FFL there was a lot of weird ass Spike backstory. The most common was that he was a guttersnipe, but there were a few that paralleled FFL, too.

Do you ever feel like Buffy being named "Buffy" hurt BtVS's viewership?

Joss and execs have admitted that it did. It didn't with me, because I loved the movie and therefore thought the tv show would suck (wow, dumb? me? YES!) and also because I was too young to get the irony when I first saw the movie (14? I think? 15? I don't remember, just that it was before high school) and after I'd seen the movie, I got the irony. So... yeah. But I do know a lot of people who went "what the what WHAT?" and shook their heads. Joss has admitted that he has a love/hate with that name -- love because that's what it is, and it fits the show perfectly. Hate, because it's not inclusive at all.

What's your relation to your username?

Will and have responded to my username, Cat, Kitten, LC, as well as my name. I'd rather be called by my username, actually. People saying my name tends to make me tense and uncomfortable, in rl situations unrelated to fandom, too.

Do you think the fact that most characters have kinda quirky names contribute to the feel of the shows as their own "universes"?

Definitely. Xander is not a common nickname for Alex. Giles and Rupert may be common, but certainly not to Americans. Willow and Buffy? Weird names. Even Cordelia is not a common name at all. They help set the tone, help make it not outside the realm of possible, but certainly not filled with Joes and Davids and Rachels and dear god, I didn't mean to put the sga references in, really. But the names help remind you that this isn't Friends. It's not CSI. It's something completely different.

Also, I hate names. HATE having to come up with them, I suck at it, so having weird names is very cool, but even more frustrating :)

HI! :D

[tkp.livejournal.com]

OH GOD TELL ME THIS IS TRUE!!

Or tell me there choirboyVK/baddirtywrongJM fic! hahahaha

My personal take on the Liam/William thing is they really just didn't realize it until someone pointed it out later.

That's my guess, too. And yeah, I forget that Billy is William and so on. And "Jack" is a nickname for "John"? Some of that stuff is just weird.

The most common was that he was a guttersnipe, but there were a few that paralleled FFL, too.

I guess I find it interesting because I probably would've guessed he was a guttersnipe, and scoffed at fic that tried to do something like FFL. But FLL *worked* it, man. I love that ep.

Joss and execs have admitted that it did.

Oh, I didn't know! I wonder then what he has to say about Serenity, which I also think was a terrible title. Most of the people I talk to think I'm talking about Serendipity when I mention it, and the sci fi crowd that didn't already know about it (ie my family) would've never ever been drawn in by a name like that.

love because that's what it is, and it fits the show perfectly. Hate, because it's not inclusive at all.

Yeah, I can see that. I think the title is very clever, now, but I still almost wish that it was something different, so people would stop laughing at me when I say I have it bad for Buffy. I mean, sure, it runs off my back like water on a duck, or whatever that cliche simile is, but it just gets old, too.

People saying my name tends to make me tense and uncomfortable, in rl situations unrelated to fandom, too.

Ha, glad I'm not the only one.

Also, I hate names. HATE having to come up with them, I suck at it, so having weird names is very cool, but even more frustrating :)

I have a love/hate relationship with them--hate coming up with them but love finding the perfect one that just absolutely fits. I like doing it in Jossverse because I feel like the weird names actually make it a little *easier*. You can name someone something unique and have it really fit them, and it won't seem *that* out of place. Unless it's Starbanger Cherryball, which is Sue's new name.

Hi hi hi! *smooshes you*

[leni-ba.livejournal.com]

Why would you choose a comm over a journal?

Because I don't need to log out and log in again every time I want to post/edit a fic. And since I edit a story at least five times before I'm happy, that'd be a lot of 'Log Out' buttons clicked in one day. And I'm lazy. :P

What history did fic authors give Spike before FFL aired?

I've read a lot of those... a long time ago. But the one I remember the most is one where Spike and Drusilla were a couple before Angelus vamped them. Guess that means it was written before Becoming?

What's your relation to your username? I love it. I like it. Darn, I have a signauture with it and I pet it goodnight every single night. Do people ever call you it in rl? Once I had a guy give me a bracelet where he'd engraved Leni. Sometimes another friend teases me about it, saying I have a secret life. Which is sorta the truth, I guess. Do people call you it over im and in email? yep. Well, the Leni part. I'll be forever angry at that leni girl who doesn't even USE her account. Do people call you it in comments to you, or just when they are talking about you, or do they never use it at all if they know you at all? In fact, people online know me only as Leni.

Does it feel different to you, you personally, if someone decides to use it instead of your username? Very few people even KNOW my real name. But yes, I'm oddly protective of it. And, as said, nobody ever uses it anyway.

Do you think the fact that most characters have kinda quirky names contribute to the feel of the shows as their own "universes"?

God, yes. I realised it when I was making the memories for kitteninthedark. As the BtVS fics were the first to go, I didn't really notice they were 'unique' until I as dealing with Gilmore Girls and X-Men fics and I noticed that there were two Logans. And if I ever decided to write Dark Angel or Veronica Mars fiction, there would be two OTHER Logans. It's a Jossverse thing, definitely.

But on the other side, when you are looking for a pairing or a character's information online, it's SO easy to google for them. How many Xanders can there be?

does decaf coffee still have caffeine in it?

I think so.

is it weird to have and sometimes still wear a shirt I got in fourth grade?

Yesterday I was wearing one I have since 6th grade. Does that count?

[tkp.livejournal.com]

Because I don't need to log out and log in again every time I want to post/edit a fic.

Oh! Smart! Smart like art! I didn't even think of that. This is totally why I ask these questions, because I am a ditz.

Spike and Drusilla were a couple before Angelus vamped them. Guess that means it was written before Becoming?

Whoa! Then again, people seem to like to mess with the whole Siring history business. I guess I mean people who *still* write fics where it's Angelus who Sires Spike.

I'll be forever angry at that [info]leni girl who doesn't even USE her account.

hahaha! yeah, I wonder about that sometimes. Like sometimes I'll mistype a username and leave the last part off, then it will turn out to be someone else's journal who never even uses it. That's the one good thing about mine, I guess: I got to keep it without adding anything...but I'd never want anyone to call me tkp to my face!

it's SO easy to google for them.

I love that too!

Yesterday I was wearing one I have since 6th grade. Does that count?

*nods vigorously* Yay, I'm not a freak! Or, I am, but you're one too ;o)

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

Almost entirely sure "Shepherd" isn't his name (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derrial_Book).


I am always feeling strange when people call me by my username in comments, at least if it's someone who's been around my lj for more than ten minutes, but that's because I don't have a username that's permanent like most people I know; I have different nicks that change all the time on lj, aim etc. People who've had the same nick since forever, I call them by their nick and it's like their real name. It's who they are. "Sparklebutch" is not me, it was a joke on a wasted night.

I have more answers. But I need to go away now.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

damn, I think I actually knew that about Shepherd. THough I didn't know his real name, thanks for the link.

"sparklebutch" gives me really really scary spastastic images in my poor broken head. I'm glad you don't actually want people to call you that ;o)

[lynnenne]

A lot of fics pre-FFL have Spike as a thief and/or murderer, mainly because of his accent. He and Dru both speak as if they're from the lower classes, and in 19th century London, lower class either meant you were working 18 hours a day in a factory and living in a slum, or stealing stuff on the street and living in a slum. Thieving makes for a more compelling backstory than a factory.

I dislike my LJ name and feel a weird sort of disconnect when people call me Germaine or Pet or GP (all of which I've seen). None of them feel like me. But at the same time, I don't want to change it because (a) people on LJ know me as germaine_pet, and (b) I don't want people I work with to find my LJ. It's a good way to stay known and unknown at the same time. :)

[tkp.livejournal.com]

Dunno. Sketchy stuff can happen in factories.

I knew you didn't like your username, but I didn't know you'd actually prefer to be called Lynne. I usually call you Lynne anyway because I'm too lazy to remember how to spell germaine.

omg I can't wait to read your fic.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

In my head, I'm always Dave. Given the volume of Daves, any number of folks have previously called me by my lastname instead. And of course, professionally I always ID myself with Firstname M Lastname. The few cases where I have been called by my online name in RL feel weird to me. It has more syllables. Why would you call me that, when you could just say "Dave". WHY! WHY! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

In any case, I do prefer characters being referred to by different names by different people - it's realistic. Like how Snyder calls Buffy "Summers" and Percy called Willow "Rosenberg".

As to Angel's last name? My guess is that they never bothered to think of one, and after awhile it's just too late. It would be like adding in an actress to play Vera in the last season of Cheers or Mavis in Fraser. Anything you use sounds kind of wierd. And you can't even use the SUPER IRISH SOUNDING Liam O'Connor because he named his son Connor. And even he wouldn't be naming his kid Connor O'Connor because that would be awful.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

ha! You're one of the few people who doesn't go around all the time saying, "I'm Dave! Call me Dave!" that I would call Dave anyway. I mean, I try to be careful with people's names and not use them unless I'm sure they're comfortable with me slinging their name around. But I've always thought of you as Dave from the first time I knew your name was Dave. Huh.

In any case, I do prefer characters being referred to by different names by different people

Yeah, completely agree. But the narrator is . . . manifold. The narrator is one god and is also the father, son and holy ghost. So should the narrator use different names, or the same?

My guess is that they never bothered to think of one

That's my guess too. But I dunno, could've been interested if they'd eventually given him a name. They sure waited a long time to retcon the Siring Spike thing; they don't seem to mind adding as they go.

And even he wouldn't be naming his kid Connor O'Connor because that would be awful.

He is sick and twisted. But not *that* sick and twisted.

Weren't people in Ireland who's surnames began with "O" big landowners? Wasn't Liam more middle class? Maybe his surname was just Connor. Connor Connor. Kinda like Major Major Major Major.

[my_daroga]

Your LJ is the best. It's one of the only ones I read all the comments, too.

Anyway.

-What's the deal with CC's mole?
Hmm, hadn't noticed it in her case. BUT it always annoyed me in X-Files, because GA has a mole above her lip and they specifically covered it because (so the story goes) Chris Carter thought it was "too big for her face." Or maybe her face was too small. Whatever. And then... oh, hey:

Anderson: What do you know about me that I don't know about myself? It can be a negative thing. I'm a grown-up.
Duchovny: You should not cover up your mole. You should have refused to do it in the beginning, and you should refuse now. It's a Chris Carter thing. I know it's not vanity for you. He deemed your face not big enough for the mole. And so for seven years, you've put makeup on this mole. It looks like you have a boogie. For both Scully and Gillian, the mole is fine. Oh -- and it's a beauty mark. Don't call it a mole. (from an interview in USA Weekend they did of each other)

We've talked about the name thing, before (which is probably why you were thinking of it). Since I *don't* use my real name on LJ, it makes me feel intimate and cuddly when someone uses it (or alludes to it) because it's proof that this person knows me enough to have contact outside LJ. Even if it's just through the mail. Since my recent lj-name change, too, my identity has been a little confusing and I still think of myself a little as the other one. And I've never put too much stock in names, so I'd answer to whatever. Though I made a conscious decision to strike the "ten" from my real name several years ago, because I was tired of how it sounded.

I don't like Angel's name. I feel like it is too much of a constructed device, imposed by the creators, and less a decision any of the characters involved would have made. For instance, I can think of several men who are more "angelic" looking than DB. Unless we mean something different by that word. It seems to me that Joss really wanted this "Angel" to be Buffy's fallen champion; the implications were too yummy to pass up and it was irrelevant to the casting/character.

Oh, and I do feel a little weird when someone uses my name in real life--but mostly when my husband does it. Is that extra weird? Maybe because it's pretty much a given that if one of us is talking, we're talking to the other one.

When you were in the fourth grade, shirts were made way too big, right? Well maybe you missed the worst of it, but shirts I got in the fourth grade would be too big for me now.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

hhahahaha I love my lj too! Fun people come to play!

I have to love moles because I am *covered* in them. All over!

We've talked about the name thing, before (which is probably why you were thinking of it).

Hahahaha! No! On im, I told you, I had this whole list of questions about names, and then you mentioned it, which was so funny to me. I compile questions over the months and then dump a group of them the first of every month.

And I've never put too much stock in names, so I'd answer to whatever. Though I made a conscious decision to strike the "ten"

I put way, way too much stock in names. I try not to and I just do naturally. And I wondered about what your name was shortened from--now I know!

I feel like it is too much of a constructed device, imposed by the creators,

I kinda feel that way too. Except, there's the "Angelus" prayer, which really makes me think Angelus *could* have very well chosen that name--he's sick and fucked up like that, especially about religion.

Is that extra weird? Maybe because it's pretty much a given that if one of us is talking, we're talking to the other one.

No, this is exactly what I mean! If you're talking one on one with someone, it's just plain weird when they use your name.

shirts I got in the fourth grade would be too big for me now.

damn, girl.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

-Have you ever noticed how people in Jossverse have object names? Angel, Spike, Dawn, River, Faith, Shepherd Book (two!), Glory, Willow, Wood? Do you think the fact that most characters have kinda quirky names contribute to the feel of the shows as their own "universes"? Does it make the 'verse feel insular? Too insular? Too campy? Hard to come up with OC names for?
As long as characters aren't named Doorknob, Carburator or That Weird New Cereal With Bits Of Fruit In It, I have no problem with it; in fact I think the canon names are excellent, they work both as "real" names and as a great summation of their character; Angel is a catholic character trying to do good, Dawn is... well, check out the last scene before Buffy jumps off the tower, Faith doesn't have faith in herself or anyone, Willow bends but never breaks, etc. It's not too obvious, but it works.

(But you're right, it does make for some weird-ass OC names. I wrote one fic (http://beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com/3626.html) in which Faith has triplet sisters named Hope and Charity - not too original, granted, but it did make it possible for them to have a litter of kids named Wrath, Avarice, Gluttony, Vanity etc.)

As for Spike and Angel's real names, I always find it funny what surnames people come up with. Spike is usually given some real hoity-toity British name that makes him sound like the third duke of Gloucester - and then Joss comes along and says his name is William Pratt.

Then again, I always thought Drusilla's real name must have been Julia. I sort of doubt that her parents would have named her after Caligula's sister (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drusilla).

Speaking of William/Liam, how about the fact that William's mother is named Anne? Paging Dr Freud...?

[tkp.livejournal.com]

they work both as "real" names and as a great summation of their character

Spike has a great big . . .

Spike is usually given some real hoity-toity British name that makes him sound like the third duke of Gloucester

It seems like some people have trouble with the idea that Spike was *not* an aristocrat. I'm guessing he *might* have been gentry, but I actually doubt it (I talk like I know, I really don't. Except that he most certainly wasn't an aristocrat). Pratt makes a lot of sense . . . except for the word's actual meaning.

Where did you get "Julia" from, though?

how about the fact that William's mother is named Anne? Paging Dr Freud...?

Oh, I didn't know that! Except everything about "Lies Our Parents..." pages Dr. Freud, so...

[rahirah]

There's often a crunchy kind of noise for morphing into game face. I figure when you change the shape of bone that fast, it creaks. Like wood.

Spike's first name was never in doubt, but he was given a plethora of last names, especially by those authors who wanted to make him the debauched younger son of an earl whom Angelus turned straight out of night-long bender at the Naughty Hellfire Club (which was another pre-FFL favorite) or the stuffy, virginal younger son of an earl (post-FFL.) Even now that there's semi-official surname, many people cling to calling him William Arbuthnot Chauncey Smythee-Mangrove, because Pratt's not posh enough for 'em.

The BtVS writers were obssessed with variations on William. Not only do we have Liam and William the Bloody, there's Willie the Snitch, Willow was occasionally called Will, misogynist Billy, and Billy Fordham. Who was even a vampire, albeit briefly.

What I call characters depends on what POV I'm in. Connor would think of his father as Dad. Angel would think of Connor's Dad as Mr. Reilly.

My LJ name is the name of an Elfquest OC I used to write, and so not me. While I occasionally see people refer to me as Rahirah, everyone who knows me calls me Barb.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

whom Angelus turned straight

I seriously doubt that ;o)

which was another pre-FFL favorite

hahaha I want to SEE that.

because Pratt's not posh enough for 'em.

I was just telling someone above that it seems like some people have trouble with the idea that William was very much *not* an aristocrat.

Willie the Snitch, Willow was occasionally called Will, misogynist Billy, and Billy Fordham. Who was even a vampire, albeit briefly.

Whoa! I never even thought about that.

What I call characters depends on what POV I'm in. Connor would think of his father as Dad. Angel would think of Connor's Dad as Mr. Reilly.

What if you switch POV? I mean, switch from third person limited to Connor, to third person limited to Angel? And in third person, you call Connor Connor, not "me" or "I", so there is that distance there, which I guess is why I feel weird using "Mom" or "Dad" narratively. Also, I think Angel would think of Connor's dad just by Reilly. May *call* him Mr. Reilly, out of respect, but I don't think that's what he'd *think*. Just imo, though.

Oh! I always called you rahirah, I think. Even though I know your name is Barb. Huh.

Thanks for answering questions!

[ex-dovil323.livejournal.com]

Jossverse vampires only cry blood when they have large planks of wood shoved through their corneas. *nods wisely*

[tkp.livejournal.com]

Or when a badfic writer drops a hat.

[violaclaire.livejournal.com]

-Are the blood tears an Anne Rice thing?

According to most of the FAQs I've found, yes. I guess it makes sense, but it's kind of ew. Actually, I found a couple of really old fanfics where vampires both cry and sweat blood. Which would just be really inconvenient and messy.

-Is vamping out audible? There's usually a sound for the morph into game face, except when there's not. But in "Spin the Bottle", they make it sound like Cordy can actually hear what Angel's doing in there. And it sounds like something his da probably would've told him would make him go blind.

I'm gonna go with yes. It always looks really weird when they leave the sound out during the morph, and I think that what with the bones and flesh and so on rearranging, there would have to be a sound.

-Or for those of you who haven't been around as long, have you read any fic written back then? What names did fic authors give Angel and Spike?

There's lots of old fic where Angelus is Angel's given name. Which would just be really, really weird. But anyway.

-Why did they name Spike and Angel the same thing?

I don't think they had any idea that they were doing it at the time, but I firmly believe that the thing with Angel refusing to ever say the "Liam" part of "William" was intentional. *nodnod* You can't take my blind faith in the writers from me.

-Do you ever feel like Buffy being named "Buffy" hurt BtVS's viewership? I know I scorned the show because I thought the name sounded stupid. I was too judgmental to realize the name might be a joke, but I bet lots of people were in my boat.

Oh, it definitely did. But on the other hand--it's such a perfect name!

-What about OCs? Does it depend on what capacity the OC plays in relation to people around them? What if some people around 'em would call 'em by first name, and some surname? I ran into this when I was writing Connor's post "Home" family--because they're Connor's *parents*, I never wanted to use their first names, especially when the third person was limited toward Connor. Then do you change what they're called when you limit the third person toward Angel? And is it more awkward for third person limited on Connor to use the surname of Connor's father, or his first name?

Oooh, I'm finicky about this, so I can sorta-kinda come up with an answer. When I'm in third-person limited, I tend to stick with one name for a character per section. So, if you're in Connor's pov, and calling his father Mr. Reilly, and then switch to Angel's pov for just one paragraph, I would keep the name as is. Or start using pronouns a lot. But if you break off into a new chapter/section/whatever with a different third person limited, then I'd say that it's perfectly fine to start using new character names. YMMV.

-If people know your real name, do you mind if they use it in public post or comments on lj? Does it feel different to you, you personally, if someone decides to use it instead of your username? Does it feel more intimate? Do you ever feel threatened by it? Like, if you were having an argument, and all the sudden they pulled your real name into the conversation. Does it feel like they're trying to make things suddenly personal?

My real name is slightly unusual, and I am paranoid, so I prefer not to have it used in public posts. But, mostly, that's just my paranoia.

- Does it ever feel weird when people use your name in rl? Like, of course people use it to call you or get your attention, but after that, when you're talking one on one face to face, how often does someone really use your name? Is it not often, and when they do does it feel like they're about to tell you something really terrible?

Depends on how they're doing it. If it's in a used-car salesman way, it bugs me. Otherwise I'm okay with it. I'm actually more freaked out when someone calls me a whole bunch of pet names. If someone calls me "sweetie," I always think they're about to give me horrible news.

-does decaf coffee still have caffeine in it?

A little bit.

-is it weird to have and sometimes still wear a shirt I got in fourth grade?

Only if it's weird to have and still sometimes wear a skirt I got in second grade. Hey, I'm really short, and it was long when I bought it.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

There's lots of old fic where Angelus is Angel's given name. Which would just be really, really weird. But anyway.

Wow, really? That's pretty . . . uncreative. Ha!

I firmly believe that the thing with Angel refusing to ever say the "Liam" part of "William" was intentional.

What do you mean? The way Angel called Spike Willy? hahaha. Perhaps intentional, but you know, whatever Spike had been named, Angelus would've used the most diminutive . . . diminutive possible.

Or start using pronouns a lot. But if you break off into a new chapter/section/whatever with a different third person limited, then I'd say that it's perfectly fine to start using new character names.

That does make sense. It just feels weird to me for the narrator to be switching names like that; I guess I feel like it makes the change more noticeable. Even when POV change only happens at the start of a new section, I feel like it should still be fluid. Third person is a camera that can move in and out and I hate it when it jerks around instead of moving smoothly.

I'm actually more freaked out when someone calls me a whole bunch of pet names.

Ha! That's funny. I like pet names. But I tend not to use them so much. Except online I feel more comfortable calling people sweetie because then I don't have to *see* whether I creeped them out or not. hahaha!

Only if it's weird to have and still sometimes wear a skirt I got in second grade.

Yeah, ok, that's weird. ;o)

Thanks for answering!

[spikeverse.livejournal.com]

-Do you ever feel like Buffy being named "Buffy" hurt BtVS's viewership? I know I scorned the show because I thought the name sounded stupid. I was too judgmental to realize the name might be a joke, but I bet lots of people were in my boat.

Yes. Althought I saw the movie partly because we had a cat named Buffy. I think it would have been better to make the series about Sunnydale and the hellmouth and all the weirdness that goes on. Then it could have had an ensemble cast and not been all about Buffy. And they could have done more with the secondary characters that came along later who were more interesting and likable than the original group who became cliquish and judgemental.

I spurned the TV show because I read that it had a good vampire named Angel with a soul that helped Buffy. I thought it sounded incredibly stupid. And still think it was a stupid thing to start, especially in the first season when they hadn't figured out everything yet. And define a soul, a thing we couldn't possibly really know. I've heard he exists because Fox wanted a love interest and that's what Joss came up with. I don't know why it couldn't have been a fellow student in the 'high school is hell' theme.

And I hate the names Spike and Angel. Buffy is ok, because it's incongruous. All the incongruity is what I like about the show. I also hate Spike's duster. It's too big and it's blocking our view. It's fine for dramatic entrances and exits and fight scenes, but once he gets where he's going and is just standing around, he should take it off.

[tkp.livejournal.com]

I don't think the show would've worked for me at all as well if it was ensemble. I loved all the characters to itty bits, but for me what made BtVS breath the breath of life was Buffy.

I like the incongruity of her name, too, but the problem is when you just hear the name without seeing the show, that irony isn't apparent.

Originally, Xander was Buffy's love interest--in the original pilot. I forget why that idea was scrapped.

I also think Spike's duster is too big, but I kinda like it. Spike thinks it's cool, he could give a shit less if it's too big because in Spike's head, he's the biggest motherfucker out there. And then when he's all vulnerabley because Dru or Buffy don't love him he can huddle in it and look pitiful.

Names!

[zibbycomix.livejournal.com]

There's a lot of questions in here, but I think I'll just talk about the "names" part.
I find names really interesting. I like to find out the meaning of people's first, middle, and last names (as in, what the significance is and what the origin of the name is). I think naming people (and fictional characters) is superbly (is that a word?) important.
Okay. On to my name! zibbycomix is my IM name and my MSN messenger name, as well as the name I used to use to post on Harry Potter sites. I never use IM or MSN messenger any more, but I still like to keep this name. I thought of it in college. "Zibby" is what my science teacher used to call me in Freshman year of high school, and I really like the name and have adopted it as an online nickname for myself (I don't have a nickname in real life, though people have tried to call me different nicknames). My LJ friends call me zibby, and zibs (or zibbs) or Z for short. The comix is because I really like reading the comics. When comics has an "x" on the end it usually refers to graphic novels and more "underground" comics. I don't really care for those type of comics, but I think that "comix" looks cooler than "comics" on the end of my name.
My online name is completly original- there's only one zibbycomix, so that's why I like it. It is kind of long, but that's okay. I really like it, and people can always call me by shorter nicknames if they want online.
As for real names, some of my friends in college knew my IM name, so if they were to look on LJ, they would know who I am. However, many of my friends in college didn't use or even know of LJ. I feel safer, I think, if people don't know who I am. I wouldn't like people posting my real name all over the place. Although, if people know who the LJ user lepusdomesticus is, they know who I am. Also, there are a couple of my good friends from high school (sonya_hay and p_a_morningstar, who is also thepenmaster) who know who I am (well, we know who each other are). I think I'm comfortable with a small amount of people knowing, but not a large amount.
Anyway! That was a long response! Well, like I said, I'm interested in names, so yeah. =)