Buffy The Vampire Slayer

I have a secret. I don’t usually talk about it, but for you I’ll make an exception. I’m a junkie. You heard me. I have an addiction, and if it’s wrong, then I don’t want to be right. No, it’s not booze. And it puts crack to shame. I’m hooked on the baddest of bad boys. Of course, I know that it can never work between us, since he’s, you know, a vampire. But I’m smitten just the same.

The Beginning of the End

When did I start craving Spike? It’s all a blur now, but I remember feeling plenty hammered when he gave Buffy the five fingered salute: "Out. For. A. Walk." Pause. "Bitch." And it just got worse when he was imparting Lesson the First with that damned spiky hair, on that damned NY subway train, earning that damned duster. All I know for sure is that I had already leaped gladly into the abyss by the time he popped a Bits and Bites Shreddie in his mouth and said, "If you want me to leave, you can put your hands on my hot, tight little body and make me."

Now, before Spike Lee sues me, I should clarify that my Spike is a character on the cult television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Played by James Marsters, an actor with cheekbones so sharp they could give you paper cuts, Spike went in five years from a bit player to, arguably, the most popular character on the show. And by "arguably", I do not mean I want to argue about it, by the way.

In fact, Spike is so popular it was widely rumored that Angel, the spin-off show from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, would not have been renewed for a fifth season if James Marsters had not agreed to become part of the cast this fall.

In 2001, however, all I knew was that I could not get enough of this vampire. One fateful night, after rewinding and re-rewinding the now-famous crumbling wall scene with Buffy and Spike, I found myself in front of my computer, feverishly surfing the Internet. I was hoping to find an article or an interview, something, anything, that could confirm I wasn’t alone in my overwhelming hunger for William the Bloody. What I found changed my life. What I found was the on-line community of Spike obsession.

Of course, Spike isn’t the only object of obsession on the World Wide Web. Yahoogroups alone has almost 41,000 groups on the topic of television. And Spike/Buffy sites account for less than 700 of those groups. In some ways, that’s the point. Not everybody "gets" Spike. But those of us who do, do so with an enthusiasm a little wee bit this side of unhealthy.

Are you feeling tempted to dip your toe into the Spike pool? Right now you may not know anything about him except what you’ve seen on TV. If that’s the case, allow me to take you on the Deluxe Internet Spike Tour.

The Deluxe Internet Spike Tour: Fan Forums

Our first stop on the tour today is the wonderful world of fan forums: web sites that allow group members to post messages to each other. Imagine going to a party, and every single person there has the same interest as you and they all want to be your friend…at least until a drunken brawl breaks out. That’s an Internet fan forum.

As you may have guessed, a whole lot of appreciative women populate the Spike-centric fan forums, although there are lots of men who admire Spike in all his ass-kicking glory. You might also assume that the typical Spikeaholic fan forum member is studying for her college courses when she’s not online. Maybe so, but she’d be just as likely to teach at that college as attend a class there. Of course, there are plenty of teens and twentysomethings in the forums. You can recognize some of their posts a mile away, as capitalization, grammar, and spelling are forsaken for a kind of Internet shorthand that would make 50 Cent dizzy. Youngsters notwithstanding, there is an undeniable trend for Spikeaholics on the fan forums to be 30+ aged women who appreciate the complexity, and yes, the brazen sexuality, of Spike’s personality. Go, brazen sexuality!

If you want to join a Spike forum, you’re going to have to know some stuff. Like, for instance what a "ship" is. That’s short for "relationship", which means a pairing of any two characters from the show. If you support any particular pairing - honey, that’s your ship. You’re a shipper! Welcome aboard. If you love Spike with Buffy, you’re all about the Spuffy (or Spiffy). If you want Spike to be with Faith, you’re riding the good ship Spaith. And woe betide you if you support the wrong ship on the wrong forum. You will be flamed to such an extent that your eyebrows will singe off right in front of your monitor.

Of course, the most famous ship rivalry in the Buffyverse is between the Spuffy camp and their arch-nemeses, the Bangels (those who want Buffy to choose Angel over Spike). Many harsh words have been typed, and insults hurled, at the opposing viewpoint. If you are, or ever plan to be, a Spikeaholic, you must accept the fact that there are those who can’t see that Angel was her first love, and Spike is her true love. Oh, go ahead, e-mail and yell at me. But may I say first…hello? Addicted to Spike, remember? It’s a disease, not a lifestyle choice.

If you’re wondering what Spikeaholics talk about on the fan forums, the conversations range from reverent philosophical commentaries regarding the possibility of redemption for an irredeemably evil creature, to naughty musings on the sexy goodness that is Spike’s hair, or eyes, or tummy, or…tongue… It’s…sorry, I’ve lost my train of thought. Oh, that’s right. You don’t even necessarily have to talk about Spike. The Spike love is just a firm - damn firm - foundation on which to build some really wonderful friendships.

Here are three Spike fan forums to get you started:

We_Band_of_Buggered

"For those who consider Buffy and Spike MORE than just a ’ship, but an epic story of fate, love and redemption. And will follow Spike where ever he goes."

The smallest of the three sites, it’s a safe and caring place to express Spike love.

Bloody Awful Poet Society

"Inspired By His Beauty Effulgent. The Bloody Awful Poet Society is devoted to discussion of the character ’Spike’ in the TV series ’Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

A huge site with just shy of 3000 members.

Forums 4 Fans

Remember to check out "James’s Hottest Body Part…mmmmm". This isn’t an intellectual pursuit by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s So. Much. Fun.

The Deluxe Internet Spike Tour: Fan Fiction

After a while, the forum posts may soon start to feel like appetizers to you - yummy, but not filling. If you find yourself aching for Spike on a deeper level (emotionally, I mean), you might want to check out our next stop on the tour: online fanfiction.

"Fanfics" are short (and sometimes looong) stories that star famous fictional characters. Some of the most popular television shows used as backdrops in fanfiction are The X-Files, Alias, Smallville, and, of course, BtVS. The stories are written by fans just like you.

Sure, you’ll find cringe-worthy stuff, but there are also stories so sublime they transcend the actual TV show, and turn pop culture into art. The best fanfic writers become celebrities in their corner of cyberspace, and their works in progress are followed with much enthusiastic anticipation.

Anyone brave enough, or perhaps drunk enough, can give it a whirl, though. So if you wish Spike and Anya had spent just a little more time on top of that table at the Magic Box, or that Spike and Buffy (and Andrew! Yeah, Andrew!) started the very first School for Slayers, here’s your chance to make it so. If you do write a story, you can submit it to some of the fanfiction websites, run by overworked, though greatly appreciated, fellow fans. If your work shows talent, you might even receive feedback from grateful readers. Feedback is the fanfic writer’s heroin.

If you’re content to just read the works of others, you will find stories of angst (bring a couple of tissues), comedy, romance, and yes, NC-17 (maybe just bring the whole box of tissues). The racy stuff is typically armed with warnings to ward off curious younger fans of the show. Whatever you’re hankering for, there’s something for everyone who wants more, more, MORE of the Buffyverse.

Some great fanfiction websites to get you started are fanfiction.com, allaboutspike.com, and bsdiaries.com. If you’d like help separating the wheat from the chaff, here’s a hint: look for stories with reviews. If readers cared enough to review the story, it’s worth a look-see. You also might want to drop by the Television Without Pity Buffy Forum and see what’s happening in the "Pearls" section of the "Creative Diversions and Fanfic" thread.

The Deluxe Internet Spike Tour: Quirky Spike Sites

Let’s say it’s 2 a.m., the forums are quiet and you’ve read all the latest fanfics. What’s a Spikeaholic to do? Why don’t you check out our last stop on the tour: quirky Spike sites. I needed the advice of an expert, so I asked Scarlett, a pusher…I mean, moderator at We_Band_of_Buggered, to give us her favorite Spike sites, in no particular order.

Head Tilt Headquarters

A site for the smart and shallow alike. Showcases JM’s famous and endearing gesture as well as provides analyses of said gesture, pictures from the Hubble telescope and a medical analysis of BtVS. Unique to say the least.

The James Marsters Spoon Sanctum

Plastic cutlery never looked so good.

More Than Spike

A celebration of JM’s talent and career. Great biographical info and best of all-a printable Spike paper doll!

Spike…Platinum Baby

Everything you always wanted to know about the past, present and future of our favorite vamp, including a Spikespeak dictionary.

Obsidian Moonlight

Huge Spuffy fan fiction archive and photo gallery plus the opportunity to order your very own Spikebot.

The Man Himself

You may be wondering what James Marsters thinks of all this shameless adoration. His comments tend to indicate he’s a bit mystified over the whole thing, and trying his best to keep level-headed in the face of the onslaught of Spike fans.

When he was asked at the Cleveland Vulkon Con (short for Convention, and that’s a whole ’nother article) what’s it like to be adored by everyone, he answered, "I don’t really go on the web because it plays with my head. You guys are so nice. In my first year, I went on and I meant to go on for fifteen minutes, and I stayed on for like three hours, and I got off and I was like ’I’m the shit!’ When they say actors lose perspective and get diva-ish, they say we are going south and I just thought, ’I’m two steps to Mexico, man.’ And for a long time I put my head in the sand because I thought ’this is going to steal my soul. I’m going to become a big egotist and I’m going to lose myself.’" To which an audience member famously replied, "Joss will give it back!"

What is it about James Marsters as Spike that elicits such strong reactions from people? "It’s one of those magical combinations of actor and character that happens every now and then," notes Billie, moderator at Yahoogroup BtVS101 (Spikeaholics welcome) - and TVZone reviewer. "You can’t predict it, you can’t force it to happen - it either happens or it doesn’t." Scarlett from WBoB agrees. "The combination of clever writing by Mutant Enemy and passionate acting by James Marsters give Spike his sparkle. Without it, Spike just wouldn’t be the same."

There’s a good chance Spike would have met the wrong end of Mr. Pointy somewhere around Season 2 if any other actor had been chosen for the role. "The writers noticed early on that they could give James anything and he would give it his all and make it work, just like Spike," says Billie. "So they’ve gone to town with his character.

James is indeed a passionate actor (and an uberhottie), but it’s definitely Spike we fall in love with. Even the writers couldn’t have guessed how we’d tumble like…something that tumbles for the villain of the piece. Nobody can say exactly why, but some words do tend to come up over and over when describing Spike: Underdog. Loyal. Outsider. Intense. As someone once said on one of the forums, "I want to mother him. And then I want to…not mother him."

"He’s extremely intelligent, strongly perceptive, and damned funny," says Billie. "He knows what people are feeling in their heart of hearts and this knowledge often pops out of his mouth and into their faces." Spike is our Ids personified, run amok, doing and saying the things we wish we could, if only from the safety of our living rooms.

Spike started as a throwaway character, and progressed through Big Bad, comic relief, and the love interest. But in the end, his journey became an heroic epic of a monster who overcame his own nature to find redemption and save the world, even if he didn’t quite get the girl. Yet. (La-la-la! Can’t hear you!)

What will happen to the Spikeaholics when Spike finally gives us his last head tilt? "There may be fewer sites, but I highly doubt that this fandom will ever disappear," says Scarlett. "I worried that our numbers would dwindle once BtVS ended. Instead, they are better than ever."

It’s likely the friendships formed will continue, even if the groups do eventually dissolve, or perhaps evolve if we manage to find the Next Big Thing. Whatever the future holds, it’s certain that for the happily addicted among us, there’s never going to be anything or anyone who holds a place in our hearts like our boy Spike.