#Anti-Faith Lehane

[kyliafanfiction]

Stop woobifying Faith!

She committed manslaughter and her first reaction was to hide, lie, pretend she didn’t care, blame someone else, act like he deserved it, and then when she was finally past all that, she immediately switched sides.

[raisedbythetv89]

Me when the manipulative character manipulates irl viewers into ignoring all the bad and only seeing the good and then treating me like I’m the crazy one because I see through the manipulation and see the characters for who they really are instead of how they want to be perceived

[desicat-writer]

Thinking about the parallel of when Faith killed the mayor's deputy, Buffy's instinct was to turn herself in.

When Warren killed Katrina, Buffy's instinct was to turn herself in.

Faith and Warren tried to blame their murder on Buffy.

[spangelmybeloved]

Buckle up kids, because my blood pressure is through the roof, and I think this one might be a doozy.

I am so so tired of hearing this take TW: discussion of the canonical rape/noncon perpetrated by Faith in S4. Under the cut.

It actually disgusts me, makes me want to rip my hair out, that over and over and over again I hear that what happened is somehow Riley's fault.

Some of you all need to take a sex ed class or something, because Riley DID NOT consent to having sex with Faith in Buffy's body. Sex without consent is rape. Riley was raped. Say it. Riley. Was. Raped.

And I will gladly fight anyone who someone wants to use this as a point against him. He was raped. Not his fault. End of story. Saying otherwise is victim blaming.

Could he maybe have handled the situation better? Possibly. But that's something that gets said to victims of SA all the time. "You should have done something differently." That, that right there? Victim blaming. Stop it.

It sickens me that it was not really addressed how much of a violation that was in the show, but it's worse that some parts the fandom continue to insist that Riley was somehow at fault, or that the fact that he was raped makes him a bad person.

And yeah, what Faith did was a violation of Buffy, too. And yes, she was in the wrong. Yes, I still like her as a character, just like I like a lot of other characters who have done bad stuff. But this post is specifically about the horrendous take I keep seeing.

I've seen this take so so many times. It will never cease the disgust me. Knock it off.

[juanabaloo]

Faith Lehane is the MVP!

aka yet another Eliza Dushku appreciation post!

Still not over the fact that Faith didn't have a last name until 2 years AFTER BTVS went off the air. She literally DID NOT HAVE A LAST NAME the whole time she was on the show. (Neither did Kendra BTW.)

In the literal dictionary sense: Faith is technically a minor character in terms of screen time. (Whaaaa???) She was in 20 episodes of BTVS and 6 of ATS. She was never listed in the main cast for either. She was not in the BTVS (or ATS) 20 year cast reunion.

We know Eliza played Faith as having a crush on Buffy. In cons Eliza consistently supported the idea of Fuffy (Faith x Buffy). (GIF proof)

Think about Riley, supposedly Buffy's third love interest on the show (behind Spike and Angel). The show tries really hard to have you think he's a good guy (5x10 Into the Woods - hate this ep) and that he's the one who got away (6x15 As You Were - not buying it). Riley was in 31 BTVS epis (vs 20 for Faith). Riley also has more speaking time than Faith in BTVS, ranked at #10 vs #13 for Faith. But it's 2022 and who the fuck is still talking about Riley? (mostly) Nobody!

But for Faith? There's gorgeous gifsets and insightful meta essays and text posts and webweaving poetry posts about Faith and Fuffy. (I'm not even gonna get into the fanfic that's still getting posted.) That's what Fuffy is still inspiring, nearly 20 years after going off the air!

So... also proud of you FUFFY Nation. Sometimes I get a little choked up (like Buffy here) and sometimes I get hopeful and thoughtful (like Faith here). Here's to a great 2023!!

Gif credits: top (sweet on her) is from BTVS 7x20 by @raggeddypondond middle (drink and porch) is from Faith in 7.19 by @shelly-johnson bottom (right in the feels) is from Buffy & Faith 7.18 by @cwladiesdaily

Additional gif that I couldn't figure out how to include: linked gif proof of Eliza supporting Fuffy is from pullmysoul

[nestaenthusiast]

My Btvs opinions part 1

Okay so I finally finished Buffy the Vampire Slayer and just wanted to share my opinions on all of the main characters throughout the season. Forewarning though, some of this might be controversial!!

Buffy

Ah Buffy. The most main character to have ever lived. She truly slays. Like I just love everything about her. She’s fucking iconic. Shes confident. She is a total badass. She has her insecurities. She can’t drive. She is totally bisexual. She has amazing one liners and amazing outfits to go with them. The list goes on and on forever. Buffy has taught me a lot about believing in myself. Believing in my power. I’ve made a post on this before but a common theme in this show is Buffy feeling like she can’t do something and then stops herself and goes “wait a minute? I’m Buffy. Of course I can do this” and then she does it. It was truly inspiring to watch. Since watching the show I’ve had moments where I’ve doubted myself and then I literally thought of Buffy and got a boost of confidence. Buffy is so inspiring. She is one of those characters that I think will live in me for a long time. She is very close to my heart and honestly gives me strength. Ironically she wasn’t the reason I started watching this show but she’s the reason I stayed.

Faith

I am not joking when I say Faith was the reason I started watching this show in the first place. I saw an edit of her on TikTok and she was so fucking hot I instantly fell in love with her. So I decided I HAD to watch the show. So maybe my expectations were too big because I hate Faith now. Don’t get me wrong Faith is a greatly written character!! She was only in 26 episodes and is one of the most impactful characters on the show. But I still hate her. If it was any other show where Buffy wasn’t the main character, I might love her and be in the pro Faith hashtag. But because of the way Faith treated Buffy, I just can’t with her. Especially after s7. Like she just fucking irritates me. She is always wallowing in her self pity and jealousy of Buffy. She pushed all of her insecurities onto Buffy and made her seem like some prudish stuck up bitch when that was just far from the truth. She didn’t even have a clear image in her head of who Buffy actually was cause of how much she projected onto her. And she was sort of a pick me girl. And no arguments or deep analysis from her supporters will change my opinions on her because my feelings are based on my utter love and devotion to Buffy. When Faith and Buffy were friends I loved her!! I loved their friendship and I would have probably shipped them romantically. But when Faith started treating Buffy badly is when my feelings for her changed.

Willow

Willow is probably my all time favorite Tv witch. So much so that she made me want to start practicing witchcraft again. She has so many amazing quotes like “Occasionally I’m callous and strange” and is such a sweetie pie. And I have a ginormous crush on her. But Willow season 6-7 I do not like. She became very egotistical and I also blame her the most for bringing Buffy back. It is honestly very hard to separate my feelings for Willow from s1-5 and s6-7 cause that’s how much she annoyed me. But before I watched s6-7 I truly loved Willow. And Alyson Hannigan is a truly terrific actress. Dare I say one of the best in the entire show.

Xander

Okay here is where things might get controversial. I actually like Xander. There are definitely episodes where I hate him but for the most part I really like his character. He has a lot of flaws like being a “nice guy” and his occasional sexism. But most of that I feel it is just a sign of the times. That was how they wrote guys in the 90s and early 2000s. The reason I like him despite these things is that I like his heart. Like what he brings to the group is stability in the form of food or repairing Buffy’s house or driving them around or babysitting Dawn. I just love how they didn’t give him superpowers or a lot of intelligence but was still needed in the group. Or maybe not even needed just wanted. He gave what he could cause he loves Buffy and Willow. And he is so fucking hilarious. Like maybe we just have the same sense of humor but I legit find him funny. And he is one of the few characters who I liked more in later seasons that in years beginning.

Giles

I love love love loved Giles. He was such a dad to Buffy and supported her through so much. In s3 he was one of the few to understand the pain she felt with Angel dying and running away. I love how he made mistakes with Buffy but always tried to do his best. He was always there for Buffy whenever she needed him and was there for Willow at her worst and helped her rehabilitation. And most importantly—I love his sweater vests. As with almost every character in this show, I started to not like him in s6. I know they had to write him off cause he needed to be with his family in real life but it still makes me angry that he left Buffy at her absolute worst. It was just so out of character for him and it made no sense. That’s really the only thing I don’t like about his character. Also teen Giles and demon Giles will never fail to make me laugh hysterically.

[nevergonnabemuchmorethanweather]

It never occurred how Faith did more emotional and psychological harm to Buffy in the body swap episodes more than any of her enemies did. Or close to that if not.

Eh... I think The Master and Angelus both beat Faith by a pretty wide margin. We saw echoes of that damage throughout the whole rest of the series. It was still incredibly fucked up and clearly made her feel very violated in a way that was particularly bad because it was almost impossible to articulate in a way that would make sense to anybody else. And I don't think she really 'got over' it, because she still felt it when Faith showed up in season 7, but it didn't permanently change her on a fundamental level like the ordeals she went through in the first two seasons.

[lecoindecachou]

It's 2023 and Faith Lehane is still a rapist.

[petpluto]

shocked and appalled and intrigued and delighted to hear that you hate my number one good time gal faith lehane. i have so many questions!!! actually it's more like one question and it's just "???????????"

I would love to know why she doesn't work for you as a character (if you ever want to go into it, but no pressure!)

ALWAYS ASK FOR MY BUFFY THOUGHTS! I am legitimately thrilled to go into everything about this show.

And I want it to be clear - I think she’s an exceptionally well written character and Eliza Dushku was so good in the role. She just doesn’t work *for me*.

I’m going to start in the middle - the moment when Faith confronts Buffy at Sunnydale U and says, “You gutted me, Blondie”, it embodies the type of bully I hate more than any other. The type who will, in this case, try desperately to kill you and end the world while also trying to kill your friends and boyfriend, and then see themselves as the victim and you as the aggressor if you fight back. The kind of bully who will use any aggression against them - in this case, getting stabbed in the gut after months of violence directed toward the scoobs - to be even more violent.

Faith is a victim, 💯, of her mother, of probably any number of people before she became a slayer; and I don’t want to discount that. I have a lot of sympathy for Faith, and think she was not cared for in the way she deserved. The Watcher’s Council failed her, the adults who knew her in Sunnydale failed her, and the system continually failed her. Joyce was willing to sacrifice her for Buffy to have a normal life, and no one seemed perturbed she was living in a crappy motel - let alone questioning where she was getting money for things like food and clothes and rent. And I understand that breeding resentment and creating a nihilistic person. I understand abuse begets abuse, and that Faith lashes out at Buffy because she sees this girl getting everything - having *everything* - that Faith feels like she deserves. That Faith *actually* does deserve. Faith deserves a warm home and parents who care and lunches and dinners. She deserves a watcher who has her back. She deserves all of these things.

But when she goes after Buffy, when she talks to Buffy about how everything Buffy has should be hers, when she steals Buffy’s body (which I see as a metaphorical rape) and then sleeps with Riley in Buffy’s body (which I see as actual rapes of both Buffy and Riley), when she makes Buffy the subject and target of her ire, I hate it and I hate her. When she sexually assaults Xander as she works on killing him, I hate it and I hate her. When she rages at Buffy for stealing her life when she was trying to end the world, I hate it and I hate her. Because these are good people; these are also kids; and these people aren’t and shouldn’t be her targets.

And I hate it when she comes back in season 7, because the show doesn’t allow her the space to reintegrate into the gang, after everything. It’s partially the way her arc resolves in season 1 of Angel, where it and Faith coming to terms with what she did is separate from the majority of her violence (torture of Wesley notwithstanding). If she had remained on Angel the Series, I think I could have grown to tolerate her, because that show and those characters interacted with her during the season 1 arc and the season 4 arc. But the story the writers were telling on BtVS necessitates Faith’s presence, because it affects her as well. She deserved to be part of the discussion and the resolution about the slayer line. But the writers also had her talk about stealing Buffy’s body like it was ultimately fine, and had the line, “There's only supposed to be one. Maybe that's why you and I can never get along. We're not supposed to exist together.” Which, for me, sums up the thing I dislike most about Faith, even post-turn toward the good side arc. She is myopic. It’s not that they couldn’t get along - it’s that she wouldn’t let them get along. There isn’t a force in the Buffyverse that gets in Faith’s way when it comes to her relationship with Buffy other than Faith herself. And I hate that I think that line is supposed to be funny, because it just drags Faith back toward still being that bully who can’t handle it when someone fights back. And I want her to work beyond that, and be someone who can see and empathize with other people’s experiences. And, for me, we don’t get there.

I used to describe Faith as a Tennessee Williams character, and I hate Tennessee Williams. And I think that’s still true. I don’t enjoy nihilism. I think there’s value to Faith in the story they told. I think there’s a reason she’s here. I just don’t enjoy the journey, or the resolution.

[shewhobefuddles]

Once again thinking about the emotional trauma that listening to "Kyoto", "Moon Song", "I Know The End", or "Killer" would cause Buffy Summers.

[raisedbythetv89]

just saw someone saying “buffy has a lot of faith in her in seasons 1 & 2” and I’m like um… NO buffy has a lot of BUFFY in her in seasons 1 and 2 and then they CHANGED HER COMPLETELY when they introduced Faith!!!!?????

Buffy was ALWAYS the rebel slayer who didn’t follow the rules and got into trouble - FUCKED THE SOUL OUT OF A VAMPIRE AND HAS DIED FOR CHRIST SAKE and lived on her own in LA for several months supporting herself and escaped a hell dimension and they fucking changed her into a goodie goody who dresses like a church mouse in order for her to actually contrast enough with faith when those changes make zero fucking sense given everything she’s been through and everything they established about her in the first two seasons!!!

God how the fuck can you attribute characteristics of the main character to a character who hasn’t even shown up yet. That is just the dumbest interpretation I’ve ever fucking seen. I hate season three for so many reasons but the main one is what they did to Buffy’s character in order to make the faith storyline as “her shadow self” make any sense.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again it would have been so much better and made wayyyyyyyyyy more sense if Buffy had become the “bad slayer” after helpless and they had kept kendra to continue to contrast buffy as the “good” aka rule following, council obeying slayer

[desicat-writer]

Faith will force herself on Buffy.

[kyliafanfiction]

I mean, Giles bears far, far more blame for Faith going evil than Wesley

[confusedguytoo]

I don’t know why, but no matter what the summary of the fic is when I see Faith Lehane/Tara Maclay as a ship I gag and scroll past as fast as I can.  I just absolutely hate that concept.  Not that I ship Tara with anyone but Willow, but Fath/Tara hits me as wrong in a way no other ship does

[nestaenthusiast]

I love how Faiths raid on Caleb went COMPLETELY worse than Buffy’s raid

[nevergonnabemuchmorethanweather]

I know I've already said this in the past, but it's so ironic how Faith was like "everybody thanks Buffy and ignores me" all the while almost everyone who interacted with Buffy (including/especially her own mother and sonetimes the Scoobies) for the most part either barely acknowledged her, heaped a bunch of expectations onto her or whined about how her being a Slayer (and her existence as a whole) made their lives so inconvenient.

Nothing about Faith's view of Buffy was based in any kind of reality. Buffy wasn't a real person to Faith, she was whatever Faith needed her to be at that particular moment to feel better about herself and justify her choices. Any detail that didn't fit her narrative was immediately forgotten and if she couldn't find any details that did fit, she'd make them up.