Personality:
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Revision as of 10:58, August 24, 2013
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Before becoming the [[Slayer]], Buffy's personality was that of a superficial blonde valley girl; she herself claimed that even [[Cordelia Chase|Cordelia]] "looked like a classical philosopher next to me".<ref name=Helpless/> Initially snobby towards people of a lower social class such as [[Pike]],<ref name=Origin/> the isolation she experienced from her popular friends at [[Hemery High]] gave her new-found empathy towards outcasts like [[Willow]] and [[Xander]].<ref name=WelcomeToTheHellmouth/> Nevertheless, Buffy was something of a rebel who did not conform to traditional Slayer conventions; [[Rupert Giles]] once admitted that "some flexibility is required" when it came to being Buffy's [[Watcher]].<ref name=WhatsMyLine2/> Buffy also tended to venture out of the Slayer's typically supernatural jurisdiction, often fighting crazed robots and even [[The Trio|human criminals]]. Buffy is unique as a Slayer in that she refuses to give up her "normal" life for her destiny and works with a group of close friends who know her identity. The spirit of the [[First Slayer]] once insisted to Buffy that the Slayer must work alone, a belief which Buffy promptly rejected.<ref name=Restless/> [[Kendra]], who had been trained as a Slayer from early childhood, told Buffy that a Slayer did not have the luxury of emotions. Buffy responded that her emotions gave her power and she considered them "total assets".<ref name=WhatsMyLine2/> [[Spike]] once stated that Buffy's improvisational fighting style was much like that of [[Nikki Wood]], the second Slayer he killed.<ref name="FoolForLove">"[[Fool for Love]]"</ref>
Before becoming the [[Slayer]], Buffy's personality was that of a superficial blonde valley girl; she herself claimed that even [[Cordelia Chase|Cordelia]] "looked like a classical philosopher next to me".<ref name=Helpless/> Initially snobby towards people of a lower social class such as [[Pike]],<ref name=Origin/> the isolation she experienced from her popular friends at [[Hemery High]] gave her new-found empathy towards outcasts like [[Willow]] and [[Xander]].<ref name=WelcomeToTheHellmouth/> Nevertheless, Buffy was something of a rebel who did not conform to traditional Slayer conventions; [[Rupert Giles]] once admitted that "some flexibility is required" when it came to being Buffy's [[Watcher]].<ref name=WhatsMyLine2/> Buffy also tended to venture out of the Slayer's typically supernatural jurisdiction, often fighting crazed robots and even [[The Trio|human criminals]]. Buffy is unique as a Slayer in that she refuses to give up her "normal" life for her destiny and works with a group of close friends who know her identity. The spirit of the [[First Slayer]] once insisted to Buffy that the Slayer must work alone, a belief which Buffy promptly rejected.<ref name=Restless/> [[Kendra]], who had been trained as a Slayer from early childhood, told Buffy that a Slayer did not have the luxury of emotions. Buffy responded that her emotions gave her power and she considered them "total assets".<ref name=WhatsMyLine2/> [[Spike]] once stated that Buffy's improvisational fighting style was much like that of [[Nikki Wood]], the second Slayer he killed.<ref name="FoolForLove">"[[Fool for Love]]"</ref>
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Additionally, one of Buffy's most notable qualities was her frequent sarcasm and ironic sense of humor. She often cracked jokes and puns about her opponents, especially in the midst of battle. Buffy apparently took much enjoyment out of taunting them, usually getting very annoyed her enemies didn't respond. Angel had once stated that Buffy always deployed light-hearted humor to cover up how she truly felt or to avoid uncomfortable situations, similar to Xander. <ref> '[[Twilight]]'</ref> Buffy had a tendency to be overconfident when she faced her enemies, but this probably came from her Slayer strength. Buffy was also very stubborn, hard-headed and a natural leader, very commanding and even called "bossy" by [[Dawn]].<ref name=LastGleaming>''[[Last Gleaming]]''</ref> She was extremely determined and fiercely independent by nature, detesting giving up or losing battles of any kind, be it supernatural or personal issues. Buffy has been accused of being violent following her calling as a Slayer. Buffy denied that she was but when questioning Xander of this, he said "The important thing is, ''you ''believe that." <ref> '[[Inca Mummy Girl]]'</ref>. Faith had also once harshly mentioned to her that Buffy was "all about control."<ref> '[[Sanctuary]]'</ref>She was also somewhat short-tempered in nature, as it never took very much to irritate her. Buffy once described herself as " I am capable of awesome. I'm usually super reliable and conscientious and according to popular report, a little tightly wound." <ref> '[[Freefall, Part One]]'</ref>
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Additionally, one of Buffy's most notable qualities was her frequent sarcasm and ironic sense of humor. She often cracked jokes and puns about her opponents, especially in the midst of battle. Buffy apparently took much enjoyment out of taunting them, usually getting very annoyed her enemies didn't respond. Angel had once stated that Buffy always deployed light-hearted humor to cover up how she truly felt or to avoid uncomfortable situations, similar to Xander. <ref> '[[Twilight]]'</ref> Buffy had a tendency to be overconfident when she faced her enemies, but this probably came from her Slayer strength. Buffy was also very stubborn, hard-headed and a natural leader, very commanding and even called "bossy" by [[Dawn]].<ref name=LastGleaming>''[[Last Gleaming]]''</ref> She was extremely determined and fiercely independent by nature, detesting giving up or losing battles of any kind, be it supernatural or personal issues. This would be especially apparent in her humilation of running away from Glory while trying to protect Dawn.<ref>'[[Spiral]]'</ref> Buffy has been accused of being violent following her calling as a Slayer. Buffy denied that she was but when questioning Xander of this, he said "The important thing is, ''you ''believe that." <ref> '[[Inca Mummy Girl]]'</ref>. Faith had also once harshly mentioned to her that Buffy was "all about control."<ref> '[[Sanctuary]]'</ref>She was also somewhat short-tempered in nature, as it never took very much to irritate her. Buffy once described herself as " I am capable of awesome. I'm usually super reliable and conscientious and according to popular report, a little tightly wound." <ref> '[[Freefall, Part One]]'</ref>
Throughout most of her career as the Slayer, Buffy functioned as a reluctant hero. She constantly wished for nothing more than a normal life, an attitude that was particularly prevalent during her high school years. However, as time moved on, Buffy slowly became more accepting of her Slayer duties, particularly after Kendra helped her to understand that being the Slayer was part of who she was and not simply a burden forced upon her shoulders against her will. After her meeting with the First Slayer and battle with Dracula, Buffy finally came to terms with her role as the Slayer. Despite her ever-present reluctance to be the Slayer even in her later years, Buffy has been depicted as having a incredibly strong sense of responsibility with the people she saved and the world as well. This was shown in her disagreements over Faith's impulsive and careless attitude and her self-righteous stance on many other things.
Throughout most of her career as the Slayer, Buffy functioned as a reluctant hero. She constantly wished for nothing more than a normal life, an attitude that was particularly prevalent during her high school years. However, as time moved on, Buffy slowly became more accepting of her Slayer duties, particularly after Kendra helped her to understand that being the Slayer was part of who she was and not simply a burden forced upon her shoulders against her will. After her meeting with the First Slayer and battle with Dracula, Buffy finally came to terms with her role as the Slayer. Despite her ever-present reluctance to be the Slayer even in her later years, Buffy has been depicted as having a incredibly strong sense of responsibility with the people she saved and the world as well. This was shown in her disagreements over Faith's impulsive and careless attitude and her self-righteous stance on many other things.
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When it to came to her duties or what she felt was important, Buffy would always focus all her energy on it, fearing letting anyone down. Because of this, she could be seen as a very serious and resolved person when it came to slaying or other matters, unlike her more easygoing, less serious counterpart Faith. Buffy was also an expert in battle stragedies and tactical plans, being very much a leader type. This skill earned her great respect from others and many successes, becoming the self-proclaimed leader of the [[Scooby Gang]] for many years. Buffy was also very down-to-earth and a definite realist, being one of the first to recognize disadvantages and weigh them appropriately. Because of her powerful feelings of responsibility for those around her, it was easy for Buffy to blame herself harshly for failures or misfortunes for those she cared for.
When it to came to her duties or what she felt was important, Buffy would always focus all her energy on it, fearing letting anyone down. Because of this, she could be seen as a very serious and resolved person when it came to slaying or other matters, unlike her more easygoing, less serious counterpart Faith. Buffy was also an expert in battle stragedies and tactical plans, being very much a leader type. This skill earned her great respect from others and many successes, becoming the self-proclaimed leader of the [[Scooby Gang]] for many years. Buffy was also very down-to-earth and a definite realist, being one of the first to recognize disadvantages and weigh them appropriately. Because of her powerful feelings of responsibility for those around her, it was easy for Buffy to blame herself harshly for failures or misfortunes for those she cared for.
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Buffy's personality and character developed a much darker and self-destructive persona after being brought back from [[Heaven]]. She had hated living and the harshness of everything her life had, even attempting to commit suicide at one point until stopped by Spike.<ref> '[[Once More, With Feeling]]'</ref> Due to her depression and self-loathing, she had sought out a violent sexual relationship with Spike, later admitting that she didn't love him and was just using him to feel something.<ref> '[[As You Were]]'</ref> However, after the death of Tara and Willow's subsequent dark magic-fuelled rampage, Buffy snapped out of her depression and realized that life was worth living, returning to her old self (more or less).
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After her mother's death, Buffy's determination to succede was becoming more frayed. The constant setbacks and tragedies in her life was causing her to lose faith in herself, not going unnoticed by Giles and Xander. <ref>'[[Spiral]]'</ref> Dawn's capture by Glory shattered her resolve almost entirely, falling into a catatonic state that she was only able to pull out of because of Willow. <ref>'[[The Weight of the World]]'</ref> Buffy's personality and character developed a much darker and self-destructive persona after being brought back from [[Heaven]]. She had hated living and the harshness of everything her life had, even attempting to commit suicide at one point until stopped by Spike.<ref> '[[Once More, With Feeling]]'</ref> Due to her depression and self-loathing, she had sought out a violent sexual relationship with Spike, later admitting that she didn't love him and was just using him to feel something.<ref> '[[As You Were]]'</ref> However, after the death of Tara and Willow's subsequent dark magic-fuelled rampage, Buffy snapped out of her depression and realized that life was worth living, returning to her old self (more or less).
While Buffy acknowledged that [[humans]] can be just as bad as [[demons]], if not even worse, she largely refused to kill humans under any circumstances, insisting that the Slayer did not have a license to kill, which occasionally put her into conflict with her less-merciful teammates. She held great disgust and hatred of collateral damage as she had always tried to save as many people as she could by any means necessary even if a solution to save the world was killing someone innocent (a striking difference from her ex-boyfriend Angel, who believed that the ends justified the means). For example, she spared [[Ben]]'s life after [[Glory]] was defeated despite full knowledge that Glory would eventually resurface and get revenge on her, which resulted in Giles doing so instead, and flat-out refused to consider killing Dawn to save the world <ref name=Gift/>. However, throughout her focus of the "Slayer mission", she stated matter-of-factly that if she had to, she would be able to kill a human to save the world. <ref>"[[Lies My Parents Told Me]]"</ref>Additionally, she refused to kill [[Warren Mears]] despite his vicious crimes, preferring to let him face human justice, whereas Xander and Dawn were so disgusted and furious with him that they openly supported Willow's intent to kill until after she actually did it and then targeted Andrew and Jonathan, who had nothing to do with it.<ref name=Villains/>. However, she had made exceptions to that rule on numerous occasions: she was perfectly willing to kill [[Faith]] to save Angel's life <ref name=GraduationDay1/>, killed several members of the [[Knights of Byzantium]] to protect Dawn,<ref name=Spiral>"[[Spiral]]"</ref> and bisected [[Caleb]] with the [[Scythe]] <ref name=Chosen/>. Nonetheless, she has made it a rule in the [[Slayer Organization]] to "go for the wound" with their human enemies <ref name=LongWayHome4/>. Additionally, Buffy fully understood that not all demons were evil and was in fact good friends with several demons, such as [[Clem]], and held a code of honor even with longtime enemies, refusing to kill Spike when he was rendered helpless by the Initiative's [[Behavior-Modification Circuitry]] despite their long history of animosity before and after that point.
While Buffy acknowledged that [[humans]] can be just as bad as [[demons]], if not even worse, she largely refused to kill humans under any circumstances, insisting that the Slayer did not have a license to kill, which occasionally put her into conflict with her less-merciful teammates. She held great disgust and hatred of collateral damage as she had always tried to save as many people as she could by any means necessary even if a solution to save the world was killing someone innocent (a striking difference from her ex-boyfriend Angel, who believed that the ends justified the means). For example, she spared [[Ben]]'s life after [[Glory]] was defeated despite full knowledge that Glory would eventually resurface and get revenge on her, which resulted in Giles doing so instead, and flat-out refused to consider killing Dawn to save the world <ref name=Gift/>. However, throughout her focus of the "Slayer mission", she stated matter-of-factly that if she had to, she would be able to kill a human to save the world. <ref>"[[Lies My Parents Told Me]]"</ref>Additionally, she refused to kill [[Warren Mears]] despite his vicious crimes, preferring to let him face human justice, whereas Xander and Dawn were so disgusted and furious with him that they openly supported Willow's intent to kill until after she actually did it and then targeted Andrew and Jonathan, who had nothing to do with it.<ref name=Villains/>. However, she had made exceptions to that rule on numerous occasions: she was perfectly willing to kill [[Faith]] to save Angel's life <ref name=GraduationDay1/>, killed several members of the [[Knights of Byzantium]] to protect Dawn,<ref name=Spiral>"[[Spiral]]"</ref> and bisected [[Caleb]] with the [[Scythe]] <ref name=Chosen/>. Nonetheless, she has made it a rule in the [[Slayer Organization]] to "go for the wound" with their human enemies <ref name=LongWayHome4/>. Additionally, Buffy fully understood that not all demons were evil and was in fact good friends with several demons, such as [[Clem]], and held a code of honor even with longtime enemies, refusing to kill Spike when he was rendered helpless by the Initiative's [[Behavior-Modification Circuitry]] despite their long history of animosity before and after that point.
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Though she was normally quite aware socially, Buffy had proven to have a few lapses in judgment that cost her and others as well. Her destructive relationship with Spike, for example, was attributed to her own feelings of vulnerability, self-loathing, and unworthiness after the death of her [[Joyce Summers|mother]] as well as her abrupt descent from [[heaven]]. Despite her powerful sense of responsibility, when in a state of depression or ill humor, she had been shown to procrastinate and put off or otherwise ignore things she should be dealing with. This was most prominently seen in her exile out of [[Heaven]], ignoring her role as guardian of Dawn and forcing Giles to both take care of her<ref> '[[All the Way]]'</ref> and pay the bills she couldn't afford.<ref> '[[Life Serial]]'</ref> Another example was when she had smashed the [[Seed of Wonder]] and remained indifferent over Willow's pleas of returning magic, hardly thinking of the consequences of the action because she did what she had to do; in this case, she was finally forced to face the negative consequences of the Seed's destruction when she discovered that without magic, Dawn was fading away<ref>"[[The Core]]"</ref>.
Though she was normally quite aware socially, Buffy had proven to have a few lapses in judgment that cost her and others as well. Her destructive relationship with Spike, for example, was attributed to her own feelings of vulnerability, self-loathing, and unworthiness after the death of her [[Joyce Summers|mother]] as well as her abrupt descent from [[heaven]]. Despite her powerful sense of responsibility, when in a state of depression or ill humor, she had been shown to procrastinate and put off or otherwise ignore things she should be dealing with. This was most prominently seen in her exile out of [[Heaven]], ignoring her role as guardian of Dawn and forcing Giles to both take care of her<ref> '[[All the Way]]'</ref> and pay the bills she couldn't afford.<ref> '[[Life Serial]]'</ref> Another example was when she had smashed the [[Seed of Wonder]] and remained indifferent over Willow's pleas of returning magic, hardly thinking of the consequences of the action because she did what she had to do; in this case, she was finally forced to face the negative consequences of the Seed's destruction when she discovered that without magic, Dawn was fading away<ref>"[[The Core]]"</ref>.
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Buffy also appeared to have an inferiority and superiority complex,<ref name=ConversationsWithDeadPeople>"[[Conversations with Dead People]]"</ref> as she felt like she was worse than everyone or that there was something wrong with her, and that even though her friends and former boyfriends think the opposite, their opinions didn't mean anything. She could also be surprisingly rather negative and give in to fits of pessimistic tendencies, suffering from occasional abandonment issues<ref name=ABeautifulSunset>''[[A Beautiful Sunset]]''</ref> since almost all her friends and boyfriends had left her at some point. She suffered from constant loneliness, especially since she felt the burden of being the Slayer was something no one could understand or share with her.<ref name=EndOfDays>"[[End of Days]]"</ref> Buffy had once admitted that she cut people out, of both her problems and personal feelings for years, coming to the conclusion that she was closed off from everyone else. <ref> '[[Touched]]'</ref> However, Buffy's increasingly closed off demeanor over the years was a combination of the harsh lifestyle of a slayer and her chronic habit to be strong for everyone else despite her own problems.<ref>'[[Shadow]]'</ref><ref>'[[Forever]]'</ref> This was often misinterpreted by many as insensitivity and detachment, even from her closest friends.
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Buffy also appeared to have an inferiority and superiority complex,<ref name=ConversationsWithDeadPeople>"[[Conversations with Dead People]]"</ref> as she felt like she was worse than everyone or that there was something wrong with her, and that even though her friends and former boyfriends think the opposite, their opinions didn't mean anything. She could also be surprisingly rather negative and give in to fits of pessimistic tendencies, suffering from occasional abandonment issues<ref name=ABeautifulSunset>''[[A Beautiful Sunset]]''</ref> since almost all her friends and boyfriends had left her at some point. She suffered from constant loneliness, especially since she felt the burden of being the Slayer was something no one could understand or share with her.<ref name=EndOfDays>"[[End of Days]]"</ref> Buffy had once admitted that she cut people out, of both her problems and personal feelings for years, coming to the conclusion that she was closed off from everyone else. <ref> '[[Touched]]'</ref>Fearing her attachment to reality was disconnecting, Buffy wondered if being the Slayer would eventually overcome her so much, she'd be too hardened to be able to love anymore.<ref>'[[Intervention]]'</ref> However, Buffy's increasingly closed off demeanor over the years was a combination of the harsh lifestyle of a slayer and her chronic habit to be strong for everyone else despite her own problems.<ref>'[[Shadow]]'</ref><ref>'[[Forever]]'</ref> This was often misinterpreted by many as insensitivity and detachment, even from her closest friends.
When her intelligence or abilities have been put into question, as when she was under investigation by the [[Watchers' Council]],<ref name=Checkpoint>"[[Checkpoint]]"</ref> Buffy responded poorly to authority and was mostly unable to complete any of the tasks given. She would almost appear as the "dumb blonde" stereotype, but in her confrontation with the Council, when things were on her terms, Buffy appeared to have a relatively advanced sense of awareness that wasn't accessed through many traditional methods. However, Willow did admit that Buffy wasn't always very smart("''You know Buffy. Sweet girl, not very bright."'')<ref name=Chosen>"[[Chosen]]"</ref> The strength in her personality sometimes made it hard for her to relinquish control.
When her intelligence or abilities have been put into question, as when she was under investigation by the [[Watchers' Council]],<ref name=Checkpoint>"[[Checkpoint]]"</ref> Buffy responded poorly to authority and was mostly unable to complete any of the tasks given. She would almost appear as the "dumb blonde" stereotype, but in her confrontation with the Council, when things were on her terms, Buffy appeared to have a relatively advanced sense of awareness that wasn't accessed through many traditional methods. However, Willow did admit that Buffy wasn't always very smart("''You know Buffy. Sweet girl, not very bright."'')<ref name=Chosen>"[[Chosen]]"</ref> The strength in her personality sometimes made it hard for her to relinquish control.