First let me clarify the titre of this article. I did not mean BtVS fans who have "diehard" metals on Fanpop. I mean BtVS fans who truly appreciate the show, and who stubbornly and vigorously defend it. The people who live their lives consumed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Whenever I meet someone that loves Buffy the Vampire Slayer... ou even just likes BtVS... ou even someone who goes "oh yeah I saw that montrer a couple of times. it was pretty cool." I get so excited. Firstly, this is because I think the montrer is a masterpiece and deserves to be seen par as many viewers as possible. But secondly, I get so excited because I automatically feel connected to the person I am talking to. In my opinion there is something so extraordinary about the montrer and in order to TRULY understand the montrer and appreciate it- toi must be an extraordinary person. It's not just a télévision show; it's a way of life. It examines so many different ways of looking at life, experiencing love, and finding ways to make the bad times not seem as scary and the good times not seem so brief and short lasting. Usually someone stops being a fan of a tv montrer once it goes off the air but with BtVS- that's impossible because it becomes a part of you. The montrer tugs at your cœur, coeur strings so well and I often feel that it describes life, and the events occurring in life, in a way that no one else has. There is a reason there are so many psychology and philosophy livres written about BtVS, Joss Whedon, and the Buffyverse. I'm not saying that people who don't like the montrer are stupid ou shallow...definitely not. I'm just saying that the montrer is very deep and in order to really understand it and connect with it- toi must be a deep, emotional, and complex person. People who embrace the montrer and truly understand it are people who live, think, and l’amour in a certain way. The montrer is bursting with such passion and depth... and toi either see that ou toi don't.

There are fans that l’amour some story lines and hate others--- and then there are fans that l’amour every single storyline. There are fans that l’amour some couples and hate others--- and then there are fans that l’amour every single couple. But what we all have in common is that we see that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an extraordinary show.

I know not EVERY fan is like this. Some fans watch the montrer and don't think twice about it. And some fans watch the show... and I think they just don't get it. But the people I am talking about in this article are what I consider the "diehard" fans. The people who walk away debating the plots and the philosophy behind the show. The people who sit there crying every time Oz leaves Willow no matter how many times you've seen the episode because we know it's impossible to watch Willow cry without crying ourselves. The people who fall in l’amour with the characters because they became a family. The people who find themselves using BtVS citations as their mottos- not just on fun websites like Fanpop, but as their devise for life. The people who hear Buffy say "The hardest thing in this world is to live in it. Be Brave. Live." And REALLY understand what she meant. These are the fans I love.

Some people turn the montrer into a whole "Bangel vs. Spuffy" debate. I think both couples were very important to the montrer and meant a lot to fans. However, I think the montrer was so much deeper than l’amour stories between Buffy and her boyfriends. I am not trying to underestimate the power of their relationships...I just think the relationships on BtVS were a representation of what was happening on the show, not vise versa. Buffy's relationships reflected on Buffy's struggle to find herself, to come to terms with her calling, and her growing understanding of how to be a young woman in a lonely violent world. Buffy's struggles were NOT a reflection of her relationships...her relationships were a reflection of her struggles. BtVS was one of the most intellectual and emotionally stimulating télévision shows ever created and while the romantic relationships on the montrer were important (and very important to story lines, character development, the representation of l’amour and passion...) I think the montrer goes wayyyy beyond these relationships. But what's so great about so many BtVS fans is that THEY GET THAT! ou at least they don't let this "shipping rivalry" overpower the fact that we all belong to the same community: the community of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans.
I'm so sick of fans of other shows (i.e. One arbre Hill) who turn the entire montrer into a shipping rivalry. One arbre Hill is definitely plus couple-centric than Buffy the Vampire Slayer... but it still stands to reason that if toi l’amour the same montrer toi have a lot in common (and I'm not trying to bring down OTH because I like the montrer a lot...it's just certain fans make me crazy a lot of the time with the constant rivalries). I have seen A FEW BtVS fans really bash fellow fans for liking their rival couple ou for insulting the couple they love. But thankfully I haven't seen many of those fans. I have no problem with people who l’amour Spuffy and hate Bangel... ou people who hate Spuffy and l’amour Bangel. Of course arguing about télévision couples seems silly and trivial (though at times quite interesting), but sometimes these arguments turn brutal and are completely inappropriate. I've noticed that most BtVS fans have a preference when it comes to the couples on the show... but they don't let themselves become blindsided to the fact that what we all have in common is that we appreciate the ingenuity of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. We are all Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans... and maybe toi identify plus as a Willow & Tara fan than a BtVS fan... but par being a fan of any aspect of the show, toi understand just how important the montrer is and how it has impacted each and every one of our lives.

So thanks for all being mature and not hating each other because toi like different couples and characters... but instead loving each other because we found other people who understand and appreciate the brilliance of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Joss Whedon.