Introducing Characters

[Veverka]

Please bear with me, this is a confused thread...

Thinking about season 8 got me thinking... I read in one of the threads that Joss had said that it was Satsu who kissed Buffy, and this was never meant to be a stumper, or something along those lines. If this is true, or if it is not is irrrelevant to this thread... however: if Satsu kissed Buffy, is that a bit weird? A character who we've known for all of two seconds kissing the lead? When this happened in season 4, Parker was in and out in a pretty quick time, whereas they built up the intro of Riley... etc, etc.

My point is: at what point do you consider a new character to belong? At what point did you accept Anya as a character- regardless of liking or disliking her? Or Tara? Or Riley? Or even Dawn, for that matter? At what point will we accept Satsu as a character in her own right, rather than a supporting character? Do you accept her already?

This could have gone in the season 8 section, I guess, but I thought it's relevant to any introduction of new characters.

[KingofCretins]

I think they want Season 8 details spoilered outside the Season 8 forum, but good topic.

Personally, I've never had a problem accepting characters as a fact of the narrative. There are no character that I've just said "this is the dumbest character ever" and wished they weren't there.

Now, when I accepted them as part of the *group* is a different question. Some character I've accepted almost instantly -- the four new Season 8 characters, for instance. Other characters never managed to get in (Kennedy), or took at least a year (Cordy, Anya). Oz was in almost immediately -- involving him in "Innocence" was a great choice. I think part of the accepting into the group thing has been very Shakespearian; those that shed their blood with Buffy shall be her brothers. We've seen Season 8 characters, particularly Satsu, fight side by side with her. We saw Oz help stand against the Judge. Those kinds of things get you *in* faster. It holds for Spike or Anya, as well, and for Cordy.

[vampmogs]

I don't usually have a problem 'accepting' new characters, but it depends on how they intergrate themselves into the group. As for instance, Tara who differs greatly than Kennedy. I could connect completely with Tara about her being uncomfortable trying to get her way into a reall close-knit circle of friends. She respected that the core four were very close and I liked that about her, Kennedy on the otherhand barged her way in rudely and doesn't respect the group dynamics at all, rather she screams at Willow asking why she always stands up for Buffy. So IMO I accepted Tara but never accepted Kennedy and it based on how they come into the group more than anything else.

So far in season eight all the new slayers have made a very good impression on me, so I have no qualms about Satsu, Leah, Rowena or Renee coming into the group. I think what may also be a factor is how much time they take from the core characters when initiated into the group, so far the new slayers in season are far more likeable than the ones in s7 and we've had great core scooby moments throughout the first arc without the new slayers taking to much time from them.