What will happen in "Anywhere but Here"?

[Weredog]

Dark Horse reveals that this issue will have "Buffy and Willow meet a demon who reveals a dim future, forcing the two to reflect on their past. Meanwhile, back in Scotland, Dawn confides in Xander the deed that led to her mysterious growth spurt."

We have a couple months until its release, so what does you think will happen exactly? It doesn't matter if your imaginative take is way off when it's released! It's just fun and games!

I think Robin (the contest winner who will be featured in the issue) will be the demon. Like Whistler, she's a demon who looks human and has good intentions. I think she'll be the one who "reveals a dim future." The dim future itself will be Willow and Buffy, separated again like they were between "Chosen" and "Long Way Home" but more serious, so the two will do the "Primeval" thing again: "You're my best friend! Don't ever leave me!"
I think Dawn will reveal that she tried to do a love spell on Kenny and it malfunctioned and made her a giant.

Okay, so it's not Joss Whedon-good but you try!

[KingofCretins]

You're read on it makes a good deal of sense. Robin as a servant of TPTB makes the most sense, even if it means demonic in origin, like Whistler and Doyle were. To use her that way is a high compliment by Joss, and about the best way he could treat the contest winner. Think about it -- when Joss wrote Whistler, his original intention was to play him as well. It was a part designed to literally be the self-insertion of Joss into his work. If he's created a part to use Robin in the same way, that's very generous -- he'd be treating her as his voice in the work.

Apart from that, I hope Buffy and Willow's bonding is going to cover a lot of ground, since as Joss says, it's going to cover a lot of pages. Why Willow didn't stick around, what happened with Kennedy. I also *really* hope that we'll get an insight, through their conversation, into whether or not Buffy/Xander is in play this season or not.

[Nostalgia]

This episode will be very interesting.. and I look forward to both standalone issues.. guessing that they will probably will the two best episodes so far.. (plot/character centric episodes are almost always the best.)

I agree with your plot idea.. that would make a lot of sense. I also think that Buffy will definetly reveal her love interest.. if there is one.

I reread the statement from The Long Way Home where Buffy said..

I miss sex.. Great Muppety Odin I miss that sex..

and I still can't imagine it being anyone other than Spike. Angel was never about sex.. and it's been a while since they've actually been intimate. Unless there's so fling that's been going on with Xander.. it must be Spike. If this is the case, then obviously Buffy has mixed emotions about who she's attracted to. To the people who have suspected the mysterious fling.. I don't think that Xander would have been so shy around her.. still. If this was the case.. if they were having sex.. we wouldn't have had that awkward moment from issue 08. It just wouldn't make sense. They would have been in enough of a comfort to welcome Xander's chest. While I think Buffy's dream is still grounds.. and believe Xander kissed her to wake her from the dream.. I don't know if they are actually doing anything behind our backs.

I find it interesting that Buffy would refer to having sex with Spike.. considering this was a rough time for her and a very dark place. Maybe Buffy had sex with Spike in season seven after all?

[KingofCretins]

Unfortunately, Joss and Scott Allie confirmed (although did not give any consolation to it being hard to figure out reasonablly) that Satsu is the kisser. So, that's not a factor for Buffy/Xander.

I don't think Xander was hiding his chest, I think he was hiding his silly speech to the sandbag.

The great muppety odin line just doesn't feel plot significant to me, but, who knows. I can't rule out that Buffy and Xander have been together at some point now, but I know longer think it's the most likely thing. If they are going to get together, it's something that will be built up to. I still think wasting plot development of Buffy's love life on a basically off-screen character like Spike or Angel would be pointless -- if they don't want her with Xander, give her a full-time love interest that belongs to Dark Horse or keep her single.

[Nostalgia]

Really? I read that they stated it's been shown who it is.. but I haven't seen it been said it was Satsu.. Where did you see this?

Wow.. if Satsu kissed Buffy.. how can this be the case? How can Satsu be "in love" with Buffy? I hope that this doesn't go too far.. because no offense or anything.. but I just don't see Buffy in a gay relationship.

[Nostalgia]

and if this is the case.. why show Xander with a sad face? Directly after what Willow has to say?

I am so confused.

[KingofCretins]

There are numerous quotations, I don't feel like finding them, but the letter column reference in 8.08 confirms the ones I've read. I don't care if it's Satsu, I don't suppose, but they did cheat on the details since there's no obvious indication she was even in the room. Also, I think having Buffy, female empowerment icon, be a lesbian would be a pretty awful stereotype.

[Nostalgia]

I agree. I still don't know if you're quite correct on Satsu.. You've seen it stated by a good source (Joss, Scott, someone from Dark Horse)? I'll take your word though.. It was shown in issue four when she gave her the cinnamon lipstick.. that's probably what Scott mean't. Still, for him to think we wouldn't question that with the Xander dream still in the mix.. Joss is always out to trick us.

[Weredog]

It's pretty clear that Satsu kissed Buffy. Like you said, when Buffy woke up to the kiss she shouted "Cinnamon buns!" Then in the next issue, she applied Satsu's lipstick and noted: "Hm. Cinnamon."

This does not mean Buffy is gay. Whedon made that clear that for her to wake up, she had to be kissed by someone who's in love with her, not vice versa. In Issue #2, Xander and Amy discuss this matter:
X: So this doesn't have to be someone she's in love with.
A: No, I said. Just someone truly in love with her.
So, yes, Satsu is gay, whereas Buffy is not.
And judging by Jeanty's cover for #11, I think Satsu's infatuation will be revealed/discussed with Buffy. I think.

[Nostalgia]

I wasn't saying that it was vice-versa.. I just hope to God it doesn't in the future.. it's just very out of character.. and wouldn't be what I pictured for Buffy at all.. like King said.. as a female empowerment icon.. becoming a lesbian just wouldn't fit with me.

I have to say though.. I'm not sure it has relevance.. but did anyone realize Anywhere but Here is the game that the gang played in season 2? Their passing the time game when in school.. again, I am almost positive is it pointless. Just interesting. (I know this because my old board was called this.)

[KingofCretins]

Yep, and I think that's probably a clue to the core of the issue -- our main characters assessing where they are in their lives and how they feel about it. What they want and hope for, what they think and feel. I am actually hoping it's a very wordy, no-action, all calm dialogue kind of issue.

[Enisy]

I still think wasting plot development of Buffy's love life on a basically off-screen character like Spike or Angel would be pointless

Since Joss has promised us Willow and Tara for this issue (the latter being a permanently off-screen character), Angel and Spike might also be brought up for Buffy's character development. I actually hope that is the case... There's a reason the Faith arc has been the best so far -- more character development and less plot/flashy battles/disproportionate monsters.

[Nostalgia]

I think the monsters have been awesome.. as well as the battles..

I do agree though..

[Koos]

Unfortunately, Joss and Scott Allie confirmed (although did not give any consolation to it being hard to figure out reasonablly) that Satsu is the kisser. So, that's not a factor for Buffy/Xander.

The way I remember this spoilory thing was that Joss told this in a jokingly manner. I don't know if he was serious about it. To me the whole Satsu is the kisser because of her lipstick is just too obvious to be true. And as others have said, she wasn't shown in the room when Buffy was kissed.

Anyway, I wouldn't put my money on anyone. Could just have been that Satsu had borrowed the lipstick from someone else. Or it could have been that she had kissed the mysterious kisser prior to The Kiss; leaving the taste of the lipstick behind.

Who knows?

[Enisy]

Scott Allie: We were real surprised that [the fans] didn't figure out that Satsu kissed Buffy, that Satsu's in love with Buffy.

[sueworld]

Yeah, the fans were looking for something unexpected, or clever, and as per in this series so far, they got neither.

Very much a case 'What you see is what you get'.

[Weredog]

I thought it was pretty unexpected that it was Satsu. I would've felt spoonfed if it was Xander cause anyone, who was anyone, saw him coming.

[Wolfie Gilmore]

Yeah, the fans were looking for something unexpected, or clever, and as per in this series so far, they got neither.

Very much a case 'What you see is what you get'.

Yeah - I thought Satsu was a mislead, "Surely it can't be solved in that throwaway fashion", I thought, re the whole cinnamon shtick. So I was a bit miffed to read that that WAS the clever reveal.

However, if they play out the unrequited love of a junior slayer for her boss, that could be interesting, and would make the notion that Satsu was the kisser more worthwhile. Otherwise it's just a bit random! I wish they'd shown more of Satsu before the reveal, too, becaue I don't really know what it means for Satsu to be in love with Buffy, because I don't feel I know who she is...aside from having great hair.

Which I don't even think she does particularly. Buffy, as Gigi points out, isn't always the best judge of hair

Re Anywhere but here, I'm very much looking forward to a Willow/Buffy centric storyline. Felt like we've been getting a nice sense of their friendship recently, but that there still are things that are being kept secret, or at least not fully disclosed...eg Willow saying she'll tell Buffy later about what went on with Kennedy (think that was in one of the first couple of issues?)

[Sosa lola]

I've read a really nice Buffy/Satsu fic, I'm not into fem Slash, but I'm enjoying the whole Satsu has a crush on Buffy bit. I'm so glad it wasn't Xander who kissed Buffy, because I want new stuff, new characters interacting with old characters, new subplots, new twists. It's one of the reasons I was disappointed with Warren coming back, I want new evil guys.

[Weredog]

It's one of the reasons I was disappointed with Warren coming back, I want new evil guys.

Me too! I can see why Joss did that; to confirm to everyone that this is continuing from the tv series. But, I agree with you. One of the (many) reasons "No Future for You" is way better than "Long Way Home" is because it introduces a refreshing new villain. I wish we would've seen Gigi on tv.