Buffyverse
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"Buffyverse" is a term coined by fans of Joss Whedon's first two television shows to refer to the shared fictional universe in which they are set. The issues over the use of terminology to describe the fictional universe established by Buffy and Angel has not been clear cut, and in fact a number of terms are in use, of which 'Buffyverse' is the most common.
The boundaries of the Buffyverse have grown over the years. The fictional universe was initially being created only through Buffy episodes. The popularity of the series led to licensed fiction carrying the Buffy label, and resulted in fans begining to distinguish what is 'real' within the Buffyverse by dividing canonical and non-canonical sources. The TV series Angel first aired in 1999, and is canonical within the Buffyverse. Angel novels and comics, like Buffy ones are usually considered apocryphal.
The Buffyverse established by these many stories is a place in which supernatural phenomenon is undeniable. The existence of vampires and demons is challenged by people willing to fight against such forces.
In many ways this world is not dissimilar to ours. However, in the Buffyverse, elements of the supernatural are found throughout the world, though only a small proportion of the population are aware of this. It is interesting to note that although many unique aspects of the Buffyverse are introduced as "good" or "evil" and are usually treated as such, both "good" and "bad" tend to be forced into more ambiguous "grey areas". A few of the main aspects of the Buffyverse follow.
The number of demon species is vast. While it seems all are technically "evil" (whatever that means), some — notably Lorne and Clem — are benign. While demons are often said to lack souls, this apparently means human souls and the conscience that goes with them; the complete soullessness of the Mok'tagar is said to be distinctive (Living Conditions). There appears to be some level of discontinuity in regard to the intrinsic evilness of demons. Throughout most of Buffy and the beginning of Angel, demons were portrayed as intrinsically evil. To some extent, however, over the course of Angel, demons came to be more like Star Trek aliens (potentially good, bad, or morally neutral).
Slayers are not the only people willing to face the forces of darkness. The Watchers' Council offer guidance and authority to the Slayer. Elsewhere some people/organizations who find out about demonic forces choose to fight against it. A group of socially disadvantaged black youngsters in L.A. attempts to fight back against the vampires which were destroying their community. (See Charles Gunn.) Even parts of the government and other authority figures are aware of the truth.
In the Buffyverse there seems to be some extraordinarily advanced technology available to some. For example, robots are living among the ordinary citizens of the Buffyverse: in the Internet ("I, Robot... You, Jane"), produced by people decades ago ("Ted"), produced by youngsters today ("I Was Made to Love You"), and even used by dark powers ("Lineage").
Buffyverse is by far the most commonly used phrase to describe the fictional universe of Buffy and Angel. However other terms are also sometimes used.
There are some problems attached to the use of this term; It might be mistakenly seen as excluding information from Angel. However, many fans argue that "Buffyverse" is appropriate to describe the fictional universe encompassing Buffy, Angel, and further expansions to the mythology, because Buffy was the original show, and all further mythology built upon that starting point.
Despite problems with the term, googling "Buffyverse" brings almost four times more hits than "Whedonverse" googled [link]. Furthermore, "Buffyverse" is used on the vast majority of these links to describe the fictional universe encompassing both shows.
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''Steps to : Characteristics of the Buffyverse
The Old Ones
The world was originally ruled by powerful pure-breed demons, the Old Ones. The Old Ones were eventually driven out of this dimension. Any who remained were vanquished or imprisoned in the "Deeper Well", now hidden in England. These demons are the object of reverence and worship from lesser demon species.Vampires
According to legend in the Buffyverse, the last Old One to leave this dimension fed off a human and their blood mixed. A demon was trapped in the human body in the place of the soul. Giles describes how the being "bit another, and another, and so they walk the Earth" ("Welcome to the Hellmouth"). Some elements of traditional vampire mythology are used whilst others are abandoned.Demons
Very few pure demons exist in our world; most have some taint of humanity. Indeed Angel's first season features a number of half-demons, including Doyle: his mother is human, and his father is a Brachen demon.Slayers
A group of shamans used the essence of a demon to produce the First Slayer. She was banished from her own village and forced to fight the forces of darkness alone. When she died another girl was "chosen" in her place. The line of Slayers is maintained right up until some point in the 21st century. The Slayer is given great strength and fast healing powers.\"The good fight\"
Magic
Magic in the Buffyverse can be used for all manner of control. Spells can be performed by anyone by use of magical items while saying particular words. Witches and warlocks however have more knowledge and power for using it for their purposes.Technology
Alternate terms
Like "Buffyverse", these can be interpreted as being "tied" to only one particular show (Buffy, and Angel respectively). "Slayerverse" overlooks the fact that relatively few Angel episodes contained Slayers, while "Angelverse" suggests that the mythology built up in Angel takes place in a separate fictional universe from that of Buffy.
These are often interpreted as including any or all of Joss Whedon's other work: Astonishing X-Men, , Firefly, Roseanne, Speed, Toy Story, and Waterworld. These other works appear to have no connection whatsoever to what fans consider "the Buffyverse". The use of the term "Whedonverse" is growing in Internet fandom but is often used to describe Firefly as well as Buffy/Angel (a few examples: [Whedon.info], , and [Whedonverse Multimedia Project]).
This explicitly refers to both shows. However, it is also rarely used and is arguably the least aesthetically pleasing option. However even this term does not acknowledge additions such as Fray..
The success of Angel independent of its parent show, and speculation about future spin-offs that are unlikely to feature the characters of Buffy or Angel, have led to an increased desire for an alternative term which might try to avoid tying the concept to the name of one character or one show. No solution to these problems in terminology is likely to be found.
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