Origin Stories (Buffy vid)

Origin Stories is a Buffyverse vid. It was released with the tag line, "It's Nikki Wood's fucking coat." Commissioned and conceived by Thuvia Ptarth for Sweet Charity, the vid was made by Gianduja Kiss in 2008 and is about race and appropriation in the Buffyverse. 
As aca-fan Henry Jenkins describes it, this commentary is "hung on the fact that Spike's trademark leather coat turns out to be a trophy taken from the body of Nikki Wood, whose son Robin Wood shows up in season seven to avenge her. The vid critiques not only the text, but also the fan response to it, both of which tended to privilege Spike's redemption arc over the stories of Buffy's minority characters.", a 2010 blog post by Henry Jenkins. Accessed October 10, 2020.
Origin Stories was immediately popular with Buffyverse fandom and widely recced by fans, reaching a wider audience within and outside fandom. This vid circulated widely through fandom in 2008 as part of a larger conversation about race in both source and fannish texts. In a 2010 interview with Francesca Coppa, the creator Gianduja Kiss described the reception "Origin Stories" received following its release. 
The vid was shown at Vividcon 2008, as part of 2008 Vids that Push the Envelope vidshow.Vividcon 2008: 2008 Vids That Push the Envelope In 2010, Origin Stories returned to Vividcon as part of a vidshow on Race and Representation in Vidding.Vividcon 2010: 2010 Race and Representation in Vidding
==Backstory==
The treatment of the few characters of colour in the Whedonverse is often used as an example of the underlying racism in the source material, and their treatment by fandom and fan creators is also an area of discussion. Immediately following Robin Wood's first appearance on BtVS, the Livejournal community deadbrowalking was created. Robin was the first major African American character on the show and as the name of this comm suggests, there was an expectation within fandom that Robin Wood would not survive long. Previous characters of colour in BtVS have been under-developed, stereotyped, and/or killed shortly after their first appearance. While Robin did survive the series finale, his storyline contributed to ongoing discussions about race in fandom. Initially presented as a possible minor antagonist, his quest to avenge his mother's murder put him at odds with some of the white main characters, who sought to protect her murderer.
Thuvia Ptarth's original concept was for a vid about Robin Wood and the other Slayers; his mother Nikki Wood, the First Slayer, the Chinese Slayer, and Dana. Thuvia sought to reframe the narrative to focus on Robin's story, from his perspective, and the "the untold story of the underappreciated vampire fighters".Three Origin Stories by Thuvia Ptarth, March 2 2008 
Gianduja Kiss was interested in the concept, but highlight several obstacles to telling this story in vid format. This included a lack of source material. These "minor" characters weren't afforded much screentime in the series. When the Slayers did appear they were rarely the focal point of a scene, as their stories were not the focus of the narrative. 
==A Story in Three Acts==
Gianduja Kiss describes how they structured the vid into three acts.
Act One: The Set-Up runs from the first chorus ("We don't need no walkie-talkies") through the second chorus. This act introduces the various characters. It depicts the creation of the first Slayer, and Robin's childhood. The first act also shows the Slayers, Potential Slayers and Robin as strong and powerful people. Spike is framed as an antagonist, shown fighting the Slayers. It also introduces Buffy and intentionally does not depict her as a powerful fighter. From Gianduja Kiss: Thuvia Ptarth "believed that the Buffy/Spike storyline was elevated above the other storylines, both by writers and by fans; visually, the easiest way to portray that was to turn Buffy-the-character into a stand-in for the writers and fans who had elevated Spike over Robin. So in this vid, she's never quite with the slayers and she's constantly choosing Spike over them."
Act Two: Confrontation runs from the end of the second chorus through Robin's fight with Spike. We see characters introduced in Act One fight and die. The vid blames Spike, either explicitly or by association, and Buffy is portrayed as complicit. 
Act Three: History Repeating focuses on a new Slayer, Dana. Her scenes are intercut to show her Slayer heritage. Unlike the other Slayers Spike has fought, Dana defeats him and reclaims Nikki's coat, but other characters intervene to stop her. Dana's defeat mirrors Robin's, and the last scene of the vid depicts Spike putting on Nikki's coat.
==Reactions & Reviews==
==Related and Inspired==
* Origin Stories: The Backstory by the creator Gianduja Kiss (2008).
* Three origin stories, archive link by Thuvia Ptarth (2008)
* It's Nikki Wood's Fucking Coat: An Essay About Race In the Buffyverse, archive link by saeva (2008)
==References==
Category:Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vids
Category:Angel the Series Vids
Category:2008 Vids
Category:2021 Featured Articles