Spike and Angel both implied that they expected to go end up in hell eventually, too. Didn't they?

Before they died, you mean? I could see that for Angel, not so much Spike.

I also don't see any reason to believe that they'd have any greater knowledge than any of us as to their final destination.

I'd credit Angel with a bit more expertise on the subject, what with actually having gone to both some etheric limbo and to hell. But I suspect his certainty about damnation comes from the blood he's gotten on his hands since his soul was restored.

Darla going to hell wasn't such a shock, what with the renouncing God with her last breath and all. Though I do think it possible that her soul departed in a more upward direction at the end of "The Trial"—her Season 4 appearance would certainly seem to indicate that she ended up on the side of the angels.

her Season 4 appearance would certainly seem to indicate that she ended up on the side of the angels.

Ooh, good point. I'd forgotten all about that.

There is also the ambiguous line that Darla had in the episode "Darla":

Darla: "It wasn't my name when I was human. - The first time when I was human, I mean."

Lindsey: "What was your name?"

Darla: "Hmm - I don't remember. (Shakes her head) I'm not her, whoever she was.
I was Darla for so long - then I wasn't. I - I wasn't anything. I just stopped. - He killed me. I was done.
(Turns to look at Lindsey) Then you brought be back."

Lindsey: "Yes."

Darla steps closer: "What did you bring back, Lindsey? What am I? Did you bring back that girl, whose name I can't remember? - Or did you bring back something else? - The other thing."

It just occurs to me that the "I was done" was the way the Buffy described hersel in "After Life".

OK, I just came back from Vividcon a couple of days ago and I'm feeling still high and emotional and stuff, and there was this completely heartbreaking early season Willow/Xander vid by pipsqueaky and I just found out it's online!!

t /incoherent gibbering

Ordinary: It's the first vid on the page. I defy anyone (who is not Elena) to watch this vid and not cry at the end. And smack Xander realllly hard.

Vortex, we screwed up our PC, and I can't watch the vid. Can you spoil some of the highlights in white font, please?

Vonnie, stop pretending you are Vortex, all right?

Vonnie, stop pretending you are Vortex, all right?

But I have so much more fun as Vortex! Damn.

Cindy, the vid is set to Paula Cole's I Am So Ordinary and if that's not the most perfect song choice for early season Willow/Xander, I don't know what it is. (Spoiler for the vid) It's a very simple concept, and a very straightforward vid, but just marvellously done. Each verse tells of Xander's infatuation/relationships with his non-Willow objects of affection--first Buffy, then Ampata then Cordelia--through Willow's eyes. The vidder uses one simple special effect to a *great* result; she slows down the shot the end of each verse (in tandem with the song), tight on Willow's hurt face. One of the participants on the Vid Review said it was like visual representation of how time itself seems to come to a halt when you're 15 and your entire world is destroyed, and you just stay there, huddled and in pain, seemingly never to recover. It's like the vidder put you right there into Willow's shoes. And the vid ends with a shot of Willow's face from... I think, "The Pack" and I swear you watch her face and you heart just snaps in half. Gah!

Man, my description sucks. You really have to watch the vid. Or failing that, wait for the Vividcon DVD sale announcement and buy a copy, because it would be so worth it.

How does one get a vid to play, anyhow? I've downloaded both formats and tried every single image and/or movie viewing/making/playing program I have, and they all just look blankly at it and tell me it doesn't exist in any meaningful form. Word wants to open it, but all Word does is convert every scrap of info into gibberishy text, which is only likely to make me cry with frustration.

Thanks, Vonnie. I will try to watch it at my mother's house someday.

It depends on the format. "Ordinary" is available as .rm, which plays in RealMedia, and .wmv, which plays in Windows Media Player. Having one of those applications would help. Also, you should probably tell Word not to try and open your video files. If you want more info on how to do that, I can meet you over in Buffistechnology.