I don't care what you do or don't ship and I'm NOT here to make any "should be/was canon" arguments. I'm just sick and tired of seeing Anti's call Buffy/Giles "inc*st" because not only are they obviously not blood related but Giles is canonically NOT her Father Figure (and if he was, he wouldn't be a good one but that's an essay for another day).
If you've read this far, please let me take you through a few easily provable points from canon:
1. Yes, Travers says “fatherly love” but neither Giles nor Buffy ever confirm or deny this. In the same episode, Buffy was clearly hinting that Giles replace her dad at the ice show and Giles ignored those hints, never took her as far as we know.
2. In fact, Giles has repeatedly cast off the role of “father” to Buffy (and all the Scoobies, really). In S6 he specifically (and jokingly) asks to be the Uncle, if he must be cast as family. His discomfort in that moment is palpable on the screen. He later says in song that he wishes he could “play the father” but knows he cannot.
3. In S4, Buffy calls him the Patriarch. But with Buffy playing the traditionally Matriarchal role as planner and cook. Joyce is not even in the episode. Spike repeatedly calls Buffy the "lady of the house" and Buffy often plays more into this role (as an equal partner to Giles).
4. In S5, Giles jokes about being in a paternal role while everyone else moves furniture. He refers to it as “lots of pointing and scowling” which is not actually what he had been doing at all but gives us some insight into how he pictures Fathers behaving. He tried to do 'scowling and pointing' in S1 and that very quickly fell apart to the point where Wesley becomes a purposeful mockery of this in S3.
5. Buffy has ALWAYS had more power in their dynamic. From S1, Giles has been in awe of her, he has taken orders from her - unquestioningly at times and with some challenges at others. There was never a time in their dynamic that Giles had more power, despite his age and position. As Buffy grows up, their roles become more of a partnership, with Buffy still being the leader by default in most cases.
6. It's only in S7 that Buffy indicates to Giles that perhaps she has "outgrown" him (as a teacher) but their behavior toward one another in S5 was already on very equal footing so this comment in S7 seems redundant and is clearly said at that time with the intent to wound.
7. Spike notices things that the others do not. He knew Willow was devastated before Buffy did. He calls it like it is. He is the one character who expresses he “wondered” about Giles and Buffy. After living with Giles and being around them constantly. Observing.
8. Buffy often expresses disgust or disinterest as a way to deny her feelings about things. Think of how many times in S5 she expressed a repulsion to Spike? Hell, in episode 1 of S1, she expresses a deep dislike of Angel. It’s called Reaction Formation: a defense mechanism in which a repressed desire/feeling is expressed at a conscious level in a contrasting form. (Think older siblings getting overly involved with the new baby because deep down they resent it.) So, again, without implying it has to be romantic, I do not fully trust Buffy’s assertions that Giles is “old and gross.”
9. When identifying herself as Buffy, not Faith, Buffy uses the info about Giles’s prowess in bed?? Like, maybe your relationship with your dad is really different but I wouldn’t identify myself to my dad with “mom says you give great D.”
10. Don’t get me started on “bondage fun.”
11. To the point of Giles x Joyce: valid and fair. Would definitely be an “ick” factor for a lot of people. But let’s be honest - Buffy has fucked 2 Vampires, one of whom was the grandsire of the other. Or did everyone just forget that part? Characters regularly have sex with demons on this show. Riley unknowingly slept with Faith and Buffy still got back together with him. Xander tries to r*pe Buffy while under a spell and they stay best friends.
12. Speaking of vamps, Angel is 200+ and apparently fell in love with 15 yr old Buffy at first sight. His love involved guarding, protecting, and mentoring her. Sometimes he even told her what to do or acted in her best interest without consulting her - which does sometimes get called out in canon. If he looked his age, how might fans feel differently about his role? Not knocking the ship, just putting things into perspective.
If Giles had looked like this:
and Angel looked like this:
Would fans have seen them differently? Would Buffy?
There's no answer to that, of course, because it happened the way it happened. I'm not trying to talk anyone into shipping anything they don't want to - as stated above. I just wanted to make it clear that B/G shippers are not just sitting here ignoring canon.
You may absolutely LOVE and embrace Giles as the father figure you wish you'd had and that is valid! Most of us shippers (though I can't speak for everyone) don't see him that way - for many of the reasons above.
And honestly, I don't care if people DO want to ship inc*st ships, just stop telling me that I am when I know that is not my experience or POV.
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