You may ask yourself, "Well...how did I get here?"

[Penny Century]

It's been a while since we've done a thread like this, but as we inch ever closer to 3,250 members (!), the steady influx of new citizens has me wondering. How about an informal poll for the new guys that can double as a Welcome Strangers/delurk thread...

How did you find this board? Did you go looking for one like it (C/A? CC?), or did you follow a link from somewhere else?

Did you come to AtS as a Buffy viewer? As a standalone series? Through reruns?

How did you get interested in the C/A-ness -- through the series? Through fanfic?

Are you a new viewer who liked C/A from watching it unfold? Or an original (first-run) viewer who is just now warming up to it?

Let's have some fun.

[Will]

Cool idea! I hope Im doing this right...

How did you find this board? Did you go looking for one like it (C/A? CC?), or did you follow a link from somewhere else?

I found it from a link from another forum (which I never joined) This is the only Angel related forum Ive posted on.

Did you come to AtS as a Buffy viewer? As a standalone series? Through reruns?

Yes as a Buffy viewer, in the original run I only saw the first 3 Seasons of BtVS and 1 1/2 of AtS. I recently bought the entire DVD collection of AtS and wow did I enjoy it. Ive never seen the final 4 Seasons of Buffy.

How did you get interested in the C/A-ness -- through the series? Through fanfic?

Through the Series, they were so hot in Season 3. I thought it was all part of the greater plan for their relationship to go off course for Season 4, how wrong I was

Are you a new viewer who liked C/A from watching it unfold? Or an original (first-run) viewer who is just now warming up to it?

Believe it or not Cordy & Angel were always my favourite characters on BtVS. I couldn't believe it when I heard they were getting their own series together and wow how that grew.

[leobrat]

Yay, this is fun!

How did you find this board? Did you go looking for one like it (C/A? CC?), or did you follow a link from somewhere else?
I found this board basically by playing 'follow the blinking link'...I was looking for C/A boards, because most of the boards I found were very seldom updated or visited, so I was happy to find lots of activity, years after the 'heyday' of the couple.

Did you come to AtS as a Buffy viewer? As a standalone series? Through reruns?
I recently saw both series for the first time over the past couple of months. I leave for work at 7:25, and I used to flip between FX and TNT while I was getting ready for work, becoming increasingly addicted to the Jossverse, and frustrated that I couldn't ever get the full story. And of course, I was watching the series completely out of order, and knew I was missing huge chunks, so I eventually caved and bought all the boxsets at one whack (it turned out to be cheaper that way).

How did you get interested in the C/A-ness -- through the series? Through fanfic?
I was interested in C/A before I ever saw a singled episode of AtS or Buffy. A while back, I was playing another game of 'follow the blinking link', and wound up on a site called http://www.unexpected-fate.net/lovestories/menu.html when I was looking for Dawson's Creek and The O.C. videos. She's a very talented vidder, so after I'd pored through the fandoms I was familiar with, I thought I'd look through her BTVS videos. Even though I'd never watched the show, I was somewhat familiar with her characters, and saw that she had an Angel/Cordelia section. I had never heard of them as a couple, only that Buffy and Angel were supposed to be the truest love of all time, so I figured that C/A was just her own shipper delusions. I saw a video of Cordelia and Angel being a family with Connor, and I just fell in love with them.

Are you a new viewer who liked C/A from watching it unfold? Or an original (first-run) viewer who is just now warming up to it?
Since I was a C/A shipper before ever watching the show, I was on pins and needles throughout watching BTVS 1-3, smiling and melting at all the little Cangel moments in the early seasons.

[brahmsviolin]

How did you find this board? Did you go looking for one like it (C/A? CC?), or did you follow a link from somewhere else?
I was looking for an angel/cordelia friendly site and this, by far, was the best.

Did you come to AtS as a Buffy viewer? As a standalone series? Through reruns?
I actually never watched more than a few episodes of Buffy. I liked several of the characters surrounding Buffy, but have never been able to stand the character. When I heard that Angel and Cordelia would be on a new show, I had to check it out. Later, I was able to make myself sit through Buffy episodes, even though I tended to read during Buffy's histrionics.

How did you get interested in the C/A-ness -- through the series? Through fanfic?
It grew on me. I loved their friendship and that, for me, is what made the possibility of a relationship real. The "love at first sight" stuff makes me gag. Of course, I hated what they did to them and would have much preferred a continued close friendship, rather than that disgusting mess we got. I turned to the fanfic to augment my love of C/A and to get from the fans what I couldn't get from ME.

Are you a new viewer who liked C/A from watching it unfold? Or an original (first-run) viewer who is just now warming up to it?
I'm an original viewer. I'm not here much anymore, since I work full time and am going to college full-time, but I still like to pop in and catch up on the CC news.

[aerynsun]

I’m far from a new member but I can delurk for a second.

How did you find this board? Did you go looking for one like it (C/A? CC?), or did you follow a link from somewhere else?

I only lurk on this board but I have lurked sense it was a very simple forum with a green background. I think it was called something else then.
As someone who found Angel before Buffy I really didn’t understand the fandom. I remember hunting for sites and finding these little anti Kate and Riley icons and having no idea what was going on. The Buffy and Angel soulmates4eva fans really put me off and they seemed to plague most boards. At the time I found this board Cordelia wasn’t even my favorite character. I just really liked reading posts and opinions about both shows and characters here.

Did you come to AtS as a Buffy viewer? As a standalone series? Through reruns?

I started watching Angel half way into season one and starting watching Buffy only after finding out Angel was a spin-off of that show.

How did you get interested in the C/A-ness -- through the series? Through fanfic?

I liked the dynamic between Angel and Cordelia. I loved the natural progression of their relationship during the first 2 and half seasons. I would have loved it if the writers had allowed their relationship to continue into a romantic sense at the same pace. The words kyrumption and champion killed it for me. Season four put the nails in the coffin.

Are you a new viewer who liked C/A from watching it unfold? Or an original (first-run) viewer who is just now warming up to it?

Original viewer. I stated liking C/A after the season one finale.

[LisaMarie514]

How did you find this board? Did you go looking for one like it (C/A? CC?), or did you follow a link from somewhere else?

I think I found it through a google search for Angel fan fiction, around the start of AtS. I hit on a C/A fic that was amazing, I wish I could remember the name, and got sucked in as one could say.

Did you come to AtS as a Buffy viewer? As a standalone series? Through reruns?

I was a Buffy viewer, actually with Buffy from the very first staking on the WB. My sister and I both thought that Cordelia had it right calling DB "salty goodness" and I was hooked on the Whedonverse. I was excited to see that AtS was more adult

How did you get interested in the C/A-ness -- through the series? Through fanfic?

I think because I got tired of the "Buffy is the love of my life" crap that was way overdone by season 3 of BtVS. I was surprised when CC showed up on AtS, and liked that her character grew to be more than just a superficial bitch. I liked the dynamic that grew between Angel and Cordy. They seemed to fit better than A/B and I thought they would be a good couple when I saw the last episode of Season 1 with her in the hospital and Angel rubbing her cheek. sigh

Are you a new viewer who liked C/A from watching it unfold? Or an original (first-run) viewer who is just now warming up to it?
I warmed up as it unfolded realtime. I stopped watching when Joss put Cordy and Connor in the bedroom. (can you say gag me with a spoon)

[chatty]

How did you find this board? Did you go looking for one like it (C/A? CC?), or did you follow a link from somewhere else?

I was recced a list of fic, one of which was at JustFic. I was so excited! I started clicking on a million different links and ended up at ST.

Did you come to AtS as a Buffy viewer? As a standalone series? Through reruns? I had just moved to a new city and finally bought a TV, and landed on Angel, just at the beginning of season 3. I had seen a few Buffy episodes years before, but didn't even connect the two shows at first! I didn't really have any interest in watching Buffy at first, but finally watched the DVDs after its series finale.

How did you get interested in the C/A-ness -- through the series? Through fanfic? Definitely through the series. I was a C/A-er from the beginning, before I even knew who Buffy was.

Are you a new viewer who liked C/A from watching it unfold? Or an original (first-run) viewer who is just now warming up to it? I loved C/A from (my) beginning. I lost interest in AtS halfway through season 4, after Jasmine was hatched, but watched until the end anyway - kept waiting for Cordy to come back! When Season 5 started and she wasn't in the credits, I did some snooping, found out she wasn't going to be in the that season, and stopped watching the show. I got all the old seasons on DVD, and watched them as a C/Aer! It was so weird to me that people didn't get the C/A, when as a new viewer it was totally what sucked me in and kept me hooked!

[Sunshine]

Here's how it went...

Back in the day I was a big b/a fan. I mean BIG! (Yeah, all aboard the B/Aer Express). Honesty, I didn't notice Cordelia really until season 3 with Xander cheating and the impalment. No one ever won over my sympathy as fast as she did. To put it nicely... it f*cking p*ssed me off at how the scoobies just drop her and treated her after that! (Hint of things to come, I guess.)

The first couple of episodes of Angel didn't appeal to me, but as Cordy and Angel's relationship grew, I got more interested. I liked their dynamic. I didn't put two and two together until Season 1 finale and the exact thought that came to my mind was "whoa" (stoned surfer accent and all) and I was done with B/A right then and there. When I looked back at my beloved B/A, it just looked -what's the word -stupid. I stopped watched before the whole Cordy and Connor thing, except for You're Welcome. I wasn't going to let Joss ruin the best ship he had going (well, the best NOT going, as it were). ]I still can't see why people don't get C/A.

Googling for C/A sites I found this one to share my fasinatingly boring story. And on to C/A fanfiction. NC-17. Hmmmm. That's what I talkin' about.

[Insert Joss's head here]

[MissWera]

How did you find this board? Did you go looking for one like it (C/A? CC?), or did you follow a link from somewhere else?

I followed a link...not sure from were...hmm...could have been from the C-C forum.

Did you come to AtS as a Buffy viewer? As a standalone series? Through reruns?

As a Buffy viewer. Though I started watching Buffy on it's 3rd season. Reruns. But now I've got some DVD boxes I started watching Angel on it's 3rd season as well....I've got some Angel DVD boxes too.

How did you get interested in the C/A-ness -- through the series? Through fanfic?

Through the series. I loved Cordelia on Buffy and Angel. I didn't really like Angel that much until he got his own show.

Are you a new viewer who liked C/A from watching it unfold? Or an original (first-run) viewer who is just now warming up to it?

I began to like them when I started watching Angel(3rd season)!

[galathea]

How did you find this board? Did you go looking for one like it (C/A? CC?), or did you follow a link from somewhere else? I was searching for some C/A fanfic and found just fic and worked my way through it with passion! I lurked here for some month before I finally registered.

Did you come to AtS as a Buffy viewer? As a standalone series? Through reruns? A friend of mine who is a huge BtVS fan recommended Buffy to me and I watched it on DVDs last year. I soon became interested in Angel as a character and watched AtS right after finishing BtVS and have been a huge fan ever since.

How did you get interested in the C/A-ness -- through the series? Through fanfic? Through the series, definitely! Funny thing is, I started AtS as a B/A shipper, which was crushed pretty fast when Sanctuary hit my screen. I always loved Cordy as a character back on BtVS and I came to adore her on AtS and by the time I reached To Shanshu In LA I realized how perfect Cordy was for Angel. So C/A won me over slowly but steady and I have never looked back (kinda wondering nowadays what hit me to ship B/A lol)

Are you a new viewer who liked C/A from watching it unfold? Or an original (first-run) viewer who is just now warming up to it? As I stated above, a pretty new viewer who grew to C/A while it unfolded on the screen. They became my favourite couple on TV.

[brownsbros3]

How did you find this board? Did you go looking for one like it (C/A? CC?), or did you follow a link from somewhere else?

I was posting regularly at www.charisma-carpenter.com, and several of our members here, who were also members there, encouraged to give www.stranger-things.net a shot.

Did you come to AtS as a Buffy viewer? As a standalone series? Through reruns?

I was a Buffy viewer and switched over to ATS, because I was curious as to how Angel and Cordelia were going to co-exist given the limited interaction they had on BTVS.

How did you get interested in the C/A-ness -- through the series? Through fanfic?

I got interested in C/A through the series.

Are you a new viewer who liked C/A from watching it unfold? Or an original (first-run) viewer who is just now warming up to it?

I enjoyed watching it unfold.

[~Ruby~]

How did you find this board? Did you go looking for one like it (C/A? CC?), or did you follow a link from somewhere else?

I can't actually remember but I think that I was probably searching for C/A sites and this one, thankfully, came up.

Did you come to AtS as a Buffy viewer? As a standalone series? Through reruns?

I started watching AtS first and then watched Buffy. Season three of AtS had just started showing here in England and it was on after something else I used to watch so I just started watching it and then I watched all the reruns of season one and two to catch up.

How did you get interested in the C/A-ness -- through the series? Through fanfic?

I loved the friendship that C/A shared on the show but fanfic completely got me hooked on them being more then just friends.

Are you a new viewer who liked C/A from watching it unfold? Or an original (first-run) viewer who is just now warming up to it?

I loved watching their relationship unfold.

[Cordy's Bitch]

My answer is same as it ever was...

How did you find this board? Did you go looking for one like it (C/A? CC?), or did you follow a link from somewhere else?

Ummm.....Wren.

Did you come to AtS as a Buffy viewer? As a standalone series? Through reruns?
I started watching both at the same time, at the beginning of AtS and Season 4 of Buffy. Caught up fairly quickly thanks to TNT.

How did you get interested in the C/A-ness -- through the series? Through fanfic?

I have a fetish for brunettes. Next question?

Are you a new viewer who liked C/A from watching it unfold? Or an original (first-run) viewer who is just now warming up to it?

I liked it back from the days when it was subtext, 'cause that unspoken sexual tension that just boils inside, and just festers into an open wound that ...

Well, yeah, from watching it unfold. But if Angel wasn't going to take her against a wall, I was.

Qu'est Que C'est
fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better

[Livvie]

Love this thread! LOVE IT! Read through all the responses. Lots of varied ones, really interesting. (And love the Talking Heads throwbacks here!)

So onto my answers, as boring as they might be:

How did you find this board? Did you go looking for one like it (C/A? CC?), or did you follow a link from somewhere else?
I had joined an Angel Yahoo group, looking for some decent fic. Someone posted a story that lead me to a basic Whedonverse board, that lead me to a C/A board, and then someone (who I can't remember) PMed me and told me to check out ST if I was more of a CC fan than a DB fan. And here I am! If you were the person who PMed...THANK YOU! Love this place.

Did you come to AtS as a Buffy viewer? As a standalone series? Through reruns?
When I was in high school, the entire crowd I ran with was HUGE Buffy fans. We had drama rehearsals after school so someone would always tape and we would have weekend Buffy showings. Lame, yes. Fun, yes. I was instantly in love with Cordy. At that point in my life, the character really resonated with me. (I was a Homecoming Princess, wanted to be an actress, got the highest ACT scores). So when she went over to Angel, though I didn't like the character of Angel, I went along. I gradually drifted away from Buffy during Season 4 and focused on Angel. I think by then I was in college and Angel was just a bit more mature. I could associate more with it. And yes, went to Buffy/Angel viewing nights in my dorm.

How did you get interested in the C/A-ness -- through the series? Through fanfic? Are you a new viewer who liked C/A from watching it unfold? Or an original (first-run) viewer who is just now warming up to it?

(I put these together because they are sort of connected for me. Sorry if this answer is so long!)

The first round of Angel, the original showing, I was rooting for C/A. But I never shipped them. Never went to a site or anything for them. Never read fic. I actually stopped watching after Apocalypse Nowish because I was so disturbed by Connor/Cordelia. Out of Season 5, I only watched a handful of episodes. I felt like I owed it to myself to watch the last few episodes. I was in college and I just didn't have the time or inclination to ship a couple. I was really focused on school and research. And I had never shipped a couple before. I honestly didn't even know what it meant. (How I came to find out what shipping and subbing was, whole other ballgame!) I was also very stuck up and very concerned about what people thought of me. I really thought people that wrote fanfic and read it were creepy. Obviously, don't feel that way anymore. LOL

Then, a few months ago, I got a friend of mine interested in Angel. He had never watched the series before. And he really enjoyed it. Because I had sparked his interest, it re-sparked mine. I got the boxsets and I realized how much I missed the C/A relationship. My friend and I got talking about C/A and I started looking, for fics, for boards, for anything so I had someone to talk to aside from him. I hadn't realized until then, until I actually had to talk about it, how much I liked C/A. I was still mad about the way the couple was ruined, so as Brahm said, I went to seek out some fic. Once I read some fic, wanted to write some fic. Wrote some, wanted to post it someplace. Rest is history!

[psychofilly]

How did you find this board? Did you go looking for one like it (C/A? CC?), or did you follow a link from somewhere else?

I was on the Angel's Soul Spoiler Board, Several Yahoo Boards and the WB website, and while the spoiler board was nice, the WB board sucked ass. Some of the ASSB were posters at ST and turned me on to the site and I've been here ever since.

Did you come to AtS as a Buffy viewer? As a standalone series? Through reruns?

Ooh, it's been so long it seems shrouded in mystery. I was an X-Files fan who got bored and upset with the show and started looking for something else. I'd seen a handfull of those crazy Buffy shows but it didn't really grab my interest. I watched the end of season two off and on, and then really picked up on it in season three and quickly caught up on the first two seasons so by the start of season four I was all caught up.

I started out a B/A shipper and then quickly became bored. Shipped Angel/Willow for a microsecond, Spike/Willow for about a minute and cheered when Angel got his own show because it meant he'd quit sucking time on Buffy. Little did I know I'd end up liking Angel so much more.

How did you get interested in the C/A-ness -- through the series? Through fanfic?

Through the series. I had just started dipping my toe into fanfic on the X-Files side of fandom. My intro to Buffy writing was a spectacularly bad Adam/Willow non-con Willow/Mulder story with a dash of Angel/Willow thrown in, but even then in my fanfic infancy, Angel was defending Cordelia. To me it was there in the fabric of the show.

There was just something wonderful in DB and CC's scenes together. Something that made me really want to see those two characters hook up and make it despite all naysayers.

Are you a new viewer who liked C/A from watching it unfold? Or an original (first-run) viewer who is just now warming up to it?

I'm a first run viewer who liked it as it unfolded (up until Birthday) and then became re-intruiged by the possibilites at several points along the way, but who was overall dissapointed by what little fruition we got.

Talking to rolandro (who likes to compare Aeryn and Cordy) and Starlet who is just brilliant all round has really had me thinking about the ship lately, and (IMHO, guys, don't shoot) I really don't think Cordelia was right for Angel romantically until after season five. I think she was 100% vital for Angel's growth and I absolutely think they loved each other, but I don't think Cordelia really had a clue of how to deal with what Angel really was and what he'd done. Now if season three had gone differently, it might have worked for me as well.

I think the Cordy of season five, if we had gotten her for real would have developed into Angel's equal and would have set up a great final redemption arc for her. Something that would have allowed for Cordelia to become re-empowered after Season four took it away, and for her to have faced life on her own terms with or without Angel.

So in some ways I guess I was a C/A shipper but am not so much any more, though I think there are a number of scenarios where it could work.