I discovered Buffy in reruns in 2007. The first episode I ever saw was "This Year's Girl" and I was fascinated by all of it and the characters and all the underlying stories that seemed to be going on. Instead of waiting for the TV, I decided that I needed to understand Buffy and all the references and how it grows and how the characters change from what they've been through, so I set out on a mission to watch every single episode in the correct order, starting by going to the video rental place and getting Season One, Disc One.
Eventually, I finished the series but couldn't get enough and turned to the published books. Unfortunately, they were mostly disappointing or didn't capture what I liked most about the characters. Then, wonder of wonders, I stumbled across fanfic and became an addict. Spike and Buffy became my entire focus and I loved looking at the past shows and seeing how things could have gone and little changes or huge stories totally AU with the characters I loved. At the moment, I'm trying to complete a fic before beginning to post, which is maddeningly frustrating, and I'm really enjoying being a beta.