entirely ruined her disposition with books

I just finished Buffy Season 8 #40 and I kind of loved it madly and I think I'm going to actually read Season 9.

Me:

You:

Yeah.

And here are some initial thoughts! I may have more later. We shall see.

( spoilers leik woah )

No, really, I've read the whole thing! And though I still don't even like the idea that the comics even exist (like I've said a thousand times, I'm perfectly happy with the "ending" we got the first time--Buffy, standing on the edge of the carter-that-was-the-hellmouth, smiling and full of hope, her whole life and endless possibilities ahead of her), and I doubt I'm ever going to love them (and I still think there are major, major pacing problems and my complaints about some of the feminism stuff still stand and I think it was a mistake to draw it out this long), I want to add my voice to those who say, "Buck up, kiddos! Things might just work out after all!"

But this isn't meta. It isn't even insightful, probably. I mean, while I have paid detailed attention to all that's come before, I've only read, like, two other installments. So I'm not exactly knowledgeable. This is just a bunch of random thoughts I had while reading, and many of them have been said better and more eloquently by other people. I doubt I have anything original to say.

( spoilers and such )

Wow! That got long! And most of it is positive! Did you ever, ever, ever think you'd see the day where I wrote a S8 response post that was both long and positive? Really?

Replies to my last few posts are forthcoming (I've loved all of y'all's thoughts!), but first:

I am disappointed in y'all! No one on my flist has posted about the new Season 8 preview? I need y'all's thoughts! Your fury or excitement! Where's the drama?

Come on. With the way y'all are not talking, you'd think you had actual lives or something.

This day has been so full of fail. I cannot have a conversation online without someone failing horribly. Work has been more relaxing and soothing to my soul, and we all know how I feel about that.

Like this:

Having a conversation on whedonesque (duh), which is full of fail on other levels (like this gem: "I'm not sure to what extent critical gender theory is an ideal tool for analysing individual texts as opposed to identifying trends in the medium as a whole" embedded in a bunch of pseudo-intellectual stuff that basically boils down to, "You're wrong, and my privilege lets me say so"), and then the most faily thing ever is said:

Other person:

I haven't got as far as the glowy sex, but aren't you arguing the (in my opinion impossible to objectively define) line between seduction and rape? Sounds like she got the horn and went irrational, as anyone can. I think if she's fine with it afterwards then you have to allow her the empowered choice to be so. Even if it ruins the story.

Me:

No, we don't, fraac, though you certainly can if you want to. But we don't have to because Buffy isn't a person. We can ask why the writers needed to include it at all and say we think they should have thought about it more. Which is what we're saying.

AND THEN.

Other person:

Surely if we're talking about her rights then for sake of argument she's a person? Otherwise you could do anything to her.

I think that, in the same way freedom of speech means defending to the death your worst enemy's right to verbally attack you, the ultimate expression of feminism is to defend a woman's right to enjoy being raped. In both cases it's about accepting (i.e. loving) our fellow humans for all they are, even where their existence is at odds with our deepest fears. So it's about courage and self-awareness.

[eta]

AND THERE'S MORE!

What if the character of Buffy spoke to the writer, as (previously) well-formed characters often do, and said she enjoyed the coercive universe aspect of sex? Either she's a person or she isn't, can't have it both ways.

[eta 2]

FOR FURTHER PROOF THAT THE UNIVERSE IS FAILING AND FAILING HARD TODAY, PLEASE TO BE LOOKING AT THIS POST.

But perhaps not if you value your sanity and your faith in humanity.

Please read that last link I linked to (once again, here) and report the hell out of this guy. I know the superpowers of my awesome feminist flist can shut this guy down.

NO NO NO NO.

Not more S8 angst! NO MORE! No more tone-deaf comments from "professionals"! No more patronizing comments about how anyone who isn't happy with the direction the comics are going are just shippers or just ignorant or just stupid or ANYTHING LIKE THAT. NO. DO. NOT. WANT.

Someone! Quickly distract me from this nonsense! There's a new Community on tonight, isn't there? YAY!

In happier news, I now have like a gazillion userpics! So! If anyone wants to link me to your favorite icon posts (all the usual suspects as far as fandoms go), I’d love to do some perusing. I realized I have exactly two icons with just-Spike in them; I think I need a few more. I’m also looking for some good Community ones, maybe some X-Files stuff, Farscape probably, maybe SMG, Jessica and/or Hoyt or Jason from True Blood, and some from awesome movies. Maybe some with Daniel Bruhl’s or Enver Gjokaj’s or Chiwetel Ejiofor’s faces (as they are all my future husband. Don’t argue). Just a thought. Take a look at my icons so you can see what kind of styles I like.

I am an icon snob.

OH AND I NEED AMY POND ICONS STAT. I’m having not a lot of luck finding them; the coloring most people use makes her hair look not-as-awesome as it is on the show. And I am basically ALL ABOUT HER HAIR. She may have surpassed shampoo!commercial!S5!Buffy hair for hair-that-I-love-and-covet. And also Gina Torres. That woman has awesome hair.

And in case you missed it, I’m (sort of) on tumblr now. I haven’t really done anything on there; I need to get on that. But you should be friends with me there ‘cuz I’m gonna put up pretty pictures and good music and quotes and such! Once I master it.

Gah, I am so behind on life. I have a thousand things people want me to edit/look over, so many obligations that I made. And I go home at night and just can’t make myself do them. I think I am incapable of accomplishing anything outside of an academic environment. In school, I was motivated. Now, I have zero will power.

I fail at life.

But: icons! And Community!