seraphcelene: (geum jan di by espirit_serein)
[personal profile] runpunkrun is having a fantastically interesting conversation about terminology in fandom by age demographic.

It struck a chord with me because I keep seeing this term headcanon and two people have used it in comments to fic I posted at AO3. I find it curious because in both cases, for me, the scenarios are not head canon. They are AU's taking a left at canon. Headcanon to me (that turned into fanon after awhile, I think) is Buffy always smelling like vanilla. It's true in my head and always shall be so! Fic is so often AU which is just an alternative to the canon. Using the word canon suggests a concrete idea of what something is or should be. And AU's are explorations from a point in canon. Naming something a head canon then, for me, suggests a personal understanding of events that will not change from how I perform the intersection between the source and fandom. Like how no matter what I write about Buffy, she always smells like vanilla (even when it's mixed in with the scent of dirt or blood).

My favorite headcanon is actually a post-series canon. One Thousand Kisses Deep was a fic that I wrote about the end of the slayers and that, to me, is how the series ends. It's obviously an AU from Chosen, but if I had my way that is a narrative end that makes sense.
seraphcelene: (Default)
Let me preface the following ramblings by saying that I don't read the BtVS Season 8 comics. The shift in media fractured my attachment to the show so that I no longer consider it canon despite Joss Whedon's close involvement. The comics are divorced in a very real way, in my mind, from the show and although they are a continuation it's as negligible to me as reading AU fic. Although, if I read the comics (probably at some future date I will) I'll undoubtedly incorporate some of the elements into whatever fic or as part of my ruminations on the franchise as a whole. The comics being declared canon by the show's creator tells me that effective and affective changes are happening in the comics that would not otherwise occur in a tie-in novel where nothing essential to the universe changes.

This is not a formal argument or anything, just my ramblings and questions. I have no answers. I'm welcoming all thinky thoughts on the subject.

Spoilers for BtVS S8: Wolves at the Gate ahead.

So ...

I was at the bookstore yesterday hunting down a copy of Coraline (which ended in failure, by the way, and resulted in me using my $5.00 off coupon on a copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard instead) and made a pit stop to peruse the comics and omnibus' available in the Marvel Universe. I was prompted by a steadily growing re-interest in the X-Men comics. As I scanned the titles I happened to look up from where I crouched on the floor and saw, two shelves above, the Buffy comics. I pulled out Wolves at the Gate very randomly and equally as random flipped through the pages and landed on Buffy in bed with a girl. I kinda sort of scanned the pages but mostly left it with a question mark in my head to check it out on the interwebz due to my growling belly, increasing need for the ladies room and the hot pursuit of Coraline that I was then engaged in. Getting home I hopped on Wikipedia as an easy method for finding what I wanted quick, fast, and in a hurry. The Buffy/Satsu relationship came as a bit of a surprise as did the later claim that Whedon had decided that this was "the logical step for the character in light of the series" (I am quoting Wikipedia and not Whedon directly, although Wikipedia may be quoting him). I can't say that I exactly follow the logic of the pairing, but again, I don't read the comics. From what I gathered this was a surprise for everyone all the way around, Buffy included.

Spring boarding from his alleged statement, my question for Mr. Weldon is this: Are we assuming that the dominance of homosocial relationships naturally and necessarily evolve into homosexual relationships? Or do we assume that female power ultimately necessitates an estrangement or rejection of the masculine by the feminine so that, again, the natural and necessary recourse is homosexual relationships? If we assume that none of the above is true and it's merely a case of a kind of natural selection, not unlike Buffy's attraction to men who are difficult to kill (or nearly equal in power to her, i.e. Spike and Angel) then her next location for selecting a companion or mate would be among the other slayers. However, that still rings false as a logical step because, despite Buffy's example, slayers are notoriously short lived and an increase in the quantity of slayers does not necessarily dictate an increase in their longevity.

Our previous models for relationships are all over the map. Willow, a very powerful witch, is now canonically lesbian (Tara, Kennedy and the Naga(?), and not bisexual where I think we could have considered her post S4/S5. Of course there's still Fred, Amy, Cordelia, Anya, and Lilah to consider who are all canonically straigh (Although we could probably make a thin case for Cordelia/Harmony). However, none of them are placed in positions of power that equal Buffy or Willow for any serious length of time (again Cordelia being possibly the only monkey wrench). I'm not including Faith in the list because she is sub-textually if not canonically bisexual. Obviously, we've all re-read her obsession with Buffy to include desire in terms of possession and consumption of sexuality and identity.

At the end of Wolves at the Gate Satsu decides to remain in Japan. Buffy insists that a relationship between them will not work. Her excuse is that the people who love her are destined for tragic futures. It's made clear that Satsu loves Buffy, but it is never made clear if Buffy reciprocates. Can we/are we intended to read the relationship as one-sided? Buffy's physical longing for closeness versus Satsu's emotional attachment? Are we talking a Katy Perry-esque exploration of the "other side of the fence" provoked purely by curiosity and access? What exactly are we to make of Buffy and Satsu? Or more importantly, at least for me (considering my complete non-history with Satsu), what are we to make of Buffy? With Willow we at least got that foreshadowing from Doppelgangland. I can't recall any substantive hints about Buffy having a more fluid understanding of her sexuality. Not that she can't develop one, but it all seems very out of left field and, really, in the end, for naught.

What do you guys think? Help me figure it out.
seraphcelene: (Default)
This is kinda rambly and disjointed ... it was a little hard going finding any real meat in this episode, but I didn't want to just treat it like another MotW. It's about Xander, after all.

x-posted at [livejournal.com profile] fantas_magoria

Xander is the good guy. He's the loyal friend with a yen for Buffy, but despite his jealous streak, he's a nice guy. And he remains a nice guy. Throughout seven season, he's our nice, go-to, loyal friend even though he leaves Anya at the altar and really has a super hate-on for Buffy's OTL. It's interesting that everyone else undergoes some serious life altering changes, but Xander kinda never really does.
Before she came here our lives didn't need much saving )
seraphcelene: (Default)
I'm enbarking on a Hulu enabled project of re-watching old TV shows that I have known and loved. With the summer TV schedule looking pretty slim for anything worth spending time on, I figured it wasn't such a bad idea. With the [livejournal.com profile] lynnevitational fast approaching, I also figured that starting with Buffy the Vampire Slayer *really* wasn't such a bad idea. Although, the pieces of what little I've written revolve more closely around seasons 5 through 7 and Hulu only has the first two seasons up, so this could be a wash on that front. Anywho ...

The Buffster comes to Sunnydale )

x-posted at [livejournal.com profile] fantas_magoria
seraphcelene: (Default)
x-posted at [livejournal.com profile] fantas_magoria

As much as Teacher’s Pet is Xander’s episode in the same way that I Robot, You Jane will be Willow’s, it goes a long way in setting up the rules that will become de rigueur for the Buffyverse and that will be refracted and reflected in the seasons to come. Despite the horribly cheesy Monster of the Week, a format that thankfully gave way to more in-depth and well-rounded arcs stretching very obviously (and not as subtly as we see here) across seasons.

Don't be sorry, be smart. And please don't listen to the principal or anyone else's negative opinion about you. Let's make 'em eat that permanent record. )
seraphcelene: (Default)
Currently I've got two writing projects going simultaneously. It's an interesting endeavor to keep things progressing on both because sometimes I can't decide which one to work on because I have thoughts on both pieces. Oddly, What Not to Wear was cranked out on a slow day at work when I was bored. It is a one-off, unbeta'd, 500+ word flash fic about the maturation of Cordelia Chase.

It isn’t accidental that I wrote What Not to Wear because I've been thinking about physical bodies and spaces on BtVS and Angel for a while now. I’ve also been watching WAY too many episodes of What Not to Wear. I don't have a complete handle on my thoughts, so bear with me, please.

What I noticed was this:


1. Simplistically, Angel equals the adult world and, surprise, surprise, BtVS equals the adolescent world. The Scoobies spend seasons 1 through half of season 5 on campuses. Season 7 sees a return to the campus first through Dawn and later Buffy’s job as counselor. They move from high school to college and although college can be considered a primer for the "real world" (read adulthood), it is a relatively safe and contained nexus. If we equate adulthood with tragedy and gainful employment, Season 5 should mark the beginning of Buffy’s transition. However, it isn’t until season 7 shoves a very resistant Buffy into the leadership role (as a leader of the SIT’s), I would argue, that Buffy actually becomes, and is considered, an adult. The obvious moment of transition would be Lies My Parents Told Me, but I would say that as early as Bring on the Night, Buffy begins that movement.

Read more... )
seraphcelene: (by violetsmiles)
I just read a summary of the first arc for the BtVS Season Eight comic (Long Way Home) on Wikipedia, and it included the following statement:

This series has been described as 'canon' by both Whedon and various commentators. As the creator of Buffy, Joss Whedon's association with Buffyverse story is often linked to how canonical the various stories are. Since Whedon is writing this arc, it will be seen as a continuation of the official continuity established by Buffy and Angel.

To be honest, I don't care for that statement. I'm really not interested in counting this as canon.

1) Not everyone's going to buy the comics, so I don't know that it will become part of fandom enough to be recognized as canonical.
2) I like how the story ended and I'm not interested in seeing a "canonical" continuation. I'd much rather Joss did something new or if he doesn't want to do anything new, figure out a way to get Firefly back on TV with all of the original cast.


I understand that you love something and want to keep it going, but frankly it's been so long that I feel like I've moved on from the show as something new. Maybe it has more to do with the fact that I didn't like the whole "every girl who could be a Slayer is a Slayer" idea. The beauty of Buffy and what appealed is that she was "one girl in the world." Singular. Adding Faith in the mix didn't change that but a Slayer army problematizes everything and although I can see the potential for Slayers as a mass group (I've read some really awesome fic exploring what it could mean to unleash that kind of power on an unsuspecting world), I don't feel interested in pursuing what all that could mean in a canonical timeline.

Maybe I should go buy the comic and be blown away by how well written it is, re-igniting my passion for the show. Oh, wait ... my passion never actually dwindled. So there you go. No idea how to handle it. None. Whatsoever.

Not to mention that one particular bit of information really pissed me off.

SPOILER WARNING!!!!! )

I don't read the books and I know Joss considers most of them ancillary or noncanonical, and besides it's puts me in mind of fanfic writ large. Plus, I've read MUCH better fanfic than what the book sleeves and summaries of the tie-in novel promise. I've enjoyed some of the Tales of the Slayers, but all in all, canon for me is the show.

I really don't know how to react to the comics. I feel as if I should give it a try, but at the same time it seems like one more tie-in and less like a continuation of the series. I think it's just too much distance between the end of the show and the comics.

Or maybe I'm just cranky because I'm sick and congested and it's raining and I'm not at home curled up with the newest Caitlin Kiernan novel or my episodes of Angel. And I'm at work so I'm also not writing. That could totally make a body cranky, don't you think?
seraphcelene: (Zoe by kelbellene)
BtVS Meta: Race, Roses and Orchids - Commentary on Vex Not the Roses

I started writing this not long after the fic was posted. I've become very interested in all the thought that goes into writing, regardless of the length. It's fascinating to me to see what goes into it, how much gets left out and the path one takes to arrive at a completed piece. Vex was a piece that I actually thought very hard about. I don't usually externalize the writing process nearly as much I did on this. This is long, so don't feel the need to read it or comment on it. I enjoyed writing the fic and the commentary.


Race, Roses and Orchids: on writing Vex Not the Roses


Title: Vex Not the Roses
Author: seraphcelene
Summary: The demons, the things that go bump in the night, the monsters under your bed, are real.
A/N: I wrote it in the 11th hour. After two weeks and four different versions this is the one that decided to finish itself. It’s all over the map. Unbeta’d. Written for minim calibre for the Character of Color Multifandom Challenge. The prompt is at the end of the text so you don’t laugh too hard at how far off the map I went.
Spoilers: Hush
Rating: NC-17


I. The Frame

Vex Not the Roses was written for the Character of Color Multifandom Fic Challenge hosted by [livejournal.com profile] choc_fic. I saw the nature of the forum and challenge as a license to explore one of the most problematic/taboo subjects in fandom -- race. How do we interpret Olivia's presence in an episode with limited dialog? As a "person of color" (so polite) I wanted to invest Olivia with some of what it might mean to be black and to be a black person dating outside her race. I don't think this is a case of Mary Sue. Most of what occurs in the piece is fictional, extrapolations of minor events in my life, the lives of friends, and what I've read and seen on TV and in the media. Like all good writers, I took all of those sources, threw in a dash of imagination and ran with it.


Race, Roses and Orchids )


ETA: Ha! On reflection, I don't think that even Made sense.
Updated: Now with slightly more commentary, better grammar and the results of my quality time spent with Mr. Spellcheck.

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