Don't fuck with my friends (even if they're fictional)
Something I've noticed, both on my last story and this one:
What is it with readers calling Buffy dumb?
I know I don't purposefully write her as a dumb character. I try my best to write her as close to in character as I can. Buffy's not book smart, admittedly (though she's smart enough to get good grades on the SAT). She's street savvy, intuitive, and--judging by her extensive arsenal of puns and quips--a pretty darn quick thinker under stressful situations. While her moral gray area is awfully thin, and she can be a bit judgey, she also really understands why some things are wrong and others are ... morally flexible.
When I write her, I try to keep all this in mind. Does that mean that she's the smartest cookie in town? No. She's human. She makes mistakes. She can only see things through her own unique perspective: not ours, not Spike's, not even her friends. She makes judgements based on the knowledge she has, on her own moral compass, and under the pressure of her peers (if they happen to be around, and even sometimes when they aren't). Unlike us, she's never seen the show. She doesn't know the subplots. She doesn't know what other characters do when they aren't around her. If her life were a game of poker, she can only play the hand she's dealt and try to guess at what others are holding.
And yet, if I write her making a decision that either is bad or ill informed--she doesn't immediately believe Spike, for instance, despite having no reason TO believe him; or she doesn't immediately clue in on the fact that he's better than Angel; or she makes a decision that goes against her instincts that later proves to be disastrous--there is always some reader who is quick to label her as stupid.
Or a complete "dumbo." And yeah, that's a direct quote.
I mean, okay, she's our hero, which means we generally hold her to some pretty high standards. The Scoobies sure do, but the same readers who are quick to label Buffy as stupid (for various reasons) are also the ones who are usually the first to condemn the Scoobies for the crime of being her friend and trying to give her advice. Or for putting her on the marble pedestal.
I'm not a big fan of calling a character stupid unless they really honestly are--and there aren't very many characters in the Buffyverse who I think would even come close to qualifying for that adjective. Buffy is certainly not one of them.
It actually kind of pisses me off when someone does call her stupid. And not because it implies that I write her as a total "dumbo"--because I don't think I do. It pisses me off for BUFFY, because I really genuinely like and respect her (even if she is fictional), and in a way, I consider her my friend.
And I'm sorry, you do not insult my friends in front of me.
What is it with readers calling Buffy dumb?
I know I don't purposefully write her as a dumb character. I try my best to write her as close to in character as I can. Buffy's not book smart, admittedly (though she's smart enough to get good grades on the SAT). She's street savvy, intuitive, and--judging by her extensive arsenal of puns and quips--a pretty darn quick thinker under stressful situations. While her moral gray area is awfully thin, and she can be a bit judgey, she also really understands why some things are wrong and others are ... morally flexible.
When I write her, I try to keep all this in mind. Does that mean that she's the smartest cookie in town? No. She's human. She makes mistakes. She can only see things through her own unique perspective: not ours, not Spike's, not even her friends. She makes judgements based on the knowledge she has, on her own moral compass, and under the pressure of her peers (if they happen to be around, and even sometimes when they aren't). Unlike us, she's never seen the show. She doesn't know the subplots. She doesn't know what other characters do when they aren't around her. If her life were a game of poker, she can only play the hand she's dealt and try to guess at what others are holding.
And yet, if I write her making a decision that either is bad or ill informed--she doesn't immediately believe Spike, for instance, despite having no reason TO believe him; or she doesn't immediately clue in on the fact that he's better than Angel; or she makes a decision that goes against her instincts that later proves to be disastrous--there is always some reader who is quick to label her as stupid.
Or a complete "dumbo." And yeah, that's a direct quote.
I mean, okay, she's our hero, which means we generally hold her to some pretty high standards. The Scoobies sure do, but the same readers who are quick to label Buffy as stupid (for various reasons) are also the ones who are usually the first to condemn the Scoobies for the crime of being her friend and trying to give her advice. Or for putting her on the marble pedestal.
I'm not a big fan of calling a character stupid unless they really honestly are--and there aren't very many characters in the Buffyverse who I think would even come close to qualifying for that adjective. Buffy is certainly not one of them.
It actually kind of pisses me off when someone does call her stupid. And not because it implies that I write her as a total "dumbo"--because I don't think I do. It pisses me off for BUFFY, because I really genuinely like and respect her (even if she is fictional), and in a way, I consider her my friend.
And I'm sorry, you do not insult my friends in front of me.