Seven things meme
Apologies, guys; I am having inexplicable writer’s block. THE DRABBLES ARE COMING, I PROMISE. But not all that quickly, because I have spent the last week hanging out with friends.
Anyway! Comment to this post, and I will list seven things I want you to talk about. They might make sense or they might be totally random. Then post that list, with your commentary, to your journal. Other people can get lists from you, and the meme merrily perpetuates itself.
ceciliaj gave me
1. Top 3 differences between BtVS fandom and HP fandom.
This is a great one! Hmm. With the obvious caveat that this is about the parts of each fandom that I hang out in:
- There is a lot more meta and debate in BtVS fandom. More disagreement, more discussion. Also more darkfic, I think - HP fandom, proportionally, seems to enslave and rape our darlings rather less than BtVS fandom.
- A lot more squee about and focus on the ladies. More talking about them, more fannish engagement, which is different from though related to more love of them. Which makes sense: the women of BtVS are more plot-important, there are more who are fully developed, and most importantly, I think, they have a lot of interesting relationships with each other and with the men. HP women, even though they’ve varied and interesting, tend to have fewer complex relationships with other characters, particularly of the mythic varieties fans tend to like. (Though the Black ladies are a glorious exception.)
- Way more shipping drama in BtVS fandom. Seriously. HP fandom’s famous for the H/H vs R/H fights back in the day, but the Bangel-vs-Spuffy debate is still taking no prisoners. I think this is partly a product of HP fandom’s sheer size. It’s very easy for me to not encounter, say, people who hate H/D or think my Hermione/Pansy fic is stupid. But yeah, Buffy fandom has more shipping drama, and people are much more aware of the possibility - HP people don’t put the same ‘I like Angel, I just don’t ship him with Faith’-type disclaimers on their posts.
-Sekrit bonus one: HP doesn’t do portmanteau ship names, Snarry aside. And for that, Potter fans, I would like to thank you.
2. Have you read all the Gregory Maguire books? Is it important to start at the beginning of the series? Or do you primarily love the musical of Wicked?
I’ve actually only read Wicked, although Mirror, Mirror is on the shelf waiting for me. I enjoyed Wicked, and there were some things that hit me hard. But the musical is the thing I get super-emotional about. I love the way ‘wicked’ and ‘good’ are used over and over again and built on and twisted and become these fascinating signifiers. I love Elphaba and Galinda SO MUCH, even more than in the book, and how their relationship is the absolute centre and heart of the musical. (Although it’s vital in the book, the book has a broader scope and is more Elphaba-focussed, so that relationship doesn’t take central stage so much.) The wit and lyricism of the songs thrills me. Also, the use of colours in the staging is fantastic.
3. What music do you listen to when you're having a bad day?
Depends why I’m having the bad day. Generally, though, it’s teen-tastic: Placebo and the Mountain Goats. Which is v telling, actually, cos what I thought of when I read this question was Cotton: this song is for the people who tell their families that they’re sorry for things they can’t and won’t feel sorry for. And This Year, which, yeah, is all about being a teenager and knowing you’re almost out of there.
4. Same question I asked Christy -- Favorite kind of fanwork -- fic, meta, vids, squee, graphics, fanpoetry(!), icons?
FIC.
I go round looking for good meta, I’ve commissioned and bought fanart, I love and rewatch favourite vids, and I am a weirdo who’s obsessive about icons. I have ~200 on LJ, a largely different 100 on DW, and hundreds more on the hard-drive. My lack of witty, poetic, graphically interesting Sherlock icons is such a pain to me, you have no idea.
But my favourite kind of fanwork is undoubtedly fic. I’m the kind of bookworm who knows she’d like a lot of telly better if it was a book, and I’ve read so much beautiful, breath-catching fic. It couldn’t be anything else. Besides, fic is what brought me here and made me stay; if it had been a bit of art or a vid that I found, however good it was, I don’t think it would have made me poke around until I was properly involved in fandom.
5. Bulletproof storytelling kinks?
- Stories about siblings, cousins, etc. Family relationships between characters of the same generation will so often fascinate me. I think it’s the combination of equal-but-not power dynamics, knowing each other well while also finding it hard to really understand each other, personal history, and the way it instantly ups the stakes. Also, often hilarious. (See: Gwendolen & Cat, the Weasleys, Alan & Nick, Buffy & Dawn, the Blacks, Awful & Howard, etc.)
- Stories about self-appointed, important responsibilities. I really love characters when they say to themselves, ‘okay, I have to do this. Even though it’s hard and dangerous, someone needs to do this and it has to be me.’ Whatever kind of responsibility it is - including evil ones - I love that kind of stuff. (See also: Martha Jones, Katniss Everdeen, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, etc.)
- Stories about enemies and allies. Particularly relationships between people who were enemies and become allies, without necessarily or quickly becoming friends. (See also: my favourite thing about the entire Hunger Games trilogy is Katniss and Johanna’s relationship.)
- Big Speeches. I am such a geek, but I LOVE the part where everyone looks at one person and that one person is like I AM GOING TO CHANGE THE GAME. So like, S7!Buffy didn’t do that for me broadly because the Potentials didn’t react (although obvs Chosen gives it to me in spades). But I LOVE Xander’s little talk about the epic that is Buffy Summers.
They don’t even have to be Big Speeches, technically, to hit the kink. Like, I was rereading Drop Dead Gorgeous the other day because I was feeling emo. And this reminds me that one of the most memorable moments in Maya’s oeuvre, for me, is Draco joining the Order in Quality of Mercy and telling them he wants something if he’s going to work for them. Moody is all “LOL NO, there’s no glory or money here”. And Draco goes ANGRYFACE. “I want Lucius Malfoy. And if you can’t give him to me alive, I want his head on a plate!” And like, it’s the end of a chapter and all DRAMA, DRACO PUTS HIS CARDS ON THE TABLE, OMG HE WANTS HIS DAD’S HEAD. And yeah. EAT IT LIKE CANDY.
6. Dark Willow. Talk to me about her.
SO SO SO COMPELLING. I mean. I really have nothing especially interesting to say about her (although I do find her gender presentation interesting. The outfit - butchier than usual, but also Buffyier than usual. Competing with Buffy more on her own terms - I’m the hero of the story now?) I have no thoughts. But the Dark Willow episodes are probably the most compelling episodes of the entire series for me. Watching those, I am completely transfixed.
7. 2012. How's it going for you, in comparison to 2011?
ERRRRM. Well, 2011 was not a good year. Like, it had a lot of good moments, and I tend to remember happy parts with my friends looking back. My twenty-first birthday party was great, and I enjoyed writing my dissertation even if I got stressed and put on like a stone writing it. (Stopping going out to dance in favour of eating chocolate and writing about Frankenstein: not a good health regime!) But it was also super-stressful often. And it was the year of getting a crappy degree, being unemployed for months, getting kicked out and being homeless for a month.
2012 hasn’t been amazing so far; a v stressful, busy February, and general worries about having to like, go out into the world and make my fortune without the incredible safety net of friends who got me through November... BUT. On the whole, probably better. I mean, if nothing else, 2011 cannot be made better now. And 2012 is going to involve one of my best friends getting married, and getting to go to a kink club with a hot blonde, and writing porn, and God willing, getting a job. Also, getting ID so I can go dancing again. So yeah.
...WOW TL;DR.
This was originally posted at http://www.dreamwidth.org/12345.html. Comment wherever you like :)
Anyway! Comment to this post, and I will list seven things I want you to talk about. They might make sense or they might be totally random. Then post that list, with your commentary, to your journal. Other people can get lists from you, and the meme merrily perpetuates itself.
ceciliaj gave me
1. Top 3 differences between BtVS fandom and HP fandom.
This is a great one! Hmm. With the obvious caveat that this is about the parts of each fandom that I hang out in:
- There is a lot more meta and debate in BtVS fandom. More disagreement, more discussion. Also more darkfic, I think - HP fandom, proportionally, seems to enslave and rape our darlings rather less than BtVS fandom.
- A lot more squee about and focus on the ladies. More talking about them, more fannish engagement, which is different from though related to more love of them. Which makes sense: the women of BtVS are more plot-important, there are more who are fully developed, and most importantly, I think, they have a lot of interesting relationships with each other and with the men. HP women, even though they’ve varied and interesting, tend to have fewer complex relationships with other characters, particularly of the mythic varieties fans tend to like. (Though the Black ladies are a glorious exception.)
- Way more shipping drama in BtVS fandom. Seriously. HP fandom’s famous for the H/H vs R/H fights back in the day, but the Bangel-vs-Spuffy debate is still taking no prisoners. I think this is partly a product of HP fandom’s sheer size. It’s very easy for me to not encounter, say, people who hate H/D or think my Hermione/Pansy fic is stupid. But yeah, Buffy fandom has more shipping drama, and people are much more aware of the possibility - HP people don’t put the same ‘I like Angel, I just don’t ship him with Faith’-type disclaimers on their posts.
-Sekrit bonus one: HP doesn’t do portmanteau ship names, Snarry aside. And for that, Potter fans, I would like to thank you.
2. Have you read all the Gregory Maguire books? Is it important to start at the beginning of the series? Or do you primarily love the musical of Wicked?
I’ve actually only read Wicked, although Mirror, Mirror is on the shelf waiting for me. I enjoyed Wicked, and there were some things that hit me hard. But the musical is the thing I get super-emotional about. I love the way ‘wicked’ and ‘good’ are used over and over again and built on and twisted and become these fascinating signifiers. I love Elphaba and Galinda SO MUCH, even more than in the book, and how their relationship is the absolute centre and heart of the musical. (Although it’s vital in the book, the book has a broader scope and is more Elphaba-focussed, so that relationship doesn’t take central stage so much.) The wit and lyricism of the songs thrills me. Also, the use of colours in the staging is fantastic.
3. What music do you listen to when you're having a bad day?
Depends why I’m having the bad day. Generally, though, it’s teen-tastic: Placebo and the Mountain Goats. Which is v telling, actually, cos what I thought of when I read this question was Cotton: this song is for the people who tell their families that they’re sorry for things they can’t and won’t feel sorry for. And This Year, which, yeah, is all about being a teenager and knowing you’re almost out of there.
4. Same question I asked Christy -- Favorite kind of fanwork -- fic, meta, vids, squee, graphics, fanpoetry(!), icons?
FIC.
I go round looking for good meta, I’ve commissioned and bought fanart, I love and rewatch favourite vids, and I am a weirdo who’s obsessive about icons. I have ~200 on LJ, a largely different 100 on DW, and hundreds more on the hard-drive. My lack of witty, poetic, graphically interesting Sherlock icons is such a pain to me, you have no idea.
But my favourite kind of fanwork is undoubtedly fic. I’m the kind of bookworm who knows she’d like a lot of telly better if it was a book, and I’ve read so much beautiful, breath-catching fic. It couldn’t be anything else. Besides, fic is what brought me here and made me stay; if it had been a bit of art or a vid that I found, however good it was, I don’t think it would have made me poke around until I was properly involved in fandom.
5. Bulletproof storytelling kinks?
- Stories about siblings, cousins, etc. Family relationships between characters of the same generation will so often fascinate me. I think it’s the combination of equal-but-not power dynamics, knowing each other well while also finding it hard to really understand each other, personal history, and the way it instantly ups the stakes. Also, often hilarious. (See: Gwendolen & Cat, the Weasleys, Alan & Nick, Buffy & Dawn, the Blacks, Awful & Howard, etc.)
- Stories about self-appointed, important responsibilities. I really love characters when they say to themselves, ‘okay, I have to do this. Even though it’s hard and dangerous, someone needs to do this and it has to be me.’ Whatever kind of responsibility it is - including evil ones - I love that kind of stuff. (See also: Martha Jones, Katniss Everdeen, Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, etc.)
- Stories about enemies and allies. Particularly relationships between people who were enemies and become allies, without necessarily or quickly becoming friends. (See also: my favourite thing about the entire Hunger Games trilogy is Katniss and Johanna’s relationship.)
- Big Speeches. I am such a geek, but I LOVE the part where everyone looks at one person and that one person is like I AM GOING TO CHANGE THE GAME. So like, S7!Buffy didn’t do that for me broadly because the Potentials didn’t react (although obvs Chosen gives it to me in spades). But I LOVE Xander’s little talk about the epic that is Buffy Summers.
They don’t even have to be Big Speeches, technically, to hit the kink. Like, I was rereading Drop Dead Gorgeous the other day because I was feeling emo. And this reminds me that one of the most memorable moments in Maya’s oeuvre, for me, is Draco joining the Order in Quality of Mercy and telling them he wants something if he’s going to work for them. Moody is all “LOL NO, there’s no glory or money here”. And Draco goes ANGRYFACE. “I want Lucius Malfoy. And if you can’t give him to me alive, I want his head on a plate!” And like, it’s the end of a chapter and all DRAMA, DRACO PUTS HIS CARDS ON THE TABLE, OMG HE WANTS HIS DAD’S HEAD. And yeah. EAT IT LIKE CANDY.
6. Dark Willow. Talk to me about her.
SO SO SO COMPELLING. I mean. I really have nothing especially interesting to say about her (although I do find her gender presentation interesting. The outfit - butchier than usual, but also Buffyier than usual. Competing with Buffy more on her own terms - I’m the hero of the story now?) I have no thoughts. But the Dark Willow episodes are probably the most compelling episodes of the entire series for me. Watching those, I am completely transfixed.
7. 2012. How's it going for you, in comparison to 2011?
ERRRRM. Well, 2011 was not a good year. Like, it had a lot of good moments, and I tend to remember happy parts with my friends looking back. My twenty-first birthday party was great, and I enjoyed writing my dissertation even if I got stressed and put on like a stone writing it. (Stopping going out to dance in favour of eating chocolate and writing about Frankenstein: not a good health regime!) But it was also super-stressful often. And it was the year of getting a crappy degree, being unemployed for months, getting kicked out and being homeless for a month.
2012 hasn’t been amazing so far; a v stressful, busy February, and general worries about having to like, go out into the world and make my fortune without the incredible safety net of friends who got me through November... BUT. On the whole, probably better. I mean, if nothing else, 2011 cannot be made better now. And 2012 is going to involve one of my best friends getting married, and getting to go to a kink club with a hot blonde, and writing porn, and God willing, getting a job. Also, getting ID so I can go dancing again. So yeah.
...WOW TL;DR.
This was originally posted at http://www.dreamwidth.org/12345.html. Comment wherever you like :)