Urge to keysmash rising...

[hickumu]

Dark Horse introduces "Billy the Vampire Slayer".

And I am, yet again, so very glad I'm sticking with my nice, reasonably sane Angel and Faith. Because this? This makes me angry.

Comments

[irishjeeper]

Here here! *throws confetti* Very well stated! *bows to you*

[hickumu]

/bows back

Thank you. Nice to know I can still state my case well when I'm shaking with rage. Useful skill, that.

I just...I cannot believe that we went from S8, which was crazy but not rage inducing, to the mass clusterfuck that this is turning out to be. Or that Angel and Faith is still chugging along with its awesome characters and coherent plot. And then, on the other side of the fence, this.

What the hell happened?

[irishjeeper]

Men got involved and don't take in the opinions of the fans or women for that matter.

You stated your case beautifully love!

[hickumu]

That's the only explanation I can think of, sadly.

It's just especially boggling, under those circumstances, that Jane Espensen seems to buy the newest party line.

[hickumu]

It really does. I mean, the way they talk about how and why they focused on female empowerment in Buffy just reads like they're brushing it aside in this "yeah, yeah, but look at this new thing" tone of voice.

And for all the problems of his writing, I always took heart that Joss' response to the question "Why do you focus on writing strong female characters?" was "Because people keep asking me that!"

(I figured! Mom mentioned to me that she was reblogging this a couple of places, so I know to expect some new faces).

[menomegirl]

Followed your mom's link to this. :)

Very well-written! These are exactly the sort of things that I was thinking when I read the article; then I went to Whedonesque to see what they were saying, got a load of the ranting there and like, backed away fast, without expressing my thoughts. (which I couldn't have written as well as you have)

[hickumu]

Oh, I've seen a lot of the ranting in favor of this so far - that since Billy is a "self-made Slayer", it's okay, when they don't see just how that kind of language glories him over Buffy. That because he's a homosexual man, this decision is somehow above reproach, when I still don't trust this show to handle the issues there delicately (Willow and her biphobia, anyone?) and I think it's a decidedly lost opportunity not to make him a transgendered person instead.

I just don't want to make an account to post these other places just to get shouted down by people who aren't thinking this through.

...if you'd like to c&p me, though, I don't mind. Just link them back to this page. Most of my journal is flocked, especially on the LJ side, so I don't mind the attention.

[menomegirl]

Done! and thank you!

[hickumu]

Not a problem! And I skimmed the link and hey, at least it seems like some people are being reasonably respectful of one another's beliefs, given the problematic news. That's a mildly hopeful sign.

[grahamburgers]

THANK YOU.

Firstly, as a gay man, I see NO reason to have a gay man be called a "Slayer". In the Buffyverse, to my knowledge, if you slayed demons and vamps and had no super powers you have always been called a hunter. There has never been shame in that, except if you were Wesley in Season 1 of Angel but let's face it.... that's because, at the time, he was terrible at it without a team. :P

The ONLY way I would be supportive of this "Billy the Gay Man Slayer" plot was if he was biologically female. A transgender Slayer. Who also happens to be gay? I'm down with that story arc 110%. More even.

The way it sounds like it's being done? Yeah. Uhm. No, I'll pass. I have to be honest, I haven't really been a fan of the stories and character development of the comics and now I'm pretty much completely done.

[hickumu]

That is, as I recall, the case. Like, Gunn actually called himself and his gang "hunters", not just Wesley with his "rogue demon hunter shtick". So "Billy" calling himself a Slayer is just another level of appropriating, on the character level and the writing level. Or I can only assume he'll be calling himself a Slayer, because otherwise what the fuck is up with them advertising him as such? And why would Buffy put up with it?

(And was it just me that remembered this? After a precedent like that there are...so many better names linguistically similar to "Buffy" to pull out

[ms_scarletibis]

"Is it just me, or does this sound like Billy is going to be better than Buffy and the others, because oh, he works hard, not like those silly wimminz who get everything handed to them on a plate!"

laraluvly5: Actually, Anya says that very thing before Buffy let's herself get kicked out of her own house :p

But agreed to the rest of what you said. This is clearly [another] ploy to sell more comics.

[hickumu]

Ah, yes, I think I dimly remember that. And I remember facepalming over hos idiotic that entire episode was.

I haven't actually rewatched S7 since the first go around, but I remember I actually liked "Chosen" besides the fact that they killed Amanda.