red_satin_doll: (Chosen One - purple)
red_satin_doll ([personal profile] red_satin_doll) wrote2013-03-11 05:02 pm

Meta Much More - or, Recent Fandom Reading

When I posted some of my favorite meta for 2012 on the buffyverse top5 last month, I wrote that I hoped for more of the same high-caliber meta in 2013.  Wish, granted:

"Why the Buffyverse?" by [livejournal.com profile] lostboy_lj Inspired by [livejournal.com profile] shapinglight 's "fanfic musings" (inspired in turn by [livejournal.com profile] brutti_ma_buoni .... and so it goes.  You get the idea.)   He takes on the  question why is anyone still writing Buffy fanfic at all?

"The Monomythology of Buffy"  also by  by [livejournal.com profile] lostboy_lj This is already on my best meta of 2013 list. Absolutely essential reading: Buffy's journey through the lens of Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" - a Cliff Notes version but a hell of a lot smarter, and with pretty visual aids.  One of lostboy's talents is laying out complex ideas boiled down to their essential components, with a great deal of wit. I've been linking to this on convo threads all over the place as if it was Apocalypse Season.

Speaking of must-read meta: a conversation between [livejournal.com profile] lostboy_lj  and [livejournal.com profile] local_max on the Monomythology post inspired max's musings about Ben's literal and figurative role in S5  as a "illusory comfort" and representative of the medical establishment, how he tries to placate Buffy regarding her mother's illness, and how he "self-medicates" to keep the reality of Glory at bay: it’s consistent with a pattern of Ben: he uses deception to placate Buffy (and others) into believing that a real problem, whether it be Glory, the string of crazy people in her wake, or Joyce’s upcoming death (though Ben is not actually aware of the last one), is not a real problem.  Don’t sweat it, no need to prepare (though, it’s not as if preparation is possible): your problem is in good hands. As per usual with max, penetrating intelligence, personal honesty, compassion and intellect come together in a fascinating consideration of a "key" (pun intended) but oft-overlooked character.

And of a more general nature (not specific to this fandom), [livejournal.com profile] angearia  has a thing or two to say about "authorial intent" and the complexity of determining who the "author" is, especially in a work such as BtVS in which there are so many hands, so many voices involved in it's creation (writers, producers, actors); a question further complicated (and multiplied to the nth degree) by the presence/participation of the readers/viewers as co-creators of a give work.  She argues passionately that "the reader" is also an author - and no greater example of this can be found than btvs fandom as we engage with the series over time, emotionally and intellectually. Long live the Revolution, indeed.

FYI: I am procrastinating on my "Ted" meta for the Big Damn Lovefest, and everything else on my to-do list, like a mad thing. Pain from a recent injury is about to do me in.

[personal profile] kikimay 2013-03-11 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Sorry for your injury! But I'm also very curious about the meta

[identity profile] red-satin-doll.livejournal.com 2013-03-11 10:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks, hon!

Btw - you're the perfect person to ask - what do you think about the new template? Is the text readable against the grey? The very plain one I had for two weeks was annoying me for some reason. This seems like a nice compromise between that one, and the woodcut one I had before, but I could be wrong on that count. Feedback, please?

[personal profile] kikimay 2013-03-11 11:50 pm (UTC)(link)
I think it's lovely. The text is readable - most important thing - but it's also cute. I love the little blue decoration on top! I also like minimalistic stuff so my feedback is totally positive.

[identity profile] red-satin-doll.livejournal.com 2013-03-12 12:04 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks sweetie for being so specific! I think the teal & grey color scheme is fairly soothing to the eyes.The only thing I'm not crazy about is the cloud of links at the very bottom, which is redundant waste of space because of the Tags tab at the top. I do like those tabs very much because they keep the main page relatively clutter-free. And the friends one links directly to my friends feed page. Nifty.

I keep meaning to mention how much I like that icon (S7 FTW!) I can't remember the name of the episode but I love that scene between Dawn and Buffy; it's a reminder (when Buffy gets too closed off later on) of how much she truly cares.

[personal profile] kikimay 2013-03-12 12:09 am (UTC)(link)
My icon? The icon with Buffy in bed? It's at the beginning of "Beneath you" - and of course it's not really mine, the icon, I credited the author in the icon page. I really like this new look of your journal. It's simple but cute and I like the grey/blue combination a lot. Very soothing to the eyes.

[identity profile] red-satin-doll.livejournal.com 2013-03-12 07:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Why do I keep forgetting what episode that scene is from? It's one of my favorite moments in S7. And I love that ep from start to finish (not just the final scene, which gets almost all the attention.) And I'm glad you like the new page look, I think I'll keep this one for a while; soothing is exactly what I was going for.