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red_satin_dollI've never done a fandom "meme" before but ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
kikimay picked up one from lokifan that I couldn't resist:
Comment on this post with CONVERSE. I will choose seven (five if you prefer) userpics from your profile and you will explain what they mean and why you are using them. Post this along with your answers in your own journal so others can play along.
FYI: The first sentence means that you reply by typing that word "converse" and then I choose 5-7 of your icons, which you get to explain in the comments thread. (For examples see lokifan's meme post - and yes, I had to ask how this worked.)
I tend to use icons in three ways: 1) to express mood, 2) to "pay tribute" to my favorite characters or episodes; Buffy is my favorite fictional character, hence she's my primary avatar; or 3) because the icon is artistic/aesthetically pleasing. I try to chose or make ones that I haven't seen elsewhere, or are overused images. Kikimay chose the following five from my own:
1) Laughing Dead Things: One of the first BtVS icons I made; I wish I'd done a better job with it.. Most of my Buffy icons when Ifirst started my journal were very serious. I wanted something with Buffy laughing or smiling but also unique. Leave Me the White has screencaps from the outtakes or dailies of Dead Things, and the shot of Sarah breaking into laughter while trying to film the dream sequence is adorable. There are few things sexier than laughter. I also love the ironic contrast between that shot and the tone of the episode.
Full Disclosure: When I got internet service in my new apartment three weeks ago, I mulled over which Buffy episode to rewatch first. Something light and funny, perhaps, Life Serial, or....Oh who the hell was I kidding? It came down to two of my favorite episodes: "Who are You"and "Dead Things"; DT won by a hairsbreadth. The raw power of those two episodes, the way they parallel, bookend, and resonate with each other, including the similarity of the Buffy/Faith/Spike dynamics in each, the key role Tara plays in both eps, the literal or symbolic "identity hijacks", and the fact that WAY (and TYG) foreshadows S6 - is like nothing else I've ever seen on television. Frivolity, thy name is...not RedSatinDoll.
2) Tara does not approve: The official name for this one in my head is "Tara is not down with this shit." It shouldn't surprise you that Tara is the second most-frequent character in my icons. (If it does: Welcome! Have a cookie and make yourself at home.) I found this one on www.fanpop.com by "Laurik 2007" ; it was one of the first icons I grabbed when I was setting up this journal. I needed an icon that expressed "strong disapproval" as opposed to "seething rage"; this image is strong and simple. It's also my reminder that Tara was more than just a "saint"; the fact that it's the scene in Tough Love just seconds before Glory attacks her gives it an unsettling quality as well.
AND WHILE WE'RE ON THE SUBJECT: Can we agree that Tara enduring torture at Glory's hands almost silently, sacrificing her life, her mind, to protect Dawn is one of THE most horrifying moments in the entire series? Dawn and Buffy protected Tara in "Family" and here Tara returns the favor many times over. That is true courage, full stop. Why isn't she more frequently honored and celebrated in fandom for this?
3) Chosen One purple: 
valyssia made this icon and gave me permission to use; it's been my default icon ever since. I had to have it the moment I clapped eyes on it: love at first sight. Purple is one of my favorite colors, Buffy is my favorite character, I love the late seasons; but none of those would be sufficient of themselves. This is one of the most exquisite and artistic icons I've ever seen in every respect. valyssia is as talented a visual artist as she is a writer, and this icon is a masterpiece of the form.
4) Winged!Buffy: Like Chosen One purple, this doesn't express an emotion per se except my love of Buffy, beautiful fanart, and my gratitude for a delightful gift from a beloved friend. I've talked about this one previously, but long story short: comlodge made me the Winged!Buffy image as a gift, inspired by
brutti_ma_buoni 's fic "The One With Wings" . I made it the image on my "welcome" post, and then with her permission created an icon of it, lightening the colors slightly in the spirit of Bottecelli's Primavera (Spring).
5) Dawn and Buffy: One of my favorite icons of those I've made. I love the Summers sisters, and had high hopes for plenty of interaction between them in S7. That didn't pan out but Him is one of the episodes that gave me hope - it's basically about the two of them, and the scene at the Bronze is one of my favorites. The argument feels so real of an older/younger sister dynamic, and I thought Dawn was going to slap Buffy when she mentioned Joyce. The scene just hurts and I hurt for both of them.
A few months back I made several Buffy & Dawn icons inspired by my love for them but also by kwritten's amazing meta series on Dawn and subsquent conversations. I originally was going to offer this out to everyone in an "icon dump" but loved it so much I decided to keep it. I love the contrast of Dawn in the foreground but out of focus, furious; Buffy in the background but in focus, obviously frustrated with herself and the situation. It makes a nice pairing with a couple of other icons I've done of them from Bargaining. with the focus reversed:
Bonus (i.e. cheat): I'm using one of my other favorites of the ones I've made here, Buffy & Tara Bargaining. I wanted a Buffy & Tara friendship icon and this was the first image where I got both of them together and got the image to my liking.
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no subject
Date: 2013-10-26 08:03 pm (UTC)I'll respond to your "converse" as soon as I can (weekends are sometimes hard for me - why did I do this on a Friday? Heaven knows...)
And yes - DEAD THINGS FTW. I have a This Years Girl/Who Are You/Dead Things meta floating around in my head and it would be a natural continuation or sideline to the Tara & Buffy series - I just NEED to get it out of my head and actually post it! to me they are both turning points: WAY is the turning point in Faith's arc and DT is the turning point of Buffy & Spike S6, IMO - they are both "points of no return". The center cannot hold and something has to change when they're faced with the worst of themselves.
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Date: 2013-10-26 08:44 pm (UTC)No, the file can be different - it's just the Keyword that has to be the same. Even the description can be different. (Hence the fact that I now give a lot of my icons generic names (like 'Hands' or 'Chess') so I can alter the image if necessary, but still keep the right 'kind' of icons to go with posts/comments. I possibly think about these things far too much, but icons are *important*. I have fic icons I can't delete even though the fic was posted years ago and I'll probably never use the icon again. Mind you, it took me a few years before I discovered the fact that you could shuffle (and it was purely by chance), so a lot of my older icons I will keep forever, as the keywords are too specific... /rambling
I'll respond to your "converse" as soon as I can (weekends are sometimes hard for me - why did I do this on a Friday? Heaven knows...)
And no rush! I've got plenty of time. :)
And yes - DEAD THINGS FTW. I have a This Years Girl/Who Are You/Dead Things meta floating around in my head
Yay meta! \o/ Here's my other DT icon. :)
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Date: 2013-10-28 05:52 pm (UTC)And I almost asked about your DT icon - the "soft focus layer" around it is beautifully done; but I'm still weirdly "afraid" of controversy when it comes to that ep. I need to "woman up". It's interesting that
Ok, your icons: 1) longlongtime by sdwolfpup 2) it's a good fandom by killmebecomeme
3) Smile Fan 4) Everything is connected 5) Don't Mess with River Song 6) Time(Lords) can be rewritten 7) My heart belongs to S7
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Date: 2013-10-28 06:29 pm (UTC)Well, you can delete one and replace it with another, which is what I was getting at.
And I almost asked about your DT icon - the "soft focus layer" around it is beautifully done; but I'm still weirdly "afraid" of controversy when it comes to that ep.
Ask! Ask! Ask! I am Pollyanna, I love DT, and have even written meta on it several times (Essay & single insight - and there's another one as well somewhere). Mostly then I like the icon, because the text is from an old song, and one I am 100% sure Spike is referencing:
You always hurt the one you love
The one you shouldn't hurt at all
You always take the sweetest rose
And crush it till the petals fall
You always break the kindest heart
With a hasty word you can't recall, so
If I broke your heart last night
It's because I love you most of all
So being beat up, is weird backwards logic affirmation to Spike, that she loves/cares about him. (Remember Lover's Walk and his unhappiness about Dru? 'She wouldn't even set me on fire? Is that so much to ask? Some little sign that she cared?' <- from memory, hence less than exact wording)
And I can see why that one of kikimay's would make you laugh, yes. :D
Just one question (I'm sure I should know this) - do you watch Doctor Who and if so, are you up to date? It'll affect the answers I give.
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Date: 2013-10-28 08:28 pm (UTC)And if I do, the deleted one will be replaced with the new one if I use the same keywords? I would think it would be replaced by the default icon. (not that it really really matters in the scheme of things!) Maybe I should ask someone else to remake it for me? I just tried altering it but Photobucket is MUCH more limited than it used to be 2 years ago and I couldn't even load it into fotoflexer for some reason (grrrrr......)
I've read both those meta btw and I have to give you a LOT of credit for helping me see the parallels between the DT and Chosen scenes. I had read Spike had been joking in metas by
And yes that is EXACTLY the song he's referencing. It's a classic and one so embedded in our culture (American culture at least) by way of it's use in commercials, etc that I'm surprised when people think it's any other song. I guess that just means I'm older than I think? *lol*
So being beat up, is weird backwards logic affirmation to Spike, that she loves/cares about him.
OF COURSE.
And I think you already know my interpretation of WAY - that Faith leaves a little bit of herself inside Buffy or that her darkness affects Buffy just as being inside Buffy affects Faith. So there's a world of baggage going on in that alley.
Speaking of Lover's Walk: "But I can't fool myself. Or Spike, for some reason." = Chosen's ILY. When Buffy is "herself" she can't lie to him; whereas she's not "herself" for most of S6. She's fully "herself" in Chosen; they see each other clearly and accurately; in S6 they were projecting onto each other and not really seeing one another.
Re: Doctor Who, I watched a bit of it in college (1990's) from the first Doctor, through to Sylvester McCoy (we saw all his episodes; loved Ace. The stories around her history had a very feminist quality to them; but there was also a Giles-buffy father/daughter vibe there.) I know about and have seen a couple of eps with doctors 9 & 10; saw the one of the Doctor and Martha meeting Shakespeare, know a little about Rose, but not much beyond that. I've only seen clips with the 11th doctor and River Song on YouTube (but I saw a clip of her "sacrifice" on YouTube. So, no, out of the loop. If I end up watching on netflix it will be because of River, not the Doctors. She looks like a BADASS - and a mature woman at that? Yes please.)
no subject
Date: 2013-10-28 10:06 pm (UTC)Yup! Trust me. :)
OK, I'm back!
I've read both those meta btw and I have to give you a LOT of credit for helping me see the parallels between the DT and Chosen scenes. I had read Spike had been joking in metas by the_royal_anna and lostboy_lj and it made sense intellectually, but it wasn't until I read your essays and then rewatched the vid "The Wait" by nvrbnkisst that I finally finally understood the connection.
Really? That's high praise indeed. :)
And yes that is EXACTLY the song he's referencing. It's a classic and one so embedded in our culture (American culture at least) by way of it's use in commercials, etc that I'm surprised when people think it's any other song. I guess that just means I'm older than I think? *lol*
It is also the song that is playing on the radio as Dennis (later the ghost) is bricked into the wall by his mother (in the apartment that becomes Cordelia's). /obsessive fan with encyclopedic knowledge of obscure details... /o\
Spike has a taste for romantic notions even if they are twisted by the demon.
*nods a lot*
And I think you already know my interpretation of WAY - that Faith leaves a little bit of herself inside Buffy or that her darkness affects Buffy just as being inside Buffy affects Faith. So there's a world of baggage going on in that alley.
Ooooh, I must have missed that. Very nice, must mull over.
She's fully "herself" in Chosen; they see each other clearly and accurately; in S6 they were projecting onto each other and not really seeing one another.
I can't even see/if this is really me...
Re: Doctor Who, I watched a bit of it in college (1990's) from the first Doctor, through to Sylvester McCoy (we saw all his episodes; loved Ace. The stories around her history had a very feminist quality to them; but there was also a Giles-buffy father/daughter vibe there.)
I ADORE Seven (he's my favourite after Eleven), and wrote an essay on Ace for Chicks Unravel Time. You obviously have excellent taste! :)
So, no, out of the loop. If I end up watching on netflix it will be because of River, not the Doctors. She looks like a BADASS - and a mature woman at that? Yes please.
Start with Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead and then jump straight to S5. Make sure to include the Christmas Specials. (I can give you a list!) River is not in every episode, but she is ALL THE THINGS. (I mean that quite literally. All the layers, all the metaphors, all the symbolism - River is everywhere, and River is everything. I can't begin to describe what she means to me.)
no subject
Date: 2013-10-29 05:20 pm (UTC)It's also truth - I can remember the exact moment it happened and the understanding settled inside me and went all the way down to the bone. (You know Annie's video that I'm referrring to? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCBDG_7o1l8)
I say that a lot with this show; other people's ideas and events in my own life are constantly connecting me to Buffy's story, sinking deeper inside, furthering my understanding of the story of of myself. That's what storytelling is really all about isn't it?
Re my thoughts on Buffy and Faith, I've said them in various places and can never remember where or to whom; but I haven't posted "official" meta on it, so you haven't missed anything really.
I can't even see/if this is really me...
EXACTLY. It's all over the place in the text. Hell, it's right there in Chosen, after Buffy kisses Angel: "Ok, I'm done basking, why are you here?" "What was the highlight of our relationship, when I killed you or...." Buffy's eyes are wide open in terms of her own history. She's not cringing the way she does when Dawn called her "the dysfunction queen" in Him.
Have you read [Bad username or site: lostboy-lj's @ livejournal.com] meta "the monomythology of Buffy"? He charts out Buffy's story according to Joseph Campbells' "hero's journey" (The Hero with a Thousand faces) and opening her heart, being able to fully love again, is her journey. Now IMO Buffy has always loved others; the fact that her journey is about loving a man specifically makes the feminist in me cringe; while the shipper in me delights in it. but the meta is very on-point. If Buffy is lying in Chosen then there is NO journey, or rather her journey is a falsehood a lie. not only is that completely unsatisfying from a story standpoint, it doesn't match anything I see onscreen. I saw it in Showtime; I've seen it all season long. It IS the text.
I ADORE Seven (he's my favourite after Eleven), and wrote an essay on Ace for Chicks Unravel Time. You obviously have excellent taste! :)
naturellement. ;) At the time my friend Christine and I were over the moon about the fact that some of the story arcs were specifically about Ace when companions were usually on the sideline and somewhat interchangeable - that is, they were there to serve the Doctor's story and "stand in for the audience" , mostly via "What's that, Doctor?" and simple questions or needing to be rescued; but with Seven, he was often there to serve her story. We were terribly disappointed when the show went on hiatus.
any link to that essay online btw? or is it in an actual, you know, book or journal or something?
And thank you for the recommendations! When I first starting seeing the name "River" I thought people were referring to Firefly and then I saw a couple of clips and DAMN, that woman is something else. WHY are there not more female characters like her? I need more Rivers yesterday. (You've written meta on her?)
no subject
Date: 2013-10-29 06:09 pm (UTC)*flails happily*
You know Annie's video that I'm referrring to?
I don't, but I will check it out! She's a fabulous vidder.
I say that a lot with this show; other people's ideas and events in my own life are constantly connecting me to Buffy's story, sinking deeper inside, furthering my understanding of the story of of myself. That's what storytelling is really all about isn't it?
Mmmm, layers. <3
He charts out Buffy's story according to Joseph Campbells' "hero's journey" (The Hero with a Thousand faces) and opening her heart, being able to fully love again, is her journey.
*nods along to everything*
Re my thoughts on Buffy and Faith, I've said them in various places and can never remember where or to whom; but I haven't posted "official" meta on it, so you haven't missed anything really.
That's OK then - I've usually read *most* things...
At the time my friend Christine and I were over the moon about the fact that some of the story arcs were specifically about Ace when companions were usually on the sideline and somewhat interchangeable - that is, they were there to serve the Doctor's story and "stand in for the audience" , mostly via "What's that, Doctor?" and simple questions or needing to be rescued; but with Seven, he was often there to serve her story.
New!Who is generally a lot better when it comes to companions - starting with Rose, she has a family and a background, and these are important and have a role. The show is, in many ways, about them - their journey, the ways in which the Doctor changes them.
any link to that essay online btw? or is it in an actual, you know, book or journal or something?
Actual book!!!!
When I first starting seeing the name "River" I thought people were referring to Firefly and then I saw a couple of clips and DAMN, that woman is something else. WHY are there not more female characters like her? I need more Rivers yesterday.
Well, there are certain parallels that can be drawn to River Tam, but... RIVER. River Song is the HBIC of everything.
You've written meta on her?
River IS meta. She is (in the words of
no subject
Date: 2013-10-29 06:17 pm (UTC)The show is, in many ways, about them - their journey, the ways in which the Doctor changes them.
I like this idea very much! Interchangeable stand-in companions are horribly boring - what would btvs be without it's marvelous supporting characters?
A book? An actual book with pages? I remember those...thank you for the link!
River IS meta.
Meta within meta within meta? That's it - I'm SOLD. Moffat needs to start paying you.
no subject
Date: 2013-10-29 06:26 pm (UTC)Give me ten minutes or so and I'm there!
I like this idea very much! Interchangeable stand-in companions are horribly boring - what would btvs be without it's marvelous supporting characters?
Oh they are DEFINITELY not interchangeable. Love or loathe them, they are all awesome, stand-out individuals with very specific traits & stories. And oh, the Doctor needs them.
A book? An actual book with pages? I remember those...thank you for the link!
I'm still all a-flail that it's real. And that I was asked! (See? Online obsession can lead to actual, published work! It's only the one essay, but the book is awesome. I am very honoured to be in such good company.)
Meta within meta within meta? That's it - I'm SOLD. Moffat needs to start paying you.
The mirrors are NEVER-ENDING! It's meta within meta within meta within meta within meta... Here's the quote I have on my user info page:
"I always loved poetry because you can treat a poem like a puzzle. Everything matters on all the levels: literal meaning, symbolic meaning, allusions, associations, sounds, the rhythm, the relation of each part to whole, the structure of it all, the configuration on the page... the sheer density of information you can encode in a poem is just awesome. There is NO WAY to read poetry passively.
AND THEY MADE A WHOLE TV SHOW LIKE THAT."
Imagery, mythology, layers, metaphors, colours, symbolism, mirroring, stories within stories - EVERYTHING. (And River's at the heart.) But like I said: Start with the Library episodes, then go straight to The Eleventh Hour. (Not that I'm not fond of Ten, but... his run wasn't rich in the same way.) Whispers: Come to me, person who loves meta, I shall draw you in and you will never leave.
ETA: Also see my icon meme post. And I forgot to mention the music! Oh the music...
no subject
Date: 2013-10-30 05:50 pm (UTC)Well?
That's fantastic about the book! May I ask how that happened? (I have gotten the impression that you are a "real" author - ha ha - I was just re-reading your essay on S8 "Mind the Gaps" that was cut from another "anthology" or collection of essays.)
the sheer density of information you can encode in a poem is just awesome. There is NO WAY to read poetry passively.
Oh exactly. I wrote poetry in high school and college for a time - and won awards for it; and learned how very important EVERY SINGLE WORD, every rhythm and even the length of the lines are. How to create maximum impact with economy of means. I haven't done it in a long time, but in fanfiction I tend to read and am drawn to writers whose style encompasses all of that. I love "prose poems."
Alas my actual prose is often as verbose as my replies are! I can manage that same economy in my Facebook comments for my local co-op, which have drawn much praise; but give me an unlimited amount of space or sheets of paper and, well - you know what they say about nature and vacuums.
the very best fanvids, to me, also demonstrate these qualities: you have to be sensitive and edit to both the lyrics (if there are any) and the music itself; to shape the music to the images and story you want to tell rather than vice-versa; and be willing to reject "cool effects" or a single "neat" shot if it doesn't fit or interrupts the flow.
Oh, but you were talking about Doctor Who...sorry. Anyway - mirrors and meta. Yes. I suppose watching DW will have to supersede my plan to watch Breaking Bad? A girl can only take in so many tv shows at one go.
AND THEY MADE A WHOLE TV SHOW LIKE THAT.
So many movies and tv shows seem to try for that or want to go for that but end up "pretentious" instead, I think: "Look at how clever and knowledgeable I am." I loved Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge for instance, but thought his follow-up, Australia, was horrible. He was inspired by old movies but there neither a single breath of real life to it or the genuine charms of old epics.
When I got into this fandom I had never heard the term meta used to mean "any non-fiction writing (essays, memoir, etc) is that a common across-the-board term in other fandoms as well? I thought of meta in the meta-texual sense (as an adjective or descriptor) and essays as, well, essays.
Whispers: Come to me, person who loves meta, I shall draw you in and you will never leave.
*eyes glaze over* Ooh, meta, shiny... ;) yes you do know me a little too well! But - I have to leave some room for my beloved Buffy Summers, always.
BTW - thank you for friending me back, I hadn't realized you weren't before! It's such fun having you in my "home" to chat. Coming to fandom and btvs has been a bit like going back to college for me - all the fun of intellectual stimulation and friendship, none of the stupid grades. (the carrot at the end of the stick.)
no subject
Date: 2013-10-30 11:07 pm (UTC)Sorry, got distracted. Beautiful video! Especially the overlapping quotes at the beginning - I don't think I've ever seen that done before.
That's fantastic about the book! May I ask how that happened? (I have gotten the impression that you are a "real" author - ha ha - I was just re-reading your essay on S8 "Mind the Gaps" that was cut from another "anthology" or collection of essays.)
LOL. One published essay is as 'real' as I've managed to get. Although it is far more than I ever dreamed when I first began sharing my meta on LJ - and that's basically how I got the gig. The editors are on LJ (and mutual friends), they liked my meta, asked me if I'd like to contribute... And here I am. The first one (the s8 one) didn't make the cut, but I didn't really mind - I rather despise the comics, so I'm happy not to be associated with them. But they asked me back for the Doctor Who book (it's the second one), and this time I got a much better brief! (Season 25, which includes such gems as 'Remembrance of the Daleks'!)
Oh exactly. I wrote poetry in high school and college for a time - and won awards for it
!!! Having written precisely ONE poem in my whole life, I am very impressed. Poetry is HARD.
I haven't done it in a long time, but in fanfiction I tend to read and am drawn to writers whose style encompasses all of that. I love "prose poems."
Same here!
Alas my actual prose is often as verbose as my replies are!
Oh dear, you too? Most people, it seems, write fics that are 3-5000 words long. That's the length of my average chapter... /o\
the very best fanvids, to me, also demonstrate these qualities: you have to be sensitive and edit to both the lyrics (if there are any) and the music itself; to shape the music to the images and story you want to tell rather than vice-versa; and be willing to reject "cool effects" or a single "neat" shot if it doesn't fit or interrupts the flow.
My favourite vids are meta vids. All kicked off with
Anyway - mirrors and meta. Yes. I suppose watching DW will have to supersede my plan to watch Breaking Bad? A girl can only take in so many tv shows at one go
*dances* Mind you, you couldn't choose two more contrasting shows. DW is, when it comes to Eleven, a fairy tale. (A proper one, not Disney-fied.)
So many movies and tv shows seem to try for that or want to go for that but end up "pretentious" instead
Doctor Who is aimed at 8 year olds. I doesn't get to indulge in being pretentious! And oh, I hear you about Moulin Rouge. I adore that film - and Romeo & Juliet even more. But never had the remotest interest in 'Australia'...
I thought of meta in the meta-texual sense (as an adjective or descriptor) and essays as, well, essays.
In fandom, meta generally means any kind of meta-y thoughts. Which can be in the form of an essay.
*eyes glaze over* Ooh, meta, shiny... ;) yes you do know me a little too well! But - I have to leave some room for my beloved Buffy Summers, always.
Oh Buffy is forever. <3
BTW - thank you for friending me back, I hadn't realized you weren't before!
I didn't realise that I hadn't friended you back! (I'm not good at keeping track.) But better late than never! (And now to bed... This week's unusual, in that I'm off work. Normally I'm not around this much. I miss hanging out properly.)
See what I mean about "verbose"? You were warned...
Date: 2013-10-31 02:41 pm (UTC)(Season 25, which includes such gems as 'Remembrance of the Daleks'!)
the way it worked out illustrates what I've found in my own life, it really is "who you know" But that means putting oneself out there over and over and over, even if it's scary. which is why the internet can be such a blessing if one is rather shy IRL. What is a "brief" btw?
you too?
Yup. The meta essays I've actually done are shorter than most of my replies, I guess because with essays I do have a focus in mind. Replies? Off the top o' my head and all over the place. Don't even get me started on the endless notebooks I've filled with fanfic (mostly moulin rouge in the past but now buffyverse) and realize I'm just going on far too long. I envy tv and film and having skilled live actors who can express pages of dialogue with a single glance.
Which gets back to your comment about fanvids (the closest I can come myself is doing picspams.) Coin Operated boy and it didn't do anything for me when I first watched it, but that was over a year ago; I need to give it another chance. Bachelorette & No Longer Feels like Home are the first two vids I saw in this fandom and I still adore them. I just mentioned kaybee's "Brave new world" in another reply to you btw because I just watched it and OH MY GOD...
not Disney-fied.
The revision of fairy tales probably started in the 19th century when children's books became a genre in it's own right (not just primers and moral instruction books, but for entertainment & pleasure) and the gothic revival and arts & crafts moment revived interest in them; and has only gotten worse since then. A heroine ending up winning the love of a prince made sense in a world where careers for women were non-existent; it doesn't anymore. & coming across the real thing, where starvation, death and mutilation are a fact of life, is shocking. Although some of that seems to come from the same mindset of the day: male hanging victims on were on display naked below the waist, or even the torture-porn fics and fanfics of today; that part of us that takes pleasure in the pain of others, that wants "revenge".
I haven't seen Steven Sondheim's Into the Woods yet but I want to for much the same reason; he explores the "what really happens after the 'happily ever after'?" watching broadcasts of Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George were seminal experiences for me as a teenager.
I adore that film - and Romeo & Juliet even more.
I was obsessed with MR, almost to the point I am now with Buffy, except the Buffyverse is of course richer and deeper. I understand what draws me to Buffy, I didn't understand why I loved MR but I was obsessed with Satine for a while. (most of the fandom was obsessed with Christian. This will not surprise you.) But lately I've begun to notice the parallels between Zidler & satine / Giles & Buffy.
I tried R&J and never could get into it though. I think for me it was too OTT, too loud and colorful and frentic. (Having epilepsy I think means I have a lower tolerance for that. I'm still shocked I never had a seizure while watching the Diamond Dogs can-can sequence.) Strictly Ballroom was a kick, even if the gender and ethnic aspects are wonky, the exaggerated quality of it works wonderfully there because it doesn't overwhelm the movie.
Oh Buffy is forever.
PREACH IT TO THE MOUNTAINTOPS.
Re: See what I mean about "verbose"? You were warned...
Date: 2013-10-31 09:06 pm (UTC)Oh I love that.
the way it worked out illustrates what I've found in my own life, it really is "who you know" But that means putting oneself out there over and over and over, even if it's scary.
I never did it 'to get noticed', I just... couldn't not write.
which is why the internet can be such a blessing if one is rather shy IRL.
Oh yes. I'm really, really not good at putting myself forward like, at all.
What is a "brief" btw?
I love the internet, it gives me easy definitions - maybe it's an English term?
1. To summarize.
2. To give instructions or preparatory information to: briefed the astronauts before the mission.
Yup. The meta essays I've actually done are shorter than most of my replies, I guess because with essays I do have a focus in mind.
Ooooh, I do long meta. When I'm on a roll, they get up to 10,000 words...
I envy tv and film and having skilled live actors who can express pages of dialogue with a single glance.
Thisssss. I am USELESS at short. Not that I can't do it, but...
Which gets back to your comment about fanvids (the closest I can come myself is doing picspams.)
I do pictures with captions. (As you've seen.) It... works, and I realise that I'd never have the time to vid.
Coin Operated boy and it didn't do anything for me when I first watched it, but that was over a year ago; I need to give it another chance.
Oh yes. It was the first vid that showed me how you can say things with a vid, not just tell a story, but make a point. Put two clips together and with the right words/lyrics. Damn. For example coin-operated boy/all the other real/ones that i destroyed/cannot hold a candle to my new boy really made me sit up and helped me understand better than many a meta why Buffy went for Riley. And then Spike turns up, and it still just knocks me out, every. single. time. The sheer change in focus and intensity, just from the way he looks at her. (I have it bad.)
A heroine ending up winning the love of a prince made sense in a world where careers for women were non-existent; it doesn't anymore.
I'm just not going to say ANYTHING until you've watched S5.
I was obsessed with MR, almost to the point I am now with Buffy, except the Buffyverse is of course richer and deeper.
Interesting. Not that I can't see the appeal, but - although I liked it - it never worked that way for me. And obviously Satine is the more interesting character. She's the one with the dream, the one who has something to lose.
I tried R&J and never could get into it though. I think for me it was too OTT, too loud and colorful and frentic. (Having epilepsy I think means I have a lower tolerance for that.
It's like... baroque. Nothing is too much. *g* More is more, just how young, first love is all-consuming. (There's a story to go with it, but I'll have to get back to you.)
PREACH IT TO THE MOUNTAINTOPS.
Lol.
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Date: 2013-10-30 01:18 am (UTC)IT WORKED! You were right! *bows low before your altar* Do you think it's any improvement though?
I'll come back for the rest tomorrow.
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Date: 2013-10-26 08:49 pm (UTC)I know we've been talking about all those things almost CONSTANTLY since we blew onto each other's computer screens, but those episodes are just so VITAL that it must be done. They're also two of my favourites, so I want this like yesterday.
Also, RE: And while we're on the subject... Would it please you to know I was just gonna get started on my Tara Tough Love sacrifice fic? I feel like it might...
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Date: 2013-10-28 06:07 pm (UTC)My darling readership has spoken....*LMAO* I think maybe I'm now at the point where I feel confident enough to tackle that? Now combating inertia is the thing; but knowing you and other people would want to read it helps. the fact that I can work in Tara's role in each? TOTAL BONUS.
Would it please you to know I was just gonna get started on my Tara Tough Love sacrifice fic?
YES! This pleases me VERY much! Tara's sacrifice does NOT get the appreciation it deserves. Like I said before? Tara sacrifices her mind for Dawn, Buffy sacrifices her life; the two women are linked to one another over and over by the text, and it's so easy to overlook - and pretty much has been IMO.