New Faith/Fuffy icon - it was time (in which I blather, excessively)

[red_satin_doll]

When I realized that:
1) Buffy, Faith and/or Buffy/Faith (I can go either way) was starting to take up major real estate in my brain, my fanfic and in my
    fandom conversations;
2) I can't decide from one day to the next which Summers sister I 'ship with Faith (I can go either way)
3) Buffy+Dawn+Faith+Tara = One True Family could totally be a thing in fandom;

...then it was way past time to get a new icon.

A.) Somewhere on the internet I saw an icon of Faith in Buffy's body in Who Are You, stroking Buffy's leg (now her own) in the bathtub with the text "Tell me again why Fuffy isn't canon?" (eleusis_walks's meta on Faith and Buffy describes the "masturbatory" nature of that scene. Tell us again why Fuffy isn't canon, Mr Whedon?) ETA: Mystery solved : it's beer_good_foamy's. Of course.



I haven't found that icon again but I came across a trove of Buffy/Faith icons on the "Fuffy fanclub"  at Fanpop.com. All of them were posted by a member named AcidBanter by the source is only given as "LiveJournal"; so I suspect that AB isn't the original artist.

My apologies therefore and if anyone here does know, please let me know so I can give proper credit.

I wanted to go with #2, "WIll fuck with your sexual orientation" or one of the funny ones with text to start, but my template shrinks the icons too much and I have this bizarre kink about legibility. It's a thing.(#3 's "subtext" is just barely legible in this template.) I may end up rotating all of these anyway, thanks to elisi's instructions on how to do that by using the exact same keywords for the new icon as the one it replaces.

1.)  2.) 3.) 4.) 5.)

BTW, I haven't rewatched S3 in over a year btw so I'd forgotten how pretty Eliza was that season - and can anyone tell me what the what is going on in #8 below?

6.) 7.) 8.) 9.) 10.)

B.) Now this is the sad part: Because I'm limited to 15 icons, someone else had to get booted off the island. And y'all know I love my babies something fierce. *sniffle* This is where I needed to be strong and decisive. Most of my icons were DO NOT TOUCH just TRY to pry them out of my hot little hands and behold the meaning the word "fierce". That left four candidates:

I've used this one to represent: Lesbianism, friendship and/or solidarity, proof on Willow-centric journals that I don't hate Willow; and that moment is one of my favorite moments in the entire series. CHILLS UP MY SPINE every time I watch it.
BTW - the W/T "spiritual handfasting" will be echoed by B/S in Chosen, and perverted by Glory in Tough Love. Speaking of which, check out clockwork_hart1 tribute fic to Tara's bravery and sacrifice in TL, "Shadows and Light". (Read it now and thank me later.)

Extremely useful for obvious reasons, and cute besides. Everyone needs a "huh"? or WTF? icon.

Do I really need another image from "Showtime"? Probably not. But it's useful for "fierce and determined" (as opposed to "extremely pissed off"). Buffy's the hand: when she sets out to get something done, shit gets done.
Also useful for "I have a lot of love for S7 despite the flaws";  "I actually do sorta-kinda think her wounds are a little sexy even if I'm too chicken-shit to admit it"; And of course: "Buffy is my Hero damn it! And she's the protagonist of the Buffyverse! Ergo it is my sworn duty to remind fandom of this fact every once in a while." (Believe me now and thank me later.)

Which leaves me with:

I know, sweetie, I know - it hurts me too. *sobs quietly* But it's the icon I probably use the least, and comlodge 's original artwork will always have pride of place on my Welcome post. (Don't mind me, I'll be all righ...*curls up in fetal position and sobs loudly*)

Comments

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I saw you using another icon a couple of times and didn't recognize you at first! *LOL* Ten+ years ago when I was nto (Moulin Rouge/Nicole Kidman fandom) I had one icon for ages because I liked being "identifiable". then I actually starting making them and that was all she wrote, folks.

not having watched any of S3 I'm not really up on her story with Buffy

You've mentioned that before (are you TRYING to wring my heart in your hands and toss it on the ground like a wet rag? Cruel Mistress. *LMAO*) Srsly, you know what I'm going to say. I wasn't "into" the idea of a show set in high school myself, and that kept me from watching it for over ten years. Silly me.

But I can be patient. ;)

Just not interested in that genre which is so wierd because I always thought I had tendencies that way.

Honey, I AM a lesbian, full-stop, and I not only read but I write more fic with hetero pairings than not. Which should be really weird, right? I think there's something about rahirah's theory about her own writing, that writing a lesbian pairing is "too close to home"? Or maybe it has as much to do with the fact that I have so few (read: almost no) templates for f/f. I didn't grow up reading it or watching it on tv.

I've noticed that the folks in this fandom who write f/f - and very good at that - are male, female, gay, straight, bi, whatever. kervik writes (non-explicit) f/f almost exclusively, and marvelously so.

I rarely read anything that does not feature him.

To each our own as you say. I read Buffy&Spike almost exclusively for the longest time, but I'm starting to branch out because one pairing all the time gets dull, like eating steak or salmon EVERY single night for dinner. I want a good story, good writing.

I don't ship Buffy/Giles f.ex. but il_mio_capitano writes the most amazing B/G fics because she writes very perceptively about the characters and their dynamic, how they interact in ways that are still true to canon and she avoids the tropes and cliches. http://capitano-fic.livejournal.com/ But it's taken forever for me to dip into it because I "don't ship them."

The same with Buffy/Angelus, but leni_ba's Courting Sin 'verse is wonderful.

[comlodge.livejournal.com]

I saw you using another icon a couple of times and didn't recognize you at first! See, that's what I mean, lol! I did make a series of icons but 1. I forget to use them and 2. They're not me! *giggle*

But I can be patient. ;) That's good because I'm seriously cash strapped at the mo so no BTVS purchases in the forseeable future, grin.

that writing a lesbian pairing is "too close to home" That's an interesting theroy though I got to wonder why it would not be the same for a het writer then. It's all really wierd. I know that loads of the m/m is written by het women and I can see that actually. I mean guys aren't the only ones who want to see the opposite sex have each other - grin. I have to admit though, that I always thought femslash was written by lesbians, silly me. Of course if your breathing and reasonably healthy, sex with anyone is interesting. :D

I read Buffy&Spike almost exclusively for the longest time

I don't think I've ever been this hooked on a charachter before and I'm not sure why. I have ut it down to the fact I'd never heard of fanfic before now so my indulgences in previous charachters were only via the actual shows they were in. I've never been into buying other than movies on dvd either but of ourse now I can surround myself in Spike 24/7 if I want. I do not however watch the eps that I do own anymore.

I've read Spike/Angel, Spike/Xander (so much for this one for some reason and I find I'm getting quite over it and simply cannot read any that is set during the series - just wrong), Spike/Giles, Spike/Willow, Spike/Tara, Spike/Dru, Spike/Darla, Spike/Other, Spike/Spike - damn he is a slut! Seriously, I'm am so stuck on that charachter. I signed up for a remix thingy and the author I'm doing is mostly writes Xander and NO Spike. I'm having the hardest time doing it!

Maybe I just haven't been here long enough to move on. I read some of valyssia's work a while back for the feedbackathon and I really enjoyed the writing. She really is very good and I thought I would go back and finish the story I began, but I haven't. Anyway, I know what you are saying. It's the writing not the charachters that matter and that's true. I'm just not ready to move on yet, I guess. And no, don't want to read B/G - even well written.

I think too, that having watched the show, having my own ideas of what the charachters are makes it hard to get involved in a story that whose charachters are 'off', especially if the writing is not quite up to scratch. Actually, I haven't been reading much at all other than Spike fic for so long. The odd audiobook and that's about it. God, I'm wandering on today. Love these little chats with you , my hand maiden. Make me think a while. I think I have to go write some femslash. At least, I need to get back to WTF and finish it. People apparently like it. :D

[(Anonymous)]

Re: icons I think it's clever how you now make icon versions of your bigger artwork when you post it, like a little " sneak preview" of what's to come. (Congrats on the judges choice win at Slayerstillness btw!

And I definitely hear you about budget - I only got to watch Buffy because my sweetie pays for a Netflix account! Same for a friend of mine I'd rec'd it to when a sibling paid for Hulu. And in terms of not being I interested in the high school years, that might be half the reason I avoided it for so long. (I'm trying to recall a single truly happy school memory and I got nothing.)

And as far as Barb's theory I suspect it differs for everyone. I couldn't say if it was true of het authors or not - I've learned that I cannot assume a fan writer's gender or orientation. In fact the majority of m/m authors in any fandom are female. The adult women who wrote Star Trek fic decades ago and created or popularized modern fanfic were the ones who shipped Kirk/Spock/McCoy et cetera. Because the men had the only ineresting relationships in canon. And probably there was that level of safe remove but also role-play, exploring a different dynamic than m/f ones, which come with certain pre-set assumptions and conventions.

I have read a theory re: anime m/m shippers that the girls and women who write it may also be exploring the ideal of a more "equal" relationship (removing gender equalities.) I have heard plenty of married het women assume that would be true of lesbian relationships. Which is f-----g RUBBISH.

If you try your hand at femmeslash I'd read it. (Graphic sex scenes or PWP is of zero interest to me regardless of gender.) I If you understand the characters and general relationship dynamics there's no reason you couldn' get it right. You're constantly surprising me and when you set out to do something it gets done!

Oh and of the ships you read - at this point I will read almost any ship if the writing is really good. (Which is why I'll read il_mio_capitano' B/G fic and no one else's.) My exceptions are Bangel (bored now) but I will occasionally read B/A/S (Foxinator's "These Things") or Bangelus (leni_ba's Courting Sin 'verse.).

I cannot and will NOT read fic that 'ships Tara with ANY man for a host of reasons I won't go into here.

[comlodge.livejournal.com]

Icons - I like to add an icon to the post because it makes my page look pretty - see totally superficial, lol. I used to let LJ do it but it was so hit and miss about doing it that I decided to do it myself. I didn't realise I've won something that round. Will have to have a look. :D

Because the men had the only interesting relationships in canon.

You know I never thought of that but it is so true of so much of what we still see on the box. Hmmm. And fanfic was around for Star Trek? Wow, I am out of the loop and a latecomer, grin. Actually, I do wonder how far from a true m/m relationship the written word is. I imagine that it is, as all fictional relationships, not close at all but rather an amalgamation of reality and fantasy. Fiction must gives us that near perfect pairing because, I suppose, that we read to escape to a world we might imagine for ourselves, better than what we have or maybe worse if we are into self flagellation. I'm not into reality shows and never got too much into soaps that were based on what my world was at the time. I read to learn, to escape, to dream and, I guess, my dreams are still bigger than where I am currently. Certainly, if I watch tv or go to the movies I'm looking for escapism, entertainment, a little vacation from the real world. I might learn something while I'm there, but it is the best type of learning, subliminal. What I take from them is dependent on my life experiences and how open I am to change.

the ideal of a more "equal" relationship... You know I can see this so easily and have probably thought something similar. It's because we still live in a patriarchal hierarchy. Men are still the boss, so therefore if the relationship were two women there would be no boss. No boss must mean, partners. Very simplistic, idealist and of course totally forgetting the nature of humans. Also, all of us know the grass is always greener on the other side and in fiction. :)

Graphic sex scenes or PWP is of zero interest to me regardless of gender.

I could add here endless romance interludes where the sex is not graphic but it's there on almost every page. I do read such, I love it when it is well written but will generally skip over it after the second 'joining' because I really want the plot. Maybe I get enough sex, or am really good at pleasing myself so I don't need to read about it so much.

If you try your hand at femmeslash I'd read it

I'm not sure how much I would get into this genre other than the bits I've written in WTF which started of as a total tongue in cheek piece and started going off somewhere else leaving me wondering where to go with it. I really think my non writing of late is simply laziness. It's a discipline like anything else but I've been happy to play with Photoshop where I can grab a theme from somewhere and then let it run in images.

Tara with ANY man

You know, I agree with that. She is so well written into the role of lesbian, to me, that really I think it is rather an affront to the charachter to write her otherwise. She knows herself. She is centred. Willow, to me is bi and not because of her prior experience but her continued behaviour. She is still experimenting, learning. I don't know, that could be a load of crock. I've read two Spara stories that I did like but it is not a ship I look for.

If I were to enter a lesbian affair, I would so want Tara for a partner. Someone quietly strong to offset my brash/rash loudness but equally, perhaps more than, capable of leadership simply by the quiet self assurance. She would teach me to be a partner because I do want a 'partner', an equal.

Anya, would be the other choice. The experience of a thousand year old demon coupled with brash forthrightness. Oh yeah,

[Error: Irreparable invalid markup ('<i.that</i>') in entry. Owner must fix manually. Raw contents below.]

Icons - I like to add an icon to the post because it makes my page look pretty - see totally superficial, lol. I used to let LJ do it but it was so hit and miss about doing it that I decided to do it myself. I didn't realise I've won something that round. Will have to have a look. :D

<i>Because the men had the only interesting relationships in canon. </i>

You know I never thought of that but it is so true of so much of what we still see on the box. Hmmm. And fanfic was around for Star Trek? Wow, I am out of the loop and a latecomer, grin. Actually, I do wonder how far from a true m/m relationship the written word is. I imagine that it is, as all fictional relationships, not close at all but rather an amalgamation of reality and fantasy. Fiction must gives us that near perfect pairing because, I suppose, that we read to escape to a world we might imagine for ourselves, better than what we have or maybe worse if we are into self flagellation. I'm not into reality shows and never got too much into soaps that were based on what my world was at the time. I read to learn, to escape, to dream and, I guess, my dreams are still bigger than where I am currently. Certainly, if I watch tv or go to the movies I'm looking for escapism, entertainment, a little vacation from the real world. I might learn something while I'm there, but it is the best type of learning, subliminal. What I take from them is dependent on my life experiences and how open I am to change.

<i>the ideal of a more "equal" relationship...</i> You know I can see this so easily and have probably thought something similar. It's because we still live in a patriarchal hierarchy. Men are still the boss, so therefore if the relationship were two women there would be no boss. No boss must mean, partners. Very simplistic, idealist and of course totally forgetting the nature of humans. Also, all of us know the grass is always greener on the other side and in fiction. :)

<i>Graphic sex scenes or PWP is of zero interest to me regardless of gender.</i>

I could add here endless romance interludes where the sex is not graphic but it's there on almost every page. I do read such, I love it when it is well written but will generally skip over it after the second 'joining' because I really want the plot. Maybe I get enough sex, or am really good at pleasing myself so I don't need to read about it so much.

<i>If you try your hand at femmeslash I'd read it</i>

I'm not sure how much I would get into this genre other than the bits I've written in WTF which started of as a total tongue in cheek piece and started going off somewhere else leaving me wondering where to go with it. I really think my non writing of late is simply laziness. It's a discipline like anything else but I've been happy to play with Photoshop where I can grab a theme from somewhere and then let it run in images.

<i>Tara with ANY man</i>

You know, I agree with that. She is so well written into the role of lesbian, to me, that really I think it is rather an affront to the charachter to write her otherwise. She knows herself. She is centred. Willow, to me is bi and not because of her prior experience but her continued behaviour. She is still experimenting, learning. I don't know, that could be a load of crock. I've read two Spara stories that I did like but it is not a ship I look for.

If I were to enter a lesbian affair, I would so want Tara for a partner. Someone quietly strong to offset my brash/rash loudness but equally, perhaps more than, capable of leadership simply by the quiet self assurance. She would teach me to be a partner because I do want a 'partner', an equal.

Anya, would be the other choice. The experience of a thousand year old demon coupled with brash forthrightness. Oh yeah, <i.that</i> would be a dance I'd want on my card. :D

Oops

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

That long anonymous comment was me btw - stupid iPod logged me out automatically. Time limits - who knew?

Thank goodness it didn't lose the comment altogether.

Re: Oops

[comlodge.livejournal.com]

I will have to go look. LJ ate several of my replies yesterday or the day before - I forget. Such a sod because I forget who I was replying to. I hate when something gets lost.