red_satin_doll | Tsunami of Polls #1 : Any interest in a comm devoted to Buffy and the women of the Buffyverse?

#1 - Thank you to whomever gifted me with a temporary paid account last month. Now I can create polls! Oh wonderful Anonymous Benefactor, you have no idea what you have unleashed upon this fandom.

#2 - Thanks also the the lovely

velvetwhip for coming up with the insanely awesome title/tag phrase "tsunami of polls" and allowing me to snag it.

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The other day I was having a conversation with

wickedbish in which I may have mentioned that most fandoms and fandom activity, in my experience, are focused primarily on the male characters. I assumed this was common knowledge. Except that he didn't know that. Because, you see, Ryan's favorite character is Willow (see #2 in his list of "13 Witches I Fucking Love"); he still mourns Tara (as do I; shared grief is comforting) and Buffy is one of his heros. The Gift has convinced him to not commit suicide "so many times". He's all about the ladies, bless.

You know what they say about "assuming".

Oops.

Then

clockwork_hart1 (Lucy) popped into the conversation and in her brilliant, enthusiastic way suggested the idea of a comm dedicated to Buffy, the other women in the 'verse and their interrelationships - complete with a name (Summers Blood) and a banner (she's working on it - is there no end to the young woman's talents?) ~~and three-part harmony~~. What that might actually look like or what interest there would actually be in such a thing was a matter of conjecture. So I'm channeling my inner Willow (Research Gal) for my very first poll.

What say you, Gentle Reader? Based just on the title of this post, you probably know who you are and how you stand.

(And as this is my first poll, please let me know if it functions ok. And I apologize for the wonky formatting. The LJ instructions for poll-making are vague and confusing at best. So says I.)

[Poll #1955410][Poll #1955410]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm just going to point out that at this moment, Dawn is the character the most people said they'd want to write/talk about and this makes me so unbelievably, stupidly happy, even if she gets just one vote for favourite character. (I can pretend for now at least all this talking will be super positive, and none of that hateful shit I see getting thrown at her elsewhere.)

Poor Dawn gets so mistreated in fandom... ;(

She really does. =( Poor thing. She's such a great character, and yet, how dare she get upset over everyone in her life dying and/or leaving her?

I like to imagine that the hatred just comes from all the younger siblings out there who refuse to admit that they were Dawn, once upon a time, and especially that they were emotional over much more trivial things than what upset Dawnie.

Eheh, probably. I think there's also a casting factor to consider. When we first see her, theoretically Dawn is no more older than Buffy during the first season, right? Fifteen or so? Yet due to SMJ being cast to play a fifteen year old Buffy when she was twenty-ish (same goes for Willow/Xander/Cordelia/Oz etc.) Dawn comes across as much younger/immature. We *really* can't remember our heroes being that young. :D

We *really* can't remember our heroes being that young. :D

I think Eliza Dushku was an exception, she actually WAS 17 in S3; but she looks so much older than that, I had no idea until I read it online after I watched Season 3. (Of course she wears all that make-up.)

And from what I have read online, the writers originally conceptualized Dawn as ten years old until Sarah insisted that Michelle be cast. Somehow the writing never caught up until Michelle herself insisted she be written more age-appropriately, which is part of why she's more mature in S7. (if what I read online is to be believed.)

And I have a fanwank - I mean, a theory - about Dawn and Buffy and the monks spell to cover the writers' asses! *points to conversation with wickedbish abovethread*
http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/31317.html?thread=790869#t790869

Long story short, in my headcanon, the monks have no clue what a modern teenage girl is actually like (duh, right?), and Dawn has no actual physical memories of being a "real" girl in the world, of being a teenager; she has to create everything for herself.

And Buffy has no kinetic physical memories of being an older sibling; she's never actually played that role in her life; whereas Joyce can slip easily into the "mother" role to Dawn because she has actually been a mother; she has life experience in the role to build on (or that the monks spell can build upon.)

Works for me anyway.

Oh, yes, you're right about Eliza Dushku. But then she was casted later on compared to the core cast. Plus, yes, all that make-up... :D
I never heard they were going for Dawn as ten years old, very interesting! Now I have to wonder what BtVS would have been like if they hadn't changed their mind...

Edited 2014-02-07 18:14 (UTC)

Now I have to wonder what BtVS would have been like if they hadn't changed their mind...

I don't think Dawn would have worked as well as a parallel to Buffy - the girl who doesn't have superpowers, who is just a little younger than Buffy when we first met her. And the dynamic would have been entirely different with a 10 year old girl. (I don't think I would have been as interested in the character, at any rate.)

Also, some folks have mentioned Dawn bleeding in The Gift as a metaphor for menstration, which wouldn't work with a 10 year in the same way.

I like to imagine that the hatred just comes from all the younger siblings out there who refuse to admit that they were Dawn, once upon a time, and especially that they were emotional over much more trivial things than what upset Dawnie.

Or maybe never had/were a younger sibling themselves? IDK

A lot of the complaints I read have to do with - get this - her voice. Which reminds me of the time back in the 1980's I read a respected newspaper columnist say that part of the reason women didn't get further in politics was because female voices are unpleasant to listen to esp when they are 'stern" or 'strident" (read: nag, shrew, bitch).

You can imagine how I feel about that bs. Gee, Dawn screamed because a Hellgod had her tied to a tower to be sacrificed and some insano was cutting into her with a knife? How dare she! *grrrrrr*

Oh you've seen my welcome post have you not and the no bashing the ladies "and this includes Dawn" rule? To quote myself:
["Dawn"] is courageous without an ounce of Slayer strength, sasses the Hellgod who is trying to kill her, and comes out on the other side of some major identity and abandonment issues a hell of a lot better than Riley does. Buffy and Dawn's prickly, contentious, yet ultimately loyal and loving relationbnship? That's my sister and I when we were kids, right there."
http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/18342.html

Dissing the Dawnster is NOT ALLOWED in my little corner of the universe.

And

kwritten's of course; you've read her Dawn meta and fics? Fantastic.

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