Today's post brought to you by the need to throw SOMETHING on this journal no matter how silly...

[red_satin_doll]

And also, to remind everyone to vote in the otherworldlyric icon challenge contest #162.
ETA: dragonydreams just let me know that voting is closed and winners have been announced. Congratulations to winners spikesredqueen and chic_c !
(While I'm here I might as well send more kudos to wickedbish for being such an awesome icon beta.)



Now go get some sleep - tomorrow's a long day, sweetie.

Comments

[kikimay]

The line sounds funny to me because I associate it with comedy stuff (I learned that phrase with comedy. I thought is a "joke line") but I didn't thought about the - oh my God, so spot on - implications.

The slayers' succession is something creepy and when I read people who bash Buffy because of what she did in Chosen I really can't believe my eyes: she broke the chain that brought so much death on so many people. Also it's really unfair and it's very convenient, if you think about it, for the Council: without the previous slayer there's not example nor guide. There's no previous experience. Every slayer is like an only child without mother and has to rebuilt her power starting with nothing. They could easily use the new orphan slayer, because no one will protect her.

I'm upset by Buffy and Xin Rong (Is that her name? I didn't know it!) death. Well, I'm upset for Buffy for reasons you can imagine. Nikki's death upsets me on a totally different level mostly because there's Robin involved and all the hate he gets from her death, for his own self, for his mother and the vampire who killed her. It's really seems SO unfair.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I know that line can be used sarcastically/comedically - in the song itself it has a bitter quality - so I never quite thought of that. Once I paired it with the images. (the irony is that if the word were "queen" instead it would have very different meanings.)

when I read people who bash Buffy because of what she did in Chosen I really can't believe my eyes: she broke the chain that brought so much death on so many people.

I've been thinking about the slayer spell recently and come to terms with it personally. Because I can see both sides of the issue - I felt both sides when I watched the episode for the first time; there are definitely some creepy implications, thanks mostly to Get it Done. Once we're told that the original Slayer was "raped" by a demon, it's hard to unsee that. OTOH - as far as I can tell, Buffy and co thought that all the surviving potentials were there in the living room with them.

But the thing is - even with the problemmatic aspects, undoing the spell entirely doesn't seem like the solution to me and doesn't sit well with me, when I see it in the comics or in fanfic. So you're going to take away what was given? That "takeaway" is also a "violation". Plus in terms of power dynamics, why is it "bad" that a bunch of young women gain power? Why is it assumed that they can't handle it, or that it will shift the dynamics of the entire universe in a bad way and thus should be avoided? Because - only the boys can handle it? That's not good enough for me.

It seems to me that what's needed is communication, getting the word out, letting the girls know that they're not freaks, not alone -which is exactly the situation I faced growing up, not feeling "normal", not caring about boys, but having never heard the words "lesbian" "gay" "homosexual" except as a slur on the playground, as something shameful and sinful. I didn't come out until I was in my mid-twenties which makes me luckier than a lot of other people have been. That sort of shame and ignorance and silence are a fucking waste of time, a waste of life and possibility.

So I guess I see it like my sexual orientation - I wouldn't wish that stupid struggle with a most basic part of my own being upon anybody.

ozma914 writes a post-Chosen Four Friends series and in one, his OC Slayer, Kara, reflects on how she is glad to have been "chosen" and to chose, to have a chance to make a real difference in life, to have these friends and sense of community. And I like that way of looking at it because it makes a lot of sense to me. (I can't find the exact link here's the four friends tag http://ozma914.livejournal.com/tag/four%20friends) OTOH he also wrote "She would be 13" a beautiful story in which Xander reflects on the downsides of the slayer spell to the girls it affects http://good--evil.livejournal.com/176650.html So, everything in balance.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Also it's really unfair and it's very convenient, if you think about it, for the Council: without the previous slayer there's not example nor guide. There's no previous experience. Every slayer is like an only child without mother and has to rebuilt her power starting with nothing. They could easily use the new orphan slayer, because no one will protect her.

Exactly - they practice total control. They "own" the story, until Buffy rewrites it. We hear about Watchers Diaries, what about Slayer Diaries? in Prophecy Girl, Joyce represents "possibilities", telling Buffy a story about how she met Hank at the prom and emphasizing choice, possibility and options; Giles says "Buffy WILL meet the Master and she WILL die." In the Gift he says "Dawn MUST die." He's the WC's rep, and there is only ONE option, one way to do things. And most Slayers live and die by that belief.

And this reflects a truth about real life - much of women's history has been erased, forgotten, buried, or is inaccessible to most of us. Buffy doesn't have access to her own history except through Giles/the WC and Spike - a Slayer of Slayers who doesn't know as much as he thinks he does. He doesn't understand when Xin Rong says "Tell my mother - I am sorry." He doesn't KNOW she had that bond, nor would he care in any case. She's an enemy to be defeated. So FFL actually makes clear that Spike isn't the final word on what Slayers are like, but somehow it ends up being interpreted that way, especially when LMPTM doesn't contradict his opinions. It's not exactly a battle of equals - equal strength perhaps, and yes the girls have training but nothing to compare with a vampire's 100+ years of skill and experience. In WTTH, Luke and the Master want to kill Buffy, they seek out "the Slayer"; she just wants to go to school and hang with her friends and date boys.

It's troubling - or it should be troubling, that the girls themselves are all but forgotten while the men have a pissing contest; that Robin's legitimate grievances are brushed aside; that Buffy is still removed from her own history...and don't even get me started on the awful image of Robin beaten and bloodied, looking like 14 year old Emmet Till in his coffin, or so many black Americans who were brutally murdered in America.
It's really seems SO unfair.

Maybe they were going for "Spike hasn't totally learned empathy yet" but that's the last word on it in the series, so it just comes across as yucky. The perpetrator justifying himself, with the backing of the (white) Slayer who loves him against the "angry black man" who needs to get over himself apparently? Oh Season 7, you make it so hard for me to defend you sometimes.

[kikimay]

Eh. I have mixed opinions about LMPTM. Very mixed opinions.
I will never get Spike's final words to Robin, they seem so cruel but also false. I mean, how can he say that Nikki didn't love Robin as much as Anne loved him? WTF? Just because Nikki had also a mission while Anne was all ill and isolated with his son? How the fuck the writers suppose that a pareting model is better than another ESPECIALLY when both mothers didn't really had options? (Anne was ill and Nikki was the Chosen One, she didn't choose that destiny)
I don't know what the writers were aiming with that, really. And I'm also certain that if Nikki was a man she would have been justified (I don't know what I'm doing with the verbes here, I hope it makes sense) It's far more acceptable, for a father, to have a mission or an important job or whatever, but for a mother her entire world should be the son?

I kinda want to know the fandom opinion about this stuff, because it bugs me.

[kikimay]

I know that line can be used sarcastically/comedically - in the song itself it has a bitter quality - so I never quite thought of that. Once I paired it with the images. (the irony is that if the word were "queen" instead it would have very different meanings.)

Yes, it was just my brain, because I associate the phrase with something funny. I think that all the Slayers deaths are equally dramatic. Of course Buffy would be the most dramatic but just because she's the protagonist and we actually see her struggling with death. Is it possible to say "who died and made you queen" also?

I assume that when you talk about the "taking away" of the power you imply the comics. That doesn't make a lot of sense. It feels like it comes out of nowhere this "unbalacing" stuff caused by the spell. And all the Twilight/Angel's motivations are weird and nonsensical. The basic idea, "everything you do has consequences", is interesting and true. It's also true that having suddenly all the potentials active change the world, of course. But the development lacks sense. And, yes, Get It Done shows the creepy implications and they still mix with Buffy's intentions but I get a sense of reality from that, because things aren't all black or white and power dynamics between men are complex. Still, I do believe that empowering the women, the slayers, was the solution and I'm sad that the comics take it away.

Thanks for the recs. I will read the stories.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Is it possible to say "who died and made you queen" also?

The challenge was to use at LEAST two consecutive words in the song's lyrics, so I suppose I could have changed that one word with no harm; but that didn't occur to me at the time. I could try redoing one with the word queen in it? When I post the entire set on here (today?) let me know.

It may not come out exactly the same - that's the thing I add text while the image is large and then shrink it down (with PB it doesn't seem to work the other way and still be legible) so no two icons come out the same from the same image. But I do love playing with text and making icons so I'd be up for that!

I assume that when you talk about the "taking away" of the power you imply the comics.

I've read it in fanfiction as well, all of which have been far better written and better developed than the comics but the solution still never quite works for me no matter how elegantly or skillfully it's presented.

[kikimay]

Gah, I like the word "queen" because of etymology. I chose it for my long-Buffycentric fic. The phrase really assumes other meanings changing king with queen. I think it's because of the hystorical values of these words.

I've read it in fanfiction as well, all of which have been far better written and better developed than the comics but the solution still never quite works for me no matter how elegantly or skillfully it's presented.
For me too the spell is an endgame. I think it's the best possible solution in that situation and I don't see why taking away the power from the girls after. Everytime Buffy makes the "Chosen" speech I could cry ugly empowered tears. It refers to all of us, I think, to take the power in our hands and be brave. It's really inspiring.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I was thinking about your fic when we were talking earlier - your use of the word queen inspired it in one of my posts in reference to Buffy a while back, a "benevolent queen". http://red-satin-doll.livejournal.com/17902.html Which is how I see her by the end of the series - as a matriarch.

Everytime Buffy makes the "Chosen" speech I could cry ugly empowered tears. It refers to all of us, I think, to take the power in our hands and be brave. It's really inspiring.

It's one of those things I'm split both ways about (and this show is really good at doing that) - my head analyses it and says "But..."; my heart just melts a little. Especially when I see the girl in the trailer park rise up - WHY don't more fanvids include her rather than the softball girl? Or when Vi kicks ass in the Hellmouth - I get SHIVERS every time.

Would it have been even better if Dawn's Keyness had also been unlocked? Oh yeah. That's a massive fail - but not enough to make me want to reject the whole thing entirely.

[kikimay]

Dawn's potential is SO unxpressed. Especially now, in the comics, when she's paired with Xander. (JESUS CHRIST WHY?!)

How come I didn't read or commented that post? Why? I'm reading it now.
I'm in love with the word "queen" also because etymology, as I was saying. Because I read the the "queen" etymology is uncertain but some guys suspect that it comes from gyné, ancient greek for woman, which makes a lot of sense, but, you know, the central core of the word deeply connects two concepts: power - because queen is a word that means *powerful* - and also woman. And there are other examples of that, like the Italian "donna" (woman) who comes from the latin "domina" which comes from dominium. I mean, it's all theory but language is ancient and it's the most powerful thing to export concepts and nothing is casual. You know, matriarchy in the Mediterraneum, because it was all about men. And it makes me thing of what Willow says to Kennedy about her magic: the magic she uses is definetly old age-y. It's all about taking back what was originally yours and even if the show doesn't really get that - the power comes from the rape, something external - in fanfics we can do it. Can we?

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

It's all about taking back what was originally yours and even if the show doesn't really get that - the power comes from the rape, something external - in fanfics we can do it. Can we?

ABSOLUTELY!

This conversation has inspired some thinky-thoughts - namely, the connection between the way the spell is undone in the comics, and the treatment of Joyce, Sheila and the parents' group (MOO) in Gingerbread. It's the only time we see Joyce in a public function (although she runs a gallery and certainly deals with "the public" on a daily basis); but this is one of the few times in the show we see how powerful she can be in her own right. (Hitting Spike with the axe in School Hard is another!)

But she's bespelled - and ends up nearly killing her own daughter. I think the show was taking MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and other groups as a template or inspiration, but the episode displays a fear of female power, of women stepping forward in the public spotlight to create change. The show (Joss) prefers Joyce as a private person. The episode shows women banding together as something threatening, something dangerous. And I think we see that play out in the comics.

Joss says he wanted to make a show about strong women, and about a man who "isn't afraid of strong women, and in fact is turned on by them" (I think he meant Xander? Whatever.) And I guess that's how he wants to see himself. But he's more like Riley - wants to believe he's not afraid of "strong women" so long as they behave themselves, or use their power in "appropriate" ways, don't step out of line too far, and are young and nubile. (Maggie Walsh is a powerful woman, and look what happens to her.)

So there's definitely a double-standard going on here!

[kikimay]

All the older women in BtVS are not an example and, if they are, they are a bad example (Maggie) but I guess it's more about generations than genders. Older generations are represented by Joyce, but also by Giles and all the Council members (And maybe by vampires too. Spike and Angel are pretty old and they show it at times) while the younger generation is the one that matters (Willow, Buffy, Dawn, Xander etc) I think it's more about generations. Or at least, that's my first impression.

Joyce doesn't look good in Gingerbread, but I LOVE that episode. Especially because it's so true. The error of all these women was to judge and take a stand against something they really didn't understand. Joyce is tricked by the creepy children but the others are becoming the medieval inquisition without no basis and without real desire to understand and how many times that happens in RL? Against immigrants, gay, atheist or whatever. There's always someone who has to "protect" society from the evil bad different people. And while Joyce is tricked, Sheila is just superficial and pompous, the Mayor *knows* all the time and he uses this thing to take personal advantage.

The thing about Joyce - and generally women - having to be private, just strikes me in the comics, because of the all Twangel - "I'm taking back everything I did in seven seasons" - plot. And it doesn't feel good.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I think you have a very good point about the generational aspect and that's true - (apparently Joss has parental issues). But in this instance gender and age definitely intersect (plus race in the cases of Jenny and Olivia.) There are a multiplicity of "Fathers", father-figures especially in terms of their effects on Buffy or on the Slayers generally. The WC is a patriarcial institution and we only see a couple of female watchers; Gwendolyn is entirely evil. There's Giles, Angel, Hank.

But only one literal "mother" - Joyce. There are symbolic mother figures (Buffy, Tara) but every mother figure in the verse that I know of except Buffy and Drusilla are dead by the end of btvs or ats.

I suppose the lack of female figures to be role models/guides for Buffy is supposed to be part of the point but even in very "conservative" societies women have complex social bonds and interrelationships. The show repeats the pattern of society generally which is the erasure of mature women, specifically. It's particularly notable because there is already such a lack of representation of mature women in films etc in the US although that has gotten a lot better in the last 20 years esp in terms of television (older actresses finding quality work in tv when movies are no longer being written for them).

We really don't lack for representations of mature men OTOH when Sean Connery and Harrison Ford can still play romantic or action leads in big-budget films, paired with women young enough to be their daughters.

Joyce is tricked by the creepy children but the others are becoming the medieval inquisition without no basis

I'm pretty sure the same spell affected everyone, but I'd have to watch the ep to be sure of that. I think there are definitely good things about the ep and that "gang mentality" is very real. Buffy is often a stand-in for gays in lesbians esp in S1-2 ("in the closet") but Gingerbread reminds me of parents who have found out their child is gay and love their children but are not at all comfortable with their child's identity, so they look for something/one to "blame". That there is something evil there.

Or even anti-gay protestors who blame the latest hurricane or whatever on homosexuals. It's crazy but there are crazy people out there and yes, they can be destructive.

So as with the Slayer spell, there's good and bad to that episode but that is so true of the series generally.

I like the connection the episode makes between Buffy and Willow, and Joan of Arc. (And poor Amy.)

because of the all Twangel - "I'm taking back everything I did in seven seasons" - plot. And it doesn't feel good.

My first reaction, after WHAT THE HELL? was ok, so were you kidding then or are you kidding now, Joss? I can see both sides of the issue with Chosen, I can see no good from S8. I have tried and tried and squinted and stood on my head but - no.

[kikimay]

There are symbolic mother figures (Buffy, Tara) but every mother figure in the verse that I know of except Buffy and Drusilla are dead by the end of btvs or ats.

Interesting. So do you at Drusilla as mother figure? I've never seen her like that. (To me she's a daughter figure and a very disturbing one.)

Buffy is a mother figure herself, true, and Joyce dies (and she doesn't seem really connected in the first seasons, when she doesn't know about the slayer-thingy) But I really think it's more about age than gender - in this case, because in general movies it's also about gender - because all the father figures in BtVS pretty much ... suck. Xander's father is terrible, Hank's absent and Willow's dad doesn't seem to exist. Plus we get Angelus and the Master who are, at least to me, the creepiest father figures EVER. Even Giles makes some serious mistakes and he's the father figure for Buffy but not much for Xander or Dawn. I really think it's a general bad view of parental figures. (But I TOTALLY agree with the issue about race. Seriously: Kendra, Jenny, Nikki ... all the people who aren't white are also disposable)

Gingerbread makes me think also about politics. Not only the persecution against homosexual which - in my country - is still a huge problem, but also the politics against immigrants and other parts of the country and different people in general. If you happen to read or see something about the latest developments in Italian politics you could see ... a disturbing analogy?
So, yes, it feels so real.

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Kara did have one big advantage over the other new slayers: Her father, a former teacher, not only supported her once he found out, but actually came along with her and became a teacher for all the young slayers. But I think that sense of community is a big factor in why the slayers in my universe are relatively happy with their lot -- there's something to be said for being in a group, rather than a lone warrior with the odd always stacked against you.

Overall, I suspect some of the new slayers are better off than they were before, and some worse off ... which doesn't take away the question of whether the spell should have been cast against their will, of course.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

But I think that sense of community is a big factor in why the slayers in my universe are relatively happy with their lot -- there's something to be said for being in a group, rather than a lone warrior with the odd always stacked against you.

Which was the point I think the entire series was trying to get at. You have one girl (then two) who are under the thumb of an institution that has remained frozen in the way it operates for who knows how long. Information is doled out according to the needs of the Institution - which includes controlling the girls. And I think the point of the lone girl, the lone warrior, is something that can't be emphasized enough - compared to Riley in the Initiative, who is one of many soldiers and can count on back-up, on supplies, on a good paycheck (and if my brother's experience is any indication, health bennies, housing etc.)

I think post-series Buffy and Faith would have a lot of ideas of how the new organization should be run, with an eye to the well-being of the girls, and a team of watchers and support staff so no girl is alone, and no one watcher has the entire burden on their shoulders either. The other fic series I like in this regard is The Girls in Question series by the wife/wife team TigerDragon (Fuffy shippers). Dawn is a Watcher for instance and it's a very different dynamic to that of a young girl and a much older man. It's also just a damn good read and a real adventure story (and wonderful OC's.)
http://archiveofourown.org/series/14394

(I haven't read the sections that happen "in canon" yet, I started post-Chosen: "Mornings After" but then "Reentry" is where we first see the workings of the organization itself; then "Investigations" and "Women, Fire and Other Dangerous Things".)

which doesn't take away the question of whether the spell should have been cast against their will, of course.

It does take away the problem of being hunted down and killed like dogs in the street without a way to fight back until the First has killed off every Potential, which was supposedly the plan in-canon. (I'm not saying the plan made any sense, mind.)

So yeah, I can definitely see both sides of the issue because it's complicated, and I think there are legitimate arguements to me made on both sides.

Rather than just say "oopsie" and dump the whole thing as the comics do (so we can, what, rehash the same story arc Buffy already took?), I'm more interested in the notion of actually dealing with the consequences and outcome of having power, individually and collectively, in a new way and having to learn how to use it.

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I gave up on the comics at the end of Season 8. My own fanfic canon doesn't count them, mostly because I started up my universe long before they came out.

My slayer organization is run by a Council that's half slayers and half watchers, and mostly Scoobies at the moment. Some of my watchers include Giles, Xander, Dawn, the Buffybot, and ghost Tara -- long story! Between them and the leadership of Buffy and Faith, it's safe to say the slayers will be more protected and more in the loop. I had plans to bring other canon characters in to help with the organization -- Clem the cook, for instance -- if I ever get a chance to write more stories.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

Clem the cook? THIS MUST HAPPEN!

OMG, I started visualizing Clem in this role and - I don't think he has to wear a hairnet but long sleeves, definitely (or maybe he would wear a hairnet - to keep the ears back?)

And then I started visualizing Bottie peppering him with questions and comments like the ultra-rational super-cheerful five year child that she pretty much is *hugs Bottie tight* and Clem just rolling with it all in his laid-back way and I just DIED laughing. THIS FIC MUST BE WRITTEN.

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Yes, Bottie's so awesome! I had a heck of a time figuring out the best way to bring her back to life in a way that more or less fit the Bufftyverse. (Although it was even harder with Tara.)

It's a great idea for a fic! He's only popped up a little in my stories so far, and as far as I can remember he and Bottie haven't interacted ... I'll have to keep that in mind. I actually do have a crossover fic half completed in which he has a larger role, but my original fic writing started picking up and I haven't had time to finish it.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

(Although it was even harder with Tara.)

Most fics I've seen that bring her back in some fashion use a variation on the idea Joss supposedly had in mind - that Buffy would be granted a wish in S7, and would choose to bring Tara back for Willow's sake. Which really doesn't make any sense to me: 1) Buffy knows damn well the danger of "wishes" by that point in the series and 2) having been resurrected without "permission aforehand" herself, I have a hard time seeing Buffy doing that without an iron-clad 100% guarantee that that was what Tara wanted.

It's a great idea for a fic!

And now I'm wondering why no one's thought of it before (heck, why didn't I?) Because it seems like the perfect odd couple pairing: hyper-rational, hyper-cheerful& childlike Bottie and laid-back "stoner" or slacker/hippie Clem? COMEDY GOLD, BROTHER. (I always see him as a kind of stoner - not that he smokes or uses recreational drugs but it's just his nature. So says I.)

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

I agree, that's a great description of Clem ... I wonder if his race is that way in general, or if it's just his own personality? In either case, if I ever get to it I'll have as much fun with Clem as I have with Bottie.

I brought Tara back in the traditional way: As a ghost. I'd never intended to write a second fanfic after "Where Do We Go From Here?", but as time went by and I wrote more stories I had her and Bottie change some, in ways I hope to expand on at some point in the future. I've had a lot of fun keeping most of my fanfics in one continuity.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I wonder if his race is that way in general, or if it's just his own personality?

Good question, and that's entirely up in the air isn't it? He's basically thrown into S6 as a two-plot device 1) as a friend/ confidant for Spike (Tara functions similarly for Buffy in DT & OAFA so it makes sense that the two of them meet in that latter episode); and the whole "shades of grey" thing going on in the later seasons (demons can love, heroes can do awful things, humans can be monstrous, etc.)

I've had a lot of fun keeping most of my fanfics in one continuity.

I like the developments because it's allowed you to have some real fun with the characters. I have a fondness for the idea of continuous verses anyway and some of my favorite fanfic works are "verses". If I like the characters, I want to spend time with them.

the story in your verse where everyone pulls the wool over Riley's eyes and Bottie is JUST SO THRILLED to have finally passed as Buffy? Love that. Especially since it was my intro story to Four Friends so I was just as confused as Riley and had no idea what was going on and you pulled the wool over my eyes as well, and, 2) I'm not fond of Riley in general (I've already written about this).

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

I vote all of Clem's people are nice: He's like a big, cheerful, overgrown puppy.

I don't dislike Riley -- but I'm easy to entertain -- but I'm well aware that he's one of the more disliked characters on the show, so I had some fun with that. I can only imagine how confusing it was for you, coming in to the Four Friends stories at that point! And of course, that's one problem with an ongoing continuity.

At the moment I'm working on a series of short stories introducing the main character from a novel that's coming out in October, "The Notorious Ian Grant". Since I'm not selling the stories, I decided to work some crossovers into them, and the Four Friends will appear in one.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

I vote all of Clem's people are nice: He's like a big, cheerful, overgrown puppy.

And now I'm really laughing hard at the image of Bottie and her very own (overgrown) shar-pei. Every girl/robot/Slayer needs a puppy! http://www.123rf.com/photo_4643761_three-shar-pei-baby-dogs-almost-one-month-old.html

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Baby Clems!

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

OMG! YOU ARE TORTURING ME!

Because now I've got a headpicture of Bottie with a lapful of Clem-puppies and imagine her brain (neural net) thinking several distinct things:

1) reeling off encyclopedic facts about what newborn specimens of this species eat and sleeping habits and the gestation cycle.

2) "He licked my face! (I know he's a he because I carefully examined his undersides first.) That feels good! It makes me giggle!"

3) "Wow, his mouth leaks a lot of fluid! I wonder if I it needs to be fixed - maybe I should take him to Willow. I hope it doesn't short my circuits because he's doing it again."

4) "My programming tells me that infants don't like to be separated from their families. Therefore I think I should keep all of them. I would be a very good caretaker because I have a lot of information in my neural net about newborn demons."

Dare I ask who the parents are? (For about two seconds I had a weird Clem/Bottie brainflash...and best not go THERE.)