(no subject)

[moscow_watcher]

My new article "Buffy the Vampire Slayer": Future Is Now". for AccociatedContent collects my thoughts on Whedonverse, modern entertainment and interaction between professional and amateur art. Curiously, the impetus for this article was a Spuffy-bashing paper written by another fan.
I love fics by Ducks aka theantijoss. I respect her work and consider her one of the best BtVS\AtS ficwriters. But recently her dislike of Spuffy turned her into professional Spuffy-hater and now she confesses that she earns money by blaming Buffy and Spike on damaging of "the show's meta-narrative of female empowerment" as well as negative influence on young viewers.
Recently she published on AssociatedContent a very agressive and harsh paper "Messages About Sex and Violence in the Buffy/Spike Relationship on Buffy the Vampire Slayer A Fine Line Between Love and Hate" - an extremely biaised, slanted and one-sided view on the Spuffy relationship. Before you click on the link to her paper, be warned that she gets more money with every click. (reference link)
I don't know if her anti-Spuffy manifesto is a an attempt to start a quest against Buffy and Spike in official media or she decided to write about the most popular BtVS couple because Spuffy invariably attracts interest. Anyway, I found it unfair that Spuffy is mispresented by only one, extremely prejudiced opinion on AccociatedContent so I wrote a response. Actually I should be grateful to Ducks because her article urged me to collect my scattered thoughts on professional and amateur art, on writer's responsibility and BtVS phenomenon. Unlike her, I won't get a dime for my article because AssociatedContent managers can only pay to legal residents of the United States. But I didn't write it for money. I wrote it because I love Buffy and Spike. So - read, recommend, comment, agree, disagree; I'm open to debates.

Comments

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Excellent job! And as you so rightly pointed out Ms. Fowler spends an enormous amount of time decrying the Season Six plotline and then turns around and writes the very same type of thing herself.
For some reason my computer won't let me copy and paste parts of your article (?) but I think Joss clearly states his position about writing for television and writing a show which isn't designed for children and was never meant for children. These are adult themes and they are universal themes and merely to say he's irresponsible because your ship of choice didn't end up being the most popular one on the show is absurd.
No fan on this show got a happy ending and as you point out, that's what drives the fan fiction market. It's been 3 years since the show went off the air and people are still debating the events on screen. Surely that's the mark of quality writing.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it.
Funnily, *my* computer also doesn't let me copy parts of AssociatedContent texts. The only way is to ctrl+a, ctrl+с, then paste the whole page in your notepad from which you can copy and paste the parts you need.

[just-sue.livejournal.com]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your article. If I was more articulate I would attempt to define my appreciation, but am not. Just want to say that Ms Fowler - whom I hadn't heard of until recently - didn't impress me with her article (I read previously and wish I hadn't if it earned her dosh). Using quotes from defunct message boards seemed a bit like closing the stable door after the horse had bolted, and far too late to make any pertinent impact. Folks have had three years to gather and hone their thoughts and impressions from the show, have bought the videos, DVDs and watched the re-runs. I love Spuffy and would have adored if some aspects of the show had been presented differently, but there is abundant fanfiction to pander to my wants and needs.

Happy endings are just that - endings. Without being given them it left the door open for continued interpretation and innovation in fanfiction to continue and build on the characters that Joss gave us. And I'm off now before I start to waffle!

Thanks ever so.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Thank you!
I think that Fowler is talented fanfiction writer, but I can't agree with her views on BtVS and Spuffy. Where she sees a dangerous message harmful for young viewer's morality, I see a brilliant story of love that triggers countless fanfiction stories.

[adriana-is.livejournal.com]

What a well written article! Cheers for posting it and for articulating so well what a lot of us feel.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Obviously, I can't stop talking about Buffy and Spike. :)

[spikeylover.livejournal.com]

You did an incredible job. :) Thanks..

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Spikey, you know how much I appreciate your opinion - practically as much as I love your clips!

[makd.livejournal.com]

Excellent, very well-done argument.

As a non-shipper who enjoys reading a variety of 'ships in the Buffyverse, I appreciate your response.

I read Ms. Fowler's earlier essay - and thought it well-done, but somewhat one-sided.

Now that I know that she is benefitting from the article, as well as writing under the psuedonym, "Ducks", I find it interesting that she appears to have one set of ethics for the essay, and another for the fanfiction she writes.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Oh, Ducks is a very talented writer and she captures perfectly the agnst and darkness of Buffyverse. Interestingly, in "Bringing Him Back" written during season 5 BtVS she practically predicted the resolution of *the* triangle: Buffy leaves, Angel and Spike stay together. That's what I meant when I wrote that sometimes fans are emotionally ahead of the canonical story.

[deborahw37.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed reading your article . It was articulate, well written and well argued .

Well done!

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Deborah, you're very kind. I realise that my style sucks big time, I can't express myself in English as easily as I can do it in my native tongue. But I can't keep my big mouth shut when it comes to Spuffy. :)

[bluekaty.livejournal.com]

Sorry for this late message, I'm just catching up with things. I just wanted to say, thank you for your article which I thought was very well argued and well-written. I haven't read Ms Fowler's essay and I won't, I think I read elsewhere her ideas on Spuffy and I find them completely biased and in bad faith.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Thanks for kind words, Bluekaty! As to Fowler's essay, the thing that irked me the most was that she did it as a professional writer, i.e. she got money for the paper she wrote to denounce rival ship. As fans, we can ship and rant and be biased - but she shouldn't have been extending this attitude to professional journalism.

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

I just got the chance to read your article - very well done. I won't be reading the other one - I already know what her opinion is. :-)

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm glad that Buffy\Spike pairing still evokes strong emotions of fans and antis. Three years has passed and still Fowler feels the urge to denounce the couple she dislikes. And fans feel the urge to defend the couple they like. It's amazing!

[marvelgirl-art.livejournal.com]

отличная статья, васкез!
никогда не любила ложных скромников и псевдо-правдо-искателей, а девушка дакс в этом явно преуспевает. я рада, что ты нашла время и силы дать ей достойный отпор.

п.с. *недоумевая* я почему-то не вижу твоих записей в своем избранном, хотя точно помню, что тебя туда вносила. странно...

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

..."в избранное" - в смысле "в ленту друзей"? Потому что я однажды пыталась разобраться в дайриках, и поняла, что там "избранное" означает friend-list. А в ЖЖ "избранное" (memories) означает разовое занесение отдельно взятых ЖЖ-постов (своих, чужих) в особый список, на который ты можешь попасть с главной страницы. Для этого просто кликаешь на сердечко с плюсиком. А чтобы занести кого-то в ленту друзей, нужно кликнуть в его профиле (user info) на человечка с плюсиком.

Спасибо за отзыв!

[marvelgirl-art.livejournal.com]

да, не. все технические детали я знаю и внесла тебя туда, куда надо) поэтому, собственно, и удивляюсь, что тебя там не видно.
ну, ладно, разберемся))