just venting/rambling

July 1st, 2010 6:36pm by rusty-halo | 12 Comments »

The other day I was so upset by this example of misogyny in Supernatural fandom that I thought I might quit watching the show. Not really in protest, because my watching or not makes no difference whatsoever, but because things like this make me feel so sick that it kills my ability to enjoy the aspects of the show that I do love. (Link via cofax7; more discussion in comments.)

Then today I saw the raging cesspit of homophobia in many of the comments to this doctorwho entry and was reminded that it’s not just SPN fandom that has problems. *sigh* (How can people say “they erased the queer because it’s a family show” and not realize how grotesquely homophobic that statement is?)

I’m almost tempted to watch when Torchwood returns, even though I freaking hate that show. They’re bringing Gwen back and not catering to their fandom misogynists–see SPN? It can be done!

(I want Russell T Davies to run every show ever. *misses him*)

( confused ramble about problematic media and whether to watch it )

Linkspam and More SPN 5×22 Meta

May 14th, 2010 10:31pm by rusty-halo | 12 Comments »

* Here is an amazing short story: The Women Men Don’t See by James Tiptree, Jr. (who was really Alice Sheldon). It was linked in the recent rape culture discussions, so I read it yesterday and have been thinking about it since–it’s very powerful.

* I had been hoping and praying that George R. R. Martin wouldn’t open his mouth in the recent fanfiction debate, but I’m not that lucky. He’s disappointingly, ignorantly wrong, though at least he’s not as offensive as some of the other anti-fanfic authors have been. There have been some fantastic refutations of his nonsense at metafandom recently, if you’re interested.

I’ve been through this debate so many times before that I’m not really interested in getting into it again, but I’m glad that a lot of people are, because all these inspiring, articulate odes to fanfic really do convince people. They convinced me, way back when.

On a very shallow level, I hate to see people dissing Martin’s writing because of this. Well, specifically I hate to see people dissing Jaime Lannister, because Jaime is awesome and it’s totally not his fault that his writer is such a dumbass about this issue. :P

* Here is a gorgeous Claudia Black picspam which cheered me up immensely. (I need an Aeryn Sun icon, btw, but I don’t want one of her snuggling with John or pointing a gun, so I’m still looking.)

( I woke up this morning realizing that I’m actually quite happy with the SPN finale (spoilers for SPN 5×22) )

I’m really enjoying season five; I love how meta this show is

May 9th, 2010 7:36pm by rusty-halo | 6 Comments »

( thoughts written down while watching SPN 5×01 to 5×11 )

So far, so good. On to the rest of the season…

Supernatural “Bloodlust” = Redemptionista CRACK

May 6th, 2010 8:19pm by rusty-halo | 13 Comments »

One thing I forgot to mention in my post about what I like about Supernatural so far: episode 2×3, “Bloodlust.” These 42 minutes encapsulated everything I ever wanted to happen in the moral universe of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Free will! Shades of grey! Heroes who recognize that these things matter!

It’s not the end of the show, it doesn’t mean they can’t kill monsters anymore, it just acknowledges that it shouldn’t be easy, that moral complexity is important to recognize and that, far from being the destruction of the series, blurring the moral boundaries of your premise actually makes for a more interesting story.

It was a little anvilicious, but so welcome. It was like the distilled essence of everything we spent millions of words arguing about on BAPS back in the day.

Also, I’m pretty sure that Amber Benson is the most beautiful woman in the world. Especially in goth form.

Fannish 5: Most Surprising Moments in Any Canon

January 23rd, 2009 8:30pm by rusty-halo | 11 Comments »

These responses are totally dripping with SPOILERS so please click carefully!

( Highlander )

( Doctor Who )

( Buffy the Vampire Slayer )

( The Lymond Chronicles )

( A Song of Ice and Fire )

Current Mood: bored

Can’t Even Believe I Have to Say This

September 23rd, 2008 8:12am by rusty-halo | Comments Off

Disliking a fictional character is not the same thing as saying that character deserves to be raped. I have never in my life said that ANY woman, fictional or real, deserves to be raped, because no woman ever deserves to be raped. Anyone who claims I have said this is flat out lying, and the fact that someone out there is actually trying to discredit my Doctor Who arguments by spreading the word that I like rape is pretty much the sickest thing that’s happened to me in the entirety of my fannish experience.

Whoever you are, you’re pathetic.

I’m disabling comments because I am fed up with this topic. If you know the context for this, I’d ask that you don’t reply to them, as it only eggs them on. If you don’t know the context, just be glad.

Buffy Quote Meme

September 18th, 2008 1:21pm by rusty-halo | 6 Comments »

My entire friendslist has been swarmed with Buffy quotes. So, okay, here’s my favorite line of the series:

“Timothy Dalton should win an Oscar and beat Sean Connery over the head with it!”
- Andrew to Warren in “Life Serial”

This was funny the first time because of the outraged and sincere way Andrew says it, plus, dude, Timothy Dalton??? And it’s funnier now because after seeing most of the Bond films, Timothy Dalton surprised the hell out of me and might actually be my favorite Bond.

Second place would be the whole Spike/Joyce hot chocolate scene in “Lovers Walk”:

The kitchen at the Summers house. Joyce picks up the teakettle from the stove and takes it over to the island, where she pours some into a cup for Spike to make hot chocolate.

Spike: So I’m strolling through the park, looking for a meal, and I happen to walk by, and she’s making out with the chaos demon! And so I said, ‘You know, I don’t have to put up with this.’ And she said, ‘Fine!’ So I said, ‘Fine, do whatever you like!’ I mean, I thought we were going to make up, you know.

Joyce: (sits across from him) Well, she sounds very unreasonable.

Spike: She is. She’s out of her mind. (sniffs) That’s what I miss most about her. (smiles)

Joyce: Well, Spike, sometimes even when two people seem right for each other, their lives just take different paths. When Buffy’s father and I…

Spike: (interrupts) No, this is different. Our love was eternal. Literally. (calms down) You got any of those little marshmallows?

Favorites Meme (for Buffy and Doctor Who)

August 1st, 2008 11:44pm by rusty-halo | 12 Comments »

Gacked from a_white_rain:

( Buffy meme )

It’s been so long that I can barely remember most of this stuff. Let’s try something more recent.

( new Doctor Who version )

Current Mood: listless

Good Friends + Good Music = Perfect Evening

July 12th, 2008 3:59am by rusty-halo | 23 Comments »

Tonight I got to see one of my favorite bands with two of my favorite people in the universe.

chenanceou and jaydk met up with me at Pukk, the yummy vegetarian Thai restaurant. Then we headed to The Living Room to see Common Rotation.

It was a good show, although way too short. The band members were in good moods; the stage banter was adorable and the songs were all entertaining. But it felt incomplete, because they didn’t play a single one of the staples I’ve gotten used to at Common Rotation shows; no “Everything Under the Sun” or “Gone Dyin’” or “Clear Channel” or “Party People” or “Indie Rockin.” Just, good, but I wanted another hour. Remember those living room shows, when they’d play and play? I got so spoiled back then…

I made chenanceou get their autographs afterward, because, dude, she’d come halfway across the world and timed her trip to see them. She was all adorable and shy. And of course the band was nice, as they always are. Adam Busch is the nicest “celebrity” I met in the entirety of Buffy fandom.

Amber Benson was there, and it always freaks me out to see her, because she is tiny. Like, ethereal. And when you remember that people complained about her being “fat” when she was on BtVS, you realize that Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan must be, like, doll-sized, to look small next to her. It also made me feel like some kind of hulking giant. But anyway. She is also nice.

And tomorrow I’m going to Asbury Park. I’m going to lay on the beach and breathe salty air and read something light (maybe Harry Potter) and just be glad to be out of NYC. I can’t believe I haven’t gone anywhere in eight months. I’m not made to stay in one place for so long!

(Is it really annoying to choose three mood icons? I can’t decide if I’m more drunk, tired, or happy.)

Current Mood: drunk & happy & tired

An Attempt to Distract Myself from Spoilers

June 19th, 2008 5:30pm by rusty-halo | 2 Comments »

DAMMIT, SPOILERS EVERYWHERE!

Mustnotclickmustnotclickmustnotclickmustnotclickmustnotclick…

I don’t know how long I can hold out! Now would be a really good time to go hibernate in a cave somewhere with no internet access.

Let’s talk about something completely unrelated to the SPOILERS THAT ARE CALLING ME. Hmm.

Oh! I chose some furniture.

( furniture and other random stuff )

More distractions; have some recs:

* selenak wrote a great post comparing “Midnight” and “Voyage of the Damned.” (I could swear I read a good one somewhere comparing it to “42,” also, but now I don’t remember where it was.)

* lordshiva wrote the Doctor and Anya from Buffy! So much win.

* I adored the New York Times article about Russell T Davies. So far three people I know in real life have come up to me to chatter about it, too.

* I read this entire book about the 1977 blackout in NYC. I’m weird. I clicked on it while researching the history of Bushwick and ended up completely fascinated by the sociology, psychology, and history it explores. (Plus it’s fascinating because I had a great time during the 2003 blackout–I got drunk in the gay bar across the street and bonded with my soon-to-be-friend Anne, who stayed at my place rather than walk home to Brooklyn.) It’s amazing to compare how the various blackouts reflect the social conditions of their eras.

* I made this bread (substituting a mix of molasses and agave nectar for the honey) and it’s delicious.

Do you have any recs for stuff that’ll distract me from spoilers? Please share. :)

Current Mood: bored & tired

I miss Buffy fandom

April 29th, 2008 7:15pm by rusty-halo | 20 Comments »

I miss Buffy fandom.

*digs up hideous old icon for nostalgia’s sake*

Current Mood: nostalgic

Rolling my eyes at fandom, yet again

April 14th, 2008 4:30pm by rusty-halo | 17 Comments »

Random thing that’s annoying me lately: people justifying their fannish opinions by claiming that the show isn’t “supposed” to go a certain way. Like, y’know, “It’s not that I hate Rose, it’s just that the Whoniverse isn’t supposed to be so focused on one companion.” Or “It’ll destroy the moral structure of the Buffyverse if Spike is good without a soul.”

Please. Own your own freaking opinion. You don’t like Rose or Spike? Fine. Say so. But quit trying to pretend you’re just some neutral party trying to defend the integrity of the show (against us destructive interlopers who like the characters you dislike). TV shows change directions all the time, and the ones that do change to pursue a more interesting story are generally better for it.

I don’t give a fuck about “preserving the integrity of the initial set up”–it’s just a TV show premise, not a religious doctrine. If something better comes along, good. I want a well-written story, and if that means adjusting the rules, I’m all for it.

Current Mood: bitchy

Why the Tenth Doctor is Totally My Type

February 28th, 2008 7:01pm by rusty-halo | 32 Comments »

I mentioned the other day that the Tenth Doctor is Totally My Type, and kita0610 thought I was insane.

So how do you go from “punk rock vampire who kills/loves Slayers” to “universe-saving geeky alien on a children’s show”?

It makes perfect sense in my head, but apparently is not obvious to everyone else? ;)

Now, first, don’t throw things at me. I’m not saying the Tenth Doctor and Spike are the same. I’m not even saying they’re mostly similar. I’m saying that they have certain similar qualities that ping my fannish radar and make me squee.

( My type of character: Spike, Methos, Jaime Lannister, Brian Kinney, Logan Echolls, Francis Crawford, Fox Mulder, Richard Sharpe… )

( And how the hell does the Tenth Doctor fit into this group? )

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

Guess the movie quotes

February 22nd, 2008 6:24pm by rusty-halo | 34 Comments »

Whee, that same exact meme that everyone else is doing.

1. Pick 15 of your favourite movies
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search functions. Totally cheating, you dirty cheaters.

( Guess the quotes! )

***

Also, more amusing proof that Torchwood consists entirely of old Buffy and Angel scripts mixed with fanfic.

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

another TV meme, gakked from… somewhere?

February 12th, 2008 6:24pm by rusty-halo | No Comments »

Choose five series (no peeking before you choose them), list them, and then answer the questions behind the cut.

1. New Doctor Who
2. Life on Mars
3. Highlander
4. Buffy
5. South Park

( Read more… )

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

Reasons I love Doctor Who, or, Why the Doctor Totally Kicks Buffy’s Normalcy-Coveting Ass

December 11th, 2007 2:31pm by rusty-halo | 14 Comments »

Yay! jaydk posted for the first time in over two years! Go read her brilliant thoughts about why she loves Doctor Who soooo much, and her thoughts on viewing series one for the first time after having already fallen in love with David Tennant’s portrayal of Ten.

I keep meaning to do something like this, maybe even an episode-by-episode breakdown of my thoughts, as I keep rewatching series’ two and three over and over and thinking “I should post about [whatever interesting thought that pops into my head].” But then I forget by the time I’m in front of the computer. Maybe I should take notes.

I will post a little bit about what I like about Doctor Who in general, though. I keep comparing it to other fandoms that I’ve been into, and all the various gripes I’ve had about them, and Doctor Who consistently comes out ahead.

( reasons I love Doctor Who, in which my BtVS/AtS issues come out to play )

Anything else? Don’t forget that Chemlab is awesome and on tour. They’re hitting Orlando, Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and NYC this week. 10zlaine and I will be at the Philly and NYC shows. :)

Oh, and this is supercool: the Organization for Transformative Works. Friend them at otw_news.

[Cross-posted to InsaneJournal]

rambling about how much sexism sucks

May 24th, 2007 3:23pm by rusty-halo | 14 Comments »

So I’ve been catching up with what’s been going on in fandom lately, and it’s kind of turned into another rant….

Here’s Joss Whedon complaining about misogyny on Whedonesque. I have plenty of issues with the way Joss writes women, and I’m annoyed at the implication of some of the comments that this issue is suddenly worth talking about because a man brought it up. That said, I very much appreciate that Joss is upset by the utter ubiquitousness of misogyny in our culture, and that he feels compelled to post about it.

I was reading Fandom Wank yesterday, and I got so sick reading the discussions surrounding the repulsive Mary Jane statue from Sideshow Collectibles (I’m never buying anything from them again). Specifically I was disgusted by the men popping up and complaining about how it’s not a big deal, about how the “feminazis” need to shut up and leave them alone, about how oppressed the poor men are by the evil women, blah blah blah *TEARING MY HAIR OUT* BULLSHIT. And then someone reverses the genders and portrays a male character in the over-the-top sexual way that women are used to, and suddenly the men are throwing hissy fits. (Also amusing: this reversal of Spiderman and Mary Jane’s positions–scroll to the end of the entry.)

( me raging about how men just DON’T GET IT )

Anyway. I did follow this crap to a link to Anti-Comics-Feminist Bingo, which is brilliant. (I’m not really a comics reader, but these arguments pop up everywhere.) It’s got more detailed explanations here.

jaydk, drujan, and I went to see Spiderman III together, and afterward jaydk told us about this rule, which I forget the name of, that asks whether a movie passes the following test: does it have 1) at least two women, who 2) talk to each other 3) about something besides a man.

We started going through our favorite movies and TV shows and realized that almost none of them even come close to passing this test. (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, Spiderman, Pirates… I could go on.) Buffy, at least, passes it. But it’s so incredibly depressing to realize how much doesn’t.

In large part this is because so many writers, when creating an ensemble, treat male as the default, with a variety of personality types within it, and then throw in one token “girl” as if “the girl” is the only personality type a woman could have. Girl-Wonder.org actually has a really great article about how to write female characters well. I know so many well-meaning but clueless male writers who could benefit from this.

Perhaps I’m feeling overly sensitive to this stuff due to recent experiences…

Oh yeah, and then there’s this FanLib thing (which is also all over metafandom), in which a bunch of male venture capitalist creeps are trying to profiteer off of fandom. I can’t even begin to say how repulsive this is, on so very many levels, but luckily practically everyone in fandom already been posting about how much it sucks. It… just… see, I get inarticulate with rage.

I guess that what sickens me most is that it takes away literally EVERYTHING THAT IS GOOD about fandom: ( do you want to read yet another fan bitching about FanLib? )

I know I’m way behind the times in posting about all this, but I’m trying to catch up and I couldn’t help ranting after reading all this crap…

On the plus side, I’m off to see Pirates 3 tonight. At least there’s still some good stuff in the world. :P

I’m BORED and the weather is so dreary and miserable and why can’t summer be here already?!

February 7th, 2007 5:17pm by rusty-halo | 27 Comments »

( general Veronica Mars thoughts )

( random personal babble )

I kind of miss Buffy fandom. It was fun having that kind of all-consuming obsession with something, and being able to share it with so many people. It was also so neat getting into the culture, learning all the acronyms and terms and references…. I don’t know if I will ever get into a fandom the way I did with Buffy, and it makes me really sad to think that. I was so naive and clueless at the time, and now that I know so much about how TV shows and fandoms work, how could I ever work up that same level of investment and idealism about the story and characters? (On the plus side, I’m way less wanky now that I know not to care so much!)

Maybe I am just in one of my periodic “OMG life is so dull without a fandom” phases. Something come along and seize my attention, dammit!

the things you learn from LiveJournal

January 10th, 2007 6:41pm by rusty-halo | 14 Comments »

Man, you don’t read LiveJournal for a few days, and you miss all kinds of exciting things.

I’m not sure what’s funnier, the polyamorous horse fucker or the fact that Joss Whedon still thinks he can pass Xander off as a sex symbol.

I also spent an inordinate amount of time yesterday reading Wil Wheaton’s reviews of old Star Trek episodes. I’m amused by the little snippets of memory I get from having watched this show as a kid, plus Wil Wheaton is always an entertaining writer.

You know you’re tired when it seems like more effort to get up and go home than to sit at work for an extra hour skimming LJ…