sundries

[rm]

We have met Claudette and sent email about our intent to bring her home. So now we just have to get all the paperwork sorted out and then hopefully we will be a two cat household again the week of the 15th.

yuki_onna writes about gendered packaging and appalling tag lines for deoderants. via franny_glass

sparkindarkness posts another round-up of gay hate. All of it is of interest in its horrifying way, but I think there's something particularly of note in the link to the photo of the real lesbians who are adopting vs. the photo the religious right found and used to advance their argument on the matter. Because it's all about gender normativity and implying lesbians are evil for not being attractive to straight men.

In Malawi, a man was arrested for putting up gay rights posters.

Adm. Mike Mullen, DADT, and the Right. Who's supporting senior military wisdom now? Not a whole bunch of politicians who promised to.

Offensive article in the New York Times about how the presence of more women at college is skewing dating culture. Moments of fail include the assertion that with student bodies being 60% female, some schools feel "eerily like a women's college." OH, GET OVER IT. The article is disgusting. Because really? In a world where women slightly outnumber men, how the fuck can you argue that the only thing that is normal is more men in college than women? And then explain that it's just for everyone's comfort in the dating world?

The "My Way" killings.

Manhattan as seen from Hollywood.

Buffy. OMG Gypsy!fail. Wow. WOW WOW WOW WOW.

Anyway. So Buffy loses her virginity. This pair of episodes was odd. I thought the first one wasn't that good and was making me squirm the way these sorts of episodes always do (I didn't lose my virginity until college, it wasn't a straight forward situation and I don't really have much love for long, drawn out, "am I ready?" and "it'll be so beautiful" stuff. This shit punches the buttons of my inner 17-y-o in a way I don't enjoy.

But, the second of the two episodes was Really Good. I mean, other than the Gypsy!fail and all the other fuckery going on. I laughed my ass off when Buffy's mom was all "you look different," because doesn't every teen worry about that? And I thought Giles was so awesome with Buffy at the end. I felt like you could really see this sense of the teen he had been and the way his own obligations had broken his heart at that age. Loved it to pieces.

And then, hey, Oz is a werewolf!

Comments

[sevendayloan.livejournal.com]

All in all, I think that Buffy handled the whole virginity thing with a lot of sensitivity, but oh man, the Gypsy fail. It's been ten years and I still haven't gotten over it. I mean, really Joss? Really?

Of course, as lolarious as it is, at least it's a portrayal of gypsies in the media, right? That's something.

[marzipan-pig.livejournal.com]

That article about college campuses was so horrifying on so many levels that I am kind of pretending it didn't happen.

[rexluscus.livejournal.com]

The "My Way" killings

Okay, that is just...what? *boggle*

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

In Israel we have been compared to bird 'flu, that we undermine Judaism and more... 'cause we're queer. Go figure. Bird 'flue, of all the things that have been said... and a lot has (http://israleft.org/?p=70), that still feels the worst to me.

At the time (I was 12-13) I liked the way the Buffy's virginity thing was handled... except the fact that she was punished for having sex at all. There are a number of conflicting messages when it comes to Joss and sex and I don't think I've managed to suss them all out yet, after over ten years of having been a fan.

[sevendayloan.livejournal.com]

This.

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

And then, hey, Oz is a werewolf!

I once wrote "I want to be the kind of lover Oz was. Except for the whole turning-into-a-ravening-werewolf thing." His human side? Very sensitive. Would only eat Willow in the good way. *floats off to happy place*

...was I saying something?

Best of the good luck with your new cat.

[sahiya.livejournal.com]

You know, usually the comments section of any newspaper article makes me want to cry, but the best part of that article by far is all the comments going, "WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING THAT MADE YOU PUBLISH THIS DRIVEL, NYT!?"

[dulcinbradbury.livejournal.com]

I liked the way the Buffy's virginity thing was handled... except the fact that she was punished for having sex at all.

Because Buffy has been described as "High School as a Horror Movie," I can understand that one. It's a huge fear for girls in high school, that you'll be pressured into sex, that you'll be dumped if you don't have sex, that you'll be discarded if you do...

But... it would be easier if other cast members had clearer situations so you got some sense of how it worked out differently in different situations.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

cadhla, who is part Gypsy, has written some interesting stories about the Buffy Gypsy characters using actual Gypsy traditions.

This one only has spoilers through season 2, so you should be up to it soon:
cadhla.livejournal.com/476123.html#cutid1

This one has spoilers through Season 2 episode 17, but they're really important spoilers, so Patti, don't let her read it till then. :)
www.tdsos.com/darkerside/seanan/romano.html

This one is season 6, so you've got a while:
cadhla.livejournal.com/421539.html

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

THE PART WHERE ANGEL RIPS THE THROAT OUT OF THE WOMAN AND THEN EXHALES THIS BEAUTIFUL STREAM OF CIGARETTE SMOKE?!?!

You have to imagine my reaction the first time I saw it. I think I might have been 17.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I was sorta like "where's the blood?" to be frank. I also had to make Patty stop during the whole Gypsy reveal thing about Jenny, becuase I was like "wait, WHUT, is she related to Drusilla?" since Angel's story about what he did to her sounded like whatever went on with Jenny's ancestor.

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

CIGARETTES! VAMPIRES!

Okay, I will stop capslocking at you now. You're right though, there could have been more blood. Man, do I want to see the HBO/Showtime version of their little vampire family.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Yeah, damn Spike and Angel totally had a thing going on that's very Descensus, because Spike it all like, "no, you can't touch Drusilla, eventhough you do."

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

Passion is such an amazing episode. Overall, in my opinion, I'd say seasons 2 and 5 are the best in terms of the overall story arcs.

Yes, Whedon does have a lot issues in terms of the way he deals with certain groups (there's even more criticism to be had in the later seasons), and to be honest I think he can be a bit of an egomaniac, but by and large he is a really good storyteller.

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

Yep! It's very omnisexual, their whole thing. And then there's the crazy. And the evil. Very descensus-y. Heheheh. Okay, so Angel = Lucius in this scenario, which means Spike = Severus!
*dies laughing*

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

Spike and Angel totally had a thing going

This is actual canon, btw.

[rm.livejournal.com]

He whines enough.

[rm.livejournal.com]

REALLY?

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

YES! There is a a line in the final season of Angel that confirms it :D

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

I've always seen Angel and Spike in terms of Louis and Lestat, but then I'd been into Anne Rice for years before I finally started watching Buffy in season 6.

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

We need to revisit this conversation after you're done watching the series.

[rm.livejournal.com]

I can't imagine Spike ever whines less.

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

It's not quite as awesome as it should be, but yeah it is canon.

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

No. But the parallels become even more so.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Well, it's Joss (faily faily faily) and the 90s and about men, so no surprise, but cool.