geekyI don't really need four copies for my very own. So...
In my essay, I talk about my love of Buffy, and how it helped me grow into myself as both a fannish adult and a professional author. Others talk about finding community through the Browncoats, or the treatment of good and evil in Angel, or the Hero's Journey of Dr. Horrible. If you're a Whedon fan, you probably have a story of your own. Tell it! Be as detailed or as brief as you like. On Friday, I shall unleash our old friend, Random Number Generator, to pick two winners, each of whom* will receive a copy of Whedonistas.
The book officially comes out next Tuesday, so even if you don't win, you should absolutely pick up a copy for the Whedon fan in your life. Or in your head. Whatever floats your boat.
Game on!
(*North American entries only, please, unless you're willing to pay postage. I just can't afford it right now, I'm sorry.)
March 9 2011, 00:21:36 UTC 6 years ago
My dad was a firm believer of not sheltering us from any sort of horror. He would let us watch whatever horror movies he was watching, then turn around and tell us a story more frightening than anything that had happened onscreen. I know it sounds strange, but it was our way of bonding as a family. One of my first memories is him writing down my ghost story about the neighbor's dog. He died when I was six.
After he died, I kind of stopped talking about anything really. I would answer direct questions, but that was the extent of it. A little over a year after he died the first episode of Buffy aired. I should have been in my room, but I snuck into the living room to watch whatever my mom was watching. And there were vampires! And a girl living with her mom, no dad in sight. I don't know why my seven year old self connected so much with that character, but I do know that after watching that episode I started talking. I started making up stories again. I probably would have come out of my shell sooner or later, having four siblings at that time, but that show let me start healing right then. And to this day it's something that my mom and I can bond over and talk about for hours.
Buffy was able to work through everything that came her way, and being seven I wanted to be just like her, and sitting in silence wasn't doing that. I don't think there will ever be another show that will have that much impact on my life.