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, 04:51:05 UTC 6 years ago
I remember, by contrast, my first viewing of Firefly. It was well after my daughter was asleep, and the now ex had been loaned the boxed set. It sounded potentially interesting, but sadly I had a paper to work on.
I'm pretty sure I finished the paper hours later than I could have, thanks to being introduced to that world and the amazing characters and the amazing stories, and and and....
And then, and /then/! I discovered that Mr. Whedon had been involved in this little Disney animated film called Atlantis: The Lost Empire. From what little I remember initially, it did not do well in the theaters, but I enjoyed it amazingly. Strong female character (Helga Sinclair, voiced by Ivanova!) after strong female character (Audrey Ramirez, girl mechanic extraordinaire!) after strong female character (Kidagakash, a.k.a. Kida).
I caught bits of Dr. Horrible, and mourned the loss of two people at the very end.
I saw Serenity, and cursed the name of Whedon forevermore. (What can I say? He's hard on characters.)
And somewhere in the midst of all this, I saw this amazing video of Whedon accepting an award from Equality Now (look up a bit for maya-a's icon, and you'll understand, or just search YouTube). And for everything else I've heard about the man, positive and negative, that one speech cemented him in my mind as the kind of ally *I'd* want to be if I had this kind of visibility out in the world; I do my best to be that kind of all *now*, because it's /necessary/.
"So why do you write these strong female characters?" "Because you're still asking this question."
So hats off to Joss - not only for the stories he tells, not only for the characters he creates, but also for the courage to tell the stories and write the characters.