Following up

I am under the weather and under the deadline gun today, but I wanted to post two quick links clarifying the record on various things.

First, Christian posted a long explanation of the “If you meet Ianto Jones on the road, kill him” buttons. That search string directs a lot of people to this journal, but those interested in that, should visit him. I loved this essay like burning and it let me roll around in a lot of fictional joy and grief. Christian has also cross-posted this at his Livejournal, where a lot of great discussion has ensued.

Second, in what may be the last addendum to the “Buffy bullying incident at Gally,” I just got a comment providing more information on What Really Happened. Which is to say, not a minor (sorry about that; I look really young for my age too, and I know that while people tell you it’s flattering, it can also be annoying, so my apologies!) and not, apparently and thankfully, someone who wound up upset by what happened. All of which underscores that fact that when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me; but also that stuff that isn’t meant to hurt can hurt people, even people on the periphery of the situation, like myself. It’s given me, and I hope all of us, a lot to think about. The comment is fantastic both as a followup and in terms of considering some other fannish phenomena. If you’ve been following this story, I urge you to click on the link.

4 thoughts on “Following up”

Every time you mention the Buffy bullying thing I have this weird fact meets fiction thing in my brain because there’s this story in the YA short story collection “Geektastic” called “The Wrath of Dawn” (written by Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith) wherein something similar happens, only the main character, named Dawn, gets fed up and stands up for Dawn – and because it’s fiction, people applaud. It’s not a great story, but good, and hits some of the same points you’ve been making (though in a simpler, dumbed-down-because-it’s-YA way).