Snowflake Challenge: Day 12

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snowflake_challenge Day 12: In your own space, rec at least three fanworks that you think would make a good intro into XYZ fandom. Rec a fandom overview, a introductory picspam, stories that define and shape the fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

They suggested to rec for a small fandom, but I'm going to rec for one of the largest: Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Because I just love it that much.

Ten Things Buffy Does Best: A short, spoiler-free essay by Mike Marinaro, creator of Critically Touched and writer of the most thorough set of Buffy reviews I've seen.  Here he outlines why Buffy is his favorite show, and I totally agree.

The one thing I love about Buffy that Mike doesn't discuss is its wide range of female characters, its emphasis on women and girls' relationships with each other, and its celebration and exploration of female power.  So my second and third recs are for vids that showcase these aspects of the show with few spoilers.  There are many Buffy vids I love, but these are two that, by virtue of their emphasis on themes ranging throughout the series and their lack of spoilers, are great intros to the series.

Scarlet Ribbons byaycheb. Joss Whedon said that "the very first mission statement of the show was the joy of female power: having it, using it, sharing it."  This lovely vid captures just that aspect of the show, while contrasting this sort of "power with" that many women -- and some men -- exercise with the authoritarian "power over" represented by the "vampires, the demons, and forces of darkness."

Living Dead Girl by bradcpu.  Don't think for a second that BtVS essentializes female power as inherently better, gentler, or more egalitarian than male power.  This vid explores the "dark side" of power, and a whole bunch of other things, through the character Faith.  It is awesome. 

Of course, one thing neither of these vids captures is the humor of the series.  For me, that is a huge part of the show's appeal.  It's just some of the funniest damn television I've seen.  And not only is it funny, it's can also be just plain heartwarming.  In a genuine way.  So I'll leave off with a vid that captures some of the humor, kindness, and warmth of the show.  Of course, a lot of the show's humor isn't visual, so this leans more toward the show's use of physical comedy, but hey, I love that too.

Smile, by charmax .  Made for a past More Joy Day!  Includes lots of Angel as well as Buffy.