5 Discussions of Sexuality and Assault in BtVS

[clawofcat.livejournal.com]

It's a sad fact that our heroes weren't given the most healthy and life-affirming sexual relationships. Happiness was often short lived with their partners, if not outright self-destructive. This year there were a number of metas and discussions on the Scoobies, but more specifically Buffy's, bad lot when it came to matters of carnal love. I've listed them in the order I think it makes most sense to read them, if one were to take this as an immense treatise on differing viewpoints about sex in the Buffyverse.  

1. More Scoobies and Their Sextoys (Meta) by stormwreath 
Although his polling experiment started as a humorous exploration of what the Scoobies might be up to with themselves between the sheets, this meta also speaks to the characters basic personality traits and how their temperaments might influence their sex lives. There's also some talk of the Kinsey scale that grounds this speculative and humorous meta in the real world. For those interested in fluid sexuality and the Kinsey scale, I'd also direct you to gabrielleabelle 's interesting meta on Willow's Gay Now!

2. Buffy's Bad Sex Life by gabrielleabelle 
Yeah, we know her sex life sucks and we also know it makes for good drama. Rather than simply stating the obvious though, gabrielle goes through each season of Buffy using the lens of whether or not Buffy is an empowered woman is three areas of her life - emotionally, physically, and sexually. Under scrutiny, in this particular meta, Buffy's sexuality fails to catipult her into the realm of strong, beautiful and fierce.

3. Five Reasons I Hate the "Almost Rape" by hello_spikey 
I think most of us would agree that the culmination of Buffy's horrendous sex life comes to a head during "Seeing Red." Ever a touchy subject, spikey lists a few reasons why it didn't work for her, which range from inconsistancies in characterization and show continuity to the antithetical nature of victimization it forces into the show's canon. And, of course, there's always Buffy left to clean up the mess. 

4. Seeing Red: The Dreaded Topic by gabrielleabelle 
Taking a different view of the scene than hello_spikey  (specifically in the areas of being in-character), gabrielle again tackles the ramifications this assault presents in a feminist context. What is so incredible about this post is the sheer volume of responses it got. Although it may take you about two hours to read through them all (It did for me!), everyone's very civil and thoughtful opinions will have you seriously mulling over how you felt about this important (if not popular) development in the show. 

5. Closure by eowyn_315 
Spike/Buffy, R
Summary: When Buffy finds herself assaulted after a Lowell House party with no memory of what happened, she turns to an unlikely ally to help put the pieces together and find the person who raped her. (BtVS season 4 - after "A New Man")
Warning: Rape (the rape itself is not described, just the aftermath)

I've included Eowyn's fic here because, like these meta posts, she too examines sexuality and assault as it relates to Buffy. What sets Eowyn's fic apart from these metas is that she very seriously and tactfully explores the realities of what a rape would be like for Buffy, how she would cope with it (counseling and all), and what that would mean for her view of herself and her sexuality.Taken as a response to these metas on sexuality, Eowyn's already superb story serves as a very realistic and gritty extension of what could have happened on the show had the writer's dragged Buffy kicking and screaming into RL.  

*If you know of any other meta on sexuality in BtVS/AtS, feel free to drop them in your comments. Fics that very seriously deal with sexuality and its consequences are also welcome! 

Comments

[penny-lane-42.livejournal.com]

Thanks for these. This topic will never really be exhausted, I don't think, and it's always good to find thoughtful, respectful discussions of it when it's so easy for the dialogue to devolve into vitriol and generalizations. I look forward to checking these out.

[clawofcat.livejournal.com]

Agreed! All of the mods of these discussions set the ground rules and everyone stuck to them respectfully. The "Seeing Red" thread was particularly interesting because of the heavy analysis that was bandied back and worth between the commenters. I only recently graduated from college, so I still heart "academic" discussions.

[shapinglight]

Thanks very much for these links. I read/joined in several of those discussions and they were fascinating, and notable for their lack of kerfufflely-ness.

Sorry. I know that's not a word.

[clawofcat.livejournal.com]

Kerfluffly-ness is too a word!

I seem to recall that you made a post yourself after hello_spikey put hers up. But it was more about the soul/redemption of Spike than really the rape or sexuality. Can't exactly remember though.

[shapinglight]

Yes, my post is here, though it's flocked, I'm afraid, as it's not a subject I feel comfortable discussing with people I know might violently disagree with me.

[menomegirl.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this list! I must have missed a couple of these while I was on haitus due to Hurricane Ike.

I was very impressed with everyone who participated in the 'Seeing Red' discussion on gabrielleabelle's journal. I don't think I've ever seen that level of civility in relation to the subject matter before.

[clawofcat.livejournal.com]

Ah, I hope you made it through Ike in one piece. I was caught in Hurricane Bob in '92 while vacationing in Massachusetts.

I don't think I've ever seen that level of civility in relation to the subject matter before.
Agreed. Everyone was a great sport and really brought some food for thought to the table.

[yourlibrarian]

What an interesting choice for a post topic. And it's also fascinating to think about what a permanent topic of discussion this remains years after the show ended.

[clawofcat.livejournal.com]

What an interesting choice for a post topic.
Thanks! I've been wracking my brain for inventive ones with varied writers/artists. Do I get a cookie at the end of the round> ;)

And it's also fascinating to think about what a permanent topic of discussion this remains years after the show ended.
I know! It seems with time that the discussions have gotten much more civil though. From what I understand, if the topic was brought up a few years ago, it would have sparked off a huge ship war and all sorts of bad feelings. It's nice to see evidence that we can challenge ourselves and play well with other.

[yourlibrarian]

I do think that's a positive change of the fandom contracting. There's probably a greater tendency to value what we've got.

Thanks! I've been wracking my brain for inventive ones with varied writers/artists.

Ha! I'll bet that most people don't think of recs themselves as something interesting to read, but I have to say I've read quite a lot of posts here that were quite entertaining. No need to knock yourself out though (unless you're having a good time doing it). Just a straight-up list of stuff you loved is fine too :>

[debris4spike]

Yes, I have read Closure and found it both a good story and a "hard" to read one ... as it really does explore Buffy in quite a bit of depth.

A good list to pick.

[clawofcat.livejournal.com]

I beta'd the beginning of Closure and I can't tell you how much Eowyn really wanted to get it "right." She did a lot of research and tried to take the weighty topic on with as much attention to detail and respect that it deserved. I think she succeeded admirably.

Another excellent Spuffy fic that also deals with the aftermath of Buffy being raped is only_passenger's WIP In All The World (http://only-passenger.livejournal.com/tag/in_all_the_world). I highly recommend it.

[debris4spike]

Thanks for the further rec.

It never ceases to amaze me the talent of writers we have in our fandom ... and I am thankful!