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Buffy as modern Mythology?

  
  

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ONLY NICE THINGS
16:11 / 23.03.09
Nite Owl can be seen as a parallel to Batman, but then so can Rorshach, so I think it shows how poor a resource wikipedia can be at times.

Steady on!
 
 
Ticker
16:49 / 23.03.09
It was Mage. I wish our 'Lith Nobilis game had survived into something.

But anyway.

Reading the UA mailing lists at times it seems a bit like folks who want to hedge their bets with religious beliefs are using play to vet out possibilities.

Is that the idea with a pop culture icon as object of worship, to be able to play it off as an ironic attempt if it bombs or gateway it to something deeper if it doesn't?


..and most importantly where does slashfic fit into all of this? I has a reason.
 
 
alex supertramp
21:12 / 23.03.09
A couple of those Doppelgangers are a little off. For example, Sinestro's not really a doppelganger for Green Lantern. Is Jason Todd really Dick Grayson's doppelganger?
 
 
Quantum
10:04 / 24.03.09
Alex, why are you talking about doppelgangers?

XK, the Mage character creation is based on archetypes
Each character has two basic personality archetypes - a "nature" which is the inner reality of the character, and a "demeanor" which is how the character appears to those around them. Here is a list of some typical descriptions that may be used to describe your character's nature, and/or demeanor:
Architect, Avant-Garde, Bon Vivant, Bravo, Caregiver, Conformist, Conniver, Critic, Curmudgeon, Deviant, Director, Fanatic, Jester, Judge, Loner, Martyr, Rebel, Survivor, Traditionalist, Visionary.

where does slashfic fit into all of this?

It's Mythic, baby, Mythic. OMG GODSEX!!1!
Maybe I'll pen some Haus/wikipedia slash and start a new religion.
 
 
Quantum
10:08 / 24.03.09
Mage thread
 
 
Dexter Graves
15:51 / 24.03.09
Buffy and Angel are archetypes and, therefore, can be used in magickal ceremonies. Buffy/Angel are just a manifestation of the boy/girl having the hero's journey. Everyone loves the heroes journey. The fact that their journey is used as a metaphor for coming of age and exploitation, respectively, is part of what made the shows so popular. I think the characters do tap into something archetypal, something that transcends corporate control.

However, I'm pretty sure that Joss Whedon is an atheist with little real interest in mysticism. Most of his work seems heavily influenced by postmodern and existential thinking. His magickal fictions are just a symbolic means by which he uses his work to explore those intellectual concepts. I've been a practicing chaos magician for over five years now and I have a good nose for writers who are writing from an actual interest in the occult.

When Grant and Alan are writing, for example, I can practically smell their occult fascination. Just look at Dr. Gull's monologues about the mystical properties of phallus shaped buildings in "From Hell". Or Jim Crow's fixation with Voodoo in "The Invisibles".

I should say that Grant Morrison would definitely think it's cool to use Buffy in a ceremony, if that's what inspires you. Chaos magick was practically conceived for people who want to do that sort of thing, which is why it's the path I've been following for more than five years. Alan Moore might think it's a ridiculous idea, though. Just the same, remember that magic is about breaking personal barriers and discovering the full potential of who you can be by developing a sense of personal responsibility. Don't let anyone else define your spiritual needs.

If you love Buffy so much it makes you want to perform a ceremony with her then fucking do it! Just make sure the next person you sleep with doesn't lose their soul because of a gypsy curse.
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
16:01 / 24.03.09
I think the important question here is, is Alan Grant genuinely interested in the occult?
 
 
alex supertramp
17:37 / 24.03.09
Wow, sorry for going off topic, Quantum.

"Alan Moore might think it's a ridiculous idea, though."

Would he? Moore worships Glycon, the snake god thingy, and he even seems to acknowledge the ridiculousness of that himself.
 
 
My Mom Thinks I'm Cool
17:56 / 24.03.09
Grant Morrison would definitely think it's cool to use Buffy in a ceremony

that's that settled, then.
 
 
Quantum
15:58 / 25.03.09
I should say that Grant Morrison would definitely think it's cool to use Buffy in a ceremony

Rather like John Lennon in the Invisibles then. Thus my comment "I blame Grant Morrison".
 
 
Quantum
15:58 / 25.03.09
Wow, sorry for going off topic, Quantum.

WTF? *ignore*
 
 
alex supertramp
17:56 / 25.03.09
Didn't you ask me why I was talking about doppelgangers? I apologized for going off topic...that's grounds for ignoring me?
 
 
My Mom Thinks I'm Cool
19:28 / 25.03.09
sorry everyone but this thread is over. you can discuss whether or not something was sarcasm somewhere else.

in case you missed it:

Grant Morrison would definitely think it's cool to use Buffy in a ceremony

/thread
 
 
alex supertramp
19:49 / 25.03.09
I think it's a shame to close the last thread in the temple anyone's posting on. Is anyone against/for a new thread, "Fictional Character Worship", "Worship of Entities Not Inspired by historical Persons", or something?
 
 
Closed for Business Time
13:43 / 26.03.09
Please don't.
 
 
Ticker
14:46 / 26.03.09
It sort of reminds me of when I used to walk by my ex's parked car in town and have epic internal dialogues with it. The dread, angst, the brilliant insights all triggered by a holy relic that to the rest of the world was only a slightly dirty Jeep. Eventually I realized my moments with the car were indulgent and we'd both be better off if I stopped embarrassing us both by bringing these things up every time I happened upon it.

'Course, I lacked all will power to do so and thankfully it got sold to a new owner and the distinguishing telltale signs removed. Faced with the choice between having these moments with every Jeep that looked like it could be the ex's old one or getting a new hobby I picked the latter.

Also, I blame Quants and Haus who made this thread fun for a minute.
 
 
Quantum
15:54 / 26.03.09
Wait 'til you read my Haus/Wikipedia slash in the style of the Old Testament... FUN ON A BUN!
 
 
My Mom Thinks I'm Cool
16:35 / 26.03.09
alex, go ahead and post as you like. rest assured that I haven't the slightest authority on this board, to close threads or anything else.
 
 
electric monk
17:47 / 26.03.09
There is currently no mod action in the queue asking for this thread to be locked.

Please keep all discussion of fictional character worship in this thread.

Thank you.
 
 
grant
03:17 / 27.03.09
Going back: Rather than just recycling Archetypes, sticking Buffy's head on the Warrior Against Darkness Goddess instead of say, Durga, can we make new ones?

I think if they were new ones, they would be arche-types, would they? Isn't the oldness part of the package?
 
 
Quantum
09:14 / 27.03.09
Not necessarily. I just read the comic version of Alan Moore's Light of thy countenance which frames television as a new god, amazingly powerful despite only being 80 years old.
 
 
Quantum
09:57 / 27.03.09
In fact I found it quite convincing, if I was going to worship something modern then TV would be a more compelling deity than any of the insubstantial ghosts that flicker across it's face. Buffy is just another mask of the true god SCREEN. Map=programmes Territory=TV
 
 
Closed for Business Time
10:12 / 27.03.09
So, pop-culture magic as cargo cult?
 
 
Closed for Business Time
10:22 / 27.03.09
Which reminds me - although this is probably for another thread - that loads and loads of preachers, ministers, healers, evangelists etc use TV not just as a conduit or medium, but incorporate it as part of their sacrament (for lack of a better word).

Point in case, I remember maybe 15 years ago I was watching this healer/televangelist heal people through the TV, asking people to place their hands on the TV set and feel the Holy Spirit flow into them. I'd argue that this goes places the TV outwith the realm of medium and into the realm of sacramental objects like fonts, altars and suchlike. Discuss?
 
 
Eek! A Freek!
11:30 / 27.03.09
asking people to place their hands on the TV set and feel the Holy Spirit flow into them.

For some reason the image of Decker hooked into his Empathy machine in "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" popped into my head: Electronically transmitted Gnosis and Sacrament.

If Moore's TV as entity works, what about the internet? People pouring their creativity, thoughts & dreams into an aether of networks... TV gives us the views and viewpoints of a select few: the internet accepts input from the masses.
 
 
Quantum
17:26 / 27.03.09
The internet is just another mask of the true god SCREEN! Mobile phones are another face of the Deity, see hir many bluefaced minions entranced by their pocket altars! Prayer beads replaced by txt keys! Singing replaced by ringtones! Priests replaced by cathode ray and LCD automatic image dispensaries! Worship the screen! You're doing it right now, WORSHIP THE SCREEN!

The screenagers, the elderly, families eating dinner and people alone in their room, all day at work, all night at home, in your house and your pocket and the pub and the bus and streets and the other end of every CCTV camera, the screen is ubiquitous, inescapable and on the rise, how many hours do you spend looking at a screen? How many hours in church? How many hours with your family? How many of those hours looking at a screen?

WORSHIP THE SCREEN. So powerful even the things it shows look like gods to our square eyes.
 
 
Eek! A Freek!
18:09 / 27.03.09
Damn! All those wasted years worshiping the CAR, praying for and trying to bring about the Autoggedon...
 
 
Closed for Business Time
23:40 / 27.03.09
All of this makes me feel a lot more comfortable than worshipping Yoda. SCREEN-GODS, SEE MY OBEISANCE.
 
 
alex supertramp
18:23 / 28.03.09
Really? The only place I've ever seen Yoda is on a screen.
 
 
alex supertramp
05:26 / 29.03.09
Yoda is my favorite screen-god.
 
 
Closed for Business Time
10:32 / 29.03.09
And yet again an epic failure to comprehend what is right in front of your eyes. I'm not talking about what's ON the screen, I'm talking about THE BOX ITSELF.
 
 
alex supertramp
17:46 / 29.03.09
I know what you were saying.
 
 
Quantum
09:19 / 30.03.09
We despise the car now that gas guzzling planetfucker, working from home via your SCREEN is the future.



Easy Worship Split Screen Instructions- you are opened up to a world where you can operate all your programs that you want running for the church service and the congregation will only see the end results.

See also the fabulous TV Tropes dot com on the tropes All Myths are True and Clap Your Hands If You Believe and Gods Need Prayer Badly "In the world of fantasy, it is a largely accepted fact that the power of any given deity is proportional to the amount of belief in them or the amount of worship they are currently receiving."
 
 
Ticker
19:25 / 30.03.09
I'm not talking about what's ON the screen, I'm talking about THE BOX ITSELF.

Careful Quants, the boxen hear and respond.
 
 
Closed for Business Time
19:54 / 30.03.09
That was me aksly. Don't blame pretty boy for my ugly sins, laydee!
 
  

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