Lady Business

Our next guest post comes from Lady Business regular, Memory Scarlett. Memory writes about books, television, and more at her blog, In the Forest of Stories. You can also find her moaning about her taco addiction and her various fictional preoccupations on Twitter as @xicanti. She’s currently trying not to dive straight into an epic BTVS rewatch; when she loses the battle, Twitter will be the first to know.

I love a good villain as much as the next person, but I usually draw a blank when people ask me about my favourites. So many of the evil folks I latch onto are really antiheroes; the sort of characters who could just as easily switch sides, if they thought it might be to their advantage. They do ghastly things, but since they can also be sympathetic there’s always that small hope they’ll recognize the error of their ways and, like, stop being evil. It’s rare for me to get truly excited about an out-and-out villain.

Glory, the antagonist of Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s stellar fifth season, is the exception. She is an unequivocal villain, and I love her to death.

Prior to Glory’s arrival in Sunnydale, the Scooby Gang deals with an assortment of down-to-earth villains including vampires who want to eat all the humans; unsouled ex-lovers with psychological torment on their minds; immortal sorcerers who lust after demonic levels of power; and governmental agencies bent on scientifically qualifying magic. They’re great villains, yeah, and they pose a real threat to the Scoobies, but not a one of ‘em is on the same level as Glory. She might deign to wrinkle her nose at them, or shoot a snarky comment their way if they’re particularly lucky, but that’s about as far as Glory would ever involve herself with that sort of rabble.

Because Glory is a god. Literally. And she’s not just any old god--she’s a mad, banished hell god determined to return to her realm at any cost.

She’s the worst, and that makes her the best.

( Read more... )

On the final day of our Super Women & Comics theme week (*sniff*) short story writer, blogger, 'reader, and media addict' Memory Scarlett joins us to talk about the shape-shifting, pink haired star of Noelle Stevenson's popular web-comic, Nimona.

It’s a popular story across all forms of media. A schlubby guy gets involved with a SuperAwesomeAmazing woman. She helps him realize his full potential via a training montage or two, complete with inspirational music and/or narrative captions that clue us in to his emotional struggle. And when the dude knows everything he’s got to know--ie, in no more than two months--the SuperAwesomeAmazing woman relinquishes much of her own power in the face of his shiny new abilities.

Yeah, she’s been training her whole frickin’ life, but it’s not like she could possible be more interesting/talented/suited to fighting injustice than this guy. I mean, she’s a girl.

Noelle Stevenson, creator of the recently-completed webcomic NIMONA, is clearly aware of this story--and keen to smash it.

( Warning: implied spoilers below. )