So farewell then - Site news

This has got to be one of the most depressing days of my life.

Goodbye everyone. Thanks for everything. Now is a good time to update your user profile with your social accounts if you would like people here to be able to find you now and in the future.

Sunfire | August 21, 07:22 CET

A sad turn of events indeed. I'll miss all the discussions with everyone about my favorite shows and movies.

ReptilianSamurai@gmail.com

[ edited by AnotherFireflyfan on 2017-08-21 13:24 ]

AnotherFireflyfan | August 21, 07:24 CET

I greatly enjoyed the creative works of Joss, et al, and I have a lot of love for the community of fans I discovered through those works. The Buffy fandom put me on a path that shaped my life and helped me to better myself in more ways than I can specify. I'll always be grateful for that.

Xantastic1316 | August 21, 07:27 CET

Goodbye, all.

wasabiseventeen | August 21, 07:28 CET

15 years indeed. Been here since the begining. This certainly came out of the blue... Unexpected and... Well. Unexpected. Dont have any more words.

Darkness | August 21, 07:28 CET

I will miss this. We sure been through a lot of highs through the years. Really sad to see us go in such a low, but still happy for all the friends I've made through this....
@johnytyh

Numfar PTB | August 21, 07:31 CET

When Agents of SHIELD comes back, I hope to see names I enjoyed chatting with on this site over on here: ShieldTV.Net

And of course, anyone can find me on twitter. @nypinta

[ edited by NYPinTA on 2017-08-23 01:21 ]

NYPinTA | August 21, 07:37 CET

Dusting of my account to say farewell. I've loved this site over the years even if I have mostly lurked and I'm incredibly sad by how the end has come about but I do understand why. I wish you guys would keep the Twitter account going though - you always manage to find the right quote or gif for these troubling times.

be_found | August 21, 07:38 CET

This isn't the time or place to bash Kai or Joss or anyone else. It never was.

As for us, we've had our time in the sun. It's been good. We may Tweet occasionally though.

Simon | August 21, 07:40 CET

I feel like this is not the right decision to take this website down. Please hear me out.

Reading Ms Cole's piece, it's hard not to feel her pain - it's raw. However, the reality is Joss Whedon is human. Did anyone think any different? The sad truth is that this is not such an uncommon story. Affairs happen. And human relationships are complex and messy- I don't doubt for a second that Joss Whedon was entirely in love with his wife and yet also fell to temptation.

I feel icky even talking about this private relationship which we know effectively nothing about and is not our business. But I think it's fair in response to what seems like Whedon community doing exactly that and turning their back on a man who has given us all such joy with his work.

And what about the work? The assumption appears to be that somehow these issues mean that Joss is a fraudulent feminist and that this infects his work. But how? This is not a feminist issue; it is a human issue. People - men and women - are hurt when they are cheated on. I honestly cannot see the link between 'Joss Whedon had multiple affairs' to 'Joss Whedon is not a feminist and is a hypocrite'.

For my part, I don't think any of this is our business. It also doesn't make me respect Mr Whedon's work any less. It's tragic that this seems to have had awful effects on Ms Cole.
But we aren't the people to judge Mr Whedon. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

Let Down | August 21, 07:42 CET

I appreciate that my post above discusses 'the issue' but I hope it is not taken down. I believe it's a fair comment. When the whole of the internet is blasting Joss Whedon personally and commenting on private matters between Mr Whedon and Ms Cole and this whole website is being taken down after 15 years, I think it is fair to have one post taking a different view.

Let Down | August 21, 07:45 CET

Wait a minure... This is about THAT piece?

I hope not. Its not... right?

Darkness | August 21, 07:45 CET

I can't believe this is it.

Goodbye everyone. The fandom has been a significant part of my life even as I have mostly quietly stood at its edges. I will truly miss this site.

Shep | August 21, 07:47 CET

Very sad to hear this news and see this site go.

Buffyfantic | August 21, 07:47 CET

Seems the right decision to close the site, and a dignified last post. This site has felt like a kind of time capsule to me, the way it harks back to the golden age of Joss Whedon shows, and also the now antiquated site design. :-) It served fans of his work well over the years, but times change and it's time to move on. Obviously a sad way for things to end, but such is life. I guess heroes always turn out to be flawed and complex people, some more than others.

Toivo | August 21, 07:48 CET

Oh my God it is, isnt it?

Darkness | August 21, 07:49 CET

Love to you all. You can find me on Twitter at @kimberlyhirsh.

Kiba | August 21, 07:51 CET

For the record I offer to pick up the website to keep open, if Caroline is interested. But it's the admin's site and I respect their decision.

It's been a wild ride which has informed my friendships and world. I ended up going all over the world due to this place. Thank you, everybody, for every damn thing.

gossi | August 21, 07:51 CET

Thank you mods for all you've done. You have made this a great place to hang out. We had some good times on this site, and I feel like I'm saying good-bye to a home I grew up in.
xo

@jcurries on twitter

[ edited by jcs on 2017-08-21 13:56 ]

jcs | August 21, 07:51 CET

Wha-huh?!

I've always loved this website and have enjoyed very good, thought-provoking discussions within its threads.
Thanks to all of you. I'd especially like to thank Simon, as I've often seen great moderation from him (and I also think we often have similar opinons of stuff!).

Hadn't heard about the Kai stuff yet but I just googled it. Is this really the reason for closing up shop?
I'll say that I would rather go on with collectively enjoying the works helmed by Joss over here, even if the man would turn out to have some major flaws.

Valentijn | August 21, 07:56 CET

Went to bed last night and all was well in the world. Woke up today and nothing is. The influence of this site is incalculable, and it will be sorely missed! Thank you to all mods.

@RealDrDana on twitter, not a very creative handle, I must admit.

[ edited by Dana5140 on 2017-08-21 13:58 ]

Dana5140 | August 21, 07:57 CET

Thanks for everything. All the best to all involved here. I do feel that the recent news affects my academic work, even if the art stands separate from the person, or if we know that no person is perfect. Nonetheless, sorry to see the site go, I wish the best for you. @it_just_says_m

greconp | August 21, 08:03 CET

I'm really sad about this - quite upset, really. Please reconsider, or consider handing the running of the site on to others. The news item should not mean the end of everything this site has been to so many.

Gill | August 21, 08:06 CET

I have been toying with closing down the site for various reasons for the last five years or so. Because I'd lost interest in the subject matter. For financial reasons. Because I kept thinking the site should be improved (technically) but I didn't have the time or resources. This software is OLD! It is a miracle it was still running on 15 year old code. (Thank you, Milo!) But it was Simon and Sunfire's site as much - if not more - as it was mine, and I didn't have the heart to bring it up. They worked so hard on keeping this place happy and safe.

But most of all, it was your site. I hate it when through the decisions of site owners a community no longer has a place to hang out. But here were are, we're doing it. Our Facebook and Tumblr pages have been shut down and as soon as I can get it done, this site will be moved and switched to read-only.

We're keeping our Twitter account. Because there's 80,000 of you on there following us. So come join us there if you don't already. And thank you, thank you, thank you for making this place legendary.

[ edited by Caroline on 2017-08-21 14:21 ]

Caroline | August 21, 08:12 CET

You guys!
I know I wasn't the most active user here but checking Whedonesque sure was a part of my daily routine. I'm really sad to see you leave as you became some sort of safe haven more than 10 years ago for me (yeah, I wasn't here at the beginning, since I only watched Buffy on 2007... we all have flaws, you know?).
It was really nice to have such a place where spoilers were not accepted and where news were always what I needed (not necessarily what I wanted though... ;) ).
I'll be truly lost without you because I was always counting on you to know when new comics were available and to find new TV shows to watch with great writings and/or great actors. How will I ever find some place as complete as Whedonesque?
Frankly, this site wasn't only about Joss, it was about so much more that I was sure it will live on and on forever. I never expected it to close and I'm really, really sad to see you leave. I wasn't ready to deal with that and I'll miss you a lot - more than I should and probably more than you would expect.
I hope you're all OK and you'll find new projects to enjoy yourself - but not in a Dollhouse way, please.

My twitter if anyone is interested : @ShipouJG. You should probably know I'm French and half of my tweets are in French, though.

It is hard to find last words to this post, but I guess the hardest thing in this world is to live in it without Whedonesque.

Ship | August 21, 08:13 CET

Whilst sad, this seems like the most appropriate decision that could be made. Farewell to all the other lurkers, admin and posters.

DanielJay92 | August 21, 08:13 CET

I'm really sad to see this place go, I check it daily. I'll never forget how hard it used to be to sign up, and what a magical day if felt like when I happened to catch that signups were open for a day and closed again shortly after I registered.

This feels so wrong though. Even though called Whedonesque, this is about a lot more than Whedon. It's about being able to follow new things created by other great writers that worked with him, and new projects of the actors we've come to love from his shows. I understand the decision by Simon, but hope that the option to have the mantle taken up by someone else is at least considered.

Anyway, best wishes to everyone, I'll miss reading everyone's input with the rare chime in from myself. *Waves sadly*

DreamRose311 | August 21, 08:16 CET

Thanks for the explanation Caroline. Would you consider gossi's offer to pick up the website and keep it open, particularly given that the Twitter account will be remaining open? As I think the comments show, there are a lot of people who want this site to remain.

Let Down | August 21, 08:19 CET

Yet another one of the few remaining communities, shutting down. I remember when the Internet was a fun place. Just the way the world is going, I guess. Goodbye everyone, it's been nice.

AndrewCrossett | August 21, 08:23 CET

I dunno. Maybe somebody here has ties to Kay.

But i really hope this is not the case. Doesnt make much sense.

I have known couples which have lasted 60 years without cheating, and friends of both sexes that have cheated.

If there is one thing I learned is not to take the word of an ex spouse who was cheated and is hurt at face value. "Im telling you this publicly so you know he is not who you think he is" and "thou, people who give him awards, shall think twice before doing it again" doesnt help. Its not even about lying. Sometimes its just about perspective.

Not defending Joss. He might be a douchebag. He might secretly kill children on weekends. Small ones. Cute ones. Not attacking Kai either. She might very well be the most honest and acurate person here. I dont know.

But thats the point. I dont know. And im certainlt not taking one side of the story, a hurt, emotional side, as hard evidence of anything. Not even that that person is lying. It sucks, because its easier to choose sides. But when you dont know, you dont know. Nobody likes not to know, but one has to face the music, wheter one likes the melody or not. And i just dont know.

And if somebody has problems with the cheating, of course, its a loving site, its a fan site. Personally i think if tommorow we find out that Shakespeare was a serial rapist, it doesnt change the fact that Hamlet is Hamlet, and if Cervantes was a serial killer, the Quijote is still the father of modern novel, and the best one ever. But we want to love the people that give us great art. And thats not always possible. I get that. I do think putting the "no-no" on cheating would make reading books and watching movies and visiting museums rather difficult, but this is a love site, a site for support and love, and i get it if someone cant do that anymore. Still think the evidence is rather shallow, though.

I hope its not the case though, and this site is closing for any other reason. It would be disapointing. Turning your back on this guy after so much wonderfull art based on so little. Evidence and proof, i mean. A bit douchy, actually.

So i hope its something serious, adult and mature. Not some judgemental crap of someone we dont know based on the hurt words of someone we dont know in a situation we know allmost nothing about. That would be stupid. And disapointing.

So... somethin serious, but not really serious.

PM: Thank Caroline for your post. A personal farewell is always better than a dignified, albeit cold, one. After 15 years "Hy. WE are closing down. Thank you for everything. Post your contact if you want to stay in contact and,,, bye." out of the blue, without explanation an all is not really the most classy way to handle this.

Nobody owes anybody anything, and im thankfull for 15 years to Simon en al, but... Yaeh, a bit of warmth is welcomed.

[ edited by Darkness on 2017-08-21 14:28 ]

Darkness | August 21, 08:23 CET

@Gossi, @Let Down, I'm too big of a control freak to ever be able to cope with someone else at the helm. Thank you for the offer, Gossi.

Caroline | August 21, 08:23 CET

Can we start another site to continue fandom discussions, under an different name?

Or we can just call it 'Esque'! ;-)

[ edited by Shep on 2017-08-21 14:29 ]

Shep | August 21, 08:28 CET

This is my second comment in less than 10 min, but since I read criticisms about the design, I'd like to say I love it very much. It is easy to navigate. As old as it may be, it is effective and feels like home - here I am again : Whedonesque was a safe haven.

Ship | August 21, 08:28 CET

Well, it's been over a year since I last posted. Of course the decision to close the site is yours @Caroline and I fully respect that. I just want to take the time to say I really appreciate the work of @Simon and @Sunfire and everyone who posts here regularly. Buffy will always have a special place in my heart.

KissingToast | August 21, 08:31 CET

I like the design too. Maybe its the comfort of habitude speaking, but I "grew used to it"...

Darkness | August 21, 08:33 CET

I just want to thank the site runners like Simon,Sunfire and Caroline for their hard work over thears.

Again,really depressed this is happening.

[ edited by Buffyfantic on 2017-08-21 14:36 ]

Buffyfantic | August 21, 08:35 CET

Look! We made the NEWS!

https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/08/21/whedonesque-website-closes-whedongate-donations-ptsd-treatments/

The timing on this sucks.

"Thank you Joss, for all this years of great art, entertainment, depth, friendships and joy. How shall we repay you? I know: we´ll close down the same day the internet is ripping you a new one."

Darkness | August 21, 08:38 CET

I've always been mostly a lurker, but still have (and will always have) great appreciation for the site, the mods and the community.

This is sad and it's hard, but it's understandable.

Much love to you all.

[ edited by maxsummers on 2017-08-21 14:39 ]

maxsummers | August 21, 08:38 CET

Oh wow. Oh wow oh wow.

First of all, THANK YOU. Thank you for your hard work and devotion. 15 years is indeed a long time.

gossi took me on as a mod at serenitymovie.net and I joined Whedonesque a short time later. Because of these two facts, I have the friends I have, I have my fiancé, and I have great memories (Browncoat Backup Bash!). Like Caroline, my interest in Joss has faded somewhat, so I haven't visited Whedonesque in a long time. But I still treasure all the good. And there is so much good.

So! Feel free to follow me on the ol' tweeter if you don't already! Come for the lame political insights, stay for the daily dose of cute budgie photos! =)

@AlsoDizzyEllie is my handle.

Dizzy | August 21, 08:39 CET

[i]The timing on this sucks.

"Thank you Joss, for all this years of great art, entertainment, depth, friendships and joy. How shall we repay you? I know: we´ll close down the same day the internet is ripping you a new one." [/i]

Agreed Darkness.

[ edited by Let Down on 2017-08-21 14:41 ]

Let Down | August 21, 08:41 CET

So long and thanks for all the fish.

Pantaryl | August 21, 08:45 CET

So it goes.

Haven't visited here much in a long time, but this and the other site related shows meant a lot to me, and gave me most of the friends I still have to this day. Thank you all for giving me a light in the dark when I needed it most, thank you all for everything.

Fare thee well, old friend.

dev | August 21, 08:45 CET

I haven't posted in here in a long time, but there was a time when I was here everyday. This site (along with FireflyFans.net) is what taught me how to be a good internet citizen--how to communicate my ideas and thoughts on a platform that often lacks subtlety. Most importantly, it let me know that interacting with people, even if they were thousands of miles away, wasn't something scary. I went from being an almost complete shut-in to having tons of friends that I could interact with on a face-to-face basis. Without joining this site or being in the Whedon fandom, I don't know if I'd be the same person I am today. Thank you all for being here, and thank you to our wonderful mods for holding Whedonesque together for so long.

deepgirl187 | August 21, 08:49 CET

Never really posted, but always appreciated that this community existed.

Thank you all for making this website last as long as it did.

unscrewed | August 21, 08:49 CET

Wow. Did not see this coming. Thanks for all these years.

Krusher | August 21, 08:51 CET

Thanks to the site runners. Really bummed we won't have episode discussions anymore. I may join that other place for SHIELD mentioned above.

I'm also DanSlayer on BuffyForums and SlayAlive. I check BF almost daily even if I don't post much.

Dusk | August 21, 08:52 CET

Thank you all for the hard work and the good times. I've found inspiration and made lasting friends as a fan.

@CraigOxbrow

Craig Oxbrow | August 21, 08:53 CET

Yeah, thos SHIELD discussions were a highlight.

Darkness | August 21, 08:53 CET

So sad, so shocked! Thank you everyone x

twinkle | August 21, 08:54 CET

I think this is really sad, on a number of levels, and I'm sorry to lose a great index of news about works whose themes and stories I tend to really enjoy.

[ edited by Liam Mars on 2017-08-21 14:57 ]

Liam Mars | August 21, 08:56 CET

A sad day but perhaps inevitable. Reading that essay was quite depressing and a little disturbing. Checking Whedonesque was something I did almost ritualistically for over a decade now. There was a time it was the first thing in my Google search engine in the morning. Thanks to the people who ran it, the posters, the people who created links to interesting stories.

Profane | August 21, 08:56 CET

Thanks for all the years Caroline, Simon, Sunfire and any other mods I'm forgetting.

eddy | August 21, 08:59 CET

I'm very sorry to see the site close. Can't imagine how much time and effort the owners and mods have put into it. Thank you for providing the space. I'm on Twitter @birminghamblues.

ActualSize | August 21, 09:02 CET

Nooo. Well, thanks for everything. I have really enjoyed this site these past...forever many years. <3

without_passion | August 21, 09:03 CET

Goodbye, and farewell to all that...

stevekaw | August 21, 09:06 CET

I've lurked far more than my postings of occasional news-links. But this place has always been a special part of my internet routine. Huge thanks to the moderators for exemplifying the proper spirit of fandom with your even-handed, thoughtful-minded stewardship.

I suppose the thing that's hardest about this is that Whedonesque was never merely the exploits of a single person. It's been a spiderweb of related shows, writers, actors, themes, and fans. Not merely a news-stop, but a place with a pervading sense of family. Alas, that interconnected nature means the latest news echoes along each thread of that spiderweb.

But even among all that melancholy and conflicted emotion, I hope that there's healing to be found and peace to be had for those involved. So often, Whedon's work is about people who are deeply flawed, but with a dangling thread of hopeful redemption. Would be nice if life imitates art on this occasion.

inverse | August 21, 09:09 CET

I think someone just tore my heart out.

catalyst2 | August 21, 09:12 CET

I just wish this place had been able to close on a positive note, you know? This just sucks. (But I understand.)

As of late I only came to post when AoS was on. Still, gonna miss this place.

NYPinTA | August 21, 09:13 CET

I saw a lovely little Twitter comment yesterday regarding all the criticism (that's a nice word to call it) aimed at Joss from people apparently believing every word written in that blog post at The Wrap. I can't find the comment right now but it was something like this: "Buffy understood people make mistakes".

I don't throw the baby out with the bathwater based on a blog post. Don't know either of them personally, intimately; no one in the public realm does.

Has this site run its course? Not for me to say. I had some good times here. Particularly memorable was Joss' post about Du'a Khalil Aswad (Let's Watch A Girl Get Beaten To Death). Deep, meaningful, heartbreakng (http://whedonesque.com/comments/13271). If that was fake feminist crap, I will go jump off the nearest cliff.

Thanks to Luke (SoddingNancyTribe) and Damon (Zeitgeist) for always being nice and responsive to me.

EDIT - Twitter: @TonyaJ
Facebook: Tonya Jarrett

[ edited by Tonya J on 2017-08-22 16:21 ]

Tonya J | August 21, 09:15 CET

What a sad day. I understand that everyone is human, but this news is still incredibly disheartening considering the iconic status to which I held Joss. I'd love to know his side of the story based on that statement at the end of the article, but also I don't care because this is personal and should be dealt with out of the spotlight.

All the best to Kai. All the best to Joss, despite his mistakes.

Goodbye Whedonesque. May we all see each other around the internet enjoying these stories regardless of the flaws of their creator.

bknick | August 21, 09:17 CET

I'll miss this site. Echoing many above, this has been a safe haven for me, even before I got a membership & commented occasionally. It was a rare place of love on the internet. I'm still conflicted with what has happened.

I wanted to get my comment in before they shut down to say thank you. Thank you to the mods and everyone that's ever posted. I'm glad the twitter will still be active, you always have the best gif or quote for whatever is happening in the world--often I'll scroll through the news I missed if you post something, trying to guess which event you're referencing.

This is the only Whedon site I've been part of, so I may try some listed above. I'll miss reading everyone's live discussions about Agents of SHIELD. I'll look for that site, too. Once again, thank you. As Taffy like to say, "Blue skies!"

BlueSkies9 | August 21, 09:17 CET

Damn.

QingTing | August 21, 09:18 CET

I've been a member here for over 12 years, thanks to Caroline answering my pleading e-mail even though membership wasn't officially open, and a lurker for some time before that. Through this site, I have met some of my closest friends, many of them in person. I have enjoyed lively discussions about Joss's works and appreciated the mods' diligence over the years to keep things on an even keel.

I do have one question. Does this mean The Library at Flickr will also be closing? There are some threads over there I would like to save somehow if that's the case.

Thank you, Caroline, Simon, at al.

samatwitch | August 21, 09:22 CET

So sad - the site closing, and of course the news of Joss and Kai's relationship. I do believe that both Joss and Kai should be allowed to be human without being demonized. Who among us has never done anything they're ashamed of? I wish both of them and their children healing.

Warm thanks to Caroline, Simon, and all the moderators, as well as to the whole community. It was (and is) a lovely place.

speechlady | August 21, 09:23 CET

Buffy: Does it ever get easy?

Giles: You mean life?

Buffy: Yeah, does it get easy?

Giles: What do you want me to say?

Buffy: Lie to me.

Giles: Yes. It's terribly simple. The good guys are always stalwart and true. The bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats, and, uh, we always defeat them and save the day. No one ever dies and... everybody lives happily ever after.

Buffy: Liar.

eddy | August 21, 09:24 CET

Does this mean The Library at Flickr will also be closing?

Not at all, that stays open for as long as Flickr is going.

Simon | August 21, 09:28 CET

Thanks everyone, especially the regulars and my gold and blue family over the years. Not to make it about me, but without this site, I would not have a dozen or more best friends and I would not have met my wife nor would I have my two amazing children. Many Comic Con experiences, a couple of magazine interviews and a Paley experience were also highlights. Thanks for keeping us flying. Love you all! Thanks especially to Caroline, Milo, Simon, Herb, SoddingNancyTribe and Sunfire. I know I've been absent a lot the past two years, but this experience was life changing in the very best ways.

zeitgeist | August 21, 09:29 CET

Gonna miss this place. I’ll always be a Joss fan. His stories and humor have impacted my life and nothing changes that.

kantgitrite101 | August 21, 09:34 CET

Bye, w'esque. You were home port for my most active days in fandom, both the good and the bad. For all intents and purposes we launched CSTS here. Fans here saved the attendees of Flanvention 2 via Browncoats Backup Bash. We got the backs of striking writers here. We kept an eye on companies and even other fans playing fast and loose with both the truth and fans' money here. Good on you. Heads high. See you around the 'verse.

[ edited by b!X on 2017-08-21 15:36 ]

@theonetruebix | August 21, 09:36 CET

Thank you to the -esque people for running such a welcoming and informative site for so long. It has been a haven and delight for this long-time lurker. And thank you for not pretending or making excuses. Your response here is exactly what I needed to see. Sometime our heroes let us down and we have to decide how to move on.

Prosperina | August 21, 09:36 CET

Excellent! Now. Do we suspect there could be any kind of link between Ben and Glory?

(One for the road!)

Dizzy | August 21, 09:37 CET

@Dizzy --- I've never seen them in the same room... hmmm....

zeitgeist | August 21, 09:39 CET

Never mind.

[ edited by ActualSize on 2017-08-21 15:52 ]

ActualSize | August 21, 09:39 CET

Thanks @Let Down and thanks to Whedonesque. May we all reach the ideals we aspire to.

will.bueche | August 21, 09:43 CET

What does anybody here saying "We know it is true" have to do with anything? I admire your trust in this site, but thats not really going to proove anything to you. You either choose a side, or live with the uncertainty. You are not going to find absolute truth here.

[ edited by Darkness on 2017-08-21 15:45 ]

[ edited by Darkness on 2017-08-21 15:46 ]

Darkness | August 21, 09:44 CET

Don't forget The Library at Flickr.

zeitgeist | August 21, 09:45 CET

I just heard Fox cancelled Whedonesque.

It's been a fun run but if Caroline has been thinking of moving on then this is a good time as any. The amount of time involved must have been incredible over the years! I hope you can know how much it is appreciated for all you and everyone involved has done to give us a home here.
Stay shiny and keep flying wherever you are.

Beatle | August 21, 09:47 CET

I just want to say goodbye and I hope the discussion of the importance of Whedon's works continues in other mediums. When I was younger this was part of my daily site checking ritual. My Twitter handle is @myotislucy.

VeryVeryCrowded | August 21, 09:48 CET

I mean, with all due respect, ActualSize, not even close friends of actual divorcees know what really happens behind closed doors. Sometimes not even the divorcees themselves.

I feel you. But I dont think anybody but yourself will be able to help you on this.

Darkness | August 21, 09:48 CET

I'm shocked. I visit Whedonesque almost daily - my browser knows what I want all I need is to type in W.

I never really saw this site as a representation of Joss Whedon alone but more like 1 degrees from Joss.

I'm sad to see this go. So much of this world is fading to black, some normality here is comforting. Something of old to keep nostalgia and renewed interests alive - breath a new life into ones we didn't know of.

Thanks to all for everything, this site - this fandom, all you played a big role in me getting to know me.

@eraofmoon

Mirage | August 21, 09:49 CET

It was fun, wasnt it? Still, change is a part of life.

Darkness | August 21, 09:51 CET

This was my first refuge of Whedon commentary after the Bronze. This is really the end of an era, and it's appropriate that it happens on the day of an eclipse. So, I expect this page to be saved by many Whedon fans.
Goodbye, and thanks for all the stakes, souled vampires, big damn heroes, horrible singing docs and living dolls.
"It's a brand new day"....but it's without you.

Oh, and if anyone is interested: davidmello@whedonopolis.com or @impalergeneral

[ edited by impalergeneral on 2017-08-21 15:52 ]

impalergeneral | August 21, 09:51 CET

@Darkness -- it was giddy fun :)

zeitgeist | August 21, 09:51 CET

I know, Darkness, I'm just struggling, which I realize is completely ridiculous. In no way interested in choosing sides. I've deleted my earlier comment.

ActualSize | August 21, 09:54 CET

So sad that this place is closing and even though I hadn't posted here in a long time, I'm going to miss y'all. Thanks to everyone I've had discussions with. You have made me laugh, made me cry, given me lots of recs for television & movie viewing and many wonderful things to talk over & think about. (well, except for the shrimp. I will never get over that. *shudders*)

Thanks to Caroline, Simon, Sunfire, SoddingNancyTribe and zeitgeist for everything. I cannot imagine the fortitude it took to keep this site going.

menomegirl | August 21, 09:57 CET

Logging in for the first time in years to say goodbye and thanks for providing such a great site, especially back in the glory years of the Buffyverse. Hope the site sticks around as an archive.

areacode212 | August 21, 09:57 CET

I want to say thanks to the mods, as someone who got into Buffy years after it went off the air this site was an incredible resource in getting to really learn about the works of Joss Whedon (and his collaborators.)
I'm not sure if after the news from today I'll be able to go back and watch Buffy etc in the same way again...but I'll hold on to how important they were to shaping who I am today (alongside the fandom, this site, and what the works stood for.)

rg253 | August 21, 09:59 CET

Thank you, everyone, for keeping this site going and interesting for so long.

Made a lot of friends here. Accidentally started an activist movement here. Talked and argued and laughed with lots of weird and fun and cool people.

Sorry to see it go, but I wish everyone involved the best. Thanks.

C. A. Bridges | August 21, 10:07 CET

I lurked for a long time before I regsitered, and I rarely posted when I did have an account. Thanks for a great site that helped me find, among other things, a Serenity premiere screening at the Alamo Drafthouse when I was stuck in Austin immediately following Hurricane Katrina. That was nice, and I'll always remember it.

I'm also troubled by everything being said, and won't speculate as veracity. But I will say I've been advised on many occasions never to meet your heroes. It's just too much to expect of them.

Agent | August 21, 10:14 CET

I'm still shocked by this (and other) news. I haven't been able to make myself read the article yet but I'm working on it. Thank you to all who made this site possible. You've been a valuable source of knowledge, entertainment, and camaraderie over all these years and I'll never forget you. Peace.

m'cookies actual | August 21, 10:17 CET

Whedonesque has been my online anchor for longer than my daughter has been alive. While I understand the reason for the closure, it deeply saddens me to see it go.

Thanks to all you wonderful people for making this place so cool, and for all the memories and friendships. Love and thanks to Simon, Caroline, Milo, Zeitgeist, and Sodding Nancy Tribe.

You saved the world. A lot.

Willowy | August 21, 10:19 CET

So sad to see you go, you will be missed. Thank you for the amazing community you built.

Cider | August 21, 10:23 CET

Though I've never really been more than a lurker, I'm sad to see this site go. Now I really hope that Slayalive is kept active so I still have somewhere to keep up with new works by Joss and the comics; I always thought that this would be the last page left standing.

If anyone picks up some of the pieces from this side, I hope that they'll let the other Buffy/Whedon pages know.

I can respect not wanting others to take control of one's work, as I've tried passing something on only to see it ruined, but I wish things were different.

Rosenberg | August 21, 10:24 CET

Wow. Definitely going to miss this site... thank you for all the work you guys have done over the years!

Fenchurch | August 21, 10:25 CET

Well this is a bummer! I love Joss, the fans and this site. Thank you, goodbye and good luck!

Lucky0317 | August 21, 10:27 CET

It's sad to see this site shutting down, it was always great for general news on Joss' work and the cast. Thanks to all that ran it and contributed to it.

So long one and all, maybe I'll see you around the other boards.

Stoney | August 21, 10:31 CET

I didn't post much, but I've been a member since 2005.

Thank you for leaving this site around as long as you did. I definitely understand the reasons for closing. Exploiting power imbalances is not okay.

swanjun | August 21, 10:32 CET

Slayalive and the Buffy Boards are both still going, and could use some new blood (or the return of some old blood).

AndrewCrossett | August 21, 10:33 CET

Hi all. I have been lurking without posting for a while, but I've been a member for a long time. This site and the Whedon works really shaped who I was growing up. I just want to extend my thanks to the mods and all the main posters on this site. Although we've never met and you may not recognize my name, you've really added to my life.
I'm on Twitter and IG as @Linnea1928. You can also find me on FB at Facebook.com/Linnea1928.
Take care all.

Linnea1928 | August 21, 10:33 CET

First post for me in November of 2004. 3500 posts later comes today. I introduced nearly 80 new threads. I only wish I could put faces with names. In fact, the picture of me on my twitter account (again, @RealDrDana) is of me when I was in my early 20s, had hair, and it was long; I am 64 now and have none and it is short, when it is present at all.

Dana5140 | August 21, 10:35 CET

Ugh. I've only been a lurker, but I love this place.
Particularly the script discussion links, which were still going strong just three days ago.
Please do keep the archive online for a good long while.

Tobu | August 21, 10:36 CET

EW Link

[ edited by zeitgeist on 2017-08-21 16:50 ]

Darkness | August 21, 10:38 CET

Sorry to hear about this. Thanks for the fun times.

Kairos | August 21, 10:44 CET

"The status is not quo."

Naturally my post is excrutiatingly long.

Whedonesque was my online home for *years*, tho' not lately - for a variety of reasons, *none* having to do with my love of this site & its members - and I have *always* lurked when not posting. I will miss it. Some of my most hilarious, emotional, thrilling, and favorite times online have been spent here.

I was glad to read Caroline's explanation of the impending site shut-down, which is kind of what I'd thought - a combination of factors, but prompted by recent sad revelations. I'm grateful to her & the keepers & admins & mods that have kept this place alive & thriving, and I'm happy it will remain online as an archive. My heart goes out to everyone involved or affected by these revelations & whedonesque's closure.

I will always love Joss & his creations, and though my feelings about both have altered a bit over the 20 or so years I have loved them, this is still the case. I was thrilled when I got to meet & speak with Joss during the WGA strike, and that is, as they say, a fixed point, regardless of anything else that has happened before or after on my timeline. #Nevertheless

"All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again."

I joined Whedonesque in 2006 - just a few months after my mom & my brother-in-law died, and it & Joss' works helped get me through a shattering time. I won't ever forget this. Many of my friendships - both online & in meatspace - began via this fandom. I miss the people that have dropped away from this site, as well as the folks that have died. I cherish the people & friendships that have survived.

Whedonesque helped me hone my writing, shaky as it is, and taught me how to have respectful interactions with folks with whom I disagree - a skill I sorely lacked when I first joined. It's still a work in progress.

Today is a, pardon me, fucking sad day. I heartily wish you weren't closing, but the choice is not mine, and I respect your decision.

My dears.

(I am @quotergal on twitter, quotergal on gmail, Karen Hatch on FB, and Javista Organic Coffee Bar on instagram - and Goners' doors will remain open for as long as there is one Goner left standing. :)

QuoterGal | August 21, 10:48 CET

I am truly devastated to hear this and to say farewell to the most amazing community of fans I have ever known. As flawed as Joss is, his works brought forward the careers of some amazing women and inspired individuals to get up and take action. The Whedonverse fandom has raised so much money for worthy causes and this site has done so much to facilitate that. Can't Stop the Serenity, Fans4 Writer's and so many other community building activities exist because of this site.

I am so proud of what we as fans have achieved and, no matter what comes next, I hope that we will remember that. We have done the impossible. We are mighty. And we are family, no matter how much distance may come between us.

Thank you all, and thanks especially to Caroline, Simon and Sunfire for all that you have done to bring and keep us together. I will miss this place. *hugs*

JenskiJen | August 21, 10:49 CET

Like a few others I've mainly been a lurker, only posted a couple of comments, ages ago now. Again, like many others, I love this site. I'm really sorry to see it go. Thanks to all those who made it possible and kept it going for the past 15 years, you're all big damn heroes!

mazza | August 21, 10:51 CET

Is it essential for enjoying great art for the great artist to be a great person?

I know that's not what we should be asking here. We should be celebrating this site, thanking Simon and Caroline for all they've done here. We should be reminding ourselves that all of Joss Whedon's TV shows and films resonate beyond the life of their creator.

And yet, the question haunts me. Does anyone here read Orson Scott Card with unbounded admiration? Does Roald Dahl's personal darkness color Willy Wonka?

Do we laugh at Bill Cosby anymore?

Those are extreme examples, but the principle is the same. I keep going back to a Robert Christgau review of Public Enemy: "[Chuck D] is not the first talented asshole to front a great band--and he won't be the last."

I can't answer these questions. It's up to each person to decide how well they can separate the artist and his art.

But I hate to see this site close. Maybe at some point, something new could rise from the ashes--something dedicated to the ideals that all of us share, rather than the work of just one man.

Until then, goodbye everybody.

Peace.

[ edited by cjl on 2017-08-21 16:56 ]

[ edited by cjl on 2017-08-21 20:32 ]

cjl | August 21, 10:55 CET

I appreciate the work the mods have done to run this site for years, but this decision feels like a huge betrayal to all of us. This site has always been more about celebrating Mutant Enemy works than about celebrating Joss as a human being. How incredibly disappointing.

libradude | August 21, 10:58 CET

I've been here every day for over a decade, several years before I got an account. I will miss it – y'all – immensely.

[ edited by QingTing on 2017-08-22 16:42 ]

QingTing | August 21, 10:58 CET

Is it essential for enjoying great art for the great artist to be a great person?

No. Sorted. ;)

zeitgeist | August 21, 11:00 CET

Oh, definitevely, libradude. This place has greatly disapointed me. I expected more. And better. End of the day, whedonesque ended up being a pretty sad place indeed.

Darkness | August 21, 11:02 CET

Thank you, everyone. Especially the admins. I can't even imagine my life without this site. My world has forever been changed my Joss Whedon's works and mostly for the better.

Before I found the Whedon fandom, I didn't have many friends. Because of the Whedon family I found a career (having worked at Geek & Sundry really only because of Whedon extended family and meeting Felicia Day). I got a group of best friends and friends (everyone in my wedding party except for my sister was because of the Whedon fandom) and have so many amazing memories and experiences.

The day I got membership here felt like winning the Olympics.

Nothing changes those experiences or my time on this site.

Please keep in touch. @Tabz (Twitter) @supcomtabz (FB, IG).

- Tabz

BrownCoat_Tabz | August 21, 11:03 CET

Thank you Whedonesque! You will be missed.

Jelly | August 21, 11:05 CET

Also worth noting there aren't just two sides to every story, there's 20 years. People are messy. I feel sorry for the kids (teenagers) this is playing out in public.

gossi | August 21, 11:06 CET

Thanks for taking the time to maintain the site. Thanks to all those who contributed, and thanks to Joss. Goodbye all!

jubal lives | August 21, 11:06 CET

Oh, I just had a thought. In memory of Whedonesque, somehow, someday, another Browncoat Cruise or something like it. There must be a way to get it together if Jeremy and crew are up for it!

Tonya J | August 21, 11:06 CET

Haven't posted in years but kept reading and appreciating all this site has offered. Just want to offer a heartfelt thanks to all.

inthemoment | August 21, 11:09 CET

It's been a long time since I've commented here, but it's been fun -- and meaningful. I joined this site over 11 years ago (!), when I was 19 years old, partway through undergrad, and it was one of my first instances of online engagement. Things have changed a lot for me in the intervening years, but not my affection for this site. The art of Joss Whedon and those who worked with him over the years have opened a lot of doors for me, and if what sometimes hid behind those doors was not always pleasant in the moment, they still made me the person who I am today -- and looking at my life now, that's probably a good thing. In a very real way, Whedon's work changed my life, and he probably means more to me personally than any other artist. Thanks to the mods and the posters for many great years. See you in the world.

[ edited by WilliamTheB on 2017-08-21 17:17 ]

WilliamTheB | August 21, 11:09 CET

Wow. Fifteen-ish years ago, my soon to be bride said "you gotta watch Buffy." I had next to no interest in the show, but quite a bit in her, so S6, the return of Riley of all things, was my intro. Later that week we watched Summer Glau do a ghostly dance or two on Angel, and within a few weeks I was hooked. I became a big fan of Joss' work, and like many of you and admirer of how he lived his life and spoke his truth to power. Then, yesterday happened. I've been in a legit funk since. It sucks to hear one of your heroes isn't who you thought he was and in many respects who he claimed to be. I'm mad and hurt, much as I'm sure everyone else is. Like I told my wife, I feel like he was at our wedding, a good family friend throughout our marriage, and now it feels like we just found out every time he came over for dinner he peed on our toothbrushes when he used the bathroom. All that said, life goes on, his challenges and problems are not in fact mine, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he brings to the DCEU. From Caroline's post it sounds like this has been something of a long time coming, although the timing is really horrid and not taking up some generous offers to keep the community going seems quite selfish. In any case, I was never much of a regular poster anyway so it's less skin off my back than sadness for all of you that were here every day. I have no doubt Joss has stopped by and this news has darkened his day even further. Maybe he's deserving of that, but it's not my place to say. Thanks to all who've kept this place classy over the years, it certainly appears class is in dwindling supply anymore. Just ask Joss and Kai.

MrArg | August 21, 11:10 CET

For the record, I feel neither disappointed nor betrayed by this decision.

swanjun | August 21, 11:11 CET

Logging in for the first time in many years to thank the mods and the community for so many wonderful discussions. I joined this site after someone linked to one of my first webcomic strips. It was one of the only fandom communities I ever participated in... The great moderators and the quality of posts were the main reason for that.

You can find me on @jody_houser on Twitter. I'm writing comics professionally now and post about that quite a bit. :)

MindEclipse | August 21, 11:12 CET

This site has been a safe space for many years of daily routine visits. the closing feels a little bit abrupt, like a bus just missed to run me over by an inch.
I love the simple design, the moderation, the conversations about little big topics, and overall a sense of serenity (no pun intended) which is a rare achievement for any social enterprise, enabled by a mysterious chemistry of creators, mediators and participants.
@msvarjak

[ edited by kleemotion on 2017-08-22 07:06 ]

kleemotion | August 21, 11:14 CET

Thanks to Simon and Caroline for doing such a good job running this site for such a long time. I've been lurking here since long before I joined and would open the site at least once every few days ever since.

I'm a little bummed about this decision. When I read the article yesterday it pretty much just reminded me of my parents (my father's affairs took me a long time to come to terms with), but fundamentally I feel like even the greatest artists are human and their work often comes from flaws and deep persoanl pain. Although it harms my personal opinion of Joss Whedon (he always seemed like someone I felt like I would really like in real life, which is a fairly odd thing to say about someone with such a high profile), my own personal line in the sand for artists tends to be further than infidelity. The story Kai tells, which I choose to take at face value, is a tragic one, as it was with my mother, who spent 40 years with someone who led a double life, and lost an awful lot of time she could have spent happier with someone who wasn't pretending all the time. I don't disregard any of that. I also believe that our moral condemnations based on limited outside information is pretty silly, especially as someone who saw how complicated a sitaution my own family was in actuality if you were close to it.

Complicated feelings, but regardless, thanks for all the wonderful years. And thanks to Joss for creating so many works that brought all of us together for so long, regardless of how some of us doubtlessly feel about him now.

[ edited by rabid on 2017-08-21 17:18 ]

rabid | August 21, 11:16 CET

Over the years, this site has been used to help raise money for specific projects and causes relevant to Mutant Enemy actors, writers, etc. This site has been used to raise awareness of tragedies in the lives of specifically individuals-- resulting in an outpouring of support. How sad that the site will no longer be available for things like this.

[ edited by libradude on 2017-08-21 17:20 ]

libradude | August 21, 11:19 CET

I'm so sad today. This site was my first step into fandom 13 years ago. I had recently had a child and I all I did during maternity leave was marathon this cool show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Since then, I've met people I call my best friends here. Finding Whedonesque was the stepping stone of so much that I have become. A super nerd that goes to Comic Con every year. A cosplayer.....and pretty much all the internet etiquette I now know, I learned from here. Thank you mods for being amazing. And thank you, Joss, for inspiring us creatively and being an artistic (yet flawed) genius <3 If anyone would like to follow me, I'd love it! I'm Harmalicious on twitter! Also, if you're into cosplay, follow me on Instagram at @bethcosplay. You will never be forgotten, Whedonesque!

Harmalicious | August 21, 11:19 CET

It's funny, I've never really felt that I'd like Joss as a person—his demeanor was always just this side of dickish—but his work spoke to me. I'll miss the site as a way to keep up with this little universe of creators, and I can't say the decision to shut it down doesn't seem a little selfish, but in the end it's certainly not my call.

jeffk | August 21, 11:20 CET

Also....I want to like all the posts, lol.

Harmalicious | August 21, 11:20 CET

If anyone here is on fb there is a very vibrant Buffy group page on there with thousands of members. It's not just Buffy only talk either but discusses all of Joss' works.

eddy | August 21, 11:21 CET

In fan site terms Whedonesque is, like, 115. Few sites make it to this age. I mean there's a copyright disclaimer for UPN below.

gossi | August 21, 11:23 CET

Link eddy, please?

Tonya J | August 21, 11:27 CET

I remember waiting years to join the site, and how happy I was that I could comment. I'm very sad and frustrated and conflicted, and I hope we all take some time to wrap our heads around things. Thanks to everyone I've talked to, and let's all try to be our best.

"Well, here I am."

chrisobrien | August 21, 11:29 CET

RIP Buffyfilter.

feelinglistless | August 21, 11:30 CET

I can't believe I'm actually going to go there, but I guess I'll add a bit about the actual thing (I don't care if it gets deleted -- I don't mean that snarkily, but sincerely; if the mods feel this is inappropriate, it's their site and no hard feelings):

I'm disappointed but not surprised by what Kai Cole alleged about Joss Whedon. I mean that in the sense of being disappointed with Whedon rather than with Cole. I neither fully believe the account nor disbelieve it; I lean toward credulity. It sounds like she was terribly hurt by this and I feel deeply for her. At the same time, what I've always appreciated about Whedon's work is not purely the feminist text -- though that is important -- but the emphasis on the imperfection of humans, including people who strive to be good in an often difficult and heartbreaking world. I was saddened by the news of his and his wife's split, because I was hoping that Whedon was able to work out *through his art* the things that would lead to him hurting his own life and the people around him, because of temptation, weakness, sadness, or just the instinct to be selfish and hurtful. But it still didn't really surprise me, and nor am I surprised now. People are people. Years of infidelity is unusually bad in some senses, but in some others (especially given the environment in Hollywood) is no real surprise. I love John Lennon as an artist, too, and his rap sheet is much worse than what Kai Cole alleges against Whedon. I feel uncertain how to deal with my conflicting "separating the art from the artist" issues in general, because part of thing is, yeah, I actually do appreciate flawed *people* as well as people who make art about flawed people -- even though I don't want to see them hurt others, because I don't want to see other people get hurt. And part of the art/artist fear is that I suspect at times that it takes a person in touch with their dark side (their dark place, as Whedon has described it before) to make them a better artist, a subject which comes up again and again in his work -- think of Angelus or Spike's works of violent art, or Willow's desperate intellectual longing which eventually leads her to worse and worse places, or Topher's creative spark nearly ending the world. Whedon does stories about mad creators who destroy their lives all the time, and so it's maybe inevitable that in order for him to be good at this, things would get out of the delicate box and into the real world, like Moloch who is released when the words from his book are read or scanned aloud (bet you weren't expecting an "I Robot - You Jane" reference in an impassioned post in the farewell!).

My father's treatment of my mother, too, was (as best as I can understand) far worse than what Cole alleges here, which is maybe some of the reason why I default to softness. The shiny halo around Whedon has faded since I idolized him when I was much younger, and I am not really claiming that he's still an unusually good person -- how would I know that, anyway? Nor am I critical of others who do judge him more strongly. The hypocrisy which Kai Cole describes may well be real. There's maybe something perfect about this story, in a dark way, of the final unmasking of the biggest of Big Bads in the 'verse itself, of Whedon finally having a dark secret exposed the way so many of his characters' secrets have been exposed and forgiven over time. You can't stop the big moments from coming, and all that. I think this is going to be hard for him. Whether this could remotely compare to how hard the last couple decades have been hard for Cole -- well, I don't know (maybe; probably not); and it's going to be their children who will probably suffer the most. Still, I'm sorry for everyone. A more critical person than I would say that the trait in Whedon's stories that the "villains" of one story can be the heroes in another, that people who give in to temptation can still be salvaged and can still remain sympathetic, that forgiveness is given because it is needed, not because it is earned, that people are ignoring others' pain because they are focused on their own, and so on, are (in the end) self-serving from a person who maybe recognized that he'd eventually find himself the villain of a story, and that the truly good people in the world should recognize and reject this sophistry and apologia for what it is. Maybe. Certainly there are even times where Whedon favours cutting through the villain's rationalizations and recognizing that sometimes there is no "there" there, that there is just darkness and hypocrisy underneath, and some of Whedon's political discourse has at times suggested some Manichean workings (understandable, perhaps, in the current political climate, but...). But I prefer to think that those stories are real and still mean something, for me at least if not for anyone else. I wish the best for everyone involved and hope that they can get the help they need.

As to the question of the mods, my take is, it's their site. Caroline said that she has been considering shutting down for a time. If they don't want to do it, they don't have to do it. We don't owe them anything, nor do they owe Whedon anything. I get the frustration that some people are showing about it, I do -- I'm sad to see this site go, too, and it *feels*, because of the generosity of spirits of the mods, that the site belongs to all of us. But it still requires people running and maintaining it and that's a labour of love that we can't expect them to force. I get also the point that others have offered to take up the site -- but I dunno. It's hard to let go of one's own project.

[ edited by WilliamTheB on 2017-08-21 17:44 ]

WilliamTheB | August 21, 11:32 CET

I discovered Buffy at the lowest point in my life. I had given up on everything: school, friends, life. I was done with it all. Buffy changed all that. Buffy - and later, Angel and Firefly - taught me how to be my own hero. How to save myself. I learned that I, too, am a slayer.

I found my own community through Joss Whedon's work. With Firefly being released on DVD and the movie Serenity coming out, it energized a fandom and I became one of the founding members of the PDX Browncoats. I started it because I wanted to share my love of Joss' work with others. These were my people, and finally I didn't have to be alone anymore.

Whedonesque was a big part of that. It was the first online fan community I ever joined. My first post was in 2003, and I was very active in those early years, until twitter came along. I still follow Whedonesque friends on twitter and Facebook.

I still have enduring friendships from this, and we still talk about Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and Joss' other works. And through this all I have learned who I am, and how important community is. I learned the power of stories. I thank you all for this, and I thank all the moderators here for creating a safe forum without all the drama of most of the online world.

Thank you to all of my W-esque friends, and all the W-esque friends I never met. It's been real. We've had our ups and downs (and this is the lowest down yet), but we've had each other. That's what matters.

Twitter: @electrcspacegrl
Facebook: Elisabeth Janette Jondahl
Email: electricspacegirl@gmail.com

electricspacegirl | August 21, 11:34 CET

A very sad day. Thank you, admins and mods, for all the hard work. I will miss this site.

williams_muse | August 21, 11:35 CET

Sigh. Keeping my opinions to myself as far as personal stuff, but I know for sure I will miss this site more than I ever thought possible. Thank you for years of enjoyment here. I've been more of a lurker than anything but I remember how long it took me to be able to join and how thrilled I was when I was finally able to post. Buffy changed my life. Whatever is going on out there isn't my business and my thoughts will remain that, my thoughts.
I'm sad to see you go.

bloodyrockerswitch | August 21, 11:35 CET

very very sad to hear this. I'll miss you.
find me on twitter and everywhere @okelay

okelay | August 21, 11:36 CET

Checking this site has been a regular daily part of my life for at least ten years, perhaps more, certainly long before I was finally able to register as a member one on of those rare registration days. At times I would comment more, at times (and the last few years) far less. I even posted a couple of times. But I would always depend on the site for news big and small.
Thank you admins, regular posters and all others over the years for this site. And thank you Joss for all those times you also posted here and made us fans feel closer to you.

*this is one of those long threads that will take me time to read through. Sadly it will be the last.

urkonn | August 21, 11:41 CET

Tonya J I think this link should work - https://www.facebook.com/groups/hani.alzwi/

The mods are good there too. Just read the sticky after they confirm your membership to the group.

eddy | August 21, 11:42 CET

Joss himself is one of the people I most admired in my life. I knew he wasn't perfect, because no one is. I saw so many people get disappointed of their idols that in some way I was always prepared for something to dash my image of him. I told myself I would not be blind myself to his faults or continue being his fan if he does not deserve it. People can find out a lot of secret shit about the people they admire. The new story that unfolded doesn't cast him as something really bad like a rapist, a violent husband, a racist, a homophobe,* or many possibilities that are worse than a cheating husband, but it is still something that makes me stop and think about the man I so respected. My sister was cheated on and deceived for at least a few years, and it broke her emotionally in a way that surprised me, and in a way that most of her friends and family didn't really understand. So I do greatly emphasize with Ms. Cole.
My opinion of Buffy, Firefly and other of Joss's creations remain unchanged. I will still look forward to what he does next. But I won't idolize him because of it.

*I don't mean to compare being a rapist with being racist or homophobic – it just that my mind went to Bill Cosby and Mel Gibson.

urkonn | August 21, 11:45 CET

Longtime lurker here. Thank you for the memories and I fully agree and support this decision. To the friends I've made both online and IRL who have written me off over petty politics ... I love you and miss you. My heart breaks in this difficult time for all. My heart is broken cuz I have touted Joss as my hero since 1997. Buffy was special to me. And now I don't know how to feel and the very friends I want to turn to for support have blocked me or won't reach for the olive branch I tried to extend. Peace out.

Turtle | August 21, 11:46 CET

"Why can't I stay?"

Well, this is unexpected but also understandable. I'd like to thank this community for one, helping me to stay informed about some of my favorite art and artists and two, providing me with a wealth of friends and fans not otherwise possible.

When I started my podcast in 2006, the first thing I did was a commentary for the Firefly pilot. The folks that have spread the word here about what I do are priceless to me and I am forever grateful.

For those of you who wish to keep in touch:
Twitter: @johnpavlich
E-mail: sofadogs@gmail.com

Thank you all and farewell.
-John Pavlich
The Sofa Dogs Podcast

kungfubear | August 21, 11:46 CET

Thank you guys for everything. I've mostly been lurking apart from a few comments here and there and maybe posting 1-2 articles... but this has always been my number one source on all Whedon-related news. Sad to see this happening, but I understand. Thanks for all your hard work over the years, and see you on Twitter, perhaps.

Illy | August 21, 11:48 CET

I also discovered Buffy at the lowest point of my life. I had just graduated from highschool, was really struggling at home with an increasingly volatile household and was finally dealing with trauma I had gone through as a very young child which I had repressed and rationalized for over a decade. I actually started watching Buffy with Season 6, and I instantly related so completely with Buffy as a character, her apathy, her behavior sometimes driven for that period by self-loathing. I started to go back and watch the previous seasons, and by six months later, had watched every episode of both that and Angel, both of which I absolutely adored. It's the only show I have ever watched which I remember every episode of incredibly clearly, and could list the writers of each isntallment on-command. More than that, there was a big part of me that dreamed of being someone like Joss, someone who could create great art for people. I eventually came to realize that I was less interested in creating art than sharing it, which led me to study literature and eventually education. I have since watched everything Joss has created, to varying degrees of enjoyment.

Joss work fundamentally altered my life, and for that I will always be appreciative. Joss may not be as good a person as I thought he was, but he is still, fairly often, an extraordanary artist.

Thanks again for giving us a place to talk about his work.

[ edited by rabid on 2017-08-21 17:50 ]

rabid | August 21, 11:49 CET

That was really beautiful, WilliamtheB <3

Harmalicious | August 21, 11:49 CET

I remember being so excited to be able to sign up in 2006. I follow the site with RSS so rarely visit to comment but I appreciated the dedication to what became multiple fandoms as our beloved actors and crews of various shows went on to bigger and better things. I'll miss this site.

wolfpurplemoon | August 21, 11:49 CET

Thanks to all who made this place possible and kept it safe and welcoming. I rarely posted, but I enjoyed lurking. I'm @nursebobbi1 on Twitter and Instagram and Bobbi Kempter Pasternak on Facebook.

NurseBobbi | August 21, 11:51 CET

Urkonn I agree. Despite Mel Gibson being a horrible racist, I still enjoyed Hacksaw Ridge. Joss Whedon being a fake feminist won't cause me to stop watching his old work or his new.

eddy | August 21, 11:54 CET

Not commented in a few years but always been lurking -- sad to be writing here for the final time, but I understand why this decision's been made. It's complicated and messy and I think I'd rather not see debates over it play out on this site for the ensuing days/weeks/months/years, as would probably be the case.

Nevertheless, thanks to the admins, the posters and everyone I've had the pleasure of interacting with. Every time I read a Whedonverse-related piece of news, I shall think of ye.

Stay shiny, folks! We're all just as fallible as one another.

[ edited by Dude Meister on 2017-08-21 18:09 ]

Dude Meister | August 21, 11:54 CET

Wow. Sad to say goodbye to the site I've checked (almost) daily since twenty-ought two. Thanks to all the admins--especially Simon & Caroline--and all the great posters for fifteen years!

-RBB
@unktrismegist

RBB | August 21, 12:00 CET

Another lurker coming out of the shadows to say thank you for everything to all the mods. You ran a tight ship, allowed us to misbehave but still forced us to respect the chain of command. Thanks for providing so many of us a safe haven.

Kayley | August 21, 12:00 CET

I want to thank everyone here for being such a great community. Thank you for all these years of passion. Thank you for being in my life.

Farewell then...

I'll miss you.

7lovelyangel | August 21, 12:03 CET

I just want to say my two cents. This place is for discussion of the shows. Not the Master's personal life. If we can respect that I think we should still be able to have this forum. But it is what it is. I will miss this place. And I wish him well.

madmolly | August 21, 12:03 CET

Hey all - my contact details are @bubblecat on twitter.

I've loved this site and thank you to everyone I've met and I can only take the good with me.

bubblecat | August 21, 12:07 CET

Just wanted to add my thank you for everyone who has contributed to this site. There are very few sites on the internet where the comment section is even readable. Whedonesque always maintained a standard that allowed for thoughtful and useful dialogue. So thanks again to Caroline et al for all the hard work and attention you gave to providing us the best fan site I have ever been a part of.

lottalettuce | August 21, 12:08 CET

I will also pass along enormous thank yous to everyone who was involved in running, maintaining, and moderating this website. This has been a terrific place to get the big and little news items about the films, episodes, actors, writers, producers, directors, etc. that all fall into this eclectic punch bowl that we all like to drink from. I appreciate that spoilers were handled in a proper and effective way, which just is not the case on most media related websites these days (being all too fixated on boosting their hit counts).

The community here is awesome. Pretty much everyone is respectful to others and professes thoughtful perspectives. While I rarely posted during Dollhouse and Agent's of S.H.I.E.L.D. airings, I always read through the comments the day after to get the broader fan experience of those episodes. The excitement and intellectual stimulation was always evident. It is sad that the group will likely be fractured a bit, but I understand and know from experience that change always comes eventually. We'll all muddle through somehow.

Qixotl | August 21, 12:17 CET

Oh, wow. I'm legit devastated.

I think the worst thing for me is that this is so very SUDDEN. I wish you could have had a closing-down month, or week, or something. Ease us into it. Have threads for reminiscing and whatnot. That could have been spectacular.

Like many, I wish you would reconsider the kind offers to keep something going in some form. (I like the idea of just calling the new hangout 'Esque" :D I'm sorry, I forget who said that.)

Most importantly, thank you for your incredible hard work and kindness over the years. It is appreciated, and this place will be sorely missed. I teared up typing this, and I was merely a lurker most of the time.

darling | August 21, 12:17 CET

Sad to see an end to such a wonderful site. I've enjoyed the comments and insights, even ones I disagreed with. May there be healing for all involved in making Whedonesque what it is, including the fans.

quantumac | August 21, 12:18 CET

I've not been here in aeons, but once upon a time this was a second home. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Much love for all, and take good care. See you!

leenah | August 21, 12:26 CET

That is sad news. This site have been my comfy blanket for so many years.

Old layout? Pft! This design is the best there is, non of the newer formats can beat it. It is impossible to keep things sorted and easy to find in the new flashy ones.

Moderators and site maintainers have done a legendary work to keep this place going for so long it is a part of the Whedonvers it self.

I will miss it immensely. Sad now.

Satai (with Punsch) | August 21, 12:26 CET

A mod's gotta do what a mod's gotta do...
I've enjoyed this site through the years; never imagined I would learn about its closure from the Drudge Report! (Headline: "Fan site shuts down as left eats its own".)

Thanks for being a source of information and insight through the years. All the best to you all in your future endeavors.

Bishop | August 21, 12:27 CET

Goodbye. ''Twas nice to have known you, whedonesque. Thanks Simon and Caroline and all other contributors over the years.

iphi1 | August 21, 12:31 CET

Thank you to everyone who has written, moderated, commentated, read, thought and contributed in any other way.

This is a shock, there's no two ways about it.

This is always the first site I click on every day for the sense of community, the inclusiveness, the intelligence...you will be missed. Recently I've loved the AoS commentaries particularly, and have bought several books and at least 1 CD based on posts made here. As a con veteran of nearly 15 years' standing, I've always felt that this site reinforced the sense of community that society tried to tell us we shouldn't have.

Thanks again. All the best to you all.

171 Oak (@171_Oak)

171Oak | August 21, 12:35 CET

Please consider taking down the charity part. That is such a slap in the face, I feel. It just completely rubs me wrong and puts salt in the wound. Even if Joss caused his wife emotional trauma (which we don't actually know for sure his side), that doesn't mean a site dedicated to the man's work needs to be be about that dark part of his life. I mean, if you want a charity to be involved, is his favorite Equality Now charity somehow tarnished because of his actions? Wouldn't a donation to them be good? Or how about just a more graceful, less side-taking goodbye?

narky | August 21, 12:38 CET

(PS I prefer this style of layout too.)

So, what are we going to do now?

171Oak (@ 171_Oak)

171Oak | August 21, 12:39 CET

Also long-time lurker - I think I first joined around the time of Dr Horrible (and had even forgotten the agony of waiting to jump on sign-up windows!), posted a bit for a while, then sort of drifted away... but I still keep in touch with some people on twitter and even met two of them in person back in 2011 when I happened to be passing by their neighbourhoods... :)

This has been a great site over the years, a font of news and a hive of happy discussions around some great shows. I will miss it, and its fun blackness and archaic layout. However, I saw the tweet this morning that heralded this and, even as my heart sank, I realised how fitting it was. Having now seen Caroline's explanation only makes me more sure of that. Nobody should have to pour their lives into moderating something that their heart's not in any more. And nobody should have to give up their website just because other people have made a home there - we have plenty of other ways to keep the discussion going.

I'll miss you, whedonesque, but thank you for the years, and I'll see many of you around online *somewhere* I'm sure. :)

(@skittledog, for the record)

skittledog | August 21, 12:39 CET

The day the sun goes dark, the day whedonesque says so long.Oh hoU will miss all of you. Thank you for all of the hard work of the admins. You made this my favorite social media experience - by far.

Well done!

I'm sorry to see it go, but I understand. Please know you all made an incredible moment in time where I was able to meet incredible people.

I'm on twitter @hann23.

Thank you and all the love ❤️ to my techno Scooby gang.

hann23 | August 21, 12:40 CET

I'm so very sorry about this. Wish you'd reconsider. There are a lot of great episodes of great shows, a lot of actors who will still be doing stuff that interests us and who should not be tainted by this "stuff"

debw | August 21, 12:41 CET

Oh, man, I am so, so sad about this. NYPinTA, I'll plan to join you at the shieldtv forums in the fall.

Meanwhile, I've started a brand-new fandom Twitter account - @sudden_eyes

I'll follow all y'all.

Much love.

javelina | August 21, 12:42 CET

826 comments by me over the last 11 years, 8 months. Hopefully, none of them too memorable. Whedonesque will have been my first online participation forum where I was so much in the minority that, despite the site's firm and fair commenting policies, I never felt comfortable correcting or challenging posts which ridiculed what I hold dear. Should anyone desire to find me, I use the same name on Wikipedia, where I significantly expanded and re-wrote the article on us a few years back.

[ edited by jclemens on 2017-08-21 19:05 ]

jclemens | August 21, 12:42 CET

It is important what the site leaders said, this is not a time to bash Joss Whedon or Kai Cole.

I feel people who are confused should go read Cole's piece again.

For me the piece was not about Joss Whedon, so much as it was the power that deception has in creating stress and trauma to the point where the person who has been deceived can not function psychically or socially.

Deception can be executed in many forms, it does not have to be marital infidelity. What Cole said in her piece was that the cumulative toll of the deceptions she faced led her to withdraw from society, and kept her from being able to do the things she loved like architecture, and producing entertainment.

She took a big step in declaring herself a part of the mentally ill community by declaring that she has suffered from Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The lesson I took from her piece is that if we purport to love someone do not treat them with such disregard that you choose to not engage in honest conversation, respecting the other person's thoughts, and feelings. The point of feminism which she chose to highlight is that the deceptions she faced led her to lose control of the ability to make fully informed decisions, about her own life, and body.

The final thing I want to say about the piece is that it highlights the importance of truth as the guiding principle in all social interactions, without truth, all relationships are corrupt from the beginning. Only when all people know the truth in a social interaction will they have the ability to make fully informed healthy life decisions and be able to express love, affection, and connection with the other people in the social interaction.

[ edited by Tausif on 2017-08-21 18:54 ]

Tausif | August 21, 12:47 CET

I has devastated by the revelations yesterday and am still taking it quite hard. I should know better but obviously I don't. I totally understand and sympathize the decision to shut the site down. Thanks to Caroline and all the mods for running this excellent site all these years and for never really banning me when I let my passion get the best of me. :) You guys were always great!

If anyone still needs erroneous preconceptions about Nielsen ratings and the business side of TV corrected I can be found on twitter @IrrationaliTV.

*insert painfully corny trying too hard and failing horribly witty joss-like banter here*

IrrationaliTV | August 21, 12:50 CET

I had a good time here at this site. Like other I visited it regularly. I enjoyed being the first to post a news story. It was great to engage in all the smart and fun commenting from fellow site memebers. Thanks for running the site Simon, Carolyn, and Sunfire. Here's to hoping some people in this group will carry the fire to build another site which can bring people together like
Whedonesque has. Thank you all.

Tausif | August 21, 12:50 CET

Goodbye, and thank you!

minime283 | August 21, 12:52 CET

@AndrewCrossett said: Slayalive and the Buffy Boards are both still going, and could use some new blood (or the return of some old blood).

BuffyForums.net too. :)

Stoney | August 21, 12:53 CET

Ok so... I think I passed my WTF IS HAPPENING phase.

The timming of this is terrible. Whedonesque was always aside from whatever controversy Joss or the cast were going through and ending on a biased note on the day after a major controversy when the internet is pilling against him is a shame. I have no illusions about him. I mean, I did follow him on Twitter... But he's human. And ending the site today just feels like we're judging him when we know nothing about what's really happening in his life.

Anyway, thanks to EVERYONE that made this site possible. It was a wonderful community. A place of thoughtful, interesting, respectful conversations and exchange of ideas - a hard find on the internet.

There's rumblings of a sequel called Esque. I just wanna throw out there that a subreddit has exacly the same format as the site...

Ricardo L. | August 21, 12:53 CET

Yikes. So sorry to see this site go. I haven't been around as much lately, but this site was the most important place for much of my fandom life. A place of intelligent discussion, manners and an oasis of sanity on a medium that's usually far from sane.

It'll be sorely missed, and I am very much hoping there will always be a place for the kind of community this site catered to. If not here, then hopefully somewhere else.

Thanks to the mods for their hard work. Thanks to caroline for building this site. I'm glad we got a chance to meet at one point. And thanks to all those numerous posters for the great discussions we've had on here.

I will miss this place.

GVH | August 21, 13:00 CET

Blimey. I've criticised Joss' politics a lot, I think it's healthy to be critical of our favourite creators, but I always felt a bit like the bad guy doing it on this fansite. Shame we can't untangle the fan stuff from the other stuff.

Bunnies | August 21, 13:01 CET

Ricardo, thank you for paragraph 2 in particular of your comment. It's how I feel, as well. As for Twitter, I'm on a timeout because I defended him using adult language (some troll asked me how many abortions I've had in response to my comment on leaping to judgment - Joss is a defender of Planned Parenthood).

Tonya J | August 21, 13:02 CET

I will miss the crowdsourced news, and comraderie of this site, and I do appreciate the commitment it took to run this long.

Jjsquid | August 21, 13:07 CET

I'd advise folks not to read a huge amount into the timing and as Simon said:

This isn't the time or place to bash Kai or Joss or anyone else. It never was.

zeitgeist | August 21, 13:07 CET

It's been so long since I've posted, that I barely remember how, but wanted to return to thank Caroline deeply for hosting and building the community that has meant so much to so many for so long. I cut my teeth on online commenting here, and learned how to do so with respect, intellectual rigor, good humor, wit, and humility from the founder, the mods, and you all. Would that the broader Internet Public could have undergone such brilliant tutelage. Your Standards have become My Standards. Thank you for that gift.

I also made friends I treasure deeply who have become so close, I no longer think of them connected to their screen names to tag them here. That's a lovely and powerful testament to this place, Rachel, Luke, Tari, Cora, Gayle, Beth, Karen, Elisabeth, Amanda, Catherine, and the recently passed and still much beloved, Nicki, or nixygirl.

To have found my soul's mate here in this place will always render it sacred to me, and those of you who encouraged zeitgeist and me in the early days and ever since are our foundation. It's breathtaking to recall and imagine how the slightest deviation in a day would have meant I had no reason to seek out a site like this, lobby to join, and make a foolish comment that causing another poster to laugh probably meant we had to get married now, and then actually marrying the incomparable guy. And would mean this family we've built... literally, with children, two, and extended, with Our People, would have never happened. Hard to imagine it as accident.

I was active on The Black 10-11 years ago when I first discovered the shows and the Intro Level Feminism met me where I was and elevated my thinking and my desire to know more/be more/do better. For the most part, though, I've moved on, treasuring the early work for what it was, what it meant, and what it gave me. Then.

But the world has changed. Art has changed. Television has changed. Movies have changed. Feminism has changed. I have changed. The soul food that nourishes my desire to understand and evolve my feminist, progressive, intersectional, activist, humanist beliefs is Not Served By Joss Whedon. I am grateful for the amuse bouche, but...

Women are my hosts at this feminism banquet. Women in history. Women on this site. Wise Women the world over.

Thank you, Whedonesque for being the right thing at the right time in the right place for so many. Thank you, Caroline and mods for keeping it safe and smart. And thank you all, for always elevating the dialogue, pushing our collective critical thinking, being stupid-silly when times called for it, and for making me comfortable in my first fandom. Peace.

[ edited by barest_smidgen on 2017-08-21 19:14 ]

[ edited by barest_smidgen on 2017-08-22 03:56 ]

barest_smidgen | August 21, 13:08 CET

Hear hear.

zeitgeist | August 21, 13:12 CET

Ive been coming here for so long...very sad day indeed. Thanks for all the hard work keeping this site going.

mark214 | August 21, 13:12 CET

As others have said, although I participate in conversations less than many others, this community has always been a source of inspiration and joy for me. So, thanks to the founders, organizers, and all of you for making it so. And making it so for many, many years!

igj | August 21, 13:15 CET

Oh no! NO! Why?! I know I haven´t contributed regularly to this site but I checked it daily. And I mean daily. I....don´t know what to say. I can´t move on.

N27 | August 21, 13:17 CET

I saw the Buffy tv show premiere as a 10 year old and it changed my life. This community is amazing. I'll miss this site. 💙 Farewell.
"Life isnt bliss, it's living."

destructo_gurl | August 21, 13:22 CET

This has always been an amazing community. I'd love to stay in touch or, moreover, find you all on another site.

My email: cpepp001@gmail.com

Charlie | August 21, 13:27 CET

Bye guys.

Kaan | August 21, 13:30 CET

I didn't realise nixygirl had passed away. Damn. I'd also like to mention embers, ChrisInVirginia and Aaron Swartz who passed away too. Whedonesque posters, gone but not forgotten.

Simon | August 21, 13:36 CET

This is sad. I'm really going to miss this page. It has been my homepage for over 10 years. Everyone take care and keep shiny.

nothingtofear79 | August 21, 13:39 CET

...and 11th Hour.

Dizzy | August 21, 13:40 CET

Yes and 11th Hour. Thank you for the reminder.

Simon | August 21, 13:41 CET

this year is just filled with bad news, sadness, and deaths of celebrity love stories...here's to another goodbye... thank you for your hard work, your soon to be missed updates, and all the joss love you helped spread.

iamadorable | August 21, 13:43 CET

A beautiful post, as always, barest. Love to you, Z, and the littles. <3

Willowy | August 21, 13:47 CET

Simon -- I sent an email about nixy to the list but I didn't realize it had bounced til after the livestream ended.

zeitgeist | August 21, 13:52 CET

I first met Joss Whedon before I'd seen any of his work so, for me, I'm in the peculiar place where my awareness of the guy predates my awareness of his work. I was introduced to him by a mutual friend at a San Diego Comic-Con many moons ago. My friend, I think, wanted me to network with Joss and see if I couldn't get some writing work out of the arrangement. This was several seasons into Buffy.

I did have any frame of reference for a conversation, though. I shook his hand, we talked briefly, and I bolted.

That fall, I decided to watch an episode of Buffy. I quickly got hooked. I started buying DVDs (PHYSICAL MEDIA -- what a different era) and binge-watching the show. This is an era before YouTube when I was trying to talk friends into putting together a TAPE for Channel101. Netflix was a mail order rental chain. I was just coming off a stint working for Movie Gallery and the local two screen cinema.

I loved the pacing and rhythm of the show. It changed the way I viewed pop culture. It changed the way I TALKED. I became fans of the actors but ESPECIALLY of writers like Jane Espenson.

I played a text based Buffy RPG online. I was always big on MUDs and their cousins, as well as message board and play by e-mail RPGs. I played literally hundreds of characters in those types of games. (I'd keep five or six windows up at once and hop between characters. This was a delight for me as an actor who liked "character" roles and as a writer who craves immediate feedback.)

I also auditioned for Buffy Between The Lines (the fan audio show) because of posts here and had a brief part in an episode or two. That was the first time I was cast in a voiceover project and the beginning of an obsession for me with learning more about audio editing and audio equipment. These proved valuable when I worked as a storyteller for children, telling traditional folk stories in new ways before assemblies full of children.

I usually miss out on the big internet naming land grabs. Facebook URL, Twitter, my website domain name. Even in school I was sometimes "Patrick Number 2". I'm struck by the realization that, here, I'm just "Patrick".

I can't say that I was ever as much of a Firefly fanatic as some. Dollhouse had some interesting ideas with a disturbing edge to it. I ate up references to Karl Capek's RUR (one of my favorite plays and one I've wanted to stage for years) and Philip K. Dick's ideas. Avengers was a very watchable movie.

I was, for the most part, a lurker here. In the end, though, the community that developed here on Whedonesque and from Whedon's cohort was what energized me. I checked out shows like Lost, Madmen, Grimm, and Once Upon A Time in passing at least to check on what felt like "old friends".

I chain viewed The Guild (and may have automated it to help with their viewcounts). I love Felicia Day's writing online and in her memoir and in her comics (don't forget to pick up a copy of The Guild Library Edition hardcover; it has new stories). Felicia Day is the only person I can ever remember being nervous about meeting, to a point where I avoided meeting her until I was on-set for MST3k. I'd met (in passing) pretty much all of the Buffy cast first, along with Stan Lee, Mickey Rooney (I was focused on calming HIM down), a LOT of actors, and a former President of the United States. Heck, I'd had a small correspondence back and forth with Obama. No queasy nerves there.

The current press coverage stings. I feel for Kai Cole as someone who also has a form of PTSD. (My roommate was murdered ten years ago.) I feel for Joss' female collaborators; already, many of them are being accused of "sleeping their way to the top", of having undeserved success in their careers. I don't believe a single one of them has had one iota more success than they deserve. (Although the world is also full of people who I think deserve more success than they get.) If anything, I'd say every one of Joss' collaborators deserve more success than they've had. Some of them apparently slept with Joss but my opinion of any of them remains undiminished, without knowing or caring which of them did what. While I have deep sympathy for Kai, I have no less love or admiration for the female writing staff and actresses than I did before this came to light.

The community that has emerged from Whedon's work and Whedonesque mean a LOT to me. This has been my happy place online. Sometimes, you need to move on in search of a happier place, though.

You can find me on Twitter at @_PatrickGerard_ or check out my comic "Ungrounded: The First Revolution" on ComiXology or in physical form on Amazon or B&N (or Book Depository, internationally). There's a Buffy fandom reference in there as well as a sanctioned cameo by The Barenaked Ladies (courtesy of Kevin Hearn).

See you all next apocalypse!

Patrick | August 21, 13:53 CET

This breaks my heart, but I'm proud and pleased to see the admins of this site make this decision nonetheless. I haven't been around much in a long time but I'll miss having this place here to check in when there's breaking fandom news or (usually) when I don't understand a reference on AoS :P

But despite my love for this community I was afraid to check in here after Kai's piece, I thought this would be the last holdout of apologists and people who didn't want to engage with this serious matter. I'm proud and happy to be wrong. And I'm also crying a little. I may be a lurker, and a mostly absent one, but I loved this site nonetheless. xoxo

aphasia | August 21, 13:53 CET

Well that's too bad. This place was always a nice source of information.
...
And now I'm finding out the (apparent) reason. I think the users Let Down and Darkness already put it best, but to make it clear:

I would like for this site to remain.
But if this has truly been years in the making, there probably isn't much one can do. Maybe someone will try a new site of similar built and with a similar URL. Let me know if that's the case. (It really should be. If most – or atleast enough – people don't want it to stop, there has to be a way it can continue. Don't stop the signal.) I wouldn't be the most active person (might be a bit more active if it's a message board that includes "foreign" topics), but I'd hang around.

Social media...not so much. I don't have Twitter, or Tumblr, or MySpace (anymore), or Instagram, or Tout, or whatever the hell else there is. I do have Facebook, but only because of the messenger. And since I don't have any sort of private relationship with anyone on this page, that wouldn't make much sense.

Regarding Joss Whedon and the current issue I only have two (three) things to say:

1. If the accusations against him are (more or less) true, it makes him a bad husband. But not a bad person.
2. I hope he's doing somewhat okay. I've been a fan of his – both his work as a writer, producer and director, as well as him as an entertainer – for many years, and even though I got a bit annoyed by him in recent months, because I don't agree with the politics he vehemently communicates, it doesn't make the good memories less so – or means there won't be more of them in the future. I don't want him to suffer, but what's happening now can't be easy. Especially because it's so public. I hope, in the very least, that this news didn't break out of the blue for him so that he had time to mentally prepare.
3. I furthermore hope their children are okay. I have no connection whatsoever to them, but they are innocent in this and don't deserve to see their family life dragged through the mud. I'd never leave the house again, if that were me.

Okay, I'll also add this: We, as a society, really...really should consider to move away from strictly monogamous relationships. Yes, we want them. We want our partners to only look at, and desire, and touch...us. But that's not realistic, because we, too, want other people. Even if we don't touch them. And if we do, we get scared shitless. Scared of being left, scared, of losing our houses, our money, our children, our...lives. And so we lie. We lie, because we don't see any other way. Telling the truth is just to risky. We have everything to lose – and nothing to gain.
But here's the "funny" part: The lying can be worse than the actual infidelity. Because once it's out in the open, years later, everything that happened since is tainted. Every memory atleast partly a lie. Every gift no longer connected to love, but to a bad conscience. I could go on and on and on.
In a perfect world, those, looking for the one true love, would find it and never get tempted otherwise. But this world isn't perfect, things aren't black and white, and being attracted to other people doesn't mean you love and desire your spouse any less – or no longer most of all.
So, maybe, the idea is to talk about it. Very open and from the beginning. Before ever getting married. "What happens, if...?" Maybe, for some couples, it would even make sense to grant each other one or two one night stands per year. Or make them mandatory. Or experience other people...together. There are many options, many different things, that may work for many different people. But the one thing, that hasn't worked for far too many people – is monogamy. Because while right for some, it's by far not right for everybody.

Oh, and for what it's worth: This site's design is probably my favourite on the entire internet. To borrow a phrase from the late, great, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper: 'Old school's cool!'

Sahjhan | August 21, 13:53 CET

Just to let you all know I'm reading all your comments and am grateful for all of them.

Caroline | August 21, 13:58 CET

PS I like the design! but then, I'm old ;)

aphasia | August 21, 14:01 CET

Wow. What a sad day. I haven't posted since 2014 and almost couldn't remember my login details having not been a regular poster for probably more than 10 years. However I still follow on twitter and try to load the site at least once a week. For a long time this was my favourite website and I've posted more on here than anywhere else by a long way so I'd just like to say thanks a lot to Simon and Caroline. I love this site and always will. Best wishes to you all. Paul

Paul_Rocks | August 21, 14:02 CET

Owing to an obsession with that brilliant vampire slaying show, I hopped on this amazing ride a couple of years after it began, and hopped off six or seven years after that. W was my first online community and, more or less, my last.

It was mostly exhilarating and hilarious and inspiring; on rare occasions, it was sad and aggravating and frustrating. The work we celebrated will endure, as will so many wise and profound and funny and ridiculous and crazy posts and comments. All credit to Caroline for all of this; to Milo and Herb; to the indefatigable Simon; to Damon, my sparring partner-in-crime; and to Sunfire. All love to the friends I made here.

"What are we going to do now?"

SoddingNancyTribe | August 21, 14:02 CET

The amount of work I've gotten done vs refreshing this page to read is quite the one sided scale :) I'll say it again -- love to all, but especially Caroline, Simon, Herb, SNT (thanks for the shout-out!) and Sunfire. It was a brilliant run.

[ edited by zeitgeist on 2017-08-21 20:05 ]

zeitgeist | August 21, 14:03 CET

Caroline, Simon, Sunfire, Zeitgeist, thank you for running a great site for the finding (and occasion disseminating) of information and good conversation. Everyone, thank you for posting information and good conversation. I will miss this place.

Shapenew | August 21, 14:05 CET

MeFi.

@theonetruebix | August 21, 14:09 CET

Wow, what news... I just came to say THANK YOU for everyone who made this place what it was. ❤️ I'm gonna miss it so much! Best wishes to all of you!

Valerie | August 21, 14:11 CET

A glooming peace this morning with it brings.
The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head.
Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things.
Some shall be pardoned, and some punishèd.
For never was a story of more woe
Than this most human side of our bright hero.

RobynH | August 21, 14:12 CET

I mostly lurked here - less than 100 comments in nearly 11 years - but this site has been my top RSS resource on my Yahoo home page. It is, in fact, one of the few websites whose RSS feed is (erm ... was) still active and seeing it daily allowed me to still feel connected to the Browncoat community that changed my life and resulted in my having so many close friends across the world - most of whom I've had the pleasure of meeting at B3 nearly 11 years ago or via another con, CSTS event, or through the three Browncoat groups with whom I've been active over the years. I also enjoyed expanding my online encounters to encompass fans of Buffy, Angel, Dollhouse, the Marvel projects, etc.

As you can probably tell from the fact that I still have an active Yahoo account and subscribe to RSS feeds (LOL!), I'm not a big fan of change. I will miss this site and seeing those updates whenever I turn on my PC. Thank you to the admins, mods, and members for your hard work, dedication, and contributions that have kept the signal going for so long. I wish it wouldn't be ending so abruptly and agree that the timing is unfortunate. Allowing time for a grieving process would have been appreciated (although I can see the potential can of worms situation there), and while I understand the decision, it only adds to my existing sadness ... again, not a fan of change. I'm mostly active on FB, but I keep that pretty limited to family & friends in RL. I also have a Twitter account @MizBehavin1, so feel free to contact me there. {{{Hugs}}} and thanks again.

MizBehavin1 | August 21, 14:12 CET

I regret everything about the circumstances, but would like to thank the moderators for the gift of this site all these years, and our community for being the community that it is and always will be.

mozzarellademon | August 21, 14:12 CET

Even though I haven't checked the site in years, I kind of assumed it would always be here when needed. Weird timing to shut down considering the recent revelations about Whedon by his ex-wife, though...

brother_grady | August 21, 14:24 CET

Wow. The comments on the EW article about this site really, really illustrate why I'm going to miss this site.

Again, thanks for everything Caroline, Simon, Sunfire and others. This site was always a genuinely good read, and also really the only reason I consistently knew what was happening on AoS. ;)

Much love to all.

[ edited by Agent on 2017-08-21 20:33 ]

Agent | August 21, 14:25 CET

This is very sad. I've been coming to Whedonesque every day for more than 10 years, I will greatly miss this place.

And I respect and understand your choice of closing down. I don't understand doing it today, it does feel like a reaction to Joss' private life, which is none of our business. Whedonesque was never about the personal drama, so closing down on this particular day doesn't feel right to me.

But I'm still very grateful for all these years, and for this wonderful fandom. Long live Buffy and long live the Whedonites.

Nico-Angel | August 21, 14:25 CET

I'm jumping back in to say what I should have said first. I'm really sad about this - but that's because of how important this place has been to me. Whatever the subject I knew I would find civilised discussion here - even during the shipping wars - and information I knew would be up-to-date and rapidly corrected if it turned out to be wrong.

Particular thanks to all the moderators - Caroline and Simon above all, but everybody else too, past and present. You have set a model for discourse and maintained the standards you set yourselves. Thank you.

Gill | August 21, 14:27 CET

Thank you all for being an integral part of my daily routine, even if I only posted and commented occasionally. I'll miss you all.

And thank you to Caroline, Simon, & Sunfire for providing this place for us all for so long.

Vague That Up | August 21, 14:28 CET

I owe my entire career to my love of Joss Whedon's work, and reading (and, in the past, posting) on this site has been part of that. I can't say that I understand the decision to close it, but I can say this: I'll miss it.

patxshand | August 21, 14:38 CET

Thanks.

Be who your dog thinks you are.

falina | August 21, 14:41 CET

It's a shame that this has to be framed as "the left devouring itself"—but I suppose that was unavoidable. The timing looks panicky, and the alt-right smells blood in the water.

jeffk | August 21, 14:41 CET

Another one bites the dust... Not much left of my on-line life these days, so I'm glad you all kept this site going as long as you have. Thanks, and maybe I'll see some of you around elsewhere some time.

Rowan Hawthorn | August 21, 14:43 CET

Mighty fine shindig.

Sometimes the right kind of theme party is more than that. "Oh, you know that thing? You're one of those, meaning one of us. You reach." Whedonesque is like that.

Thank you, overlords, for making the place for this to happen.

Thank you, collaborators; the guests make the party.

Thank you, purple people, for the inspirations.

Should we meet out in the world, say the password and I'll know you are a friend from here. You'll recognize me by my Jayne hat.

BierceAmbrose | August 21, 14:46 CET

I've said it before in a different thread a few months back that I no longer care about Joss as I did in the past. I was once a huge fan, like the rest of you, who passionately loved his creations. I still hold them dear to my heart, even though I no longer dedicate my time and thoughts to them that often. New shows and films have emerged since then and I've moved my attention towards them. I wasn't as impressed by Joss' Marvel collaborations and don't expect much from his upcoming DC work, so the interest in all things Whedonesque has naturally diminished in me over the years...

What pushed me even further away from Joss were his recent forays into politics. It's a bit sad when you realize and admit to yourself that you are no longer a fan... or at least as big of a fan... of someone or something that you used to have a huge passion for over many years of your life. But that's how it goes in life. You love something or someone for a period of time, maybe even to the point of not being able to imagine a life without it/them, and then it ends and you move on... I didn't like how he turned his Twitter feed into a tool for preaching, ranting and venting of his political opinions, instead of using it as a platform to talk about the things that actually made him so popular and beloved among his fans in first place, i.e. his work as a screenwriter and filmmaker. The final straw for me was when he in an utterly sexist and hypocritical manner compared Nicole Kidman to a dumb, blond-haired plastic doll for her opinion that American people should unite behind the new president after the elections.

I haven't been visiting this site much and caring about Joss' activities for most of the time in the last months/years... So I didn't even know about the Kai Cole blog or the divorce (still don't know the details) and Whedonesque closing down until I learned about it on a different Whedon-unrelated site. I actually don't have anything to say about it, apart from the fact that I'm not surprised by the allegations at this point... But I'm not gonna judge him. It's up to Joss (and also his ex-wife) to deal with the situation and it's also his own choice whether he wants to comment about it publicly or not. He doesn't have to, although there will surely be some people who will expect it from him.

Anyway, I guess I've already moved so much past my Whedonesque days that I don't really feel sad about the site closing down. But I still do remember those days fondly and truly wish for Joss to come up with an original work in the the future that will once again ignite the same passion in all of us like his former masterpieces did. And maybe even bring about the renaissance of this site. He certainly has it in him to do it, no matter what we think of him as a person or of the beliefs and flaws that are part of him.

Until then, farewell fellow Whedonites. :)

[ edited by Anuris on 2017-08-24 22:30 ]

Anuris | August 21, 14:51 CET

I still had a My Yahoo! page and I still had the feed from Whedonesque at the top of it. I always thought Whedeonesque was pretty amazing, and the pure amount of human hours put into it extraordinary.

But everything must end.

Thanks for everything. And yes, tweet out a word or two every now and then!

@Valsadie on Twitter

[ edited by Valsadie on 2017-08-21 20:54 ]

Valsadie | August 21, 14:53 CET

I know I'm echoing so much of what everyone else has said, but as I said on Facebook, I can’t begin to express how different my life would be without Whedonesque in it. If I go through my friends list, I would say 80%+ of the people I know today, I know because Whedonesque existed. I didn't meet them all here, obviously, or even through fandom (browncoat or otherwise) in general. But it was the epicenter of the most transformative period in my life, both good and bad. Everything that came after stemmed from that intersection.

I will cherish my memories of B3 (which started here on these black pages) and the writers strike (again, here) and even the thrill I got when Joss posted in a thread to praise my Serenity travel posters, before correcting me on my spelling of Londinium (I still maintain it was spelled "Londinum" in the script and closed captioning!)

But most of all, I will treasure all of you, both the friends I have made and grown closer to over the years, and the ones from whom I have drifted away, whether due to time or circumstance.

I am better for having been a member of this community.

[ edited by lexigeek on 2017-08-21 21:35 ]

lexigeek | August 21, 14:55 CET

Haven't posted here in a long, long time. There was a time in my life where I really enjoyed the community here. Thank you all for making it a pleasant place to hang out on the internet! God only knows there are too few out there these days...

MattK | August 21, 14:56 CET

What a pity. Will miss this site.
Thanks to everyone who made it great.
Goodbye.

snj | August 21, 14:56 CET

I've never been a prolific poster, but I've spent an awful lot of time here - and learned so much. Always been awed by the care, the attention to detail, and the rigorous curation by the mods. It's hard to find a place on the internet that still values civil discussion, especially in these polarizing times. Gonna miss this place. Thanks to all of you for making it special.

Especially you. Yeah, you.

Tin Ear Tom | August 21, 14:57 CET

I lurked for years, gleefully joined when I could, posted little, kept lurking, and loved each moment.

A whole phase of my life started when I found Whedonesque, and a number of my best faraway friendships too. Thank you for bringing us all in.

Wishing you all the world <3

ef | August 21, 14:59 CET

Wow, I'm really going to miss this site. I'm a relative newcomer, only discovering Whedon's work with Dr. Horrible. I remember waiting for months for an opening to join, and it was the first place I went after watching an Agents of Shield episode. I had it in my feed reader so I'd never miss a post, and especially loved seeing where my favorite actors were appearing next. I'm @quitekatie on Twitter, though I've mostly switched from TV news to more tech-related articles.

waterfallbooks | August 21, 15:04 CET

Wow. Sad day. I have had this account for 10 years, but rarely post. I found the Firefly/Whedon fandom during a low period, and those folks brightened my skies. I see their names in this thread and am compelled to say thank you for keeping this home port open all of this time.

Fly safe. Stay shiny.

ETA:
Twitter & Instagram: @Lomara

[ edited by Lomara on 2017-08-23 08:58 ]

Lomara | August 21, 15:07 CET

Thank you to Caroline and the rest of the mods for this site. I have been coming everyday, first thing in the morning, for as long as I can remember.

The last day has been challenging, as I work out how capable I am of separating artists from their body of work. I don't think I can, and I will continue to unpack these complexities in my own time... without Whedonesque.

aapac | August 21, 15:10 CET

Seeing some of my old favorites post from way back when is making my day. Hi y'all!!!!

[ edited by Harmalicious on 2017-08-21 21:18 ]

Harmalicious | August 21, 15:18 CET

Goodbye! I'll miss you! I've been mostly a lurker this whole time, but I have appreciated you all so much over the years. Best of luck!!

MandyMouse | August 21, 15:22 CET

Thank you. Thanks everyone. It's been a good ride

garyyager | August 21, 15:22 CET

In the beginning it was y'all who steered my belated ass onto the other fan sites in 2005, and there were times when this was the most important fan site in the world to me. Y'all did a lot of good over the years and I'll miss you.

cabri | August 21, 15:25 CET

i'm bummed. whedonesque has been one of my favorite feeds for all the years it has been here, even tho i've mostly been a lurker. but for YEARS, i've used #whedonesque hashtags all over the place for things related to the works of Joss, and enjoyed finding cast and crew in whedon-adjacent projects.

i'm bummed over the blog post from Kai, it makes me sad that someone who's work i have cherished has had such a hard time and caused her to be pained when it seemed ok from the outside.

i'm really grateful to the admins and the people on the posting team for this site - you've really given this community an amazing gift of 15 years. thank you. thank you. thank you!!! <3

i'm @kdlb in most places.

kdlb | August 21, 15:26 CET

So sorry to see the site go, but I understand. I never posted much but read a lot! And once I started attending San Diego Comic-Con several years ago, I met so many of you. Now, so many Whedonesquers (is that a thing?) are my very good friends and I can't imagine life without them (you) in it.

You can all find me on Twitter and Instagram as @stardotgeek.

stardotgeek | August 21, 15:26 CET

No work of art has ever left as lasting a mark on me as BtVS did, be as important to me as Buffy was and is, and none ever will.

I'm both surprised and not surprised to see the site come to an end at this moment. It feels right though, it feels like the right time for ends and new beginnings.

It's been over a decade since I've been a regular, daily visitor to this site, but it's always been here, chugging along, and I never stopped checking in now and then. So thanks to all of the admins for maintaining this bit of constancy on the ever-changing Internet over the years.

Jayne: Hell, there weren't a one of 'em understood what happened out there. They're probably sticking that statue right back up.
Mal: Most like.
Jayne: I don't know why that eats at me so.
Mal: It's my estimation that every man ever got a statue made of him was one kind of a son of a bitch or another. Ain't about you Jayne. It's about what they need.

forcorreo | August 21, 15:27 CET

Stumbling onto both of these pieces of news through random hot-takes on the net was so depressing. Reading some of the comments here is quite the gut-punch. :(

I haven't posted here much but I've always liked coming here for the episode discussions and curated news/links.

Let's go to work.

D-e-f- | August 21, 15:28 CET

To quote Louisa May Alcott

The youngest, aged twelve, could not conceal her disappointment, and turned away, feeling as so many of us have felt when we discover that our idols are very ordinary men and women."

So sad to hear that Joss Whedon is apparently just a fallible human being after all - one who happens to be a damn good writer, I might add. And while I highly doubt he's either the first or the last to come/go as such, when you spend your life making castles out of sand on the turbulent deserts of (12-year-old level - as per good old Louisa May) political correctness, such are the results you are doomed to reap...

Caroline, Simon, et al:
Thanks for the memories. This was the very first internet-based discussion forum on which I felt compelled by the topic and comfortable enough to start making my voice known amongst strangers. And although a great deal of what I've had to say on here over the years was little more than trivial trash, I'd like to think that I got at least a few heads thinking more deeply/appreciatively about things a time or two (at the very least, my own based on the reactions gleaned from others to my words.) ;)

And don't let anyone ever tell you that the web design of this place is/was anything less than stellar. I can count on one hand the number of websites I've seen that have managed to succeed in so thoroughly fulfilling the task for which it was created over such a long period of time with almost no changes needed. Yeah - there are always tweaks you could make, or extra features that you'd love to have had (especially, I'm guessing, on the back end of things.) But when it comes to meeting user's needs. I remain one VERY satisfied user*.

Frankly, this site wasn't only about Joss

This. Tbh joss himself was never the direct reason why I got sucked into this fandom. It was the stellar community of collaborators (especially stemming from the Firefly era onwards) on whom he openly relief that made it all special. And what made it whedonesque, rather than just Joss Whedon 24/7. And this site managed to successfully cater to that sort of a big tent fandom mentality to an extent that I've never seen anywhere else.*

So again, thanks for all the memories! It was a fun 15 (technically just around 10 for me) years.

*
PS: In truth, I've been pondering reaching out to you folks for a little over a year now in search of advice on starting a big tent fandom friendly "whedonesque" equivalent for another multi-talented, auteur extraordinaire artist currently in the early stages of establishing a permanent place for herself in the mainstream world (Here's to hoping your response isn't just GET OUT. GET OUT WHILE YOU STILL CAN...)
;)

brinderwalt | August 21, 15:28 CET

Despite not being active in the fandom for years, I still visited this site every single day.

Today I'm reflecting on countless cherished memories shared within the fandom. I met so many incredible people and have sadly lost contact, but I still always think of them from time to time. These people and the Whedonverse were the highlights of my high school years/late teens. I can't thank them enough.

I felt like Whedonesque was always the epicenter. Very, very sad to see this go.

hitnrun017 | August 21, 15:29 CET

@Harmalicious - Hi back, Harm! xo

The reason really sucks, but it is nice to see so many familiar names, some of which I haven't seen in years. It makes it easier to take, seeing all of us gather here.

Willowy | August 21, 15:29 CET

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Mort | August 21, 15:32 CET

As Shep said in the first comment, it's one of the most depressing days ever to see this place close down. I LOVED this site. I may not have joined until Christmas Day five years ago, but I was a lurker for many years before that.

(Sigh!) And I love the basic, straighforward black design and all! Much more pleasing to my eyes than many a site out there, in the internet wilderness. Place always felt like home. Maybe because the love of the people here always shone through.

As for the reasons, I can't really judge. I can imagine this site takes a lot of time and effort to maintain. I was always impressed at how up to date and wide ranging it was in keeping up with all the actors and behind the scenes creatives of any show or stories Joss ever had any involvenment in. I loved that. But if it's makers don't have it in them to continue, well even if I think they're wrong, it's absolutely their right to pull out and end it.

As for the man himself, I met him once. As some folks here might remember, I had the unusual coincidence of sitting next to the man on the flight from Dublin to Glasgow, when he was going between the film festivals at both, for Much Ado about Nothing. It was a highlight in my life, that I take nothing but fond memories from. Obviously an hour and a half is not long to get to know someone, but he seemed like a good man to me. And I still believe that.

Not only that but the experience has prompted some other unique conversations. I remember meeting Hayley Atwell in 2015 and talking to her about Joss's cut script scenes for Peggy Carter in the original Avengers. That really broke the ice.
Heck just three weeks ago I was talking to Alan Tudyk at the London comiccon and he had a a big laugh at my worry that his 'fan on a plane' scene in the first Con Man episode might be inspired by it. (It wasn't!) I also met Alexis Denisof that weekend too, (along with his wife that you might have heard of) and had a fun conversation with him over the contrasting characters of Benedict and Wesley, given the Amy Acker romance in both. And that conversation too, kicked off from talking to him about my Joss encounter.

And best of all, a dear, dear friend of mine, who I may not know for much longer, was so inspired by my enthused writings on this site about my conversation with Joss, that it actually inspired her to finish writing a book she had put all of her heart and soul into. And for that I will always be grateful.

So people can jump to all the silly conclusions and judgements they want, but I will always be grateful for this place, and the man who inspired it all in the first place.

(And boy oh boy, will I miss the late night Agents of SHIELD episode comments. The new season will not be the same without that! :( )

Fare Thee Well everyone. And thanks for all your kind comments over the years. I enjoyed talking to everybody on here, and will always remember the place fondly! Now if it's all the same with you, I kinda wanna go slay the dragon! ;)

Jas | August 21, 15:32 CET

Best of luck, friends.

Thoughts no one will read:
1. Nostalgia dulls the mind and spurs inaction. Let yourself put aside memories and don't idealize the past.
2. Never revere a human or put anyone on a pedestal. It will only lead to disappointment.
3. It is usually more painful to be hurt by "the nice guy" you always trusted than to be hurt by someone from whom you expected ill treatment.

FornicusLordOfBondageAndPain | August 21, 15:32 CET

@FornicusLordOfBondageAndPain
I just read them.

Bummer levels increasing. (being extremely tired/exhausted doesn't help things today, heh)

D-e-f- | August 21, 15:35 CET

Just another lurker popping up to say thank you to the admins and community. I'm sad to see this site go, but grateful that it lasted this long.

Right now I keep thinking of the many times on Buffy and Angel when a character concealed a painful secret.... Anyway, I remain a fan of Joss and his works even while feeling disappointed in the man himself. I don't claim that this attitude is right for everyone. It just feels right for me.

idiot jed | August 21, 15:37 CET

I haz a sad. I used to contribute here a lot more 15 years ago - though I only ever met a couple of ya at CSTS in Seattle. Be safe, be friendly, keep enjoying the work, and remember we are all human. As my wife always says, everyone poops just the same.

Mort | August 21, 15:40 CET

Thanks so much to Caroline, Simon, Sunfire, and the rest who have poured so much into this site for so long.

This has always felt like the one civil place on the internet, where people express complete thoughts in complete sentences, and disagree without being mean.

I am saddened and disheartened by the timing. It feels petty, and I'm certain I saw a glimpse of the baby as the bathwater flew by.

mnspnr | August 21, 15:52 CET

:(

Grack21 | August 21, 15:52 CET

So long and thanks for all the Whedonesque.

GrrrAargh | August 21, 15:53 CET

You made me feel like I wasn't alone in an important time in my life. Thank you and farewell.

JohannaHunnie | August 21, 15:53 CET

I'm a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar.

napoleon27 | August 21, 15:56 CET

I barley comment on here anymore but it was still a daily habit to check this site and it will be very weird to see it go. It's an end of an era, but I think it's the right choice. Not just because I think there are worse things to come (and from what I have heard unfortunately this is just the tip of the iceberg) but because it did begin to feel outdated. I respect the decision and I'm grateful you guys gave me somewhere to post over the years.

vampmogs | August 21, 15:57 CET

Over the last 10 years, I have made many good friends and got involved in CSTS, KNTR, and various Browncoat meetups. Thank you to everyone here and I will miss Whedonesque so very much.

Spacegirl3200 | August 21, 16:02 CET

Sad day

The Do That Girl | August 21, 16:04 CET

Buffy's approach to gender was groundbreaking, but too much of what has come since has been more of the same.

I hope Joss will hear the anger of many fans, and understand that a lot of it is not about his private life, but stems from frustration that we still have so very far to come before film and tv treat female characters and actors equally, and before girls believe they are equal to boys.

I hope Joss will use this to consider how - if he still has the opportunity - he can in the future broaden viewers' imaginations in relation to gender by as much as Buffy did in the 90s.

Whether I will be one of those viewers in the future will depend on whether this is a case of infidelity (which is none of my business) or of workplace harassment (which would change the work for me).

To Whedonesque, where I was mostly a lurker - thank you. Whedonesque was the best. Your rats were low, but your standards were high. So don't lose hope. There's still heroes in this world - even if it's not always the people we expect.

dr_atalanta | August 21, 16:11 CET

You guys are making all the news sites today.

Grack21 | August 21, 16:14 CET

Although I haven't been to this site in quite some time, I wanted to stop by and say goodbye and thank you for all of your hard work in keeping this site going.

LadySings1 | August 21, 16:22 CET

This site rocked my socks.
And honestly I like the layout.

Grack21 | August 21, 16:39 CET

Ouch.

commandlinegamer | August 21, 16:40 CET

brinderwalt: Emily Andras, maybe? A worthy disciple who freely admits her love of Joss.

Dana5140 | August 21, 16:56 CET

sometimes I divide my life as the time before "Once More With Feeling" and the time after - and treasured the people here who got that vs everyone else

I refuse to let time change the value of these memories and will carry them with me forever regardless of how the world changes around them

not sure why anyone would want to contact me but my email is literally my username @gmail

take care and best wishes

TaraLivesOn | August 21, 17:04 CET

Emily Andras, maybe?

Grimes - someone who I somehow managed to totally miss out on the existence of up until around a year-and-a-half ago.

brinderwalt | August 21, 17:17 CET

This site has been one of my favourites on the internet. It's just about the only one where I always look forward to reading the comments, no matter what the topic. This is one of the most thoughtful, articulate and fun online communities around. It's going to be very sad to lose it and I would love to join another if someone sets one up. (Please do, someone.)

Since before I joined, Whedonesque's meant a lot to me. I feel a little lost at the idea of keeping up with all the writers', actors' and other creatives' careers without it. Coming here is a daily ritual, always one of the first places I check online. It's been amazing on the highs and a comfort during the lows. Whedonesque taught me everything I needed to know about TV ratings, and I had an excellent time fretting with you all. (Those in the UK will know what this means: while applying to unis I would check here for Dollhouse's ratings picnics every day before checking my UCAS.) It even helped with an essay I wrote in my final year of university, when I used the archive to find all the original critical reviews of Dollhouse. So thank you Whedonesque.

I'm going to comment briefly on the news from today. It breaks my heart. There are many artists whose work I revere without revering the person. I hope Kai and Joss find the best way forward without this getting uglier. This explains why Bellwether Pictures faded away without a word. I think the toll this has taken already is fairly evident, and explains a few things over the past few years. In an interview a year or two ago Joss was asked for his favourite Shakespeare quote, and he chose "I am indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me." It was an unexpected and sad choice at the time, and now it is referenced in his twitter profile. When I consider people's mistakes, I tend towards wanting to understand and forgive, though I understand why many people do not. To each their own.

Bluelark | August 21, 17:18 CET

End of an era. Eras are made to end though, aren't they? So new eras can begin. Keep flying!

IMMORTAL | August 21, 17:18 CET

So the eclipse did destroy my world, after all.

12 years of Whedonesque just doesn't seem like enough. I am grateful for all the hard work all the admins & mods put into this site. By FAR, the classiest news site on the internet.

I am deeply saddened by this change.

Caroline, thank you for creating this place. I always respected your thoughts & vision. And we both love Tony Head:)

[ edited by kazzmere on 2017-08-21 23:26 ]

kazzmere | August 21, 17:25 CET

I saw the Wrap blog post yesterday and wondered how this site (still a frequent visit after joining in 2004 (arrrgh, sooo ooold (damnable nested parentheses - I banish thee))) would react.

While I wasn't quite expecting this post, I respect the decision and the reasoning behind it. I hope all those involved in this site's admirable longevity and quality take pride in their accomplishment and in how much better their efforts made the world for many peeples, as the comments here demonstrate.

Whatever negative fallout comes from recent events, the fact that the whedonverse and its many collaborators inspired this source of positivity and inclusiveness shouldn't be forgotten.

Thank you one and all, mods and posters and commenters alike.

giles (yes, it is my real name) | August 21, 17:30 CET

Member since 2006, but my some of my best memories -- of this site and of my life -- are from the period between November '07 through summer '09, starting with the announcement of Dollhouse, through the writers' strike, the summer of Dr. Horrible, the lead-up to Dollhouse, its premiere, and finally my first and only Comic-Con where I got to see the Dollhouse panel. And during which time I met and fell in love with my girlfriend as I lent, and rewatched with her, the entire run of Buffy and Angel and Firefly on DVD.

Lots of great specific memories from then...

Uploading "Dollhouse Testimonials" to YouTube as part of a b!x-spearheaded (I think?) fan campaign in the run-up; reading along jealously with the fans meeting the writers at the marches; finding and devouring Jane Espenson's OUTSTANDING writing blog; driving to the various Sunnydale locations in Torrance on my way to Comic-Con; cruising past the Fox lot on my first trip to Los Angeles and thinking about how Mutant Enemy was in there; seeing (but not having the courage to speak to) QuoterGal at a screening of the Guild and Dr. Horrible intro'd by Joss & Felicia...

I could go on, and many of these aren't directly related to W'esque except by dint of the passion that fueled them, and that this site fueled in me for many, many years. So thanks Caroline, mods, and posters all.

sumogrip | August 21, 17:32 CET

The only comment I want to make on the "news" is that its awful and I fell awful for everyone involved and at the end of the day its none of my damn business.

Grack21 | August 21, 17:33 CET

Please, please someone else keep up this site or start a new site. I get so much from this website and information from writers and actors other than Joss from this site. I'm going to miss the community terribly. I wouldn't have gotten to meet Sarah Michelle Gellar this year if it hadn't been for this site. Are there any other websites or facebook groups that keep up with current events or projects that various actors or writers are in. I wouldn't have gotten to see David Fury and James Marsters' play if someone hadn't posted it on this site. T

This community of writers, actors and artists is so much more than the human flaws of one man. I really wish we would just let some time go by to heal and then start this site again. :(

whedonite26 | August 21, 17:35 CET

Thank you to the site admins.

So long and thanks for all the fish.

tomg | August 21, 17:40 CET

Well, I'll be posting about Shield when it returns at the site linked waaaay above in the first few comments. Maybe someone can start a forum somewhere?

(Man, I miss the old newsgroup days).

Grack21 | August 21, 17:40 CET

Stupid Eclipse. I swear I'm in a different universe.

Grack21 | August 21, 17:41 CET

Also while I'm emotional, I love you guys/gals. The comments here were always so classy. Comments on other sites right now are...foul. Just foul.

Grack21 | August 21, 17:47 CET

Thanks, everyone! for the past 14 years or so this has been one of the few sites I've visited daily. It's actually the first site I check when I get home from work. I've become less active in posting as time's gone on, but I love the community and I'm thankful for the site team for putting it together and keeping it running for so long. It's been great!

Invisible Green | August 21, 17:50 CET

Wow. You don't appreciate what you have 'til it's gone. Thanks everyone! Keep flying!

RobinInSeoul | August 21, 17:52 CET

Good-bye :'-(. This is a shock. I remember obsessively checking the registration page so I wouldn't miss a window and then being thrilled when I finally caught one. I admit I haven't logged in lately, but this site is like an old friend. Thank you for continuing the Twitter-feed.

Walosi | August 21, 17:53 CET

I'm saddened that whedonesque is essentially shutting down after all these years. I'd just like to thank everyone who participated in this community and say goodbye.

Lysithea | August 21, 17:59 CET

Haven't logged in in ages, but wanted to say bye. Thanks for all you did, admins.

sari | August 21, 18:01 CET

Like so many others have said, I don't post here much at all anymore, yet this is still a shock, because this website has been such a constant. Thank you to everyone for everything. I can't believe that its been thirteen and a half years since you let me in. This has been such a positive place.

Whatever might have happened over the last twenty four hours, Joss Whedon will always be my hero. He's flawed but aren't we all?

Almost twenty years ago, I watched Buffy for the first time and decided that I wanted to work in television. Now, decades later, I'm here, behind the camera, producing shows for the BBC, MTV and some of the biggest channels in the UK. So much of my career to date can be traced back to his work and the cast and crew of Buffy. Without Joss' input, I'd have gone down a very different path. Now I spend every day grateful and thankful for my job. I even wrote my dissertation on his work! His ideas and principles, storytelling and technique have carried through like nobody else. Nothing can change the past.

Thanks again to all the mods and all the posters. Its been a great run.

Apocalypse | August 21, 18:08 CET

Sad to see it go; I understand why. Just adds to the sadness of it all. Thank you for doing this as long as you have.

lloannna | August 21, 18:09 CET

It's been a long 24 hours, but I want to say thank you to the mods for your classy statements and your years of hard work. I was rarely more than a lurker here, but for years Whedonesque was one of the first pages I refreshed each morning. I always appreciated both the stream of news and the witty and, miracle of miracles these days, polite and thoughtful discussion in the comments.

I also want to say to Caroline, Simon, et al., that after reading your statement yesterday evening about not posting about the Terrible News, I considered sending you all an email and asking that Whedonesque post something and create some kind of forum for discussion. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized what a difficult position that would put you in: sacrificing time and emotional energy moderating a potentially heated discussion, suddenly in the middle of a media sh*tstorm. And if you felt it couldn't be done right, I respect your decision not to do it at all. Given the weight of the news, the fact that discussion would filter into any comments, and your other commitments, I totally respect your choice to close the site.

I am truly sad to see the site go, especially in these circumstances, but you all have done fantastic work for a really long time, and your farewell is no less classy and thoughtful than anything you've given this community in the past 15 years. I really appreciate the encouragement to donate to charities supporting CPTSD treatment--what a great way to recognize the real pain Joss's actions caused his family (regardless of the details), without wading into a blame game.

You guys have been great. All my best wishes to everyone.

Three Flowers In a Vase | August 21, 18:11 CET

So many words. Only 2 are relevant. Thank you.

strangeaction | August 21, 18:14 CET

Well, as Buried Comment #259...

Let me also say thank you. I have really enjoyed this site. I think when I first noticed it, you weren't even accepting new members! I was glad to get in, and have had a lot of fun reads.

I think Joss is sparklingly creative, and I've wildly enjoyed a lot of his work. However, given his stated worldview, his actions and the darkness of his tweets sadden me, but don't surprise me: they follow.

For my part, I pray for him. He'd not thank me, nor maybe would you, but that's not why I do it.

Thanks, hosts and admins. Thanks, witty contributors.

filops | August 21, 18:27 CET

Content is more than its showrunner / director / whatever. I don't know the truth about the marriage, the cheating, and the divorce. But I do know that the story told in Buffy and in Angel and also in Dollhouse really mattered.

Those stories were more than just Joss. Kinda like this website.

It frustrates me that this site is closing, though I completely get it. I loved having a one-stop shop for the work of people who all come from the extended family of shows and movies, and I'm not the only one.

*sigh*

@andrea2s1 / @nathan2s1 on the twitters

Andrea 2s1 | August 21, 18:37 CET

Like many others, I haven't posted in quite some time, but still check the site pretty much daily. I've been coming here regularly since about 2004 and have been a member since the end of 2005. Extremely sad and disappointed (in a number of things really) to see it go.

This was a place where one could always expect to find civilized, intelligent conversation about a variety of topics. Quite different from the vast majority of the internet. Much of this is because of the diligent efforts of the moderators - please know that it was very much appreciated! Good luck to everyone involved with Whedonesque - moderators, members, posters, and lurkers!

JossIzBoss | August 21, 18:38 CET

Thanks Caroline and all of you who worked hard. You provided a place I felt like I could be absolutely in love with this art before any of my friends discovered how wonderful it is.

I'm indescribably sad about this, I feel like my friend just died, even though this will only be my 38th and probably final post. I suppose letting go is the only thing to be done, even if the only real loss were illusions.

Since I don't have to worry about impressing anyone anymore, I always thought SoddingNancyTribe was the indisputably coolest nick in the universe.

sleeper | August 21, 18:40 CET

brinderwalt & Grimes: Then I hope you're aware of Michelle Lovretta, who created the show Emily Andras wrote for and eventually became the showrunner of, Lost Girl, and then went on the create Killjoys. I highly recommend the latter. (I loved the former, but for really weird reasons.)

NYPinTA | August 21, 18:42 CET

And wanted to add I too liked the layout of this site. It was simple which made it classic. Even if sometimes I failed at searching to see if something had been posted and ended up posting it again... but that was user error and nothing to do with the site.

NYPinTA | August 21, 18:43 CET

I haven't posted in a long time, but thank you for running this site and always being here for us with the latest news. It feels strange that the site will no longer be here. I'm sad and I agree that it's the end of an era. :( Hugs to all. I enjoyed being a part of this community. Thank you for having me.

MalGal | August 21, 18:46 CET

T'is is a sad day indeed, in more ways than one.

I will miss this community, and I want to thank our moderators for all the awesome work they've done over the years. Best of luck to all the wonderful people who have made this community.

Effulgent | August 21, 18:49 CET

As if to prove that there is no such thing as a Buried Comment: sleeper, I am totally impressed. :-)

(Crap, all this thread-watching is totally giving me flashbacks to 2008 . . . )

SoddingNancyTribe | August 21, 18:50 CET

Did some tidying up. Just so we're clear, any rude comments, personal attacks, or suggestions that well it's like like Joss did X horrific crime will get deleted. If you think anyone involved made this decision lightly, ending something that's been a labor of love for all of us for a significant portion of our adult lives, then there's nothing we can ever do or say to convince you otherwise. But we will politely show you the door, even in this our very last thread.

Thank you to those of you who have said kind things.

Sunfire | August 21, 18:54 CET

Many thanks to those who kept this site going for so long.

dino | August 21, 18:54 CET

Thank you for this site; I will certainly miss it, and can't quite believe it will soon be gone. It has been a daily part of my life for many years, since long before I could post here.

I am in some mental turmoil about the reason. On the one hand, it matters, and closing the site seems like a necessary step. One the other, not only is the site more than Joss, but Joss's work is still wonderful.

All my best to the moderators and posters. It was a fantastic site. All my best to Joss and Kai too, whom I have never met.

BtVS, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, and Dr Horrible are still worth talking about and quoting. I need a new Whedonesque!!

StephenP | August 21, 19:01 CET

Been on here just about a decade! I've grown up on it! Sorry to see it end. :( A big thanks to everyone involved.

Fred_Sonja | August 21, 19:02 CET

I hope i never suggested that you guys made this decision lightly. I completely understand. I can't even imagine the stuff you guys have to deal with on a normal day, and appreciate all you have done.

Time for a Buffy rewatch, methinks.

Grack21 | August 21, 19:03 CET

I remember how sad I was when the bronze closed its doors. Like many other people here, this site was a daily ritual for me. However I understand that the admins and mods have their own lives and their time can only stretch so far. It is sad that it appears to be going out on a sadder note, but in the light of current events, it seems unlikely it was going to get better anytime soon. I look forward to finding many of the posters on twitter and facebook. You can't stop the signal....

ninjapigeon | August 21, 19:05 CET

I have to say that I liked the simplicity of this site as well. It was and is easy to maneuver around, requires you to look over your comment before posting it, and is easy on the eyes to read.

NYPinta, Michelle Lovretta rocks! Lost Girl was one of my great pleasures over the past 6 years, and Ksenia Solo was super as Kenzi- and all the others were very open to their fans- Anna Silk, Kris Holden-Reid, Zoie Palmer, Rachel Skarsten. It was a post-Buffy pleasure, and it led to the even better Wynonna Earp, which is a true passion of mine. Fandras is doing Joss proud; the last episode was a distinct call-out to Tabula Rasa. Many fans have suggested a cross-over between Buffy and Wynonna Earp- they figure Purgatory is right on another Hellmouth.

Dana5140 | August 21, 19:07 CET

Ah shit. I guess it really is true - everything has its time and everything dies. Haven't been here in a long time (switched the internet to "mostly read-only" a while back for a variety of reasons, mainly cuz have you seen the internet ? ;) but in days gone by I spent a lot of happy hours with a lot of lovely people here in our dark oasis.

Thanks to Caroline, Simon, Sunfire, zeitgeist, SoddingNancyTribe, the ever-present but rarely seen Milo and well, everyone else that made this place what it was. Stay safe guys.

Saje | August 21, 19:09 CET

So sorry to see this site go. I get it though. It has been a lovely place for us to gather. Much love to all. <3

-AthenaMuze

AthenaMuze | August 21, 19:12 CET

Thank you Caroline, for making this place. Thanks to the mods who kept it going, and kept it civil. I know it's classified as a joss fan site- but it's been important to me from the start that a woman was at the helm. I've been mostly a lurker, but whedenosque has been one of my most favorite places online since before I joined (oh what a happy day that was).

Hope to see you out there- @Mchiplis

wrecks | August 21, 19:15 CET

Haven't read the entire thread, but will at some point. Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has made this site a go-to destination for so long. This place will be missed. And thanks to Joss, too, for allowing me to be a part of the incredible worlds he created and changing my life. Let's do it again sometime.

Tim Minear | August 21, 19:19 CET

He appeareth! Lovely sentiment, Tim.

Tonya J | August 21, 19:21 CET

Thank YOU, Tim!

zeitgeist | August 21, 19:23 CET

Tim!!!! <3

Harmalicious | August 21, 19:24 CET

Farewell, Whedonesque. Thanks for everything.

JesterInACast | August 21, 19:26 CET

Long time lurker, seldom poster. Thank you for letting me visit. You will be dearly missed.

Slipping About | August 21, 19:28 CET

Tim!❤️

hann23 | August 21, 19:31 CET

I don't even know what to say...

roddikinathome | August 21, 19:34 CET

My profile says I've been a member since October 2009. To be honest, I thought it had been a lot longer. I've been reading (and, in my imagination, commenting) on posts since Firefly went off the air, which is what led me here in the first place.

I'm glad this will remain available as an archive. Before Buffy I was a Xena fan and in the late 90s whoosh.org was was a website I visited religiously. It hasn't been updated in over 10 years, but I'm immensely glad it's remained online, HTML frames and all.

My Whedonesque profile also says I have posted 0 links and 0 comments. Well, better late than never.

tomihawk | August 21, 19:34 CET

Thanks, Mr. Minear.

electricspacegirl | August 21, 19:37 CET

Thank you Whedonesque for everything you've done over the years. I'm especially grateful that the site has been here for important passages like the end of BtVS, the amazing roller coaster ride of Firefly/Serenity, and more recently the passing of Ron Glass.

I'm sad to see the end of this site, although I understand and fully support the decision. What a labor of love it must have been, to do this for 15 years.

Cheers to you all!

JT | August 21, 19:45 CET

Saje & Tim - well, who'd a thunk it. : )

Glad to see you both, even if, as they say, it's for a sad reason.

(Saje, you were such an important voice on Whedonesque for a long time - your absence was palpable & your presence missed when you stopped posting.)

Jeebus, seeing everyone's posts is just making the impending loss that much more poignant. 😪

ETA: sumogrip, just saw what you said upthread. Truly, I'm just not a scary lady. I'm sorry you didn't feel comfortable enough to say hi.

[ edited by QuoterGal on 2017-08-22 01:53 ]

QuoterGal | August 21, 19:48 CET

Saje! I missed your earlier comment.

Welcome back at the end of days to all the long ago posters, and welcome to the lurkers who sound so nice. <3

Sunfire | August 21, 19:55 CET

@ barest_smidgen
Nixygirl died? OMG! Words simply fail me. I am lost, truly.

catalyst2 | August 21, 20:01 CET

Posting this on behalf of whyiwatch:

Adding my gratitude and best wishes here as well. Caroline, Simon, Sunfire, Zeitgeist, SoddingNancyTribe, et al - you were mighty and thoughtful and generous. You enabled a community that in turn created much good in the world. Thank you for all you've enabled. Like many here, I too have found dear friends in this tribe and enjoyed lurking in the comfort of this site. I will miss everyone here."

Should you wish to, I'm easily reachable on Twitter @whyiwatch. May love keep you in the air!

Pointy | August 21, 20:10 CET

Welcome back at the end of days to all the long ago posters, and welcome to the lurkers who sound so nice. <3

I kind of wonder if this, the last thread, will wind up having the largest number of individual members posting. I mean, I'm sure there are longer threads in the site's history, but ...

lexigeek | August 21, 20:15 CET

Racing on to post, afraid it will go to Read Only before I finish.

This Website is part of who I am and I am so incredibly sad to see it go, even if I understand why. Caroline, Milo, Herb, thanks for all the work on it. Caroline, thanks for giving us all this space. Simon, Sunfire, Zeitgeist, SoddingNancyTribe, I've met some of you in person but know that all of you made this website what it is. Like so many others, I learned how to be a good internet citizen here and I quote those lessons and enforce them wherever I can.
I found people here who will always be friends. I learned so much from so many people, from all the points of view expressed.
And then, there was its purpose. To let us all know what was happening in the WhedonWorld and to allow us to talk about it. I kept moving away, but always came back because it is home. Thank you.

[ edited by Lioness on 2017-08-22 02:23 ]

Lioness | August 21, 20:15 CET

Thank you for many wonderful years, Caroline and everyone. I will very much miss my daily dose of Whedonesque. Wishing you all the best in your future endeavours.

Eden | August 21, 20:15 CET

I started following almost from the start, and when I finally got in to be able to post, I was ecstatic to be able to contribute.

Since then, I've enjoyed visiting the site to see what the actors were up to, and the conversations. I've made a lot of great friends thanks to this 'verse.

Thanks for all that you've done Whedonesque! <3 You're definitely leaving a void when you're gone. If anyone wants to connect, I'm @zengrrl on most social media. =)

zengrrl | August 21, 20:16 CET

Poking my head in after a loooong absence to say goodbye and thank Caroline, Simon and everyone SO VERY MUCH for being here all these years. <3

[ edited by elfgirl on 2017-08-22 02:23 ]

elfgirl | August 21, 20:22 CET

Great to see you here for one last post Saje - this place was never quite the same after you stopped posting.

Let Down | August 21, 20:23 CET

Tim, thank you.

Kiba | August 21, 20:24 CET

It’s been so lovely seeing all of these names I used to see daily.

zeitgeist | August 21, 20:30 CET

I just came back to say how good it was to see Saje and Catalyst2 posting here. I've missed your insightful comments and senses of humour. Glad you came back to say goodbye.

samatwitch | August 21, 20:34 CET

Saje, so good to see you. Seems few if any knew how to get in touch with you and we were all worried when you left. Your return has helped make this sad time into a genuine reunion, and seriously lifts my spirits.

Thanks for dropping by to share that with us, Tim. You're aces!

Has anyone seen Maddy? Or pat1082?

Willowy | August 21, 20:35 CET

I was homeschooled, and the only TV shows I saw growing up were Star Trek (ToS and TNG, thank you!) and, for a brief period, Reboot. After some friends of the family bludgeoned us about the head and shoulders with a gift copy of Firefly (and subsequently with pestering and hurt looks), my horizons expanded, and I fell in love.

As with most first loves, I guess it was inevitable that the honeymoon would pass, and I would learn ugly truths that I and others had been hiding from myself since the beginning of the relationship, but nothing will diminish the bright memories of those early days of discovery and naive joy.

I'm eternally grateful that I was privileged to have this space to share with all you wonderful people.

Mercenary | August 21, 20:37 CET

I haven't commented on here in a long long time although I have lurked faithfully, and still check in once a month or so to check the news and maybe glimpse a few usernames of people who I still think of as old friends, even though I never posted much. Today has been such a sad day and I am so sorry that this site is closing.

A HUGE thank you to all the people who have done so much to keep it running: Caroline, Zeitgeist, Simon, Sunfire, SoddingNancyTribe, and so many other folks behind the scenes. And a huge shout out to all the wonderful Whedonesquers who I have been honored to read all these years! Watching people stop in to this thread has been a precious but sad gift. Gossi, QuoterGal, Pointy, lexigeek, saje, electricspacegirl, whyiwatch...and so many more. Thanks to you all! There won't ever be a place exactly like this again.

Finally, thanks to Joss, Tim, and other Mutant Enemy folks who helped make Whedonesque such a special corner of the internet.

Also, I still think about Mr. Printy the Imprint Chair and have a little giggle to myself, so there's that.

ladygrey | August 21, 20:45 CET

This is the end of an era. I have been coming to this website every day for so many years. I rarely add my own comments, but I often read through the section and will miss you all dearly. This site really does mean the world to me and I am honored to have been any part of it even if it was a small one. Feel free to find me on Twitter: @JenniferDeRoss

tikamajere316 | August 21, 20:47 CET

If it has escaped you, for all you have been on this site for a while, read b!x's comment above. He covers some of the important things Whedonesque did.

Lioness | August 21, 20:53 CET

So strange that after years of obsessively checking this site, I found myself too busy in the last few months to check in as often. Had some time yesterday and spent several hours lurking around and catching up on all that I'd missed. And then to see this today. While I understand, it still hurts. I will sorely miss this place. I rarely post, but it's been such a consistent part of my life for so many years. Thanks for all the mems, guys.

Casie | August 21, 20:53 CET

Wow - completely unexpected, but totally understandable.

Especially over the last year, I've had a lot of trouble squaring my love of Joss's work with the ongoing series of scandals and controversies that seem to follow him around, this latest being the most disappointing. I can only imagine how difficult that must be for the owner and moderators of this site. So I can't blame them for deciding to pull the plug.

It's tough to say goodbye after almost 13 years as a member, but say goodbye I must!

Thanks to everyone who made this site the wonderful community it was.

Knuckleball | August 21, 20:55 CET

What are we gonna do now?

goodtime | August 21, 21:00 CET

I haven't posted here in years but this place was really important to me at one point and I met so many truly lovely and hilarious people here. So glad to have hung on to a few of you in other on-line spaces - anyone from Ye Olde Days I'm not connected to on-line, please come find me on twitter: @bycatherineegan. A million thankyous to the mods who always kept this place civil, and to the rest of you, who made it so much fun. xox

catherine | August 21, 21:07 CET

Hi Willowy!
And thank you, Lioness....we did some great shit, didn't we bix? I planned a CSTS event by myself! And it sold out! Never would I have the nerve to do that before Whedonesque.

Harmalicious | August 21, 21:07 CET

My first comment in years, and apparently my last. It's been fun all. I'm sure we'll all find another community to join (though I'll be hard pressed to find a better one). I only just found out about the allegations/piece, sad if true, hope everyone involved comes out the other end at peace. Thanks for the news and the love. Thanks to the mods for running this place. And thanks to the Whedonesque.com creative family for creating so many unforgettable characters, worlds, and stories.

[ edited by Rune on 2017-08-22 03:10 ]

Rune | August 21, 21:09 CET

I have to thank this site for letting me know about the Joss Whedon retrospective exhibit in 2013 at Wesleyan University. I was able to see it in person and it is one of the most thrilling exhibits I have ever seen. It was incredibly cool to see numerous props up close, including the original scythe, scripts, handwritten notes, and more. Truly a transcendent experience and I owe it all to Whedonesque. So, thank you!

Best of luck to you all!! I will miss this site more than I know right now.

without_passion | August 21, 21:12 CET

I rolled in with my misdeeds
my remorse my fear and doubt
such a crowd we need a bouncer
or the walls will buckle out
but redemption is upended
and comes singing through that spout

to drown these ghosts
and end their moan
gonna drink me back to eden
all alone

I know how you all look at me
I grow tired of what I can’t be

I came here drawn by art and found people I'm proud and happy to call friends. I need the art of rebellion and joy and triumph and overcoming and growing, and I need the art of falling and grieving and losing and growing weary and full of doubt. We all need friends who will be with us through all.

Farewell for now. Let's stay friends.

On Twitter, I'm @Pointy07.

Pointy | August 21, 21:16 CET

Wow. I really don't know what to say right now. I was never a particularly prolific poster even in my heyday. But I was a teenager when I first discovered this site, and it remains to this day the only online community I've ever felt any real connection with, despite mostly being a lurker.

For years, I checked this site AT LEAST once a day, frequently more often than that. I have fallen off in the last few years, but I would check in every once in a while. And it was always nice to know that this place was still here, chugging warmly along.

I've been in a pretty terrible mood since I read the news yesterday. If it hadn't been for the Eclipse, which was beautiful and transcendant, today may have been one of the worst days of my life. I feel betrayed, hurt, and devastated. I have a lot of complicated emotions, and haven't figured out how to put them into words right now. The worst part is that last night I had a moment of lack of trust in my partner, who was out with her castmate. This is despite not being a normally jealous person, and having absolutely no reason not to trust her after 7 years of being together. So I think I have some stuff to work through as a result of this. It is completely understandable to close down Whedonesque at this moment, and though I am sad about it, I think it probably for the best.

Thank you for everything, Whedonesque. Here's to a bright future to everyone who reads this.

Giles_314 | August 21, 21:17 CET

Thank You Whedonesque for being all these years a place to connect with friends.

There's more to the Whedonverse than Joss.
Six Degrees of Whedon. Don't let your love of the Whedonverse fade away.

I'm @Marsia on Twitter & Facebook, and will keep posting news and interviews, and about CSTS and other fandom charity events events on Whedonopolis.com

Marsia | August 21, 21:24 CET

In all honesty, it's been a pleasure.

I'll add my voice to the many that the timing was unfortunate although I can empathize both with this being a big decision that wasn't taken lightly. I absolutely appreciate all the hard work the mods have put in over the years and the posters that made this site what it was. Even if I never saw you all at cons or twitter (the first was never my thing, the second I'm just not very active although that actually is my Twitter info), this place was a home.

I truly understand those who have been emotionally impacted this week and can't claim I'm untouched by it. For me, I've never been much for symbols. I don't claim to know about the veracity of the news. I love discussion and I love ideas. So I hope for those who are affected, that you all find peace and closure. This is not ours to bear.

I always considered Whedenoesque a great touchstone in my life for what a fandom could be. And perhaps one of my greatest sorrows about its closing, is so very few come close to hitting the mark.

I truly appreciated the open discussion and myriad of voices amongst all of us and I consider my life enriched by hearing them. To the man himself, Joss I thank you for taking me on many a journey that at turns amused, delighted, terrified, and yes, occasionally emotionally wrecked me. I wish everyone who has ever been involved the best.

And even as a poster that was probably by turns argumentative, frustrating, curmudgeonly, and standoffish (on good days), I have nothing but love for all of you.

IF you'll excuse me, there are kids on my lawn.

P.S. I've added this edit, because when have I ever left a post alone?

[ edited by azzers on 2017-08-22 03:25 ]

azzers | August 21, 21:25 CET

Another lurker heard from... thanks to all the mods and members that made this such a wonderful site! I've been checking in for years now, and I'll miss this place.

No matter how we may feel about their Creator at this point, I still enjoy those wonderful works of his. Buffy, Angel and Firefly were, and are, incredible 'Verses full of rich characters and tales that made an impact on a much younger me. I will always treasure them.

Good luck to all!

Can't stop the signal...

[ edited by Darkest Wicca on 2017-08-22 03:30 ]

Darkest Wicca | August 21, 21:25 CET

Thanks so much to all the admins: I loved coming to this site every week to discuss each new episode of Dollhouse. I haven't commented in a while, but this site will always hold a special place in my heart.

Still processing my feelings on the news. Feel free to reach out & connect.

Twitter: @WineDarkKindBar.

Like With Pie | August 21, 21:29 CET

Well crap. First it was IMDB purging all its forums and now its Whedonesque. Pretty soon there won't be a place left for me to make
an ass out of myself. I'll miss you guys, especially IrrationaliTV who brings sanity in explaining what is inherently a crazy business.
Thanks all.

JDL | August 21, 21:31 CET

Farewell, thanks to everyone here that made this possible!

StowawayPete | August 21, 21:33 CET

I imagine like many other lapsed posters, I heard about the revelations and came running back here, only to find more bad news. A real double blow.

While it's an understandable decision, I really wish this site could've gone out in a more fitting way and at a better time, given what a great place it's been and how fantastic the community was.

I'd drifted away due to not being particularly interested in Avengers or Shield, but it was always reassuring to know this site was still here to pop over to occasionally to see what was going on. Feels strange that it won't be any longer.

Echo the thanks to the brilliant and long-serving mods and to all the posters - discussions here were always so entertaining to read and take part in. And disagreements were almost always polite. The hours I spent here were countless and this site did mean a lot to me. It is nice to see so many familiar names, even in the circumstances.

Goodbye and all the best to you all.

[ edited by NotaViking on 2017-08-22 09:35 ]

NotaViking | August 21, 21:33 CET

I haven't commented in some time, but just wanted to say thank you to Caroline, Simon, zeitgeist, and all the moderators (I feel like I'm forgetting names, and I apologize). I appreciate all the time and work that have gone into this site. I never got to attend a convention or event, or meet any of y'all in person. But I'm glad I got to participate in this lovely little corner of the internet, where reading the comments was actually fun.

I found Buffy over a decade ago. I was young and stuck in a weirdly patriarchal world, and I needed a story where the girl got to be the hero. Buffy (the show and character) filled that need, while Willow was the first queer girl I ever encountered in a work of fiction–and the first of many steps toward me coming out as a bi woman, many years later.

So much of my life has changed in the last fifteen years or so, but I will always be grateful that BTVS was there when I needed it. I fell head over heels in love with those characters and the fictional universe they inhabited (and, later, fell in love with ATS and Firefly). I didn't know a lot of people IRL who loved the shows the way I did, and Whedonesque made me feel less alone. For years, I looked at this site every day, and it's still a tab that's always open in my browser. (I may have a problem with excessive browser tabs, but that's another story).

Anyway, this has gotten long and rambly, but I think what I really want to say is just this: Buffy and Whedonesque have an important place in my heart, and it felt important to say that, before Whedonesque closes up shop. <3

erendis | August 21, 21:44 CET

One last post, thank you for bringing us this site, it has always been a great source of community over the last 15 years. It will be missed.

Cheers.

[ edited by Crypto on 2017-08-22 10:53 ]

Crypto | August 21, 21:49 CET

I'm late to hear this news, and sad about it.

I still remember the day membership was open for a while so I could suddenly join. It was a holiday, if I remember correctly.

Here's hoping we can reassemble elsewhere just for the fun of it even if I can't keep up with the conversation or think of anything clever to say.

Thanks to everyone for making this such an interesting, engaging community.

Scraggles | August 21, 21:49 CET

I've been AWOL for a while. I used to be obsessed, but I recovered. Even though I've been out of it for a while, I still felt sad today. Sad. But like others I would like to thank the site runners, and everyone else for the lively discussions over the years. It was a pleasure back when it was a pleasure. Be well all.

[ edited by Xane on 2017-08-22 03:52 ]

Xane | August 21, 21:52 CET

I'm not a fan-type, but I've never been more dedicated to and loving and appreciative of a piece of entertainment than Buffy.

And I'm not at all an on-line presence anywhere or a social media guy, but I was probably never more (albeit rather sillily) thrilled than when Joss acknowledged one of my (very, very rare) posts here.

It took my remembering that to bring me down from most of the heightened negative emotions (some fair, some not so much) I was experiencing while reading so much of this (Some disappointment remains.).

So even though I'm not very good at it, I'm going to try to focus on the positive both in terms of the man and the site closing, and thank Joss the entertainer (and (with all due respect for and compassion toward his ex wife) thus in ample part Joss the man) and the mods and members for engaging and entertaining and sometimes challenging and enlightening me for so long.

There's a hole in the world. Feels like we ought to have known...

Brett | August 21, 21:54 CET

Goodness, it's been a few years since I've commented here, only to come back now to say farewell to you all.

I'll always remember the wonderful, lively, stay-up-til-my-eyes-were-sore discussions here. From the beginning, when I lived and breathed the Angel the Series posts as Season 5 aired, to when I started writing my own reviews for the Buffy Season 8 comics and kicked off the SlayAlive Q&As with the comics creative teams.

Thank you to Caroline, Simon, Sunfire, zeitgeist and SoddingNancyTribe for keeping the fires burning. What a wealth of fandom discourse left written on these black pages. I'd like to think there's a metaphor there, how together we were bringing the light. (But then I'm always looking for a bit of hopeful symbolism <3)

As for me, my trail of bread crumbs leads back to Tumblr, if you're looking: @angearia

[ edited by Emmie on 2017-08-22 04:15 ]

Emmie | August 21, 21:54 CET

I don't know that I got to know TOO many people here by name, but I always appreciated having this place to geek out about the latest news with. The community has been fun. I'll miss this place. Like this site, I am on twitter.

PaperSpock | August 21, 21:56 CET

Thank you to the mods for keeping this site up for so long, I've met a lot of great people from this community. Sad to see another site down, but I understand. Stay shiny and best of luck in your future endeavors.

Sallie | August 21, 21:56 CET

the curtains close on a kiss god knows we can tell the end is near... tell me... where do we go from here....?

*kiss to y'all!*

aphasia | August 21, 22:05 CET

Oh, to see all of these old screen names and have my old memories jogged, joyfully, to remember you and Back Then. /waves nostalgically at my people.

I won't have this or us sullied by recent ugly news. That Is Not Us.

I'm saddened and sorry for those who learned of the death of the Lurveliest nixygirl from my comment. It was recent and sudden. More on her in the Library under my post "Hello, Old Friends." Her beautiful, funny, heartbreaking service was live-streamed to include the hundreds around the world who called her their own. In my time here, she was the Heart and the Momma of Whedonesque.

barest_smidgen | August 21, 22:19 CET

I've literally been visiting this site nearly every day for over 13 years! I'm going to miss this site and this community SO deeply. I wish this wasn't happening and I wish there was something we could do. I'm deeply disappointed but I understand the mods' decision. Thank you so much for being the place for all my Buffy-related news. Maybe someday we'll see each other again.

Xander | August 21, 22:21 CET

It's bittersweet, I know, yet still wonderful to read these comments and see the handles of so many friends - it's sparking such lovely memories.

Emmie | August 21, 22:26 CET

I remember you from Slayalive too, Emmie... I miss your in-depth analyses of the comic issues.

AndrewCrossett | August 21, 22:37 CET

My favorite place to lurk for as long as I can remember. Heartbroken. I will miss you all.

taranova | August 21, 22:49 CET

Thank you 💗💗💗💔💔💔

zelda | August 21, 22:53 CET

I posted earlier, afraid it would close down before I got a chance to write something properly, but since it's still up, here's a few things I'd like to add:

Whedonesque has been around for almost as long as I've had an internet connection. My first computer with internet was only in the year 2000 (dial-up), so two years before Whedonesque. Around 2005 I found this site. I loved it and made it my homepage so it was the first thing I would read every time I would go online.

2 years later, in 2007, while I was living in Ireland for 6 months and didn't own a computer there, I would go on internet cafes for 1 hour every few days to do 2 things: email friends back home (Brazil) and check Whedonesque. During one of these online check ins, I saw a post about The Guild. Didn't have time to check it out at that time (I didn't realize the episodes were pretty short), so made a mental note to do that as soon as possible. Little did I know how much that would impact my life. A LOT, is the answer.

Then in 2008 I finally caught one of the open registration periods! I still remember my excitement when I got in. At that point I have been lurking for 3 years and it was just the coolest thing! I was a Whedonesque member!

Of course I ended up not posting much... For a number of reasons, but mostly a mix of my awkardness, feeling intimidated talking to people from whom I've been reading posts and comments for a while, and when shows were being aired, like Dollhouse (and then AoS), I didn't get to see it at the same time it airs in the US, so I always felt like everything I would/could comment had already been said. Ah, and at that point I was also very invested in The Guild's community, and ended up talking more over there.

But still, even though I wasn't an active member, every single time I interacted with a Whedonesque member, online or offline, it was a joy. I especially treasure two moments: the first time I went to SDCC, in 2009, and went straight to the California Browncoat's booth and saw danregal...

(me) "I know you!"
(him) "I know you too!" (to my total surprise!)
(me) "No, you don't..."
(him) "I do. You commented on a Flickr picture from last year's Con that you wish you could come to SDCC one day just to stop by our booth. And here you are!"

He probably doesn't remember that, but it's one of my favorite SDCC moments I've ever had and will always appreciate it.

And then, the second SDCC/Whedonesque moment was at SDCC 2011 when we had a little lovely dinner with a few Whedonesquers and Guildies. I was very nervous that it would feel like us, Guildies, were intruding on their dinner... but everyone there was so nice! We had great pizza and I got to put faces to usernames I've been seeing for years.

Lately I was lurking less frequently, mostly because of the convenience of having the site's feed on Facebook and just clicking on things I was interested from there, but still...
Let me say it again that while I was never that active here, and I don't know most of you guys well enough, I still love this site and I am very thankful it existed and that it was here for this long. Thank you again to the founders, the mods, and all the members.
I may be conflicted about a lot of things right now, but my respect and appreciation for Whedonesque is not one of those things. <3

[ edited by maxsummers on 2017-08-22 05:03 ]

maxsummers | August 21, 22:55 CET

Why is the path unclear?
When we know home is near
Understand
We'll go hand in hand
But we'll walk alone in fear
Tell me
Where do we go from here?

zelda | August 21, 22:56 CET

*Raises a glass of Mudder's Milk*

erastus | August 21, 23:00 CET

And I don't think I said a proper thank you to Caroline and all the mods. So: Thank you, very very much. And thank you to my fellow commenters and lurkers and everything-else-ers.

javelina | August 21, 23:03 CET

I was shocked and saddened to learn the news of the shutdown when I checked Whedonesque today (as I have regularly for many years). I was a lurker until I was able to become a member in 2005...on my birthday as it turns out. I remember thinking it was the best present I got that year. Thanks to the mods and posters for creating such an interesting & welcoming place for discussion of the works of Joss and his many associates. I will miss having new threads here but plan to check out the forums mentioned upthread. I am also glad the old threads will be archived here. Thanks again to everyone here and best wishes to you all.

Yefa | August 21, 23:16 CET

I discovered Whedonesque shortly after finishing Buffy and Angel for the first time in...oh gosh, early 2009. I wanted a place to find discussion and insights on a pair of shows I had so much love for -- to this day, it still hurts that the character of Illyria will forever be limited to an 8-episode appearance. My search first brought me to "All Things Philosophical in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel the Series", and while I tore through the site's material like an Ubervamp, it wasn't until I discovered Whedonesque that I realized, "Holy crap, there are people who still talk about these shows!"

In the 8 years since, Whedonesque has been the first site I open when I boot up my computer. My process goes: Whedonesque, Gmail, Youtube, and assorted blogs. Whedonesque was where I found out about Dollhouse, where I first learned that Joss was selected as the director and writer of Avengers 1, and where I was able to keep up with all the cast and crew that brought me such incredible entertainment starting with Buffy and going beyond. There hasn't been a day where I thought, "Well, I don't think I'm going to check Whedonesque today."

I rarely posted in the comments sections, but the discussions that took place there were some of the most amazing, civil, and thoughtful I've seen on the internet. Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr just cannot compare to the insights shared between the beloved members of this community. I have a great deal of gratitude and respect for the moderators who cultivated an incredible welcoming space for us. I don't think I'll ever find such a thing again.

To Caroline, Sunfire, Simon, and Zeitgeist (plus any moderator I might have forgotten -- so sorry that I don't remember your names!): no words can sum up the innumerable thanks for your dedication to Whedonesque. You built and watched over a community for 15 years, a community that might never be replicated in the history of pop culture -- not in an age where Tumblr and Twitter are the new hotspots for fandoms. Whedonesque was something truly special, and I'm never going to forget it.

To the members of Whedonesque: seeing that new comment notification appear below a daily post has become something of a highlight of my day. I loved reading everyone's thoughts, even if I disagreed with them or they pertained to topics I knew nothing about. The simple fact that I never feared the comments sections of Whedonesque growing hostile the way they do on other pop culture/social media sites always gave me incredible relief. My love goes out to you all. <3

To Joss, Tim Minear, and any other cast & crew that might be reading this: your collective works changed my life. Whatever else happens next, I'll carry what you've done for me to the end of my days. Thank you for everything.

I'll leave for my contact info (Twitter only) here, but I suspect I'll be adding a bunch of accounts in the coming days:

Twitter: @GabrielKHall.

PS: As far as site design goes, I favour the black-and-white simplicity of Whedonesque far more than the extravagance and dazzle of most other sites, notably EW, Buzzfeed, Twitter, Tumblr, and more. Everything you need to know about Whedonesque is right there at the front. I'll be sorry to see the site go, but never let it be said that the site design is less than stellar.

Shining | August 21, 23:23 CET

It's been a long time since I logged on.

I just wanted to say thanks and bye.

Vinity | August 21, 23:36 CET

brinderwalt & Grimes: Then I hope you're aware of Michelle Lovretta, who created the show Emily Andras wrote for and eventually became the showrunner of, Lost Girl

Oh, most definitely (was an avid reader/viewer of the motion comics preceding Lost Girl's original premiere... (and yeah - very weird reasons behind my love for that show as well.)
Haven't had the opportunity/drive to hunt down any of her work since, but I'll definitely have to look this Killjoys of which you speak up.

[shameless plug on]
Also, for those not yet in the know (which I'm guessing is quite a few - even here), this is Claire Boucher - aka the self-made, uncompromisingly independent one-woman powerhouse singer, producer, sound engineer, multi-instrumentalist, writer, dancer, fashion model/icon, graphic artist, music video director, video editor, and video colorist who is the solitary mastermind behind the futuristic multimedia project known as Grimes. Which is to say - exactly the kind of strong female character many people seem to be stuck thinking can only exist in fictional universes...
[shameless plug off]

[ edited by brinderwalt on 2017-08-22 05:52 ]

brinderwalt | August 21, 23:40 CET

Not sure how long this thread will be kept open so I felt compelled to post tonight.

I will miss Whedonesque so much, it's been a part of my life for so long. Since I found Firefly - many years ago now.
I remember when I got to join here how proud I was to be a part of this amazing classy community.

It's a saved destination in my bookmarks, but I came every day by typing a W in my search box and off my browser would go to here - home.

I made friends, life long forever friends because of this fandom. I joined others doing good works and felt empowered as a person because of this fandom. This fandom has inspired so many good people, so many good charities and fund raisers and kindnesses. This isn't just a place to share thoughts, to discuss tv shows and movies, it's been a catalyst for goodness.

Thank you to Caroline who made it, the mods one and all, but particularly Simon who I spoke to the most, and to all the participants here. A friend who is so mightily important to me and I talked about this at dinner tonight - ( I wouldn't know this lovely lady if not for Firefly and Joss. )- This place is a class act. Pure and simple. From the design, to the discussions, to the mods keeping the place safe and on focus.

Goodbye Whedonesque. It will be so hard not to come here every day. But I understand. All things must pass.

FollowMal | August 21, 23:59 CET

Another long time lurker, barely ever commented but have been around for what seems like forever heard from.

As to the news item - I have many conflicted feelings - a lot of which end in feeling heartbroken regarding both of them in different ways. It's hard to know what to say. So I won't.

But the reason I'm commenting for the first time in _years_ is to sincerely thank Caroline, Sunfire, Simon, zeitgeist, and SoddingNancyTribe, et al for everything that you've done to keep this site up and running - even after toying with shutting it down for 5 years. It's like losing a friend. The historian in me appreciates that you are transiting to keeping a read only form of the page so we can visit.

Thanks. Even though I mainly lurked and have been absent a lot the last few years, I will really miss this site and everyone here.

My twitter is @daisybuttercup.

Bye all.

DaisyButtercup | August 22, 00:03 CET

I'm glad you are shutting down. Never from any other fan site have I received such idiotic vitriol from not capitalizing my comments or not agreeing with someone's post. You need to know that you ruined my experience in the Whedon fandom. You did not add positivity to the fandom; you took away from it.

When I heard the news today that this site was shutting down, I immediately remembered how badly you made me feel all those years ago- everything that goes against being supportive and loving in a fandom. And all because I don't capitalize my comments. Guess what? e.e. cummings never capitalized and he is my literary hero. But you wouldn't know anything about that because you acted like vicious fascists and bullied me off your site. So yeeh, Whedonesque was memorable- in a bad way. Glad you are gone. Maybe you'd still be around if you didn't have major control issues.

[ edited by tayriley on 2017-08-22 06:05 ]

[ edited by tayriley on 2017-08-22 06:09 ]

tayriley | August 22, 00:03 CET

I feel like the last bit of my childhood is dying. 15 years...

I was 14 when I started coming here. Just blossoming into a full-on Buffy and Joss fanatic. I remember so much from that time: The Succubus Club podcast. The Bronze posting board. Learning about Angel's cancellation on here. While I don't post as much as I used to back then, I would always swing by here to see what new things were happening. And now, this just won't be, anymore.

So many of the sites and communities from back then are gone now. The only real place to go now for the old school fans is http://www.thebronzealternative.com

This is going to take some time to get over. And we just celebrated the Buffy tv 20th Anniversary, too.

I just wish Giles were here, with me. I could use a Giles right now.

SpikeBad | August 22, 00:06 CET

@SpikeBad Aww, you know I had a cat named Giles, and for a minute I thought you were talking about my cat. :)

And some of you are making me feel my age! I think I was 29 when I started coming here. :P

Oh and on the random chance any of you need to get a hold of me its my nick @gmail.com

[ edited by Grack21 on 2017-08-22 06:19 ]

Grack21 | August 22, 00:12 CET

Haven't been passing by here often as I wanted to in recent times. Always felt like coming home. Bittersweet day. It had been nice to see old names one more time.
On FB G Tommy Jensen if you want cast a signal my way.
Clear skies folks, smooth sailing.

Ceslas | August 22, 00:21 CET

Apparently it's been 9 years since I last left a comment. That seems weird.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who made Whedonesque what it was; for a time, it was amazing.

Tama | August 22, 00:26 CET

Wow. I just looked it up. I have not posted since 2014. It seems longer...especially when looking at the names of people who I enjoyed speaking to so much for the previous 10 years (2004) and reading for what seemed like a very long time before that. Boy, there are a lot of names that are on this thread that I used to speak to or read comments by everyday. Hi, Folks.

Thank you Caroline, and the mods for the tremendous amount of time energy and attention to detail you all put into this site. Thank you as well to the posters and contributors. For a long time I was obsessed with following this site. I loved its information, but also its conversation. I would read every post on every thread, just like I did tonight with this one. I apparently commented more than 2600 times, but only shared 3 posts. I am never the first one to see anything. That was why I was so thrilled to find this site when I first found and became obsessed with Buffy. You all introduced me to Angel and then Firefly. Once you got me caught up, you kept me abreast of the latest doings, which I took advantage of whenever I could. When I became disenchanted about the fandom and distanced myself, I still respected and had a special place in my heart for Whedonesque and for the members I had always so enjoyed playing with. Reading your names, combined with the closing of the site, has me a bit teary.

I did not know about nixygirl or embers. My condolances to all. I still smile when I think of ChrisinVA, and hope his family is doing well.

I too have no interest in delving into anyone's personal life, though I am sorry to hear about the intense pain that has come to what seemed from the outside to be a strong relationship. I also wish the timing on ending Whedonesque had been better, and that the donation suggestion did not make it seem that this was being done as a reaction, dismissal and punishment of Joss Whedon because of Kai Cole's article, but as has been said, it is the perogative of the mods, as it was in the beginning so it will be in the end.

Goodbye all, and thank you. I still get mail at newcjspirit@yahoo.com. ...and I'm around...

newcj | August 22, 00:34 CET

I just love how NICE everyone was on here. I feel all "back in my day" granny attitude coming on, but seriously....Whedonesque kept it respectful. You don't really see that anymore. Thank you, mods!

Harmalicious | August 22, 00:38 CET

Wow, seeing everyone come out of the woodworks - including Saje! - makes me all the more nostalgic for this site's passing. I'm glad to have been part of this place. It truly was one of the finest corners of the internet. Thanks again, all.

GVH | August 22, 00:45 CET

Wow... this site had been such a constant that it ending now so suddenly is quite the shock.

I see I've posted over 500 comments, but I've become more a lurker these days as I've just been so incredibly busy. Despite not posting, I would still visit the site quite regularly and I'm sorry to see it go, but understand the reasons.

Thanks to Caroline for keeping this site running so long, despite such aging software. Even if it wasn't an adaptive site or mobile friendly, I could still manage to read it on a mobile device. The design of the site is quite dated compared to modern sites, but I feel it's aged quite well and still looks good.

Thanks to all the mods: Simon, Sunfire, zeitgeist, Milo Herb, SoddingNancyTribe and probably some others I'm missing. I've helped run sites many times smaller than this one and I realize how much hard work goes into keeping it running so smoothly.

Thanks for all the great commentary from the everyone in the community. As Whedoneque wasn't just a collection of links that got me coming back over so many years, it was all the comments and insight from everyone that made it interesting.

I see some have pointed out some of the boards that some of the community visits such as slayalive.com, buffyforums.net, buffy-boards.com. Please list any other sites or boards that people visit. Nothing will replace Whedoneque.com, but I would love to continue to read more from the community.

My Twitter handle is @matthewfabb. However, I mainly just post or retweet about things programming related.

So long and thanks for all the fish!

[ edited by Matt_Fabb on 2017-08-24 04:55 ]

Matt_Fabb | August 22, 01:13 CET

Omdat Caroline Nederlands is, een post in het Nederlands ;-)

Jammer, dat de site verdwijnt, ik kwam er dagelijks en bleef zo altijd op de hoogte als er weer een nieuwe serie of comic uitkwam. Bedankt voor het harde en goede werk. Groeten, Thijs

Because Caroline is Dutch, a post in Dutch ;-)

It's a shame the site is going, I checked it everyday and it always kept me up to date when a new series or comic came out. Thank you for the hard and good work. Greetings, Thijs

tmvde | August 22, 01:13 CET

Aww you guys. I've been more of a lurker than a poster, but I want to say that this community has always been so wonderful and welcoming. I may not have posted since 2012, but I checked in at least once a day. This is a bit bittersweet, but also it feels like it's time to grow-up now and realize that the world isn't all noble and honorable even when surrounded by temptation.
Thank you mods for creating and fostering such beautiful community of people. I wish all of you the best!

teachndoc | August 22, 01:16 CET

So long and thanks for everything you've done for our fandom.

Gemini Webster | August 22, 01:17 CET

I'm just learning about all this now, only after accidentally coming across the news. I am saddened by the closing of this site, but I understand completely. This is the one fan site I go to, but to be honest, it's mostly been for some of the people on here who I've come to love and appreciate. I will look for some of you if I can find your contact info on this very long thread.

If anyone wishes to stay in touch with me, my email address is nebula1400@yahoo.com. My real name is Robin Brownfield. I can be found on Facebook and Twitter.

I didn't know nixygirl, embers, and ChrisInVirginia passed away. (I knew Aaron Swartz had died, but didn't realize he was a member of this site.) I'm now ever sadder, as I truly enjoyed their posts.

Thank you to Caroline, Simon, Sunfire, Sodding_Nancy_Tribe, zeitgeist (and the wonderful barest_smidgen) for all you've done to make this site what it was. Live long and prosper.

❤️🖖🏻☮️🌼

[ edited by Nebula1400 on 2017-08-22 08:50 ]

Nebula1400 | August 22, 01:39 CET

(double post removed)

[ edited by Gemini Webster on 2017-08-22 08:02 ]

Gemini Webster | August 22, 02:02 CET

Another lurker here. Thanks to everyone for this site, which felt like a safe and cozy little corner of the web. Unusually nice, and unusually smart!

drakmaniso | August 22, 02:06 CET

I feel like I wouldn’t be living up to the person I am (shaped by the Whedonverse) if I didn’t give my opinion. It’s not meant with malise but I’ve always felt it important to speak up when called to.

I’m disappointed with the decision even though I respect it’s not mine to make. I just feel that it’s sad to see a knee jerk reaction to shut down a site that has spent years cultivating a group that has been prohibited from offering any criticism of the material or the people involved. The final comment of the statement is a clear indication of choosing a side.

I think this is a decision the parties involved will regret one day. Wish Joss and all involved many happy years. Hope Joss makes the DCEU as awesome as he did the MCU. Maybe he’ll finally get to make a connected TV show that’s actually a part of the universe it’s in.

kantgitrite101 | August 22, 02:58 CET

Just keep swimming.

Grack21 | August 22, 03:05 CET

Sad day. I am gonna miss this site terribly. As someone upthread wrote, the internet is mostly "read-only" for me nowadays, but checking whedonesque has always been a daily routine for me.

Big thanks to all the mods who have kept this site running, and to all contributors who have kept this one of the classiest place to be on the internet.

Take care all of you.

Garim | August 22, 03:07 CET

"Unusually nice and unusually smart!"

Thank you drakmaniso, that so perfectly sums up Whedonesque. Not a bad legacy!

Still so conflicted about this shutdown.

"Where do we go from here?"

StephenP | August 22, 03:10 CET

I think this is a shame, especially because the timing makes it seem like it's being done for only one reason, but thanks for running the site for so long. I came relatively late to Whedon so I've only been a member for five years and a lurker for two years before that, but this site was always the best source for news related to Buffy and other Whedon projects.

allthingsaverage | August 22, 03:15 CET

The Internet, ''tis not the same place it was. *shakes cane at kids on lawn*

Thinking lots of deep thoughts today abd I completely understand why you guys chose to do this. I can't imagine what the last year or so have been like with the political situation being what it is. Yeah, the timing is bad, but it probably my always woukd have been bad.

Grack21 | August 22, 03:21 CET

After waking up, and while reading an additional amount of ~~almost~~ more than one hundred replys, I'd like to add that this indeed has been the most respectable internet community, I can remember. No trolls, no insults, no spam, no nothing. Even when things got political and I disagreed with opinions and viewpoints, Whedonesque was a place of adult discussion instead of immature profanities or inconsiderate censorship.
Someone posted a link to Metafilter, a site I had never heard of before, and the comments over there are full of such negativity, with many people focusing only on the bad and perhaps even being happy they are now allowed – or atleast feel allowed – to tear down the statue, others have erected. There's none of that here. Some people are disappointed, others need time to sort out their feelings, but no comment – not a single one* – made me believe, that on its final days this would be a place, where the bad had greater value than the good.
This also one of the major reasons, why I won't join Twitter (the others being that I consider it to be a huge waste of valuable lifetime, and that I prefer on-topic conversations without a character limit): I don't want to hate the people, I disagree with. Nor do I want to hate their opinions. It leads to no good. But that's quite hard, when those opinions are communicated and experienced mostly through retweeted headlines and one-liners that leave so much open for interpretation and misunderstanding.
...
And there's Tim Minear. Wow. Never even knew he had an account here. You're going to read through the entire thing? Alright, since this is most likely the only "interaction" I'll ever have with you, read this: I LOVE your work.
So. There you go.
...
I also appreciate all the appropriate quotes, people have been posting, and think it's quite cool, that – from what I can tell – this important part of the internet did not origin in one of the places, you'd assume, like the United States, or the United Kingdom, but rather a small country quite close to me, that I always – well, since the 1998 World Cup, to be more precise – had quite a bit of sympathy for.

Again, if somebody with more drive and leadership qualities than me would like to continue this in some form, I'd be all for it. I think it deserves a try.

*Apparently there've been some but they got deleted. Didn't read them, won't count them, don't care about them.

Sahjhan | August 22, 03:28 CET

Haven't logged-in in ages but have always been on the lookout for a story that maybe no one else had posted yet.
Thank you Whedonesque mods and posters, for all the years of community.

quacky | August 22, 04:02 CET

Longtime lurker here. I had written a fair more about the timing of this but then I realized it's really not my place to judge. So, I just want to thank all the admins and moderators and the community. Even though I hadn't logged in a while, I was still visiting regularly and I will miss doing so.

nyrk | August 22, 04:17 CET

I think I can count on one hand the amount of times I've actually commented on anything here, but like many others I've lurked about and visited almost daily since around the time Serenity came out, long before I created an account here, and I will dearly miss it.

Thank you all for providing not only interesting links and a delightfully calm looking page without hundreds of blinking ads in every margin, but also comment threads that always supplied me such a kind and intelligent place online. The world could always need more of those. And my very best wishes to those who kept the site running, fifteen years is a truly remarkable achievement and your mini-retirement is well deserved.

[ edited by Loki on 2017-08-22 10:48 ]

Loki | August 22, 04:48 CET

So where to we go from here ? Is there a site like this somewhere ?

[ edited by Bad Karma on 2017-08-22 12:07 ]

Bad Karma | August 22, 06:07 CET

My questions as well Bad Karma. This site have been my Whedon community comfy blanket for so may years it will be impossible to replace it.

Satai (with Punsch) | August 22, 06:33 CET

Very sad day. Thanks for over a decade of awesomeness!

illyrianvertigo | August 22, 06:38 CET

I didn't post a lot here, but Whedonesque has always been a place to return to for some comfort in times of distress, fear, or just bordem. Buffy got me through high school and I will never forget the influence Joss' work has had on my life, and how important it was to me that there was such a devoted, welcoming community of fans here with such intelligent ideas regarding Joss' body of work and with such passion for it all.

Thanks to the mods and the community for all of your dedication over these years and for being such a rocking fanbase. Best wishes to you all!

Muffyn | August 22, 07:52 CET

Thank you to the admins for all your hardwork over the years, I will miss lurking here reading everyone's comments.

PaulaC | August 22, 08:13 CET

Woof; I forgot we could check when our membership started. Since 12/05. But I was reading before that. We go 'way back!

filops | August 22, 08:32 CET

I forgot to thank all the admins and Caroline for having this site here for us. It has been a part of my morning coffee every day.

I want to thank Simon for trying to help me with getting the Londinium poster signed for me.

If it hadn't been for this page I would never have been introduced to ArtCat's & 11th Hour's beautiful art. I will be forever grateful for that.

Oh, and I will never forget the marathon of posts during the Back Up Bash. Through all of you here I felt like I was actually there and a part of history.

It is truly the end of an era. So long friends.

madmolly | August 22, 08:39 CET

along with many/most/all of you, I am very depressed.

Gr. Argh.

I will really miss checking in here, but now I have a reason to pay attention to twitter.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Jocelyn | August 22, 08:43 CET

Oh, and thanks to Simon, Caroline, and anyone else who has worked to keep this site operative and friendly.

Jocelyn | August 22, 08:44 CET

Wow this is devastating.

Goodbye from a lurker who loved and read and was to shy to speak.
The last few days have been hard on us all, how dare someone we hold in such high esteem have such a moral failing...how dare he not live up to our godlike expectations.

I can only echo a point made by many others: he is just a man, and this failing was a personal one, not one that speaks to his feminist ideals or his work. So I do hope this site isn't being taken down purely based on his most recent actions but I do understand and share the mass levels of disappointment felt throughout the Whedonverse at this moment.
I hope this isn't the last of us as a collective.
Or, as Giles said, 'the earth is doomed, again.'

WakingUpASlayer | August 22, 09:07 CET

Just a note of "thanks" for all the effort the team has put in over the years. I was a late convert to Buffy and Angel,and later the rest of the Whedon portfolio, so I can't speak to the heady early days - kind of like living through Beatlemania, or just discovering a decade or two later that they were a terrific band. Both audiences have an appreciation, but the experience is different.

That said, this consistently was a very nice lil' corner of the internet to visit and I'll miss that sense of checkin' in and seeing what the kind n' clever people of this site were discussing.

Very best wishes to you all -

TallMichaelJ | August 22, 09:26 CET

I have been so conflicted about all this. As many have said, long time reader, mostly lurker. All my thanks to the team that kept the site going for so long.

Gosh, I spent so many hours reading this site. I will miss this space to celebrate all that spidered from connecting to Joss' work. That can't ever be taken from me personally.

I'm devastated that this can't continue in another form from those gracious enough to want to take it on. I understand it is the decision of the team to not do that.

I can't really comment on conjecture based on a blog post made during a difficult time. I know having lived through a similar relationship issue that these things are so complicated and there are a myriad of reasons why relationships implode. And although I feel internal conflict, I will be a fan for life. If anything, we already knew that humans are flawed. Much of Joss' work has addressed that. Heroes and Villains are inside us all. As we go through life we all see our parents, mentors, teachers, heroes taken off their pedestals. That is a big part of growing.

Anyway, this long and rambling post that is helping me process all of this...I'll end with deep and heartfelt gratitude to all who made this a community, to those that kept it going and to Joss' art, for bringing us together. For anyone that wants to connect, you can find me on Twitter @ashleylaura

[ edited by MsKittyFantastico on 2017-08-22 22:14 ]

[ edited by MsKittyFantastico on 2017-08-22 22:15 ]

MsKittyFantastico | August 22, 09:49 CET

I think this is a shame, especially because the timing makes it seem like it's being done for only one reason

Yes, there will always be some who think we did it because of the eclipse and nothing we say will convince them otherwise.

zeitgeist | August 22, 09:50 CET

SoddingNancyTribe is indeed the coolest nick on the planet, I always wished I'd thought of it first ;-)

Caroline | August 22, 09:54 CET

I guess that this is the thread where we all admit it.

zeitgeist | August 22, 09:55 CET

zeitgeist is pretty cool, too.

gossi | August 22, 09:58 CET

Thanks, G-man :)

zeitgeist | August 22, 10:00 CET

We're adding all the twitter handles here:

https://twitter.com/whedonesque/lists/class-of-whedonesque

Caroline | August 22, 10:15 CET

Well, in that case, mine is @sleeper. I am not an imaginative man.

sleeper | August 22, 10:22 CET

Mine is @Pantaryl.

Pantaryl | August 22, 10:23 CET

Oh wow, my login actually worked! I remember browsing this site during the Dollhouse run and waiting for membership to open up again just so I could register...and then the show got cancelled haha. I loved this site back in the day even though I only lurked by the time I actually became a member.

I guess I'll drop my twitter handle as well: @TweeterDel

I'm saddened by the closing of the site, but I can understand why it's happening now. It's amazing to even see it running in 2017. You all were lovely back when I was here and I'm sure that never changed. This is a great community of people and I hope to see you guys on twitter! Not the end. Just a new beginning.

Brink Of Insanity | August 22, 10:30 CET

There will never be another site like this, but there are a few BBs around.

Serenitymovie.org is still going.
Whatever is mine. (It's a very small general topic sorta place. Mostly me talking to myself and 3 other people...)
Goners.org (One stubborn fandom.)

If I didn't thank the mods here before, I am now.

[ edited by NYPinTA on 2017-08-23 20:51 ]

NYPinTA | August 22, 10:31 CET

I added mine above but just in case: @TonyaJ on Twitter

Tonya Jarrett at Facebook.

Tonya J | August 22, 10:31 CET

I've been about 95% lurker / 5% poster since creating my account in 2008, but I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everybody who's helped make this site my go-to place for all things Whedony over the past ~9 years. I don't really know any of you personally, but I'll miss you just the same.

Shall I go now?

Axed84 | August 22, 10:33 CET

Got my membership in 2012 and I think it pretty much made my week. Understand the decision but it is a very sad day.

If I get a chance I will make a longer post but I'm currently on a coach on the way to a football game and I need to find the right words. If I can. I see a lot of people commenting thay they were mostly lurkers - and yet I recognise most of the names! I think (along with the mods) the posters have really made this place. When we had a Whedon show on the air I would rush on here to see what X thought of it. And here is my only chance to say thank you to everyone who made those comments that made me think and laugh and just generally feel less alone. Thank you.

Also if Tim reads this far I love You!

Buffy and Angel are my favourite shows ever and that will never change. Even if this does.

My Twitter is @lyvanna

Leaf | August 22, 10:35 CET

My Twitter is @catalyst2_i.

Still just gutted. Feels like the whole 'verse is out of kilter.

ETA: I can't spell Twittr.
ETA 2: Damn it, still can't spell Twitter!

[ edited by catalyst2 on 2017-08-22 16:40 ]

[ edited by catalyst2 on 2017-08-22 16:41 ]

catalyst2 | August 22, 10:39 CET

Thank you Caroline, Simon, Sunfire, zeitgeist, SoddingNancyTribe, Milo, Herb, and any other mods I might've missed, for your hard work and dedication to this site and community. You created and fostered the rarest of the rare, an online community of respectful, thoughtful, and witty commentary. It's been a joy to be part of this world.

While there were long stretches when I wasn't keeping up with the site, due to work and real life, it's always been there for me. I'm sad to see it go, but we must all move on.

As for the awful Joss news, I feel tremendously sad for Kai, the Whedon kids, and yes, even Joss. It's none of our business and shouldn't be, but it's clear this is a world of pain they are all going through.

People will join the pile on all over the internet, with the hot takes that are the norm for the internet. While I rejoiced with all of you when the first Avengers movie succeeded beyond all expectations, this is what comes with the territory when ones underdog idol is elevated to mainstream popularity. He's not the first and won't be the last to endure such a public shaming or bashing. By next week, there will be another celeb for the hordes to go after.

And lastly, although we tend to fixate on the artists, creatives and creations of our fandoms, I've always found that they are ultimately a reflection of ourselves. Our idols may fall from grace but hold on to how they made you feel and what you learned about yourself. And the wonderful, flawed, decent, kind, smart, funny people of this community are a testament to the works that brought us here. I'm deeply grateful to have been a part of this community. Thank you!

Oh, and I'm @NotoriousPKP at Twitter.

punkinpuss | August 22, 11:02 CET

AGREED re: SNT's handle -- it was one of the things that delighted me into hanging around in the beginning, when I wasn't sure I'd be a regular. Did I ever tell you that, L?

(I'm @barest_smidgen on twitter, also, and dig the Class List that's happening/would love to be added.)

barest_smidgen | August 22, 11:30 CET

A sad day indeed. Thank you Caroline, Simon, et al. Thank you, Joss.

theblaberus | August 22, 11:35 CET

After the initial shock of yesterday's news, I'm back with thanks to all the mods and members who made this the best site on the interwebs.

On Twitter as @thedothatgirl.

You'll be missed.

The Do That Girl | August 22, 11:35 CET

Can't believe I remembered my login! I just wanted to say a quick but heartfelt thanks to the dedicated admins who kept this place running in such fine style for so long. This was always such a smart, funny and respectful place for discussion and I will remember it warmly.

chasa | August 22, 11:35 CET

For the list, my Twitter handle is @adam_sterling.

Knuckleball | August 22, 11:48 CET

My twitter's in my profile, but I'll mention it here as well, it's @nb1316.

Xantastic1316 | August 22, 11:54 CET

So, hey everybody! Anything new going on?

I have loved the way this site expanded my understanding of the stories I've enjoyed and the creators behind them for so long. I have treasured following leads to peripheral projects (whedonesque led me to back season one of Con Man!) And I have thrilled at the warm and wonderful conversations you have all had.

Thank you to Caroline and all the admins/mods. But mostly, thank you to all of you marvelously expressive people who came here and contributed. It has been a real treat to read all your comments.

@blanemather on twitter and Instagram

Blane Mather on Facebook

blanemather@yahoo.com

Thanks again everyone. I will miss you. Fare well, be well and look for joy in the little things in life.

blanetalk | August 22, 12:19 CET

My Twitter and other contact info is in my profile, but Twitter is where I'm most active and I'm @followmal there.

FollowMal | August 22, 12:21 CET

Thank you guys SO much for making the twitter list! I thought I should do something like that, but it sounded very...time consuming.

jcs | August 22, 12:30 CET

I think you may have said something about it, back in the day, K. Thank you, again. :-) And, thank you, everyone, for the kind words directed to the people who tried to keep this place on an even keel.

I (re)tweet very rarely, and then almost exclusively about women's soccer and politics, a heady brew that may not be to anyone's taste, but:

@lalalalbc

SoddingNancyTribe | August 22, 12:34 CET

Twitter is so limited in terms of discussion. You try to make a thoughtful post, and it comes off as a poorly spelled, grammatically vacuous, knee-jerk reaction. Perhaps we can congregate at one specific site beyond that? One that is as beautifully moderated as this one? (I know that's hoping for too much!)

Nebula1400 | August 22, 12:35 CET

Hi everyone, I'm among the many who didn't post or comment on here for years, but clearly this site has done much more than being a place to find info, or than being just an average online place to "be a fan" in, or so many people wouldn't feel compelled to come out and say something before it's over.

I want to thank all the admins and mods for the amazing job they have done (15 years, I think about the time and effort put into this, and really, thank you so much!).

I want to thank everyone here for being able to create a community that made people feel safe.
There are amazing people on here that I was lucky enough to meet years ago, online and some of them offline as well, during a dark time of deep depression in my life.
I can see that I'm not the only one who was really hepled deal with a tough time by the people in this fandom.
Being active in the fandom, back then, reminded me what being a feminist meant, but also helped me trust men by hosting some great ones. And I had some great fun, too! Nothing can take this away from me, and, hopefully, from anyone who had a similar experience.

So, yeah, just a big, huge thank you to everyone involved, for everything that Whedonesque has meant and will always mean. I am sad to see it closing, but I understand.

My twitter name is @gratta_capo, I used to be JoTheCat on twitter for all my fandom friends, but that account got hacked.

Be happy, and shiny as always, everyone!

JotheCat | August 22, 12:36 CET

I'm @jellymoff, would love to be added to the group.

Jelly | August 22, 12:42 CET

Posted my goodbye above, but didn't bother with the Twitter handle. But if there's gonna be a database, I wanna be in it (an impulse that will not serve me well long-term).

I'm @Peckinpal

sumogrip | August 22, 13:02 CET

Haven't collected my thoughts fully yet but wanted to add my thanks before this goes read-only. Taking into consideration that the mods were thinking of shutting down the site anyway, I understand and empathize with their decision to shut this down gracefully (however bittersweet it is for us).

It's been important for me for awhile to separate the huge influence that Joss Whedon and his works have had on my life from any one person or show. I thought I'd worked through the issues that "my fave is problematic" brought up and come out the other side with a nuanced understanding that the art is not the artist and you can love a thing and see its flaws at the same time.

I've got more thoughts about all of that but what I wanted to say here is thank you. Thank you, Whedonesque, thank you BtVS and whedon fandom and family for shaping my world in such positive ways. Television Without Pity buffy fandom (ok it was Mighty Big TV back then I think) was my first introduction to an engaging and kind fandom on the internet and helped me become fully computer literate. I searched for "firefly" on okcupid and found my now-fiance. I converted people to the love of these universes and watched them turn other people onto it until I felt responsible for hundreds of new fans and passions. I wrote college papers on Serenity, drunkenly lectured people in bars about the importance of flawed female heroines, and paid money at a Con just this weekend to take a picture with Nicholas Brendon because my 13-year-old self would have been excited. These worlds have given me so much and it's thanks to the other fans. You all saved the world. A lot.

Thanks for being such funny, decent people. I hope you're doing okay with all this and I'll see you down the road.

Robin Claire | August 22, 13:08 CET

Me sad.

Thanks whedonesque for being the only fan site for me since 2005.

Now I'm off to twitter (@BernardGastel) to drown my sorrow in outrage and cat pics.

bigsofty | August 22, 13:09 CET

I remember waiting years just for the chance to sign up to be a member of this board. That was a decade ago. Time flies.

"What are we going to do now?" ~ Dawn Summers

Out of Objects | August 22, 13:11 CET

So long and adieu.

My thanks go out to admins, mods, posters and lurkers.

@sista_ray

sister_ray | August 22, 13:37 CET

Huge thanks to Simon, Caroline, Sunfire and everyone else involved in running whedonesque. I'm struggling with recent events like everyone else, but I can tell you that Buffy and Firefly will continue to remain close to my heart. I will be watching them with my children someday and championing their messages.

Goodbye all! See you in the verse!
SuperScuba
Twitter: @StevenTWhaley

SuperScuba | August 22, 13:43 CET

I really hope someone starts a new site like Whedonesque soon. The fandom will need a place like it, Twitter will never be enough.

Nico-Angel | August 22, 13:54 CET

Thanks for being there so long.

Snugels | August 22, 13:55 CET

Thank you to everyone here who made this such a lovely and enriching experience.
Particularly to those who kept this site going and going and going...
The fruits of your labor have been, and are, a treasure.

Thank You.

RobynH | August 22, 13:58 CET

Wow. I'm shocked but I understand.

Thanks to Caroline and all of the mods and behind-the-scenes folk for keeping this site running for so many years. And thanks to the numerous posters, most of whom contributed a lot more than I, for making the fora so easy to read*. I didn't always agree with people's comments but I loved and appreciated the effort (most) posters put into expressing their viewpoints.

Best of luck to everybody! I might just have to get a Twitter account...

*yeah, yeah, the mods - particularly Simon of late - did need to help out now and then!

shelled | August 22, 14:07 CET

Hope I'm not too late. All this news comes as a bolt from the blue, and I think I shall reserve comment about the larger, non-site news.

But as for the site-specific news... gosh. What a place this has been, and what a memory trip this thread has been. All these old familiar names. Thank you and love to everyone who made this place possible, now and forever. Thank you and love to all those who made the place still. Thank you and love to all the people of this site, one of the few places on the internet that I ever dared to read the comments...

A final thought: no love is ever wasted. And you know my tangled relationship with love, because I am...

ManEnoughToAdmitIt | August 22, 14:20 CET

Wow, reading the profile descriptions on that Twitter list, it's like a who's who of chic & classy.

kleemotion | August 22, 14:32 CET

Hey all,

Like many here, I didn't post often and I am sad to say farewell to the site. Though I've been less interested in Joss's work with Marvel, I still visit the site everyday, mostly out of habit, and I guess for a feeling of comfort. Many thanks to everyone who has worked hard to keep this going - Simon, Caroline, Gossi, SNT, Zeitgeist, Sunfire. I'm sure I'm missing people, so thanks to anyone I did not mention. I would like to say that what you all have done is brilliant, and please don't let anyone make you feel ashamed of no longer wanting or no longer being able to put work into the site.

I think I joined in 2008, around the time Dr. Horrible aired, though I'd been reading long before. I'd been watching Buffy since it first started airing on the BBC in the UK, I must have been 11 or 12. I grew up with the show, and it was immensely important to me. It was the first show that really told me that it was okay to be gay, and in many ways I owe everyone involved a huge debt, and I include this community in that group of people.

With regards to recent events, I will say it's important not to deify people. No one is infallible, nor should they be considered or held up as such. Whatever we think about Joss's personal relationships, it's also important to critique his art, to identify the flaws in his work, to examine the multiple forms of sexism and discrimination within it (no work is without them), and to realize that feminism as a project is not an end point at which we will ever arrive. In my view, feminism is a continual process of attempting to unlearn patriarchy, and of trying to understand how this systems of oppression, and others like capitalism, racism, and homophobia, are structural and inter-related rather than individual and distinct. Critique and sedition, like those oppressive systems they oppose, are never satisfied.

Buffy (and Angel, and Firefly) helped me through adolescence, through my undergraduate degree, through graduate school, and through multiple processes of emigration that I invariably undertook alone, from the UK, to Australia, to the US, to Canada. I've never met anyone from this site, but if anyone would like to be in touch, I'm now a professor working in Waterloo in Southern Ontario. My name is Daniel Cockayne, my email address is daniel.cockayne@gmail.com, and my twitter handle is @insistondoubt.

So thanks for a great run everyone - I don't think I would be who I am today without these shows and this community.

Much love,

Dan

[ edited by insistondoubt on 2017-08-22 20:35 ]

insistondoubt | August 22, 14:34 CET

While I was once a daily visitor here, it had been a couple of weeks and I just happened to come in this morning to see this post. "What? Why? No!!!" Was pretty much my reaction.

And then I read Kai's letter. And I get it.

This day has been pretty devastating all around. I'm still processing. Buffy was my first love, my inspiration as a person, as a feminist, as someone who tries to fight to make the world better. I will always and forever be grateful to Joss for that. And for many more of his works, all of which I have followed, and many of those of his disciples. But I also cannot ignore the damage he knowingly did over the course of years to his wife, and the violation that that is of everything I admired him for. So. I think a step away is a good choice.

I will really really miss this site and this community. As many have said, I loved that this was a supportive, thoughtful place, of common minded people. I liked that there is one place where I can find out about all the things I'm interested in, and discover some new ones. Thank you so much to the moderators for keeping this going for so long, and to all of you for creating a community I could be part of (albeit in a mostly inactive way). I read a bunch of comments, I'm sure I'll come back to read more. Thanks in advance for archiving it all because I know I'll want to come back.

This feels like an end of an era in so many ways. I guess it really is.

Ilana99 | August 22, 14:38 CET

Been years, but wanted to send my best to all. A truly special slice of the web that will be missed.

"What's a Rogue Demon?"

[ edited by Rogue Demon Hunter on 2017-08-22 20:48 ]

Rogue Demon Hunter | August 22, 14:39 CET

I'd sorta said my goodbyes last night, expecting the site to be read-only tonight. Glad it isn't yet though. As like Sahjhan above I never realised Tim Minear posted here. So if you ever get to read this Tim, you were always my favourite writer on Angel. And since Angel was, is, and probably always will be my favourite show of all time, then obviously I owe you my grateful appreciation there. So a hearty big Thank you, both for all the hard work you put into it, (and all the other shows you worked on) and Thanks for saying bye to everyone here!

Ach! I see people mentioning the Twitter part is still ongoing, alas I don't have Twitter. So best of luck to everyone! See ye on the flip side!

Jas | August 22, 14:54 CET

FWIW, my Twitter handle is @TinEarTom, but most of my energy goes into @GourmetHorror.

Tin Ear Tom | August 22, 14:57 CET

It’s sad to say goodbye to the friendliest fan-site on the Internet. You were my first and last.

Thanks for all the work everyone put into it.

Caleb | August 22, 15:03 CET

I just want to say goodbye to this amazing site. It's always been a supportive space for all of us to come to. It saddens me that this site is closing down.

chellsbells | August 22, 15:17 CET

Yeah, fwiw you can find me over in the land of twitting birds as @brinderwalt - although you won't find too much there as of late (imo silence is underrated on the internet.)

brinderwalt | August 22, 15:24 CET

I've been mostly a lurker here, but for the Twitter class list I'm:
@TweednDust

Satai (with Punsch) | August 22, 15:53 CET

First post since 2005, but daily reader here...

This makes me very, very sad. :( Thank you for all the work that everyone put into this site over the years. It was truly a great resource and gathering place.

sfrechette | August 22, 16:09 CET

ETA: sumogrip, just saw what you said upthread. Truly, I'm just not a scary lady. I'm sorry you didn't feel comfortable enough to say hi.

Haha, thanks QG -- promise, the fear was my own shyness, nothing to do with you! But I WILL overcome it and stop by Javista one of these days...

sumogrip | August 22, 16:33 CET

Leaving my Twitter handle too @angearia. Thanks for all the good times!

Emmie | August 22, 16:34 CET

Goodbye all! I will take with me many happy memories of so much wit and wisdom ... from Saje, QuoterGal, gossi, SNT, and so many more.

Many thanks to the mods and to everyone else for giving us 15 wonderful years.

1starbuckstown | August 22, 16:35 CET

This has been my homepage ever since I joined. I'm gonna miss it and everyone here dearly!
Thanks to everyone involved in having kept it alive for as long as you have. Thanks to the members who made it a great place to visit and share so much.

Simon- thanks so much for helping an insufferable Firefly fan early on!

Cheers everyone and take care!

@tzaogao1

Philo | August 22, 16:47 CET

The meaning, value and quality of the work holds true. Let's also not forget we all fail and fall sometimes.

I don't go on Twitter much but please add me to the list, I'm @Ston3y1 - (found more regularly on one of the boards... BuffyForums, BB or SlayAlive). With BtVS, show and comics, to still watch, read and discuss, I'll be around. :)

Great to see your name crop up again Emmie. :D

[ edited by Stoney on 2017-08-22 23:19 ]

Stoney | August 22, 16:52 CET

I made friends here. And the site was a part of my life for a long time. It was good.

Simon | August 22, 16:54 CET

Just realized that saje has been here! One of the truly missed. We wondered where you were & how you were. If nothing else, this bringing together of the old guard has eased the pain a little bit.
I'm on the twitter list, I retweet more than tweet but I'm there. Take good care of yourselves, everyone. Remember not to attack the writer.

Lioness | August 22, 16:56 CET

Sending hugs to all ... I'm still processing this.

Jocelyn | August 22, 16:59 CET

This site will be missed. Thanks for sharing your time and enthusiasm with all of us for as long as you did.

blueberry scone | August 22, 17:11 CET

Bye Whedonesque! I only made the occasional random comments that mostly got ignored, but I'm still going to miss you. Thanks for the memories! Thanks mods! Thanks Caroline! And thank you Joss for creating all those scripts that I broke down to learn TV writing structure.

Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and most of Dollhouse will always hold a special place in my heart that not only brings me joy but also sometimes lets me know that eras have passed and I'm getting really old.

I guess the end of this site is sort of like that. But Joss will keep making new stuff and people will keep enjoying it, and there will be other comment boards out there somewhere. Probably. Or Twitter will replace all comment boards, in which case, I will be right there to comment after I dig myself a 60 foot sadness hole and bury myself in it.

[ edited by Celluloid Novelist on 2017-08-22 23:57 ]

Celluloid Novelist | August 22, 17:41 CET

Wow! 15 years! This site was a big part of my life for so long. I've been a lurker for much of that, but active enough that this is more painful than I would have imagined.

Please add me to the twitter list (@razzies)

Grr Argh to all

Gypsy | August 22, 17:42 CET

Wow, such a lot of things imploding this year -- and strange that it should occur during the same year that we celebrated 20 years of Buffy.

I still viewed the site via feed and popped over here every few weeks to see what comments there might be on one story or another, but more often than not there weren't any. It's been quite nostalgic to see a number of familiar names and sad to see that some of them have been gone in a more permanent way.

The Class of Whedonesque is a nice idea. I'll add my account @yourlibrariandw Thanks to all the mods over the year and others who kept the site running. It's a lot of dedication and the site's been an important contributor to the history of its various fandoms.

yourlibrarian | August 22, 17:47 CET

@erasmusfaun on twitter. Might have to start using it

wasabiseventeen | August 22, 17:49 CET

Thank you moderators. I've mostly lurked, but I loved the civility of this community.

Goodbye

Valantha | August 22, 17:50 CET

I've been reading all the comments made so far and it has made dealing with the situation easier. Thank you, all.

I'm not on twitter but want to reiterate that if anyone starts up an alternative website to keep the Whedonesque discussions going, I'll be there. <3

Bluelark | August 22, 18:00 CET

If anyone plans on finding a new place to discuss Shield when it airs let me know. I'm going to miss that the most.

Grack21 | August 22, 18:26 CET

I just want to say goodbye to all my fellow Whedonverse fans. I wasn't much of a contributor but I came to this site every day. My love of and admiration for the work of Joss and Co. will not go away. I think I will be able to compartmentalize the art from the artist. And even though we are all at the very least disappointed in him and his behaviour, that doesn't invalidate the message of female empowerment. We still have the message even if we don't have the messenger.

I'd like to hear his side of the story and I'll never stop being a passionate fan of the shows and characters I came to love, but this admittedly sad news.

Thanks to the mods for their work in creating this site and keeping it one of the few places on the internet where flaming and trolling were not tolerated.

I wish I had started on the ground floor with Whedonesque, but I didn't discover Buffy until a few years worth of positive buzz made me want to check it out.

I feel like I'm saying goodbye to friends I've never met. That is a new and strange feeling. Who knows, maybe our paths will cross sometime.

batmarlowe | August 22, 18:31 CET

Life is poetry, apparently. Even with everything else that has been going on, and the perspectives that have been shared, reading this has been strangely cathartic for me. First, the obvious upwelling of love and mutual support from this stellar community, but also because these comments have helped me come to terms with and begin to heal from something similar going on in my life - a gift which was completely unlooked for, and for which I am yet again indebted to this site and you all. I will miss you...and my daily keystroke routine will forever be altered.

Thanks, then, for the years, thoughtfulness, and incredible heart you all have shown (especially the fearless Mods). Thanks for letting me be a part of it. Thanks to Jossir and his work for inspiring it - and the work continues, I hope. I feared the court of public opinion broke Joss after some of his projects (AOU in particular), but his stories are of that singular kind that need to be told, and heard, and lived. I hope that will continue in the future. (@ludwig88) Less than three, and see you soon, friends.

"No longer do the dance of joy, Numfar."

[ edited by MirandaGhost on 2017-08-23 00:40 ]

[ edited by MirandaGhost on 2017-08-23 01:51 ]

MirandaGhost | August 22, 18:38 CET

Wow. I could go on, in both sides of the debate, but that won't change anything. My only comment would be that all celebrities are human and have a difficult time living on the pedestal we put them on. When they topple they often break into pieces. I am a white cisgender woman that works against racism and homophobia; that being said, it doesn't mean I'm not subject to unconscious bias. Joss, as a a man, can try to be a feminist but will never fully understand what it means to be a woman. Didn't mean to write a sermon; thanks mods for all your hard work and dedication to this site. My Twitter handle is @kpbkwrm - would love to be a part of any incarnation of the site that may continue.

kpbkwrm | August 22, 18:57 CET

I'll miss you. There was so much to talk about. Much love.

"Why do we have to get rid of so many things I like?"

roddikinathome | August 22, 18:57 CET

so long and thanks for all the fish

Jeremy [UK] | August 22, 19:03 CET

I wear the cheese. It doesn't wear me.

@drneevil

Much love to the mods. What a journey.

drneevil | August 22, 19:10 CET

Just realized I've been lurking for more than half the time the site's been online - time sure flies.

Thanks for the years. Appreciated the space.

Oddly thinking about "Once More, with feeling" at this moment and the contributions in happier times.

I would hope that things would be different, but we are all human and it does make life interesting and oh so not boring.

And I was looking forward to following along with Agents of Shield in the new year.

"Where do we go from here?"

Thanks for being here. Bye

[ edited by alittledarkcorner on 2017-08-23 02:42 ]

alittledarkcorner | August 22, 19:31 CET

I have eternally lurked here, but stopped visiting daily when I stopped watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. at the start of season three. And that seems to have been longer ago than I thought...yikes. But coming back here every once in a while always felt like home.

I'm going to miss having a convenient, clear place to find out what the cast and crew are doing. I'm going to miss the wit and eloquence of the posters here. I appreciate the work that's been put into this place for so long - thank you. Seems I can get my fix of Tumblr GIFs on Twitter, at least. ;)

I still have a Whedoncon writeup to work on...

MicheleVR5 | August 22, 20:25 CET

Somehow, I didn't learn about this until now, so coming in late. I haven't posted in years, but I just wanted to add my sign-off to the collection.

This site was very much like a home base for me for years. I referred to it as the "hive mind", the place where I was empathically connected to what was going on in the Whedon world, and always knew what was going on before it was known "outside" this circle. But most importantly, it was a great place to share discussion with great like-minded people.

Thanks to Caroline, Simon, and the many others who made this place possible and the many many posters who made it special.

In an effort to deal with all this through humor, I leave you with this from Dave Chapelle.

jam2 | August 22, 21:02 CET

I will always think fondly about this site and the people who post here. For a while I visited it everyday. I'll miss it. Lots of warm, special memories. Adieu, dear ones!

Regarding the situation with Kai and Joss, we have another example of the oft seen and disconcerting disconnect between a person's art and their personal life. To me, Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel will always be a very important work of art that speaks to me profoundly on both a personal and political level. Does Whedon's failings as a person negate that? No. But it does cast a dark shadow, looming in the background, haunting and reminding us that you can't just profess and promote a politics, you MUST live it. His vision certainly changed hearts and minds, and will continue to do so, but we can't just live in the realm of ideas, promoting ideological struggle in the cultural sphere. It's what you do in your home, in your community, in the streets, which perversely, is that his work is about, concrete struggle and solidarity. It has to be about more than just cultural/ideological struggle because even if you manage to change a person's ideas or even a people's ideas, if that idea isn't established in everyday, concrete life, then that idea can just swing back because it isn't rooted in material reality. I would trade ten new feminist shows/movies for one new activist/organizer. We need real feminists now more than ever.

Keep struggling. Keep fighting. We will win.

DocBenway | August 22, 21:18 CET

Venceremos, DocBenway!

Nebula1400 | August 22, 23:03 CET

Thank you everyone for this site, moderators and posters. I've been an inconsistent lurker for years and this post'll be a drop in the bucket. But I felt the need to say thanks and get my thoughts out.

Buffy and most Whedon-works were everything I ever wanted in scifi/fantasy. I've never loved other properties like I love them. Whedon's writing led me into my dream profession, film. I learned more from him than any other filmmaker or writer. Nothing can't undo that. But as a writer and artist I firmly believe you can't separate an artist from their work.

I'm disappointed that one of my heroes is so much more flawed than I ever imagined. While I'm still in shock it hasn't made me love his work less (so far). It makes me understand when I haven't loved it. When he clearly displayed a blind spot. And it does shine a different, unflattering light on a lot of things, like now to me he's more Willow with the cheating and manipulating than Buffy or Xander. But his work helped me understand that people are complicated. That each person is capable of great good and great evil. He's a talented, empathetic writer who wants to inspire others. He's also a man who horribly betrayed someone who deserved his love and respect. One doesn't cancel out the other. He's both a (inconsistent) feminist and a hypocrite. He clearly didn't live all his values but I feel he lived some of them.

Honestly, I'm still processing all of this since I was in the dark just two hours ago. At the end of the day, he and his works have done a lot of good for the world. And no matter what I am at least thankful for that.

luciddreams | August 23, 00:01 CET

Saje ? As many others have said, you were sooo missed, man. But I figured you had moved on and/or left commenting to free up more time for other life stuff. Glad to know you're alive ! :)

Closure of site slightly redeemed by all the old/familiar faces stopping by to say goodbye.

[ edited by Kris on 2017-08-23 08:15 ]

Kris | August 23, 00:23 CET

JDL, I know -- no more IMDb boards and no Whedonesque in the same year means I'm gonna have a lot more free time (which is good, since I'm moving from the suburbs to city next month and plan to explore some new interests, get even more fit, and spend more time with friends who live down there), but where else to go to discuss film & TV ? Does anywhere else have threaded message boards, a sizeable enough attendance to make it worth the time, AND just the right feel and mix of people and opinions (sure, the IMDb boards could get mighty trollsome when it came to some of the bigger TV show and movie titles, but there were still a ton of good discussions and intelligent people on the IMDb as well).

I'm going to greatly miss reading everyone's comments after new episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D (and the Inhumans discussions that'll never be now, assuming there was any Mutant Enemy involvement in that) and participating in the episode threads most weeks.

Kris | August 23, 00:51 CET

My twitter handle is @Mikael_Vs

Garim | August 23, 01:10 CET

I'd just like to add, since a number of people stated that we are all disappointed in Joss Whedon, that I am not*. I always considered something like this possible – not, because I saw it in him specifically, but because I am very aware, that people are made up from a multitude of personality traits, that may even contradict each other**.
One of the most basic principles of my being is that I do not want to judge typical*** human behaviour. I might – sometimes strongly – disagree with it, and occassionally think that we, as a society, need to protect ourselves from it (murder is a perfect example for this****), but I try not to attach some (lack of) moral value to it.
All the people, I know – every single one, including myself – are flawed. Because of this, I don't consider being flawed a flaw. I don't view it as a stain. I view it as a necessity in order to be called "human". It comes with the package. In my mind, neither accomplishments, nor mistakes, should be over-valued and things shouldn't be read into them.
People exhibiting behaviour patterns, that I do not agree with, does not make me think less of them. It may, due to personal preferences, influence my interest in spending time with them, or supporting them, but not because I think their way of life is inferior to my own. Even if I sometimes fail to understand it.
I also firmly believe, that behaviour is strongly connected to circumstances and that given the right – or wrong – circumstances, every single person is capable of every single deed. But if I see myself theoretically commiting acts like adultery, or even murder – no matter how far away from them I may currently consider myself to be (Very far. Don't get any ideas. Cheating sucks.) – then how can I decry them in others? How can I express disappointment when I know – or atleast think –, that what keeps me from doing similar things is for the most part coincidental?
I can't, and so I won't. Even if all the accusations turn out to be true, I can see how your mind would enable you to lie to yourself just enough in order to be able to continue to live with yourself. It's basic self-protection and survival instinct. Because I don't think a halfway decent person could fully experience the guilt of their betrayal for one and a half decades without going completely mental.

Finally I want to say a quick word about the discussing of this topic in general: While I firmly believe in privacy and staying out of other people's business, I also believe that you cannot pick and choose as you see fit. When you enter the entertainment business, there are certain lines, you can draw, regarding your public persona, but you have to respect them, as well. You cannot draw them wherever and whenever you feel like it, and ignore them the rest of the time. Joss Whedon decided to become a public figure. Far beyond his work he has shared his personal thoughts and opinions and allowed people to appreciate not only his work, but him. Nobody forced him to do this, it was his own decision.
Kay Cole, on the other hand, wasn't a public figure. But she, too, decided to become one - or atleast make this a public issue. The story wasn't broken by the yellow press – it was broken by her. I think a respectful, considerate discussion is reasonable.
Furthermore, I personally like to take specific issues and hot-topics, and not necessarily talk about the specific cases, I often don't know enough about, but rather use them to talk about general ideas, that may be attached to them. Which – for the most part – is what I tried to do here.

*Especially considering that it's hardly more than an one-sided accusation at this point.
**For the record: I don't think this contradicts his views on women and equality, but that's just me. I consider that Kidman-thing to be far more questionable in that regard.
***A prominent and successful Hollywood producer, who – as far as I'm aware – wasn't exactly the most sought-after date in high school, and who's suddenly surrounded and appreciated and tempted by attractive young women? Come on, people. This isn't rocket science!
****Man buns also come to mind.

Sahjhan | August 23, 01:54 CET

I have nothing new to say but I'm gonna say it anyway. First, thank you to the admins and mods and the commenters that made this place what it is; and to all the creators, even/especially Joss, for bringing us all together in the first place. I've been a member here since 2008 and for most of that time I read literally every comment, which took some effort during the busier times (I used to open the archive page before I went to work, then open it again in a new tab so I could compare the comment counts and make sure I hadn't missed any from threads that had scrolled off the front page. Lately it's been enough to just keep an eye on the Recent Comments page.) I had to read this whole thread before posting because I'm neurotic like that, and I'll keep reading it as long as people keep posting here. I'm so glad to see all the old familiar names coming back for this.

Joss has never been a personal hero of mine, though I've loved his work since I discovered Firefly - I disagree with too much of his politics. I've changed my mind on a few things, though, more because of the discussions here than the shows themselves, although those didn't hurt. Art can be powerful. So I'm disappointed by the revelations (whatever details may or may not be true, I think it's clear something bad happened, and in fact I'd be disappointed even if the only news was that he'd gotten divorced) but after a day and a half to think about it, I've realized it's not going to stop me enjoying the shows. Yes, I do think less of him, but it's a good thing to have a reminder that we're all flawed humans.

I'm @rachelkachel on Twitter, but I'm pretty quiet.

Rachelkachel | August 23, 02:16 CET

Switch: Not like this. Not like this.

All the old names popping up. Damn. I spent so much time here lurking and reading you guys. Saje!, so glad to see you. Also others, like Emmie, from the season 8 comics heydays. Those were the days! I still don't really believe this is the end.

Thank you Caroline and the other mods.

Thank you Sunfire.

And thank you Simon, for never taking away my bucket.

Kaan | August 23, 02:25 CET

Oh no....
Many thanks for all these years.
You will be greatly missed.

And like the previous comment, Joss if you read this : all of this are private issues. It's not our business and we only have one side of the coin.

Everybody makes mistakes. Please continue to believe in a better world even if you're not perfect.

[ edited by Grifter on 2017-08-23 10:01 ]

Grifter | August 23, 03:35 CET

I didn't bother with my Twitter handle previously, since I don't actually, you know, tweet.

But my handle is @anne_aa and I'd love to be added to the class!

darling | August 23, 06:00 CET

For most of my interaction with this site, I have been a lurker, even after I joined. I wasn't even a member for a full five years. But this site was an excellent way to keep up with news about those involved in Whedon-productions past and present. So I give all the moderators, and the site creators, my thanks.

skippcomet | August 23, 06:22 CET

@sahjhan, @Let Down: I echo that sentiment.

I'm going to miss this forum...

alittledarkcorner | August 23, 06:38 CET

Human relationships are tricky. I can't pretend to know who and what's right regarding other people's business; I simply try to stay out of them as much as I can. In that respect, I feel that the shutting down of this site is poorly timed. It somehow feels like a betrayal of a man whose stories and words have inspired me for years. That being said, I can't imagine how much time and effort the magnificent mods and Caroline must have dedicated to this site for a long, long time. And all good things usually do come to an end.

Thank you to everyone whose thoughts and input I have cherished over the last decade or so -- first as an outsider, then as a superproud member. I seem to remember that I was member 8989, and that I patiently waited for a Halloween to come around to be a full-fledged member.

I will sorely miss Whedonesque, and hope to find a rebirth of sorts somewhere -- anywhere. Just push the button, and I'll come back.

I would love to be added to the class of Whedonesque -- I am @Carnelionne on Twitter.

Much respect and love to this community from Carnelionne

Carnelionne | August 23, 07:13 CET

On vacation for a couple of days and back in routine: this.

I joined 9 years ago, after missing out on a couple of the registration days.
Back then, Slayerverse and Whedonesque were the places I went for the Whedon-community feeling.

These days Whedonesque is my place for the relevant news and discussions of Whedon's work and related stuff. I say "is", because I routinely type the URL when I'm online and it will take some time to change that.

I wished instead of the twitter, you would keep the Facebook page alive. Facebook with the posted links and comments can be a similar home... but I guess moderating the users there is even harder.

As for the issue: let's say all of it is true, it does not tarnish his works for me. Him being a cheating and lying husband is certainly a bad quality, but does not make him not a feminist. If he had relations with colleagues, fans and actresses, we cannot say if it was because of temptation or because he was in a position of power. Like most of the times, a public mob is not the way to go, when it is a personal issue. We do not have the insight here. We do not know what happened.

The works have great messages and they are what matters to me. Even if Joss seems to be less awesome as person, than I hoped he was.

When I visited this page this morning, I was wondering how the site would react to all of it. I did not expect that the site would close down.

Knowing myself how hard it is to run a Fanpage, I understand completely. I guess there are always many reasons to end a site and this new development is just another one on top.

Thanks for a safe place for discussions and for all your time and efforts. It is highly appreciated.

Now I need to continue reading all the comments....

Add on:
As some people feel like this is a slap in the face: Maybe add another charity to the top, to even it out a little. Equality charities are still in need of funding. ;)

Twitter:
@Lebannen

[ edited by roadi on 2017-08-23 13:39 ]

roadi | August 23, 07:27 CET

Oh man, it's interesting to see all these familiar names show up again. I ended up being a member for almost a decade (xmas '07 registration), this will be my 95th comment. I'm pretty sure this was one of my main internet hangouts for a long time. I think the start of AoS was the beginning of me starting to drift away from here possibly because of tumblr and the general early fandom negativity getting to me, but I did end up still visiting here often usually to check the archives. I'm glad it will end up staying as one. Even though I rarely participated, this was always such a lovely fandom space and very handy for finding out what people connected to things I love are currently doing.

I really wanna thank Caroline and all the mods for keeping this place going for so long but I completely understand the decision. Angel will always be a very important show to me, I will continue loving AoS and his other work has given me a lot of joy in the past. Hopefully it will again in the future, but we'll see.

Ftr, my twitter is @nocticola (as is my tumblr and most fandom space handles, with or without a 88)

[ edited by Nocticola on 2017-08-24 00:13 ]

Nocticola | August 23, 07:46 CET

I will miss this site. I love coming here to see what's happening with Joss and the people who worked with him. The comments have always been interesting to read. Thanks you to everyone who has kept this site going all these years. Bravo, job well done!

Passion | August 23, 07:46 CET

Just a reminder that this post is not a place for bashing Joss or Kai and a reminder that, as Caroline said above, the shutdown has been in the cards for some time. It is not a knee-jerk reaction to recent news. Be good to each other, be kind.

zeitgeist | August 23, 08:15 CET

Hey, 500 comments. Is that a record, at least for a non-Joss post?

While there are other places to discuss Whedon related projects, this has always been the best place for getting news, all here in one place. There won't be any Whedon-specific alternative for that, I'm afraid. That and the AoS episode discussions are what I will miss the most.

[ edited by AndrewCrossett on 2017-08-23 14:25 ]

AndrewCrossett | August 23, 08:24 CET

Anyone looking for SHIELD talk can also try the Reddit page, only been there a bit but the episodes always get a a good number of comments.

Dusk | August 23, 08:44 CET

@roadi:

Slayerverse! Yes! I remember that page (even went looking for it not too long ago, but it was gone) – and you. I think we even used to chat for a minute or two back in the day.

Sahjhan | August 23, 09:11 CET

@Sahjhan
Yes we did.
Good old times...
I went looking for it too. I think they kept the board for some time after closing the news site.

roadi | August 23, 09:18 CET

There were some great discussions going on. I remember writing a lengthy piece about the value of Riley as a character, or something. I also wrote a review for the main page about "Doublemeat Palace" and gave it the highest available rating (apparently my proclivity for abnormal viewpoints isn't exactly new). That must've been years before I ever knew about this place, right here (and when I consider how bad my english was back in 2004 – Thanks, IMDb! – that's probably for the best...).

Sahjhan | August 23, 09:37 CET

I was in MO enjoying the eclipse in all of it's awesome totality, and I stopped by to visit followmal while passing through. We hadn't seen each other in the flesh since the 2006 Browncoat Backup Bash (Flanvention).

After sharing a meal and chatting with our Moms, D told me about this post. We talked out our dismay over the recent developments. In the end we found it comforting that we had so randomly been together on this day of all days. This was a fandom we had grown to love.

Placing Mr. Whedon's personal defects aside, I found rooting for an underdog to be one of the most rewarding aspects of the fandom. With celebrity status and heightened media exposure (and the extreme ugliness that comes with it), the joy and engagement for me had become much less. I can only hazard a guess that others felt the same, as a large percentage of posts these past several months received 0 comments.

Truth be told, reading the comments was what I enjoyed most. That is testament to the skill of the creator and the mods: attracting quality people and shepherding spotless net-iquette.

So many thank yous to Caroline and Simon and Zeitgeist and sunfire and Gossi and all the mods for the years of dedication and hard work. This site was a calm spot in the storm of the world.

Best wishes and godspeed.

EDIT: Please add me to the Class of Whedonesque: @hera2511

[ edited by Hera on 2017-08-23 17:57 ]

[ edited by Hera on 2017-08-23 18:17 ]

Hera | August 23, 10:41 CET

As others have mentioned, seeing all of the familiar names and their comments on this thread has helped greatly with processing the pending shutdown. Thanks again.

Please do add me to the Twitter list: @MizBehavin1

MizBehavin1 | August 23, 11:20 CET

I'm glad that the mods have left this thread open so long. I think it's helping people process what has happened.

I didn't even know that Joss & Kai had separated, much less divorced, so I guess that made the news of his infidelity even more shocking.

And I'm grateful that you have given me the opportunity to say thank you to Caroline and the others for providing this space. As Hera just said, I often just read people's comments here without reading the actual news they were responding to. So many nice, intelligent, thoughtful people. I will miss this site. A lot.

I'm on facebook as Jocelyn Reynolds (currently my cover photo is of 2 stuffed bunnies, one of whom is "holding" my personal Mr. Pointy), and on Twitter as JossCat96 (that's not me being pretentious - my nickname has been Joss all my life).

stay shiny, keep flying
Jocelyn

[ edited by Jocelyn on 2017-08-23 17:26 ]

Jocelyn | August 23, 11:21 CET

Sad to s ee another site go, but the times do change. Thank you, mods.

I use this same alias at the Bronze Beta (all 6 or 7 of us left there are very friendly*grin) and at Reddit where I frequent the buffy angel whedon and himym subs among others.

Twitter is @katiesdaddykat ; there are several Robert or Bob Kendalls on Facebook and I don't want to give out my back info here

[ edited by DaddyCatALSO on 2017-08-23 17:54 ]

DaddyCatALSO | August 23, 11:53 CET

Only 318 comments for me. I tweet @SuzieSiegel, mostly about sarcoma, a rare cancer. My great thanks to Caroline and the other moderators. It's rare these days to see comment sections that are kept as civil as Whedonesque is/was.

I came late, in 2005 I think, after lung surgery for metastatic leiomyosarcoma. A friend said he'd come over and help me, but only if I agreed to watch Buffy. I became a huge fan of Joss, watched DVDs a million times, bought the comics, got the lunchbox.

Because I never expected to live this long, I participated in an auction for a dinner with Joss but quit when it went over $10,000. I did pay $250 for a Firefly book that he autographed. I suggested some silly wording, and now, when I put it on eBay, I'll have to note that I never actually met him and what he said was a joke.

I supported Equality Now before I had heard of Joss. I have a master's degree in women's studies, and I defended Joss when I was an anonymous feminist blogger. I went to Slayage and invited David Lavery to speak at my Unitarian church on Joss's belief system.

Like so many others, I remain devastated by Kai's essay. If her accusations are true, the problem is not just adultery. He had power over women who worked for him or wanted work.

Suzie | August 23, 12:20 CET

Sharing for the last time: Wynonna and Buffy. https://lesbiyinzer.com/2017/08/23/purgatory-in-sunnydale/

Dana5140 | August 23, 12:38 CET

For those looking for a 2nd Whedonesque home, don't forget the Flickr Library. It's not the same, of course, but it's been around almost as long as The Black:

https://www.flickr.com/groups/35468153735@N01/discuss/72157685448077273/72157687898795625/

Willowy | August 23, 12:40 CET

This thread is giving me the feels. Brings back memories. I'm gonna miss you guys!

electricspacegirl | August 23, 13:00 CET

Ahhh, my Hera - thank you for coming by. Our conversation that night did help ease and put in perspective the shock of this place closing down. As the years flew by for us, so the years flew by here and changes happen and ends come along.

I want to add to what I wrote above: my most precious friendship ( with Hera who shares the name Diane with me and whose Mama pronounced at dinner that it was a pretty name! ) is the gift Joss and this fandom gave me. My participation with and pride in Kids Need To Read is another gift Joss and this fandom gave to me. I will have them all of my life and I owe that to this place and Joss.

A note from Kids Need to Read:
( I hope that the mods will allow me some leeway bending the rules to post this as I'm a member of the board and writing about something I'm involved with and I know that's a no no, but please this one time? )

Kids Need to Read came from this fandom and it's grown and does good works nationally to inspire imagination thru giving books.
Thank you fandom, thank you this place, for all the support for the little charity and for again inspiring good here.
All of the board, the staff and the volunteers thank you, each and all.

FollowMal | August 23, 13:00 CET

Ah! I see Passion!!!! It is so good to see your name. Could people comment with their twitter handles if they are on there. I've found a handful of you guys on twitter, and it's been so nice.

And another plug for our tiny flickr group discussion :)

And ditto, electricspacegirl <3

Harmalicious | August 23, 13:04 CET

Coming out of lurkdom to say goodbye. Huge Buffy, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse fan. I used to come on here a lot, every day in fact. It lessened over the last couple of years since I haven't felt the same level of engagement with Joss's later projects. But this was a good place. I hardly posted so you won't know who I am, but I really appreciated you all. Thank you.

Mayhem | August 23, 13:20 CET

What ^^ @Mayhem said. I'll miss this place and even the comforting thought that it was here.

SuperScott | August 23, 13:46 CET

Ahhh, frak. I guess I'm not surprised this is happening now, but it saddens me immensely to see this community shut its welcoming doors.

Thanks so much to the owners and mods for being brilliant hosts. And cheers to the many talented artists and storytellers in this "verse" who compelled all of us to post and post and post here…to gossip, criticize, squee, argue, fawn, admire with awe, etcetera.

I will never forget the first random Whedon-penned TV episode I was shown oh-so-many years ago…some mid-series hour of Angel with a lot of plot arcs that went way over my head. What I recall clearly now was my ears pricking up at the sharp, smart, heartfelt, funny, sassy, humanist dialogue. I'd never heard anything like it before. And really haven't since, either.

Life is messy. Fandom is forever.

[ edited by ProgGrrl on 2017-08-25 21:49 ]

ProgGrrl | August 24, 08:42 CET

August 21 2017