Whedonesque

Website
Name:	Whedonesque
Owner/Maintainer:
Dates:	2002 to 2017
Type:	community weblog
Fandom:	BtVS, Angel, Firefly/Serenity, Dollhouse
URL:	at Twitter (active) whedonesque.com (closed, read-only for members) WHEDONesque - The Library (Flickr group)
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WHEDONesque is a community weblog discussing the work of TV series creator Joss Whedon. It was created by Caroline van Oosten de Boer and Milo Vermeulen for fan members to share their views on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and any other projects in which Joss is involved. As part of the Jossverse fandom its members were called whedonvers in honor of one of the other names in the verse.

The site was closed in August 2017, while there was no direct mention of the reason behind the closing, it's seems to relate to The Wrap's published essay by Kai Cole, Joss Whedon’s ex-wife.

Other sites and related pages were then removed, minus Twitter. The closing came to be an article on the EW site, which led to a big buzz about "separating the author from the work", or as Caroline called it Trust the art, not the artist, however she herself pointed out that:

[...] is a thing I stopped saying when I copped on it was probably an artist who coined the phrase

Site Closure

On August 21, 2017, it was announced that the site would be closed:

So farewell then. 15 years is a long time and a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. But now it's time to say goodbye. No more threads after this one, we're closing down. The site will at some stage become a read only site. So if you want to leave your contact details in this thread for other posters to get in touch that would be great otherwise email us at [email protected].

The admins would like to thank the posters at this site. You made this site and we wouldn't have lasted as long as we could without you. So thank you. And if you want to mark our passing, please find a charity or organisation that deals with the treatment of Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) and leave a donation.

And a special thanks to Caroline who I had the privilege of meeting.

— Simon

A few days later, Caroline made a more in-depth comment about the site's closure and that this idea was in the air even before the ones between Whedon and his ex-wife.

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.

— Caroline

Site Closing Reactions

Below are some comments in the hours following the site's closing report, for further comments and information see notes and references at the bottom of the page:

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.

— Ship

Can we start another site to continue fandom discussions, under an different name? Or we can just call it 'Esque'! ;-)

— Shep

Look! We made the NEWS!

Whedonesque Website Closes After Whedongate, Requests Donations Towards 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

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.

— ActualSize

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.

— b!X

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)

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