Greetings ChildrenOfLight - thank you for the note you left on my talk page. I will try to address the points you raise below: 
 i. the removal of banners: each banner comes with specific instructions on whether it can be removed;  
 ii. the "continual vagueness of the discussion"; precisely the reason for the AfD. This process opens the debate to the Wikipedia community and generates debate among both experienced and inexperienced editors on the pros and cons of keeping or deleting an article. It is not a vote, but rather a forum to reach consensus; 
 iii. "specific issue with a citation or statement": please list it in a way that can be addressed.  iv. "how can we have pages on Yuuzhan Vong/Fred Figglehorn?": I don't know. The latter has survived three AfDs, which means the Wikipedia community is satisfied that it is notable. That said, the community does change its collective mind occasionally and deletes articles it no longer considers notable. On the other hand, the fact that an article has been deleted doesn't mean that it can't be created again, obviously with the corresponding modifications made to ensure it stands a better chance of "surviving". 
 v. "I was disappointed to see a deletion banner appear.": Please don't take it personally. I should think that just about every single editor here has had an article deleted. No problem. See above. 
 vi. "Thanks again for the constructive comments (I appreciate them!)." Thank you for being so civil about it. I understand that the way things are done around here can seem intimidating for "newbies". People react in different ways to their articles being deleted or modified or whatever, and your reaction to this has been civil and constructive from the start, and is greatly appreciated. It bodes well for future collaborations here. Happy editing! Cheers!