Thank you so much for your reply, and as far as I'm concerned, you could have gone on longer!
I agree that part of the appeal of fanfiction in general is its ability to take a character to so many new places, and have it work, as long as the writing is good and there's an essential honesty about who the character is.
I knew nothing about fandom, or fanfic, or slash, until discovering BtVS, which was not quite two years ago. It took me some time to see Spike/Xander, though.
I originally read Spike/Buffy, because I really longed for more of their relationship and their future together. But the more I watch and think about the show, the more I've come to terms with the way their relationship ends. I actually think the relationship is explored in a pretty complex and complete way, so ultimately, I didn't feel the same need for Spike/Buffy fanfiction, although, who knows? I may well come back to it. The first m/m pairing I read was Spike/Angel, which I was drawn to because it was pretty canon-based, but not fully explored. This led me to some Spike/Wesley and Angel/Wesley and even some Angel/Xander, all of which I liked.
Spike/Xander made no sense to me, until I read Anna S.'s Subtleties, and then I got it. I got it bad, and it stuck. (Although, her writing can sell me on almost any pairing. I read a Spike/Riley story of hers that sold me. Seriously.) Now, Spike/Xander seems so natural to me, it's hard to imagine it ever wasn't.
It's amazing how much fanfiction can change your perspective. It really changed my feelings about Xander. Pre-fanfiction, I liked him, but he was never one of my favorite characters. Fanfiction has made me think about him in a completely different way.
Giles/Xander. Not there yet. Hmmm.
The hotness of slash. Undeniable, but I'm trying to figure out why, for me. Why I find it so hot.
As for the anti-slash post -- I think you were wise to refrain from engaging. I probably should have done the same, but it really annoyed me, and I kept ruminating. Now there seems to be a bit of a to-do going on over there. I am still curious about the level of hostility, though.
no subject
I agree that part of the appeal of fanfiction in general is its ability to take a character to so many new places, and have it work, as long as the writing is good and there's an essential honesty about who the character is.
I knew nothing about fandom, or fanfic, or slash, until discovering BtVS, which was not quite two years ago. It took me some time to see Spike/Xander, though.
I originally read Spike/Buffy, because I really longed for more of their relationship and their future together. But the more I watch and think about the show, the more I've come to terms with the way their relationship ends. I actually think the relationship is explored in a pretty complex and complete way, so ultimately, I didn't feel the same need for Spike/Buffy fanfiction, although, who knows? I may well come back to it. The first m/m pairing I read was Spike/Angel, which I was drawn to because it was pretty canon-based, but not fully explored. This led me to some Spike/Wesley and Angel/Wesley and even some Angel/Xander, all of which I liked.
Spike/Xander made no sense to me, until I read Anna S.'s Subtleties, and then I got it. I got it bad, and it stuck. (Although, her writing can sell me on almost any pairing. I read a Spike/Riley story of hers that sold me. Seriously.) Now, Spike/Xander seems so natural to me, it's hard to imagine it ever wasn't.
It's amazing how much fanfiction can change your perspective. It really changed my feelings about Xander. Pre-fanfiction, I liked him, but he was never one of my favorite characters. Fanfiction has made me think about him in a completely different way.
Giles/Xander. Not there yet. Hmmm.
The hotness of slash. Undeniable, but I'm trying to figure out why, for me. Why I find it so hot.
As for the anti-slash post -- I think you were wise to refrain from engaging. I probably should have done the same, but it really annoyed me, and I kept ruminating. Now there seems to be a bit of a to-do going on over there. I am still curious about the level of hostility, though.