Sometimes writers put people together because they think "he's cute! and (s)he's cute! Yeah, that'd be hot!" without really giving a damn about good characterisation. Which isn't a particularly good thing, imho. YMMV.

But I do that. I mean, not the characterization thing, but the ooh-pretty thing. That's how my Xander/Wes went, and then the Billy Tallent/Wes thing. Just an urge, and fic in response to that urge.

Hey, Plei, I'm lucid if you maybe wanna do some pinging.

without really giving a damn about good characterisation.

This is the key bit, though. I mean, it really is, isn't it? And I did actually think about the Billy Tallent/Wes story as I typed, because I remember you saying that you'd been quite specifically motivated by "ooh, pretty!" and that the character of Billy was chosen out of several possible characters played by the same actor. But once you'd done that, you did concentrate on character.

The discussion on BBF makes me want to rip my eyes out.

? What discussion is that?

Also - just say no to eye-gauging.

The one that Plei dubbed "It's Shipper War Time Yet Again in BBF-Land."

But once you'd done that, you did concentrate on character.

This is true. I guess I'm just saying, don't knock the ooh-pretty response. Because sometimes it brings good things.

The discussion on BBF makes me want to rip my eyes out.

Do tell. I went to no email as soon as the purring argument began.

Let's see. It goes something like this.

You people who like B/A are crazy.

No, you people who like B/S are crazy and are just smacking down the B/A people so much we're afraid to rec anything.

No, no, all you het people are crazy and like to smack down slash.

But slash is icky! And non-canonical.

Way more canonical than your crap het recs.

Well, I've got the right to say if I don't like something.

Not unless you have a good reason.

Who decides what's a good reason?

I do. Shut up.

And then the moderators come in and complain because someone, yet again, has forgotten spoiler space.

And yet I keep reading.

Dana, bless you!

That discussion has just been making my head explode, and dammit, do you know how hard brains are to clean off a brick wall?

The moderators only care about spoiler space?

The moderators only care about spoiler space?

Oh, no, not only. The moderators are generally sane people, and boy, would I not take that job for anything, because within 24 hours I'd put the whole list on moderated and only let through posts I agreed with.

The spoiler rules on the list are more strict than other places, and people have a very hard time remembering it.