When I first started looking for fanfic, I was in UTTAD's position: I loved the show, and I wanted more just like that. I gave up on Buffyfic in 1999, when after a quick search all I could find was smut--either about pairings I had never contemplated, or about pairings on the show, but described in completely out-of-character ways. I still do love big plotty episode-like stories, but I've also come to appreciate the some of the other kinds of stories. Finding *in-character* unconventional ships certainly helped.

And then (*shrug*) I write neither big plotty stories nor smut. (The latest story has my first unconventional ship, and my first attempt at explicit sex; the emotional connection works, but I'm not sure the sex scene does. I find it much easier to write erotically about attraction than about consumation.)

I find *both* plot and sex really hard to write, personally. Moody depressive interior monologues and descriptions of landscape, those I could write endlessly. Me and 75% of the fic writers on the Internet, alas.

(not looking at 1K challenge not looking at 1K challenge not not not)

My favourite international slang, alas, got translated into English for me and I fell so in love with the English version that I promptly forgot the extremely idiomatic French. Basically, "Good Afternoon! Please give my regards to your unwed mother!"

Fun.

I think that for me, the farther you get from slot-it-right-into-the-show canon the better the story and the writing have to be, for much the same reason that I expect my vampire shows to be consistent dammit. If you want me to buy Willow and Spike, you're going to have to impress the hell out of me with your Willow and Spike characterizations, the prose is going to have to be damn solid, and I'm going to have to get all the way to the end without once thinking "oh, look, there's the author giggling about how cool they are that they made Willow and Spike have sex!" That's difficult for me. (Depends on the relationship, of course. Some of them make sense to me - Buffy and Wesley is a really interesting what-if in my head, for instance, while Spike and Xander just makes me feel very, very puzzled.)

Unless it's just trying to be porny, which I can get behind.

(Depends on the relationship, of course. Some of them make sense to me - Buffy and Wesley is a really interesting what-if in my head, for instance, while Spike and Xander just makes me feel very, very puzzled.)

And yet, Spike and Xander are a HUGE ship, where the other still has people looking at me like I'm on crack. *g*

And yet, Spike and Xander are a HUGE ship, where the other still has people looking at me like I'm on crack. *g*

Oh, Plei, my drabble today.

I a thing for Spike and Xander, I like the silly totally AU stories of James Walkswithwind and Mad Poetess because that's pretty much the only way I can believe the pairing.

However Anna S.'s S/X are really good, including her new series.

I see Xander being attracted to Spike but I can't ever see him acting on that attraction because of his vampire issues, and of course for what Spike did to Buffy and with Anya. Which is why I tried to write them in a PWP and couldn't because Xander's issues were such a factor.

Oh, Plei, my drabble today.

I am nothing if not a crack pusher.

::cough cough::

I have drabbled.

That was fun. t cracks knuckles, gets back to work

Am, I loved that one and I didn't even notice it was you.

I'm not really a huge ships person. I mean, there are some *specific* pairings that don't interest me, like Buffy/Giles, but in general, keep them in character and give me a plot, and I'm happy.

Plei, you asked a few weeks back if I was a popslash BNF...sadly, I must report that I received confirmation today that I am not:

[link]

I didn't make the list. *sniff*