They're complaining about this? Ye cats and little fishes! But... but... but multiple pairing possibilities means more story possibilities.
It's funny the different takes and agendas people bring to fanfic, isn't it? Some people after the stories, some people after the pairings... I mean, the first fanfic I read, I read because my BtVS lovin' was out of control and I'd watched all the UK stuff, and I didn't have cable, and there were months and months to wait before the next season. I did buy one of the books (short stories set after Season One), and it fed my story-craving, but it wasn't nearly enough. But I was still sheepish about buying the books, and books are
expensive,
damn it....and then I found the fanfic, and Rheanna and Yahtzee's
Angel
stories - and I was all "Woohoo!" And I also found you folks, and laughed my ass off at the filkage, and followed links to other stories, and was all "wooohoo" some more.
And I do remember initially being deeply embarrassed and cringing at the realisation that there were porny fanfic stories out there. I think it was a magazine article or newspaper article that alerted me to the fact, actually, 'cause I followed a link to a site (whilst at work) and was pole-axed by the array of pairings. I read part of an Angel/Spike story in a spirit of "OhMyGodThisIsDeeplyEmbarrassing". I'd forgotten that. Huh. That was months, maybe a year, before I got into the whole fanfic thing. Hmm. So my perspective has clearly shifted with time. I have been seduced over to the dark side of the force.
But I don't have any OTP in the Buffyverse - I used to be well-disposed to B/A and assume they'd wind up together, but then the whole of
Angel
has pretty well undermined that - and I love what they did with Darla's character, and the light that shone on the Buffy/Angel relationship. (Er, and I liked Kate too, fwiw.) I'm fond of Buffy/Spike, and I like Spike as a character, but I'm not emotionally invested in them having to get a happily ever after. In fact I'll read pretty much an pairing in the Jossverse, provided it's well done, and I'm very happy to read pairingless plotty fiction too.
My only OTP is Clark/Lex - because, man, TheirLoveIsSoTrue. And messed up. And angsty. And pretty. And epic. And tragic. But, much as I like reading it as a romance, I'm actually equally happy with it as a fraternal and platonic love. It's all about the love, baby, not the bumping of uglies. It's just more satisfying to have it be eros as well as agape. But then, I'll happily read either of them paired up with other people. I mean, I'm interested in the
stories.
Conversely I've sucked my formerlynonficreadingfriend into fanfic, with Calico's LotR RPS. Um. She cut her teeth on an NC17 RPS orgy. Um. Hey, man, I
tried
to woo her into plotty or saucy BtVS and SV and so forth, but it wasn't her bag at all. And then she read the Calico stuff, and now she's a complete LotR RPS crack ho and knows all about the actors and we're going to Milton Keynes to try to meet Billy Boyd and Andy Serkis at this geeky conventiony thing. (She's lovely, and deeply unscary, and
has
met quite a lot of famous people in a random way - I figure this is no weirder than going to a Martin Amis book signing and chatting with him. She isn't going to ask him if he's shagged Elijah, or show him scary porn. She's just going to be all "Mate! You rule! Go you!") And she started out reading stories with one particular pairing, and then broadened the scope to a couple of pairings, and then to all manner of other pairings. And she's gone from reading the NC17 stuff to reading PG13 and PG stuff too, plotty stuff.
And you know the weird thing? From my perspective, at least? She finds the idea of fanfic about
fictional characters
kind of squicky. But about real people, not. Go figure.
edited,
because I
am
Columbo, with his pretending-to-have-finished-but-then-going-back thing.
An hella amazing piece of work?
Not *because* it has all those different elements to it, I mean; those oughtn't be amazingly unusual in and of themselves. (That was one of your points.) But because it's your work. I mean.
My only OTP is Clark/Lex - because, man, TheirLoveIsSoTrue. And messed up. And angsty. And pretty. And epic. And tragic.
I never knew there was such a thing as an OTP until I read my first fanfic, which happened to be Fay's very hot story about this particular pair.
Plei, you want beta? Offering.
Which may make a nonsense out of the following two quickie comments, of course:
Everything about him clashes with the muted blues and greys of Wesley's living room, just as so much about him clashes with the blurry greys (steel or gunmetal, tinged red around the edges) of Wesley's self.
Love love love love love love this. And love it again.
"If I smacked you upside the head, would it beat some sense into that pretty head of yours?"
Is the reiteration of "head" deliberate?
(I've also got this Sandman/Buffyverse thing I want to write at some point.... oh, for a time turner.)
Fay, please oh please write this. Because I am a HUGE Sandman fan, but am terrified of seeking out Sandman fanfic. The only thing I've run across (and was pleasantly shocked by) was a Sandman/Harry Potter cross-over. If you write a Sandman/anything of your choosing fic, I love you even more than I do now.
The only thing I've run across (and was pleasantly shocked by) was a Sandman/Harry Potter cross-over.
That was kind of sweet, wasn't it?
Her drink tastes like a dream of tea: both more and less like the stuff that Hermione remembers from the waking world. She sips it delicately, thinking of Platonic ideals, and wonders if there's any sugar.
I was amazed. It worked so well, but made me very, very afraid of the idea of Sandman fic by people who's writing I don't trust.
blushes
Well, I've not read all the graphic novels yet, and I want to feel solid in canon - but my God, he's wonderful, isn't he? Really, so much depth and so many resonances and implications and repercussions - I'm very sold on
The Endless
now. Belatedly. I quite want to write long essays of adoration - I'm not so familiar with the medium, but it's seductive and potent as a potent seductive thing. I'm rather in love with the notion of looking at Drusilla from a Sandmanverse perspective. Especially after reading about the Emperor of the United States. And, man, we
know
she sees burning baby fishes. She's Delirium's creature, sure as eggs is eggs. Although I wonder whether perhaps Destiny might be a greatgreatgreatgrandfather, 'cause she's a seer too, of course - and that would make her distant family.
Do vampires belong to Death or Destruction, would you say? Or neither? I think the Fanged Four were clearly cutting a gay swathe for Destruction, but vampires in general, perhaps not. But then Dru was rather set on bringing about the end of the world....
I'm just charmed by the notion of the whole Whedon mythos being slipped in along all the other 'verses.
And, man, we know she sees burning baby fishes. She's Delirium's creature, sure as eggs is eggs.
Hee! Yes, yes she is.
Do vampires belong to Death or Destruction, would you say? Or neither? I think the Fanged Four were clearly cutting a gay swathe for Destruction, but vampires in general, perhaps not
See, I would be more inclined to have vampires belong to Desire. The core state of a vampire is wanting: blood, power. Plus Desire is neither male or female, thus neatly explaining the bi vibe so many vamps seem to have.
Not to mention that since vamps don't actually die, Death probably wouldn't have much to do with them. Though I can just imagine a conversation between Angel and Death ... "You shouldn't brood so much. It isn't necessary."
... have I mentioned my complete and utter devoted-ness to Sandman? That friends got me to start reading it after issue 8 with Death came out, because the friends were all a little unnerved that what looked and talked like a sister of mine had appeared in their favorite comic? The only reason I don't do the little swirly eyeliner thing is because I had been doing it before I ever read the comics, and now it's a cliché, which makes me sad, and I'm just rambling along now, aren't I?
